Real Estate Video Marketing Best Practices

To be a successful real estate agent, you need to have all the answers. It’s your job to convince potential buyers that they are in the right house, no matter what they ask you (within the realm of honesty, of course).
You need to be king of the living room. Yes, I stole that from Jerry McGuire, but it works. Although, it doesn’t matter how much of a smooth talker you are if you can’t get clients in the door in the first place.
Social media has changed the way businesses interact with customers in every industry over recent years; real estate is no exception. But, it’s not just a case of getting on board with social media and email campaigns; it’s about putting out the right content.
The right content in this industry is whatever entices a client to visit a property, and a few words and photos are often not enough anymore. People expect more, and if you don’t offer it, you can be sure someone else will.
Creative video marketing can be a much more effective way to showcase everything a property has to offer.
Our real estate video marketing best practices will help you get the right message to the right people; the rest is up to you.

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words (or not)

Most people will be familiar with the phrase “the camera never lies”.

The truth is, the camera does lie, or more specifically, it can bend the truth in whatever way the photographer decides.

By manipulating angles and lighting, a real estate agent could mislead clients and make a box room look airy and spacious.

Check out this photo of the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa, looking like an ice cream cone.

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

It may come as a shock, so brace yourself, but the tower is not deliciously inside that cone.

It is in fact, creative use of angles – we know you already knew that, don’t worry.

The problem is that while this example might be obvious, a small studio apartment made to appear much larger isn’t so obvious.

This kind of deceptive marketing leads to two possible outcomes; a complete waste of time or someone leasing/buying a property that isn’t really what they want.

While it may close a few deals, there is nothing that brings an agent more long-term success than trust.

Unfortunately, as long as people are willing to mislead clients, the more honest estate agents will suffer because people are now more wary of photographs.

Why Video Marketing is More Effective

With clients being more cautious towards photographs, agents who use video marketing have an instant advantage.

The difference with video marketing is that you can use motion to give a more realistic picture of the property.

For example, individual photos can make a sitting room and kitchen look bigger than they are in real life.

But, a video walking from one room to another gives a more realistic description of size and proportions.

Apart from that, it’s more interactive in the sense that it lets the viewer imagine themselves walking through the property.

As an agent, video marketing makes it easier to explain any feature talking points for the property.

For example, a sitting room with lots of natural light is a huge plus that could be enhanced by something simple, like showing curtains being opened in a video.

Videos are great for re-using, too; if you have a property that isn’t selling, you can edit videos into something that looks fresh and new in ways that you can’t with photographs.

Across all advertising, there is a wealth of statistics that show video marketing as a very effective tool.

• Over 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube every single day
• 33% of all internet activity is watching videos
• Videos shown on landing pages can increase conversion by over 80%
• 92% of mobile video viewers share videos with friends
• 87% of online marketers utilize video marketing

Those are just a few examples of the potential reach and benefits of video marketing.

Whether you are distributing video via email, social media, or on your website, you can’t afford to miss out.

Different Types of Real Estate Videos

As you can already see, the upside of video marketing can be huge, whether you are trying to sell a property for a client or convince them to buy one.

You need to remember that other estate agents are making videos, too, so you need to get creative.

Introduce yourself

In the real estate industry, it’s not just about selling property; you are also selling your personality.

As we said earlier, trust is everything, and a friendly introduction video can put your clients’ minds at rest.

There are a few ways you can make use of an introduction video.

The first would be to have a profile video on your website where you can discuss your background and why you love doing what you do.

It’s a good idea not to be too formal; show people that you are serious about your job, but you are approachable on a personal level.

Another way to do it would be as a follow up to existing leads.

If you have a mailing list of potential clients, why not email them over a video that might convince them to choose you.

You could send over your profile video, but if you want to go the extra mile, you could use all of the info you have about the client’s needs to create a personalized video.

This video would be less detailed on your background, and more focused on why you can find the specific property type they want.

A personalized video doesn’t need to take up too much time, and it’s a fantastic way to build a rapport with new clients.

Check out this simple, but effective introduction video that show’s that you can reach people even when you don’t have many subscribers yet.

Property Tour

The most basic kind of estate agent marketing video is a walkthrough of the property.

It’s your chance to give people a genuine representation of the property from the front door to every room in the house.

The most important advice we can give you for a great walkthrough video is to keep it simple and honest.

People want to see reality, so don’t distract from fact by adding effects or filters that alter perception.

Don’t use speedy camera movements to skim over certain areas unless it makes sense.

That means don’t use it to hide things, but if you’re climbing three flights of stairs and the entire stairway is the same, then it’s likely OK to speed up the video there.

There has to be a distinction between being honest and being overly pessimistic.

While we advise you not to hide important things from potential buyers, that doesn’t mean that you can’t emphasize the positives.

What you don’t want is a video that spends 90% of its duration detailing problem areas, and 10% saying please still buy it; that’s maybe too honest.

A property rarely comes with zero downsides; the idea is to give sensible solutions that make problems manageable or (if possible) no longer a problem.

If you do that with integrity, then you can dedicate almost all of your video to highlighting the upsides.

Remember to use common sense, don’t shoot your video at night in a dimly lit apartment, and don’t shoot your video on a camera phone from 20 years ago.

Keep it clear, genuine, informative, and above all else, simple.

Have a look at this well put together property tour video, notice that it includes some shots of local scenery.

There Goes The Neighbourhood

One of the most underused video marketing tools by estate agents is local area tours.

It’s common knowledge that property values, both commercial and residential, are dictated by their location.

So why not showcase everything that the local area has to offer.

The things that you want to highlight will change depending on your target audience for the property.

