According to Mashable, 73 percent of buyers prefer to hire a listing agent who uses online videos. And Foster Marketing has determined that using videos to sell real estate results in a 300% increase in click-throughs.
Here’s tips on how to create your next successful listing video campaign.
1. Know your audience
The video marketing style that worked great on your trendy apartment might not fly for your new million-dollar country club listing.
Create a profile for the likely buyer of the house. You’ll need this profile to tailor the strategies and visual tactics that the rest of this article talks about.
Identify everything from socioeconomic level and age to activities and values. As inspiration, evaluate the house’s unique qualities. More on this later.
In Kim France's Introduction to Bluffton and Hilton Head Island," the Lowcountry agent connects with clients. Understanding client demographics and buyers' desires is key to knowing the tone of a video.
2. Master the hook
What is the "hook?" The hook is a short (30-60 second) visually appealing video clip. It makes the viewer want to know and see more. It shows just the very best that the listing and neighborhood has to offer.
The hook opens with a broad visual or statement. One that would appeal to the audience you’ve identified--even if they’re not looking to buy a home. Here’s why...
"The Falls at Rochester Drive" sells a unique property offered in the mountains of Cashiers, N.C. Setting the scene with imagery of nature gets the viewer's attention.
3. Distribute the hook
You’re going to put this thing everywhere.
It goes without saying that you should be developing your brand and following on your own Facebook and Instagram. But successful listing campaigns take it a step further.
Your hook should provide the sort of eye-candy that will be reposted by other people and pages on social media.
4. Make the house the star
Avoid narrating the video yourself unless you are confident in your voice as an extension of the listing’s aesthetic.
We have often heard of buyers who aren’t interested in a property because they couldn’t identify with the selling broker’s presentation.
Often, less is more.
"Old Town Bluffton Inn: An Aerial Overview" features moderate usage of branding, as well as call-out titles -- animations depicting various sights in the Bluffton area.
5. Include moderate branding and a call to action
A successful hook makes people take action. They might tag friends, which gains your listing exponentially more exposure. They might see your number and call. Or they’ll go to see the full listing video.
Incorporate the right amount of branding that supplements, not distracts from, the listing.
6. Timing is everything
For a full property video, don’t go longer than four minutes.
By that time, you’re often unselling because the buyer has lost their yearning to see more.
A hook should never exceed two minutes.
"The Lodge at Norton Court" offers an informationally styled video for a $3.2 million mountaintop estate.
7. Develop your audio style
Music shouldn’t be generic. It should fit the buyer.
Text-to-voice software for voiceovers should be avoided like the plague. Computerized voiceovers have been shown to alienate buyers from a listing.
Whether you use a voiceover depends on that buyer audience profile you developed for your listing. Are these people that want to be told or shown? Does the property have characteristics that can’t be seen?
8. Film at the right time
For filming a video, it’s normally best to film in the early morning or evening. During this time, the light is softest and most evenly spread. By 10 a.m., the light’s direction presents a undesirable “hot” image that often can’t be modified.
Unlike in HDR photography, where your photographer might take multiple photos of the same shot at different exposures to create a certain look, video depicts light more naturally, making golden hour especially ideal for filming.
"The Calibogue Residence at Baynard Park" sells a $4.5 million waterfront property in Hilton Head Island, S.C. The video keeps the house as the star (#4), but its hook opens with a sunset scene that depicts the everyday views from the property. Filming at the right time (#8) is also key.
9. Add property character
Reevaluate the buyer profile you developed. Strategically add special visual attention to certain aspects. A family might be particularly interested how big that backyard is. And that modern kitchen might look more equipped with a few fresh tomatoes.
10. Remember your goal
Know the visual selling points. Video does something amazing. You can show the good parts and avoid the eye sores. Let people fall in love.
The goal is to drive traffic into the house. The more people that see the house, the more likely that it will sell.
11. Implement strategies for digital marketing optimization
Research and understand how to create successful property squeeze pages, how to drive traffic on YouTube and run a video campaign. We could make an entire post just on this.
Working with a Zillow- and Trulia-certified video production company, like ours, also ensures that your video is embedded within listings on those websites. 80% of home buyers start their search on those websites. Additionally, working with a company like ours will give you a 14-day boost in search results on those websites.
12. Hire the right video producer
Look for a producer who can understand a target audience and convert it into a convincing visual story. Don’t hire a videographer who knows nothing about selling a house. An company like ours guides this process from creative video production to executing a digital real estate campaign.
Can we help you?
We do amazing work for our clients. Call us at (828) 490-1210 or drop us a line at info@nextframemedia.com.