Editor’s Note: Social Skills is a bi-monthly feature in RISMedia’s Daily News focused on social media and digital marketing tips, trends and solutions for agents and brokers.
YouTube has long been a powerful platform for social media marketing, something many real estate agents have grown to take advantage of. Not only does it help market your business, but many agents also make additional revenue from ads or the YouTube Partner Program.
The platform, however, recently announced some changes to its monetization policies that could affect how agents earn revenue from their videos.
YouTube recently tightened its definition of its “repetitious content” policy, now shifting it to be named “inauthentic content.” The pre-existing policy has been in place on the platform in order to ensure “creators are rewarded for original and authentic content.” The updated policy discourages repetitive content that features things like AI voiceovers or faceless narration and a templated format or mass production.
While there are many creators this change won’t affect, real estate agents may need to make a definite shift in their content strategies in order to keep earning revenue.
A common strategy for real estate marketing on YouTube has been home tours with AI voiceovers or faceless narration, a type of video that can be interpreted as templated and repetitive. Slideshow videos with narration, another popular strategy for agents to share market or industry insights, would also be under review in the new policy. Many agents also “mass produce” content, so-to-speak, through batch creation they schedule time for, which may also flag them for review.
Creating content is a full time job for many who receive revenue from YouTube, but not for agents. Shifting your content strategy to continue earning revenue while also running a business may sound hard, but there are some work arounds.
For instance, you can still do walkthroughs and home tours, but vary up the template a bit. To start, put yourself in front of the camera and host the video. You can still do the occasional voiceover, but try to make sure you’re in front of the camera often to avoid getting flagged. Next, swap up your order of events. Get creative with how you move through a home, changing up your walkthrough each time by starting in different areas or highlighting different aspects.
In terms of popular slideshow videos, similar ideas apply. Put yourself in front of the camera, and try to change up your formula. Do some slideshows with you green-screened in front of the images. You can also do some vlog style videos with just you on screen. You can also go with a presentation style, with a board behind you featuring the type of graphics you’d use in a slideshow.
You can also start adding in new types of content if you want to really bump up your channel. You can start doing interviews with clients, making little documentaries for each transaction you do. You can vlog your day-to-day life to show people the insides and out of real estate and help connect yourself to potential clients. Any original way you think you could connect more face-to-screen with potential clients and followers, give it a shot.
The bottom line is that making money as a real estate agent on YouTube may require a bit more work than it has in the past, but it’s still completely do-able. All it takes is some slight shifts in the strategy of your pre-existing content, and a touch more creativity. Agents are a creative bunch, being constant problem-solvers for their clients, so adding that creative touch to your content will not be as hard as you think.
