As the real estate market continues to recover and agents flood into the market, competition for high-quality listings and clients can be fierce. Video marketing is a way to stand out from the pack.
This is a big piece of practical advice delivered by Tacoma-based Realtors®, Marguerite Giguere and Anne Jones, in the recent Homes.com webinar, “Rev Up Your Video Marketing.”
Giguere is a blogger at GetRealTacoma.com and creator and curator of the Facebook Page, “Real Estate Memes,” while Jones blogs regularly for TacomaJones.com. Both advocate that all agents use video as a way to help increase their business, while stressing that evergreen content better introduces you to potential clients 24/7 and brings enormous SEO and ROI benefits.
Throughout the webinar, the two women explain how to turn your bio, client conversations, emails, market trend knowledge, listings, testimonials and community expertise into sticky, lead-generating video content.
“Video makes you stand out with a potential client; they pick you and that’s a great feeling,” Jones says. “When you put video out, it’s clearly a reflection of who you are, how you present your professionalism; there are a lot of things that go between the lines that don’t have to be stated.”
Telling a Story
Think of how many times you’ve clicked on a video that someone shared on Facebook and it made you laugh or teary-eyed. According to Giguere, nothing evokes an emotional response as well as video and it’s the best way to tell a story. “The opportunity in real estate is to have that same effect on people,” she says. “The reality is you’re trying to make an emotional connection with potential clients; this is a relationship business.” If you don’t know what to talk about, stick with topics in your comfort zone.
A great way to tell a story is by filming a short profile of you and your business as a powerful way to get people interested in you. Or, you can create a Q&A type video, where you provide information of interest to potential buyers and sellers. It’s another way to connect and attract clients. Putting past clients on film can also make a great video because there’s nothing better than a live testimonial video of someone saying how great it was working with you and talking about how you helped them sell their home.
Pros of Video
Giguere and Jones showed an example of an agent who made a brand video of her firm. The beauty of it, they share, is that in just 25 seconds you can already get an idea of what the agent is like. It’s a way for potential clients to meet you and get to know you before any face-to-face meeting.
“Once you’ve made a video and showed your authentic self, the great part is it’s not a one-shot deal,” Jones says. “Content, if done right can work for you around the clock.”
By sharing your videos on Facebook and other social media sites, they will be available there infinitely. Viewers can go back and review them as often as they like. Viewers will also be able to share your videos with their friends, giving your content an even wider audience.
If you’re an agent marketing a home whose location and lifestyle are key selling features more than the property itself, a video highlighting all that’s in the area can encourage a house hunter to come view it in person. “We know people go on to Youtube to find community information. This is an excellent way to highlight that,” Jones says. “It helps sell the house, connects you to clients and can get you more money.” Adding video to a local ad campaign, such those available through Homes.com’s Local Ads, can draw even more attention to your listing and your brand. Plus, the video can be used to help market other houses in the area, so it can continue to work for you in the years to come.
Hiring It Out vs. DIY
Once you make the decision to shoot a video, you’ll need to figure out if it’s something you should do on your own or if it makes more sense to hire a professional.
According to Giguere, one of the biggest mistakes of someone filming on their own is poor audio quality. She stresses that DIY videographers need to be clear with their message. Jones says to consider questions like, “What is the shelf life of the video?” and “What story do you want to tell?”
Creating videos yourself can get expensive as equipment such as cameras, a wireless mic and lighting kit are costly, but just making one good video can help the return on investment.
“Clearly there is power through storytelling and if you don’t think you are creative enough, you might need to hire someone to do the storyboard or screenwriting,” Jones says.
There are benefits to hiring a pro including not needing to buy the equipment, handle edits, make sure the sound and pictures are strong, or carry everything around to each shoot. If you decide to hire someone, Giguere and Jones recommend asking for samples of their previous work.
To learn even more great video tips, watch Giguere and Jones’ full webinar. For more free real estate education including best practices, visit Secrets of Top Selling Agents. Be sure to sign up for the upcoming webinar, “The Rich and the Rest: The Distinctions of High Performance Selling,” featuring Tom Ferry on Wednesday, May 20th 1:00 PM/ET.
