When looking at real estate market statistics from the past few years, it’s clear that technology continues to dramatically influence home buying — thanks in no small part to tactics like real estate video marketing. While 97% of home buyers understandably used the internet to start their initial search for a home in 2020, nearly half said videos, specifically, were “very useful” in their search.
As such, more and more real estate agents are using real estate video marketing to generate leads, stand out from their competitors, and showcase their services and properties in a visually striking manner. If you are wondering how you can master the art of the real estate video without getting lost in the process, read through the guide below on the best video ideas for you and your real estate business.
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Why video marketing is essential
Video marketing has been an essential part of many businesses marketing strategies in recent years. In fact, 9 out of 10 marketers used video in their marketing campaigns in 2020. This number has increased this past year in particular, in part thanks to the move towards a more digitally friendly world that the COVID-19 pandemic caused. Here are some facts that shed light on the effectiveness of video marketing:
- Videos are a consumers’ favorite type of content to see from a brand.
- 54% of consumers want to see more video content from businesses.
- 84% of consumers say they bought a product or service after watching a brand’s video.
Moreover, consumers are much more likely to engage with videos by liking, commenting on, or sharing them. Sharing in particular is very important, as this is the internet’s equivalent to word of mouth. If the general internet population seems to like and trust a product or service, others are more likely to like and trust it as well.
To put it simply, not incorporating videos into your brand’s marketing could have you losing out on an untapped audience.
How real estate video marketing can help your business
So, you know that real estate video marketing is an essential part of your overall marketing strategy, but how can it specifically help your real estate business? With the real estate market becoming increasingly competitive, effective videos can help you:
- Generate leads: The facts speak for themselves — consumers are more interested in a brand’s videos than any other medium, including text or photos. By marketing your videos in the right places, such as YouTube or Facebook, you are bound to generate more potential clients.
- Book more meetings: 77% of clients choose to work with the first real estate agent they speak with. By establishing your video presence and gaining more followers, you are more likely to be recommended than agents with a weak video presence online.
- Create a personal connection: Millenials — the most common age of buyers who are using the internet to search for a home — expect communication, honesty, transparency, and value from a brand. By creating videos that showcase both yourself and your business, you are crafting a personal connection that will make interested clients more likely to trust you.
- Showcase your properties: With real estate video marketing, you can make a wide variety of videos that showcase the properties on offer, as well as the surrounding area and neighborhood, in a more immersive way than just a photo can.
- Explain things clearly: Lastly, with videos, you can give longer and clearer explanations about properties and easily answer (or pose) questions without consumers having to read long walls of text.
Types of real estate video marketing
When it comes to what kind of real estate videos to create, you have plenty of content options to choose from. Which type of video idea to pursue will depend on what kind of vibe you would like your brand to have. Better yet, you could try out a few different types of videos to see what garners the most interest. The most common are as follows.
Tours
Real estate video tours offer you perhaps the widest option of video marketing. You can make a tour for just about anything in the real estate world.
For instance, you can make a tour showcasing a property, neighborhood, agency, or the local area. You can get even more specific when it comes to towns and cities, showcasing popular or important places like local schools, nature areas, or famous sight-seeing spots.
Realtor
If you would like to focus on telling the story of who you are as a realtor and market to the millennial generation, you have an endless number of ways to get creative.
Some popular real estate video ideas you can try include “About me,” “A day in the life,” “Client testimonials,” and “Ask me anything” in which you answer questions regular or potential clients have about you and your services.
Educational
Educational videos give you a chance to really show off your stuff. These types of videos are useful for newcomers to the home-buying market who will appreciate some insight before making any big moves. Many realtors see results from posting videos that cover topics like tips and tricks for first-time buyers, how a contract works, what to look for in a new home, how to negotiate, and how to handle common issues with new homes.
Seller-focused
Instead of just concentrating on home buyers, some realtors focus on home sellers. If this is your approach, you can still try out educational videos on home buying, but this time go over all the common steps one must take to sell their listing.
After going over such imperatives like needing to research the best time to sell, what price to list, and how to stage a house for selling, home sellers may realize they’d rather have hands-on help from an agent like yourself. This is the perfect opportunity for you to broadcast your services.
Fun
Of course, not all real estate videos have to be 100% serious. Many realtors have fun with their real estate video marketing, including making parody videos, using music as part of a tour, dancing, using children or pets, or focusing on features that make an area unique or weird, like infamous haunted spots or histories of town folklore.
