There’s no reason not to use video marketing for your real estate business. Videos convey more information in an engaging, easy-to-consume manner. Besides, a report from the National Association of Realtors showed that 73% of property sellers are likely to work with a realtor who uses video.
But creating videos isn’t a walk in the park. You need the right equipment and resources. And most importantly, you need a strategy.
Let’s talk about five effective video marketing strategies for real estate businesses.
Why Should Real Estate Companies Use Video Marketing?
Back in the day, realtors would use radio stars to get property sales. Video has killed radio, for good. A professionally made real estate video can be a valuable resource for real estate firms. It takes the viewer inside the property and shows them what an image or textual description can never showcase.
It doesn’t matter if you hire a video production company or shoot a video from your phone. If it provides information and value, it’ll continue to act as an asset for your business. So, why should you invest in video marketing? Here’s why.
- Shows Reality: It’s easy to edit a picture to show something that isn’t real. Photoshop has become so prevalent that 13-year-olds can swap faces and add and remove items from an image. On the other hand, videos show reality. Nothing beats a well-made video if you want to convey the real look and feel of a property.
- Provide More Detail: Videos offer more information than static photos. They help you provide a better feel of the space and lets your customers see the bigger picture.
- Increased Professionalism: Anyone can click pictures. But creating professional videos requires resources, effort, and dedication. When you have a portfolio of videos, you send out a clear message that you take your work seriously.
- Shareable: A report from WordStream showed that 92% of users watching a video on mobile would share it. Videos naturally get more shares than image and text-based content. More shares mean more reach.
- Offline Capabilities: You can use videos to market yourself offline. TV ads are a good way to go. You can also use QR codes to promote your videos. You can create a customized QR code using a QR Code Generator, link it to the video and share it on your offline marketing materials, like brochures. People can scan the code and see the video on their phones.
Five Video Marketing Strategies for Real Estate Businesses
Video marketing can help real estate businesses stand out. But it’s 2021, and video marketing is no longer a rare strategy that only the leading real estate firms deployed. Nowadays, every realtor can have the resources to create videos.
What does this mean? More competition for realtors. Here are five real estate video marketing strategies that’ll help you stand and get more leads and sales.
1. Cold Outreach Videos
Establishing trust with prospects is one of the biggest challenges in the real estate business. Most property buyers look at realtors as scammers who just want to make them buy a house and get a fat commission. Hence, the first step towards doing business is to establish trust.
Videos can go a long way in helping you build trust and rapport with your prospective customers. According to Mortgage Reports, home sellers research for less than three hours and hire the very first agent they come across.
Sending an introductory video can help you be that fresh face in their inbox. When you send an outreach video, you create a significant advantage for yourself.
An introductory video doesn’t need to be very high-quality and well-edited. A professional selfie video shot from your phone’s front camera is all you need.
2. Social Media Videos
People look for properties on social media. Take Facebook Marketplace, for example. It’s a free marketplace where people put up ads for selling or renting out properties. While there are talks about how social, organic reach is plummeting, social algorithms still prioritize videos. If you create quality videos that add value, you’ll get eyeballs and engagement.
However, keep in mind that the topics you choose for social media videos should be more aligned towards providing value. It’s alright to do some selling once in a while, but don’t let it make up the majority of your content on social media.
3. Customer Testimonial Videos
You can leverage word-of-mouth marketing by turning your happy customers into brand advocates. And the best way to do so is by recording short customer testimonial videos. Make it a general practice in business. Whenever you help customers buy or sell a property, ask them to record a short video sharing their experiences.
Like introductory videos, testimonial videos don’t need to be high-quality. A video shot from a selfie camera is all you need. However, pay attention to the sound quality, as your prospects should be able to understand what your happy customer is saying.
You can also conduct customer interviews and turn them into case studies. Some questions to ask in such interviews are:
- How do you feel now?
- What problem were you facing?
- How has our business helped solve your problem?
- Would you recommend us to your friends and family members?
4. Property Video Tours
Ideally, property video tours should make up most of your video content. The chances are that you’re currently using photographs to give your prospects a feel of the environment. Upgrade their experience by replacing photos with property video tours.
You can create property video tours in two ways. One, you can create high-quality, professionally-shot videos. These videos take a cinematic approach and walk the viewer through all the parts and amenities of the property.
The second way is to create self-made property walkthroughs. You can turn on the video recorder in your phone and start walking around the property. This approach is more personal and would help your prospects better connect with you. However, you won’t be able to show the full picture with these types of videos.
So, try to balance your property video tours using both types of videos.
5. Educational Real Estate Videos
Your customers will always have questions. How does a mortgage work? What paperwork is required? What legalities are involved? You can create educational videos to answer such common queries.
Explainer videos can help your business in two ways. First, they make it easier for people to do business with you. When you clear their doubts and queries, they’ll be more willing to work with you. Second, it establishes you as a thought leader. When you offer free education, people look up to you, which boosts your authority and helps you drive more business.
Best Real Estate Video Marketing Tips to Follow
Now, that you know how to go about your video marketing, let’s discuss a few tips that can help you achieve better outcomes.
Use the Right Equipment: It’s fine to share selfie videos or casual videos recorded from your phone once in a while. But for the most part, your videos should be professional and high quality. So, invest in the right equipment, including the right camera, lens, and video editing software.
Focus on Pre-Production: The more you spend on planning your video, the better it’ll turn out to be. Focus on staging the room and adjusting the lighting before you start shooting.
Dress for Your Audience: Don’t wear a tuxedo when shooting a home tour. Don’t appear in your boxers either. Dress for your audience and wear clothes that they can relate to.
Use Subtle Music: Eliminate background noise by using subtle background music. However, make sure it’s subtle, especially if the video consists of voice.
Take Your Efforts Offline: Lastly, take your video marketing efforts offline with QR codes. You can use a QR code solution to create a QR code and link it to a video you want to share. You can place that code on the property entrance, so people walking by can scan the code and get an inside view. You can also put up QR codes in your office to make your content more accessible for your clients.
Wrapping Up
Buying or selling a property can be complex. There are myriad complexities involved, and customers can have questions at every stage of the process. By creating videos, you can provide a better picture to your customers, helping them make a decision quickly. Additionally, using videos can go a long way in increasing trust and boosting your reputation.
Guest post courtesy of Tanishq Agarwal