If the property is aimed at the younger professional type, you can highlight appropriate amenities like restaurants, bars, public transport, etc.

For a family home, you might want to focus more on things like education, groceries, family activities, and so on.

With either of those examples, it’s a good chance to show the overall vibe of the area.

Whether it’s a vibrant and trendy hotspot or a quiet and peaceful area, you want to capture the atmosphere.

Alternatively, if it’s a commercial property, then you should show that it’s in an excellent position to attract customers; that means heavy footfall and visible from main roads.

This example showcases the beach lifestyle very well.

Drone Videos

Not too long ago, it would have cost a small fortune to capture aerial footage of a property.

These days, drones are widely available and relatively inexpensive at a hobbyist level.

The surge in popularity, and the fact that even hobbyist drones can capture pretty good video, means that professional providers have had to drop their prices.

If you are showcasing a property with an amazing view or some hills for great hiking, there is no better way than sending a drone up.

Keep in mind when filming with drones, there are permit issues, so if filming yourself, make sure you have the correct permission.

If hiring a 3rd party, make sure they have the proper licenses.

This video has some useful tips for making drone content.

Success Stories

The best way to show people that they should have faith in you is to show off your past successes.

Re-visiting former clients who are now happy in their ideal property makes it more real for new clients.

Videos that show happy people enjoying their home, garden, cooking, or any other property features in common ways will show that a property is more than the sum of its parts.

It’s especially true of a family home; you are selling a lifestyle, security, not just a house.

Furthermore, it shows that you care about the client and not just the sale.

Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash

Client Testimonials

Testimonials are similar to showing people happy in their new property, but they can now answer questions that potential clients might have.

These videos should be as natural as possible, but you can script them to an extent just to make it easier.

Do not over-edit these videos; make sure they look as original as possible.

Here are some questions that the client could address.

• Looking back, how easy was the process?
• How helpful were you in addressing any concerns that they had?
• How accurate were you in providing suitable properties for viewing?
• Why did they choose you?

Genuine testimonials are simple and will go a very long way towards earning trust with new clients.

Educational Videos

Buying any kind of property is a massive step in anyone’s life, especially if they are first time buyers.

As an estate agent, the process ends when you know your client is happy in their new property.

For the buyer, the process is only the beginning of a long-term commitment to a mortgage, a job, or a location; it’s a life-altering decision.

One of the main concerns for a client is that they don’t make any mistakes at the start, leaving them in an unmanageable position later on.

It’s not your job to make sure buyers do their research correctly, but it doesn’t have to be.

Creating video content that explains how the entire process works is another way to gain trust.

You can cover some of the following areas.

• How much can you afford to spend?
• Credit report or other finance issues
• Getting a mortgage
• Buying to live versus buying to rent
• Why invest in property?
• Common issues that determine property/area values
• Common contract issues explained
• When to walk away from a deal

We said it’s not your job to do this because clients will see it as going the extra mile, and again another way to gain trust.

Distributing Videos

We already touched on this throughout the article, but there are different ways to get your videos to people.

The main ways would be social media, email, and finally, on your website.

You can share different types of videos across each of those platforms, but here are some ideas for each.

Website

• Real estate agent profile video
• Customer testimonials
• Success stories
• Educational videos

Email

• Real estate agent profile video
• Personalized content
• Educational videos

Social Media

• Real estate agent profile video
• Customer testimonials
• Success stories
• Property market news/highlights – big-money sales
• Quick-tip videos
• Daily/weekly vlogs

Here are a few interesting stats to give you an idea of the potential impact of social media videos.

Videos account for 11% of all Facebook posts and reach around 8 billion total daily views.

On Twitter, video posts get 10x more engagement than regular Tweets.

Why Music Matters in Real Estate Marketing Videos

Music always matters in our extremely biased opinion, so let’s just get that out there straight away.

The most important thing, as always, is to use the right music.

You might be trying to sell a property, but you should be trying to match the music to the target audience and the property’s location.

When you think about the potential buyer, you should consider their age-range and personality type.

In simple terms, are you targeting under 30s who still like to party or families who want a safe neighborhood for their kids to play?

The easiest way to think about it is like this – the livelier the person, the more upbeat the music.

In general, anyone of any age can enjoy any genre of music, but it’s a useful guideline for this purpose.

Within that guideline, there are more subtle variations.

Pop music, EDM, and funk work well for younger audiences seeking a lively nightlife.

Pop music also works well for family-style properties to highlight fun activities.

For family-style properties and those aimed at older generations, instrumental piano music is always a safe bet.

Instrumental piano music is also great when showcasing a property that has a clean open-plan layout.

Matching the music to the location is exactly the same, the livelier the scene, the more upbeat the music.

Another good tip is that rock music works well with sporty people and locations.

So, if you have a property in the middle of an area known for its outdoor pursuits, rock could be a good call.

Whatever music you choose, never let it become overbearing.

The job of the music here is secondary to the images; it’s only there to enhance what the video is showing.

If you are watching a real estate marketing video and thinking wow that’s a great tune, it’s probably not subtle enough.

As always, we want you to do it right once, not do it twice.

That’s where our exclusive video preview tool comes in; try out any music from our library against your video before you buy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we would just emphasize the importance of the message that we have given throughout.

And that message is to gain your clients’ trust, be genuine, and don’t look for shortcuts.

It’s difficult to give universal advice because property markets are all different, but our best practices will provide you with a solid foundation.

You have multiple ways to create and distribute fantastic videos; make sure you take advantage of them all.

To get an extra edge over the competition, head over to our amazing library of royalty-free music, and find your perfect soundtrack.