Let me tell you a little secret…If you aren’t doing videos you are missing the boat with some of the most effective marketing available to you as a Realtor.
Fact: Most people search for houses during the day at work. They can easily watch a video with text while working. It is nearly impossible to read a blog or anything informative otherwise and still seem like you are working for your boss.
Fact: Videos are much more fun and interesting to watch which captures the prospects attention and keeps them coming back for more, if your videos are relevant.
Fact: 1. You can build relationships with people you don’t know but know you, through your videos making them much more apt to work with you when the time comes to buy or sell.
Youtube isn’t going anywhere
Youtube is quickly becoming the go to place to search for just about anything these days and so having multiple videos advertising your homes and relevant, pertinent information for Sellers and Buyers is key to keeping yourself in front of the public. You should be posting no less than once a week. If you do so you will quickly gain a following and the public will begin to see you as an expert in your field.
I have several videos on Youtube and people do watch them and comment on them all the time. THEY WORK!! Just like every other piece of marketing you do, make it relevant and interesting to watch. Read your industry news in places like NAR.org to get the latest in statistics about what Buyers and Sellers want and base a video on that.
Top Question On Google
Top question asked on Google, “What should I expect if I’m a Seller/Buyer?”
Write a 1-2 minute piece to be recorded as a video answering the question with the process of what they will go through when buying or selling a home.
Your videos don’t have to be ultra-professional but they should look like you are a serious business person/realtor and portray you as someone who knows what they are doing and can get the job done for a client.
Practice & don’t over CRITICIZE yourself
Many people getting started are intimidated by doing video. Don’t be! No one is perfect, but you can look more polished and professional if you know what you are going to say. So start by writing down what you will be talking about in bullet points and then practice in front of the mirror or set up your phone on a small tripod and shoot yourself a few times to practice.
Notice annoying gestures that you have that might be a habit like, pulling on your ear or pulling on your nose or adjusting your glasses. Get rid of those for the camera. Be sure and SMILE! Be natural in your smile but make it a priority to practice smiling while you are talking and leaning forward just slightly when talking into the camera so it looks like you are engaged.
Facebook is another important place to put your videos. You can post to your personal page and your FB business page. We thought that posting advertising on your personal page was a no no, but I did some experimenting with that and found the personal page was more impactful and I received more engagement and views.
Because the personal is for fun and relationship building, people go there first to see what is going on with their friends so why not be there as well.
Side note: I don’t overload my personal page with my listings. People don’t want to be sold and it can be annoying. I will post a new listing maybe once a week or if we get a new listing just to inform people it is new on the market. Same thing with the video as it is something informative and relevant to their home.
FB live is yet another avenue to get your face and info out there. I suggest a bit of practice before going live however, just so you look like you know what you are doing. Write some notes on an index card to have out in front of you where the camera can’t see, but you can quickly glance at to keep you on track.
WHAT DO I PUT IN MY VIDEOS
OK so everyone asks…What do I do a video about? Oh my Lord, there is so much to tell. Here are some suggestions:
- Home walk thru tours. Please make these interesting by pointing out features and benefits and not, here is bedroom 3 with new carpet…gag me…that’s old stuff. Talk about types of wood floors, granite or quartz counter-tops, the pantry space and how it can be used, etc.
- 5 steps to starting the process to buy/sell.
- 3 steps to low cost staging of your home.
- 5 secrets your realtor didn’t tell you about the home buying process.
- 2020 Real estate market forecast.
- How to negotiate a sweet deal on your next purchase.
- What are closing costs and who pays them?
- How do I calculate my down payment?
- How to qualify for a loan?
- How do I find a foreclosure to buy?
- Should I rent or buy a home ?
- Should I sell my home during the Holidays?
- What does a Realtor do?
Use your clients questions
So do you get my drift? If you think about the things that a buyer or seller would want to know about the real estate process, owning a homes or DYI projects, you have video fodder forever.
I get a lot of good video scripts from my clients during buyer and listing consultations. I ask them what are your most burning questions about this process and what keeps you up at night? I also go to Google and ask questions to see what people are searching for.
This is how you stay in the game
If you want to stay on top in real estate, you will need to incorporate video into your business on an ongoing basis.
If you are doing email drip campaigns, another great way to contact your past and future clients is to incorporate relevant videos every other month or so to break it up a bit to keep your audience interested in receiving information from you.
Be sure and put your videos on your personal website or landing page as well. Having your videos in multiple places like emails, Facebook and your website will just get you more exposure equating into more recognition and sales!