How to Create Effective Videos to Grow Your Real Estate Business
Video is an incredible way for real estate agents to connect with an audience, build trust, and deliver immediate value. But here’s the thing: Most real estate agents don’t use video effectively. Instead, agents tend to fall into two groups:
Group A: Ignore video altogether because it seems complicated, fancy, and better suited for established agencies with deep pockets
Group B: Understand the importance of video but do it poorly
Don’t want to belong to either of those groups? I don’t blame you. We want to create a third group for agents who use video in the right way to grow their real estate businesses. Interested? Let’s get started.
Video marketing isn’t just “nice to have” – in 2021, it’s a “must have.” A lot of successful agents have turned to video to market themselves and generate new leads. Here’s why you need to level up your video marketing game:
The quickest way to show your personality is by creating a video. Through video, you can effortlessly communicate how you’re different because people aren’t just reading your words (on a blog or social media post), but they’re seeing you and hearing you, too. The words you use, the way you say it, even the way you look when you’re saying it will all factor into the impression that your prospective clients will make of you.
The human eye is immediately drawn to imagery, especially moving imagery. And when given the choice between reading and watching, most people will opt for watching every time. It’s not because we’re lazy; it’s because we’re visual. The human brain processes pictures more quickly than symbols (i.e. words), so it makes sense that your audience would prefer video over words. Videos also demand less mental concentration.
There’s never been an easier time to create videos. You can whip out your cell phone and create a winning video in minutes—without fancy lighting or microphones. We’ll discuss how later on in this post.
In the age of social distancing, we don’t meet in person as much as we used to. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t meet face-to-face. Through the power of technology, agents can still meet with prospective clients virtually, using Zoom, Skype, or a host of other video conferencing tools.
Video marketing is great for all stages. At the top of the funnel, you can use video (like open house tours) to build awareness for your listings and your real estate business and generate new leads. In the middle of the funnel, you can use marketing videos (like listing presentations) to convert leads to qualified prospects. And finally, at the bottom of the funnel, you can use videos (like testimonials) to gain your prospect's trust and convert them into clients.
Last, but certainly not least, if you place marketing videos on your website, they can help optimize your website for search engines. This is a process known as video search engine optimization, or video SEO for short. Video SEO can be complicated, but we’ll share a simple way to optimize your real estate marketing videos later in this post.
So, now that we’ve discussed all of the massive benefits of video marketing, let’s discuss the different types of real estate marketing videos that you can create.
What’s a great way to promote your real estate business? Film a commercial. You can create several different commercials, one for seller clients and one for buyer clients. In the span of 30 seconds, you can give your prospective clients a reason to trust you over your competition.
Remember to introduce yourself as a real estate agent. After all, you are your business. Explain why you’re different and what specialty you offer that no one else does. Then intertwine your testimonials to echo your message and reinforce your unique value proposition.
Check out these examples:
Gone are the days of carefree open houses. At least for now. Thanks to social distancing mandates, we need to promote listings in creative ways.
One great way to do that is through video tours. You can grab your smartphone and tour a property as if you were showing a client around. If you decide to go with this option, be sure to use a stabilizer. Newer smartphones come with video stabilization built-in, but if not, you can download an app like Emulsio or use a handheld 3-axis smartphone gimbal (available on Amazon for less than $100).
You can promote video property tours as a weekly feature on your social media pages and to your email list. This is a great way to stay top of mind with your target audience.
In addition to open houses and live tours, you can also produce a more polished listing video to use on the property’s listing page (on Zillow and your website). Consider hiring a professional videographer who can do all sorts of magic with a DSLR and a drone. Don’t forget to stage the home beforehand to get the most amazing imagery.
While doing this may be cost prohibitive for every listing, you may find that doing it strategically for one listing can boost the profile for your other listings.
Instead of meeting in person, you can do listing presentations virtually. Give prospective clients the choice to meet with you over Zoom. Not only is it convenient for them, it’s convenient for you, too. Sure, there’s a tad bit of extra work, but you may find yourself preferring the video consultation.
Treat your virtual listing presentation in the same way that you would in person. Educate your client, find out about who they are and what they need, and then promote the heck out of yourself and your unique abilities. If using Zoom, you can even intersperse video testimonials of your previous clients as part of your live virtual call. If adding testimonials, be sure to use only fresh testimonials that your prospective client hasn’t seen before. Earmark testimonials specifically for listing presentation use.
Explainer videos are typically short, animated, and used to explain a specific topic. These types of videos work well when you need to highlight a service you offer, provide an overview for a topic, or describe how to do something.
Get in front of the camera and share quick tips with your prospective clients. Not sure what to discuss?
Here’s one example: Explain the selling process and advise them on how to get top dollar for their home. You can also educate buyers on what to expect during the house hunting process or how to negotiate correctly.
Here’s another example: Homeowners start thinking of ways to improve their home up to 18 months before listing. Consider offering tips that are targeted to these buyers so that they discover you before they’re ready to sell, and then, when it’s time to list, you’ll be at the top of their mind.
Video testimonials add legitimacy to your marketing. Ask your satisfied clients if you can film a quick five minute interview of them. In this interview, ask five to 10 open-ended questions to draw out a unique and effective testimonial for your real estate business.
Click here to learn how to get the best testimonials from your real estate clients.
Became the go-to neighborhood expert. This is one of the best and most effortless ways to generate new leads for your real estate business. You can turn neighborhood guides into videos. Another option is to interview local business owners, builders, contractors, mortgage lenders, school principals (or any local leader who your target audience would like to hear from). Remember that the goal of your interview videos is to deliver non-stop value for your target audience.
Make it a point to share pertinent real estate news with your audience via social media posts and your email newsletter.
Once a month, send out a video update about your local market, such as your new listings, and what you’ve sold in the last 30 days. Also include any special neighborhood changes that your audience will care about, such as a new employer coming into the area. Your goal with these video market updates is to become a trusted source for real estate in your area.
You know the what and why of real estate marketing videos, now let’s discuss the where. Here’s where to upload your videos for maximum impact:
Facebook is the biggest social media platform, which makes it a popular choice for sharing marketing videos. Plus, you can target specific audiences through Facebook ads.
On this platform, remember to:
Upload videos directly to Facebook instead of linking to a YouTube video. Facebook prefers its native videos. Facebook videos are automatically muted. Add captions to your videos.
YouTube is the second most popular search engine (YouTube’s parent company, Google, is the first). Upload your marketing videos to YouTube to take advantage of the unique traffic that can organically find you there.
On this platform, remember to:
Other places to share your real estate marketing videos include:
We can't all be Steven Spielberg or Guy Ritchie, but thanks to tools like Canva and Biteable, you don't have to quit your day job to produce slick marketing videos. The following video-making tools provide beginner-friendly templates that you can set up in under an hour:
Don’t wait until you’re ready. Sure, you’ll make mistakes, but the goal is to build awareness for your real estate business through video and you can start doing that today. Good luck!