9 real estate video ideas
To get you started, take a look at some real estate videos with both high view counts and engagements. The “key takeaways” will give you additional ideas for camera shots or footage content.
Voice-over video tour
557 Marksbury Road Pickering Open House Video Tour
With over 4,000,000 views and 49,000 upvotes, it’s safe to say that this YouTube video is well-liked with buyers wanting to check out a property video tour.
This agency opted to use a voiceover to guide viewers in showing both the interior and exterior of the home. Voiceovers work well because they focus solely on the property in the video. There is also an opportunity to include plenty of facts for the length of the video using enticing language.
Other key takeaways from this video:
- Smooth gliding shots throughout the video are visually appealing and easy to follow.
- Exterior panning shots at the end allow for viewers to get a feel for the property’s size.
- The addition of footage of nearby parks boosts interest in the surrounding area of the home.
Drone tour
Miami’s Finest in Luxury – Julian Johnston – Million Dollar Listing – DroneHub
In recent years, drones have become more popular because they can provide perspectives that regular cameras can’t. Drones are able to show viewers wide, overhead shots that work perfectly for showing off the amount of space occupied by one or more of your listings. Moreover, you can use a drone to show off the views from a house, as well as its neighborhood. This Miami video does an excellent job of showing a luxury property on the water.
Other key takeaways from this video:
- The opening shot immediately shows off the amazing water-front view that the property has.
- The overhead shot as the drone approaches the house gives viewers an idea of the house’s location on the water.
- A “time lapse” (at the 25-second mark) shows Miami over a few hours in just a few seconds, giving an idea of the city’s hustle and bustle.
A day in the life
Millennial Realtor | A Day in the Life of a Real Estate Agent
A quick search of “a day in the life” seems to bring up an endless number of videos on YouTube of just about every profession. As a result, real estate video marketing of this kind racks up a huge number of views. The popular video shown here presents common themes found in real estate videos, including an example of one part of the job, a home appraisal.
Other key takeaways from this video:
- The typical real estate agent workspace gives an insider perspective of an agency office
- An actual meeting with a client can give potential clients a taste of your working style
- The home appraisal aspect of the video is both interesting and informational
Client testimonial
Seattle Real Estate Agent Client Testimonial #18 | McDonald Real Estate Group
Testimonial videos are, of course, great for any kind of business, as they show potential clients how satisfied your previous clients were. A testimonial video like the one above is powerful because it simply has clients sharing their personal experience and gratitude. Asking clients to talk about their journey into finding your business as well as how they are doing now provides a great framework for the video.
Other key takeaways from this video:
- The setting of the video — the homebuyers sitting on their couch — gives a cozy and intimate feel.
- The clients giving insight into their homebuying struggle adds to the powerful message.
- The background music gives a motivating ambiance.
Local area spotlight
Sarasota Beaches – Which Are Best? 4K
When featuring a local area, your options are endless. You have the opportunity to present the absolute best that the property’s town, city, or even state has for new residents to enjoy. Some popular ideas include showing off green spaces like parks, giving a preview of popular local businesses, or presenting the city’s most famous sight-seeing destination. This particular video does just that by showing Sarasota’s best beaches, enticing all beach lovers.
Other key takeaways from this video:
- Of course, the high, overhead drone shots are extremely effective here, showcasing a fabulous broad view.
- The transitions at the beginning of the video — waves crashing — gives the video a light-hearted and fun feel.
- The text on the bottom left of the video giving the names of each beach is a nice, helpful touch.
About me
Jillian Allen- JMAK Properties – Real estate agent Bio Video
Consumers love About me videos, as they create a more personal connection with someone they may end up doing business with. Doing About me realtor videos also lets agents demonstrate their knowledge, prior accomplishments, and strengths — all important factors for any real estate realtor. The About me video from real estate agent Jillian Allen is a perfect example to draw inspiration from, since her video bio does all three.
Other key takeaways from this video:
- The inclusion of ‘b-roll’ footage in the video, including the real estate agent meeting with a client and showing a house, are intriguing in-action shots to go with the agent’s introduction.
- Talking about why she “loves this business” makes viewers interested in her story.
- Introducing her background, including where she grew up and how she’s seen the city evolve, shows viewers that she knows a lot about the subject.
Beginner tips and tricks
My Top 20 First Time Buyer Tips | First Time Home Buyer Advice | First Time Home Buyer
These days, people use Google and YouTube to answer most of their questions. One of the hot topics that people turn to the internet for is real estate, as the process of either buying or selling a home is often complex.
The video here offers 20 pieces of advice for first-time home buyers, making it a very useful tool from an expert in the field. The best part is, you can do a Tips and tricks video for what you know most about or specialize in — someone is bound to have questions about it!
Other key takeaways from this video:
- The video’s straightforward format of the agent talking directly to the camera leaves room for no distractions, getting right to the point.
- The background of the agent’s office space makes for a professional backdrop.
- The agent gives real-life examples to go with each piece of advice.
Housing market information
More GOOD News for Homebuyers: Housing Market Update
Another popular real estate video marketing idea is to share recent updates on the housing market, especially during these uncertain times of living in a pandemic.
This particular video garnered tens of thousands of views in just a few days, with curious viewers looking for advice on whether to go with a buy or not. By explaining the details using easy-to-understand language, the general buyer will come away with a more educated understanding of the market.
Other key takeaways from this video:
- What makes this video stand out among the rest is the addition of market statistics and facts from insightful resources like The National Association of Realtors.
- Like with the Tips and tricks video listed above, this video benefits from the agent sitting down and looking straight into the camera, giving it a personal feel.
- The agent goes into detail for both home buyers and home sellers, appealing to a wider audience.
Parody
Funny Real Estate Video Home Tour!
Adding humor to your videos will make them memorable and portray a lighter side to the often-complicated real estate business. At the same time, you have the chance to show a property listing in a fun way that can make viewers more interested in a location. This video, posted last year, blends humor and knowledge perfectly.
Other key takeaways from this video:
- The agent gives ideas for how a home space can be used, i.e., sitting on the invisible couch in the middle of the room.
- The video also shows off the property’s lot, using humor for outside ideas.
- The funny surprise of the agent jumping into the pool makes for an especially memorable video ending.
Ways you can promote your videos
Once you have created an effective real estate video or two, you may be wondering how you can actually promote the videos so they are seen by as many potential clients as possible. Fortunately, you’ve got a number of options available to you:
Emails
Email marketing in real estate remains one of the most effective ways to attract new clients and continue to build relationships with steady clients. In fact, emails that contain videos have a 300% higher click rate. Constant Contact offers email marketing ideas and templates to help you get started.
Social Media
Of course, social media is a must for sharing any kind of content you may produce, with videos included. After all, 80% of Americans have a social media profile. Each type of social media has its own audience and style, meaning you will have to adapt how you promote your video accordingly. YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter remain the top three options for your video promotion.
YouTube
YouTube is the ” second most popular social media platform,” according to Oberlo. With over 2 billion monthly active users, it’s only behind Facebook. It’s the first place you should upload your video.
Even better, you can include your contact information and a call to action in the description box of the video, driving users to your website for real estate or giving them the ability to reach you via email or phone.
Facebook is a popular platform to write larger amounts of texts that consumers read after watching an eye-catching video. Moreover, Facebook is an easy platform for users to share a video with their friends, adding their opinions on your service.
People may “tag” friends in need of your services in the comments of relevant videos, or even send a video to the friend directly, which can be good ways to get you in front of interested prospective customers.
If you have a Facebook business page, you can easily share regular videos here with links to your website. You can even run ad campaigns to expand your reach.
Twitter has a character limit of 280, meaning you only have a short amount of space to promote a video. Still, it is liked by many real estate agents, as the platform is known for users responding to timely events and engaging in conversations with brands and other users. Promoting timely videos, such as housing market information or Tips and tricks videos, will be very effective here.
Ready to get recording?
Real estate video marketing can boost your business by generating new leads, creating more engagement with your brand, and giving you an appealing and captivating way to show off listings to a wide audience.
In a time when the world keeps becoming more digital due to the global pandemic, it’s more important than ever to adapt to the world of video marketing.
Remember, the ideas for how to market your video and business overall are wide and varied, giving you plenty of opportunities to show the best of what you have to offer.
You can get started by brainstorming video ideas that reflect your business’s vision and general approach to real estate. After you create your video, you’ll need to pick the best channel to promote it. The first step can feel like the hardest, but in no time you’ll be reaping the benefits that come with video marketing.