Video Marketing in Real Estate

Real estate agents are often early adopters of new technology. If it makes the home shopping process easier for their buyers or gives their seller clients a competitive edge, they will invest the time and money to make it a part of their marketing plan. While some methods are little more than schemes to make money off of gullible agents, one method of marketing for real estate agents has been around in some variation for many years; it continues to give agents who use it the upper hand. That tool is property video marketing.


Advantages of video marketing
Real estate agents typically have different opinions on the best marketing practices. Some embrace new technology, others stay rigidly with what they learned from their mentor or broker decades ago. Things like including as many photos of the property as possible and yard signs are undeniable essentials. Here are a few benefits of property video marketing.

• Video marketing for real estate agents opens up additional marketing channels like YouTube.
   
• By virtually taking potential buyers inside a property, it connects with them earlier.
   
• Helps weed out potential buyers who are not really interested in the house and ensures buyers have a better understanding of the home prior to viewing it in person.
   
• Sellers are more likely to list with you because you have a greater arsenal of marketing tools.
   
• It increases the excitement about the subject property by providing buyers with an easily share able and intriguing presentation of the home.
   
• Video is a compelling and powerful method of marketing to an international audience.

Not just for high-end properties anymore
Video as a business tool is used by every industry. As technology advances, the cost of production decreases. Practically all homes have internet that is fast enough for unlimited video streaming. Many people now take for granted streaming videos on their smart phones and tablets while they are on the go. You do not have to spend a lot of money for professional productions on every home you list. For some properties, the cost may outweigh the benefits. Many agents do quality video presentations themselves on every home they list. It takes some time to learn to do it right, but their clients appreciate them being personally involved in the process and the added effort the agent puts into showcasing their home in every possible way.

A few key considerations
Video marketing for real estate agents is one of those things that needs to be done well or not done at all. Just as it can be a powerful method of making a good impression, it can equally give a negative impact when done poorly. You want every aspect of your business and marketing to exude professionalism and attention to detail. Sloppy, blurry, and rushed property videos convey that you do not put much value on the listing. The potential buyers will not either, and your sellers will not place much value on your services. If you work with a professional production company on a regular basis, they should offer you economical pricing on videos for all your properties.
Video marketing for real estate agents will help you stand out when done right. As the years go by and more agents begin incorporating it into their listing strategy, it becomes less an enhancement and more an expected service. When done economically and strategically, it elevates you in the eyes of buyers and sellers. For subdivision developments and builders, the progressive videos and updates on progress keep buyers interested and returning to your site. Selling homes is still a people business. The best videos include a presenter who highlights various features of the home. By telling a compelling story with your video, you help the potential buyer think of the property as their home. That is ultimately your goal with all aspects of your marketing, and few other tools can do that as effectively as video.

Creative Real Estate Marketing Ideas

Many real estate agents and real estate companies use the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" as an excuse to not deviate from the marketing methods they have been using for years and, in some cases, decades. But failing to implement fresh real estate marketing ideas not only limits your business opportunities, it also does a great disservice to your clients. The real estate industry is one of the most competitive on the planet. In a strong market, sellers are competing with many sellers. In a slow market, they are competing for the very few available buyers. Use these creative marketing ideas to ensure a stable business model for yourself and to provide your clients with the best real estate service they can find anywhere.

Go beyond virtual tours
You are not just selling the house in your videos and slideshows, you are selling the lifestyle that comes along with it. Go beyond the tired virtual tours with generic narration. One of the best real estate marketing ideas is to make a movie that shows people enjoying a barbecue in the backyard or film a cooking demonstration that showcases the amazing features of the large kitchen.

Content is still king
Your prospects will not read every word of your blog post or every blog post you make. You still need to keep creating fresh content on a regular basis. They will be more likely to leave and find another source of real estate information due to lack of content than they are to stop following you due to too many updates.

Give them a reason to share
It is not enough to ask people to share your Facebook post and other social media feeds. There has to be something topical about it that will be of interest to current residents of your market area and to potential residents. Always keep news about your community upbeat and always be looking for new real estate marketing ideas in your daily life.

Make obtaining referrals a priority
Most real estate agents obtain some amount of business from referrals. The National Association of Realtors says that 53 percent of first-time buyers found their agent by referral and 36 percent of repeat buyers were referred to their agent. Let past clients know how much your appreciate their business and do not be shy about asking for the referral in all of your future communications with them.

Keep your automated task personal
Your time is valuable. That is why you use autoresponders and automated systems to make blog post and social media post. Remember that the time of your prospects and clients is valuable too. Keep outgoing messages fresh, personalized, and constantly updated. You show people how much you care about them and your own business before you ever speak to them in person.

Maximize your conversion of prospects
All real estate agents get busy at some time and begin cherry picking prospects. Without a thought, they allow lower-tier home buyers to fall by the wayside. Do that, you will eventually end up standing idly with the other agents at the coffee machine and complaining about the slow economy. Focus more on converting available prospects than spending money to attract a higher volume.
Only a small percentage of real estate agents truly think outside the box and depart from the traditional template real estate marketing ideas that are utilized by the vast majority of agents. Keep in mind, only a small percentage of real estate agents thrive and establish a secure business that they can rely on for steady income year after year. Real estate agents tend to be passionate people. Don't ever lose that passion that you had when you first became an agent. The best way to keep it alive is to constantly challenge yourself and take some risk.