5 Tips For Getting Started With Real Estate Video Marketing
The central theses
- Do not try to be everything to everyone; Choose a target audience and customize your content.
- Choose your platform, mix your media – and don’t forget!
Buzz about real estate video marketing is pervasive.
Almost every marketing-focused session at Inman Connect New York mentioned it. And for good reason: an overwhelming number of statistics indicate the effectiveness of video as a marketing tool.
This applies regardless of whether you want to win offers, sell houses or build your brand.
However, if you’re new to using video for real estate marketing, the options can be overwhelming.
There are so many different ways to do this. Do you hire a professional or do-it-yourselfer? Record video or go live? Share on your website, Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram?
Do not despair! If you say to yourself, “I have to start video marketing, but I have no idea where to start,” this list of tips will help.
Tip # 1: Don’t try to be everything to everyone
All of the other tips in this article follow from this.
The real estate landscape has never been so diverse, both in terms of buyer / seller demographics and possible topics and platforms for video marketing.
If you don’t have a whole team just to produce and distribute your videos, there is no way you can possibly cover all of the basics. Instead, remember to figure out what works best for your brand and business and focus your energies (and budget) on it.
Tip # 2: tailor your video content to suit your audience
“Know your audience” is the # 1 rule in marketing.
Another marketing memory wisdom: very targeted content produces the best results.
So before you start making videos, pause and ask yourself, “Who am I trying to reach?” Then do some research to find out what’s important to your audience and tailor your video content accordingly.
(Good sources for market information are the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, Inman Market Intel, or the National Association of Realtors Buyer and Seller Profile.)
Tip # 3: choose your video marketing platform (s)
This can be the toughest task of all. There are so many possible platforms for real estate video marketing, and many of them offer multiple ways to use video.
For example, on Facebook alone, you can upload videos to your page, embed videos in posts, share live streaming videos, and create video ads.
Too many agents try to be present on every platform and end up with it. You should always have videos on your own website, but also focus on quality over quantity.
Find out which social networks your target audience prefers. You’ll get better engagement – and therefore better ROI – if you focus on consistently sharing high quality video content on these platforms.
Tip # 4: mix up your media
Just like investing, you will get the best return on investment by diversifying your video marketing portfolio.
Mix professional and DIY videos and produce video marketing content for a variety of purposes. Pay a pro when quality and polish have a big impact on ROI. Examples include:
- List videos
- In-depth community videos
- Education videos
- Detailed agent bios
Record your own video if you are spontaneous, informal, or funny. Examples include:
- Facebook Live
- Instagram and Snapchat videos
- Videos behind the scenes in your office
- On-site videos from community, charity, or industry events
- Short agent bios or video messages / greetings
- On-demand demonstrations
Tip # 5: Don’t hire and forget
We live in a time when consumers are bombarded with a constant stream of marketing and information. You need to regularly produce new video content to stay current and relevant.
It’s okay to only update professionally produced video bios, brokerage videos, or in-depth community videos once a year. However, other types of video marketing content have a shorter lifespan.
If you want to harness the engagement-boosting power of video on social media, consider using video in at least 30 percent of your posts. 50 percent or more is even better.
Whichever way you go about it, just do it.
Video has tremendous effectiveness as a real estate marketing tool. Make an effort to use it and your bottom line will thank you.
Kathryn Royster is the director of marketing for HouseLens, Inc. You can follow Kathryn on Twitter @kathrynroyster. HouseLens is on Facebook.
Email to Kathryn Royster.