10 Real Estate Videos Smart Agents Are Using

New technologies hit the real estate market all the time. Today, drones can capture aerial photography. E-signature services can capture a client’s authorization at a distance. Social media sites and virtual events open up new avenues to keep in touch without actually touching. 3D virtual tours can now be created from footage shot with a mobile phone camera . More and more, people are accustomed to digital platforms and expect to be engaged through them. And yet, with all of the high-tech marketing strategies available, “low-tech” tools have not fallen out of popularity. Old-school print advertising , for example, remains an important ingredient in your marketing mix.

Well, somewhere between space age virtual reality and tried-and-true paper and ink lies video marketing . Videos are nothing new; they have been used in marketing campaigns for decades. Even the modern concept of uploading video content to YouTube has been around for fifteen years already. The technology itself is not novel. It is proven. At the same time, there are advanced avenues for the creative use of video marketing : Facebook, Instagram, email, and mobile devices take videos far beyond DVDs or VCRs.

The trouble is, everyone has access nowadays. Most people know that they can upload video to their social media platforms; many do. Five billion YouTube videos are viewed every day. So, although video technology is both established and emerging, it is neither groundbreaking nor rare.

Of course, the fact that everyone has access and that videos remain a popular form of information and expression makes video marketing an excellent addition to your toolbox. The question is, how do you distinguish yourself from the crowd? How do you make your message stand out from all of the technological noise?

The answer is found in the level of creativity and professionalism you invest in your real estate videos. The way to stand out in your market is to present a quality product with a personal touch that addresses the needs of your clients and expresses the caliber – the value – of your brand.

The following [10] video concepts are not new technologies, but rather seeds for creative thinking. Your message and its ability to connect with your audience is limited only by your creativity and your interest in producing the best quality video your budget will allow. Let these seeds grow into ideas that are right for your clients and your market.

The obvious first thought when it comes to real estate videos is a walk through video for a property listing. Buyers love to tour a home before they ever visit in person. Sellers love to offer video content that attracts serious prospects to live showings and open houses . A video allows you to highlight a property with more than still photographs , as essential as those may be. To a video, you can add narration, music, and even actors if you like. Some keys to a quality listing video include:

Every agent understands the relevance of the old adage about location. That’s because it is true. Your buyers want to understand the neighborhood before they commit to buy a home. Certainly, you can take them for a tour . Well, unless you are restricted by a stay-at-home order during a worldwide pandemic, like COVID-19 . In that case, a video tour highlighting local attractions comes in handy. Actually, it is handy anytime , since an in-person tour requires that you go out with every client. A video tour of the community is a tool that reaches every potential buyer.

Your neighborhood tour can be serious or quirky. It can feature narration or music. Whatever the theme, make sure it accurately reflects the community and represents you. Again, do not shoot from the hip. Do not just jump in your car and point your cell phone through the window. Instead, plan your route, have someone else work the camera, and get out of the car every once in a while and let your viewers experience life in the community. Use a professional microphone (with a wind deflector) and consider a professional videographer , because shooting video outdoors is not as easy as it is indoors.

If you are ambitious, you might consider widening your video offerings to include a thematic marketing video. Beyond a walkthrough tour, these videos tell a story or create an atmosphere as they showcase a property. Use your imagination. One video follows children playing a game of hide-and-seek that ranges from one end of the house to the other. Another video starts with a couple celebrating their anniversary in an upscale area restaurant, follows them on a panoramic overview of the New York City skyline in a helicopter to their waiting Ferrari for a ground-level look at the city at night, to their penthouse parking suite atop their high-rise apartment on 11th Avenue. Still another features a quartet of Juilliard musicians engaged to liven up each room as they play a soft jazz rendition of Smile by Charlie Chaplin. Usually reserved for listings at the upper end of the market that have room in the budget for professional production, these thematic videos can generate excitement and interest in a property.

On the other end of the spectrum from professionally-produced is the Instagram Story. These quick-hit social media marketing opportunities offer you a way to take your audience “behind the scenes” to parts of their real estate journey they would not ordinarily visit. This is the time to post a quick community event highlight, a teaser video for a listing soon to hit the market, or even (as one agent brilliantly offered) a hilarious video about how to “remove demons from your house”. Be creative, but be brief. An Instagram Story video is not the place to post a half-hour monologue.

As with Instagram, this tool captures live in-the-moment video from your PC or mobile device. Facebook is a fantastic medium for getting out a message, creating buzz, and encouraging engagement. You can take clients on a home tour in real time, or they can view it later. But beyond a property tour, you can use a Facebook Live video event for so much more. Leverage strategic partnerships by inviting your audience to join you on a live interview with lenders, home inspectors, title companies, or restaurant owners. Or come up with a relevant real estate topic, announce to your customers that you will be going live, and invite them to participate in a Q&A event where they can ask questions and you can respond. Facebook Live gives you a tool to bring community members together. Just remember, it is live. No edits. So practice the process.

Your business card or introductory real estate brochure are both tools to get your name out there and explain who you are as an agent. Both should capture the essence of your personality and display your business brand , as should all of your marketing efforts. But nothing gives you the freedom and range to make a memorable impression than a video introduction. It might not be possible to answer every new lead at a moment’s notice, but you can make your introduction video available even when you are not. And because it is not live like a phone call or a face-to-face, an introduction video gives you a chance to accurately present all of the information about you and your business that you hope to convey: your personality, expertise, experience, and interests. Send your video by email, add it to your About Me page on your website , post it to your social media accounts, or any other platform you like.

Of course, a new lead or new client does not always need to take your word for it that you are an amazing agent and a trusted resource. Let them hear it from current and past clients in a testimonial video. Rather than anonymous written reviews that can be taken with a grain of salt, a video shows proof of real customers who are really happy with your service.

Approach your clients a week or so after closing, long enough to allow them to settle in after their real estate journey. Explain how valuable client testimonials are to you, and your satisfied customers will be glad to give back. You can even combine clips from your client testimonials with your introductory video for synergy. If you are packaging multiple testimonials in one video, you might consider shooting all of them in the same location for consistency. Otherwise, differences in lighting and sound will make your video seem disjointed. Try not to force too many stories into one video though; better to keep it short with three or four testimonials so you don’t lose the attention of your viewers.

You probably already know that email is the tool to use if you want to reach the right audience at the right time with the right message. Email allows you to target a selected group with a distinct, time-specific communiqu é with a medium that virtually all consumers rely on regularly. In fact, ninety-nine percent of consumers check their email daily; half of them more than ten times per day. