As an estate agent, you are always looking for new ways to market your properties and attract potential buyers. A promo video is a great way to do this, and there are a few things you should keep in mind when creating one. In this article, we are going to dive into why Estate Agents should use promo videos, and how they go about doing so.
Today, you won't be asking, ‘Should I use video to market my Estate Agent business?’.Instead, your question will be, ‘Can I afford not to?’.The stats are clear:
That should be all the evidence you need. But there’s more:
88% of Estate Agents who used video reported a positive ROI
84% of people say that video has convinced them to buy
66% of people prefer to watch a video to learn about a new service vs 18% who prefer text
People are twice as likely to share a video over other types of content
Four key reasons to make video marketing the cornerstone of your Estate Agent marketing plan for the new year:
The evidence shows that it directly impacts your chances of making the sale
Your vendors increasingly expect it
Video promoting will give a big boost to your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) efforts
Using video will demonstrate that you’re a premier-level Estate Agent - serious about using the latest digital technology to support your clients
For your video marketing efforts to be successful, you need to plan. Just shooting videos without the proper forethought and equipment will make you come across as amateurish and only cause damage to your brand and to the chances of selling your clients’ properties.
Your planning process should entail asking yourself the following questions:
What are you trying to achieve with your video – what’s your goal?
What action do you want viewers to take?
Who’s your target audience - the buyer or the seller?
Do you have the right equipment – both hardware (camera etc.) and software (for editing)?
How do you plan to use the video?
For the shoot itself, you need to consider:
What are you going to say?
What shots do you need?
What props do you need?
What about the content? Are you going to write a script, or will you make the recording ‘freestyle’?
Of course, if you’re outsourcing to produce the video, then much of the planning will be carried out by the specialist videographer.
Your most obvious use of video – you’ll be literally showing potential buyers round the property. You’ll be showing the property at its best and potentially reducing the need for time-wasting, unnecessary physical visits. The buyer/tenant will be able to make a more informed decision as to whether they want to book a viewing.
Promote your agency as ‘local’ by creating a series of videos highlighting the benefits of each of your niche areas. This way, you’ll be able to provide a unique snapshot of the area to help potential buyers’ decision-making. Use the video to identify recommended cafes, shops, attractions, and amenities. Get across the sense of ‘neighbourhood’ too.
These can give a great boost to your brand. Invite a satisfied client (vendor, tenant, landlord, buyer) to give video feedback about your Estate Agent business. Add it to your website. Videos are the perfect way for you to provide evidence for how good you are.
Answer your FAQs with a video. Be informative, and never forget to add a little humour. Video can be a much more engaging way for potential clients to learn about your business. Many prefer to watch a video than to read pages of text.
What better way to present and build your Estate Agency brand than to tell your story? Tell potential clients about the history of your business, your mission, your values and, of course, …
Profile each member of your team with a brief video interview with each of them. It’s true – people do buy from people. Getting across your team’s individual personalities will massively help to enhance your business’s personality and brand. Potential clients will enjoy seeing ‘behind-the-scenes’ and appreciate that you are all ‘real people’.
The same as Blogs, but using video. Tell people the inside stories from the world of Estate Agents. Produce videos on a whole range of topics
a day in the life of your business
tips on preparing your home for viewings
do’s and don’ts when buying or selling
and dozens more.
This depends on your budget and the quality of video you’re looking for. For example, if you’re planning to make videos in your well-lit office, then professional lighting kit might not be necessary.
Also, for informal videos such as ‘Ask Me Anything’, ‘How Tos’ or Vlogs, you probably won’t need to invest in expensive lighting gear. However, for case study videos, you’ll be looking for a higher-quality finish, and you’ll need better equipment.
Here’s a guide to the basic equipment:
Remember, before you start, make sure each room is looking good and clutter-free. Also, carry out a sound and visual quality check.
Remember to include a call to action in your video. This means that at some point (usually the end), you invite the viewer to take the next action. This might be inviting them to send you a message, to visit your website or to download something.
Here you have several options:
If you hired an agency to shoot the video, then the obvious choice is to let them do the editing.
If you plan to shoot your own videos, outsource the editing process.
Do the editing yourself
Don’t edit at all.
Whichever you opt for, don’t forget to add a Call To Action button to your video. You need to tell people what action to take, e.g. phone, email, get in touch etc.
5 ways that cost you nothing:
Your website
Your Social Media profiles
Your emails (weekly newsletters, welcome emails)
Your blog
Your Youtube channel
Don’t forget - video is great for SEO. Placing yours on your website and blog pages should have a positive impact on how high up the search engines those pages appear.
Here’s your video SEO checklist:
Add the video to your web pages with text that relates to the video’s topic. For example, property trailers work well on listing pages or “Services” pages. A brand video would work well on your ‘About Us’ page.
Optimise the video’s title – use your main keywords in the first few words of the title.
Optimise the video’s descriptions and tags with relevant keywords.
Add new videos regularly and frequently.
5 Places you have to pay for:
Youtube Ads
Partner Ads
Paid Influencer Promotion
Google Ads aren’t optimised for video, so you would use these ads to target keywords and link to a webpage where your video is hosted.
With the other ad types, you could directly promote your video. For example, on Facebook, you can create an ad where people will see your video on their Facebook timeline.
Remember that, to promote your video effectively using social media or Youtube ads, you must be clear about your target audience.
And finally – remember that, since the pandemic, video has a bigger role to play than ever before in helping your clients to sell or buy a property. Even when things return to normal, people may think twice about where they visit. A clean, beautifully produced video tour will help no end with the decision-making process.
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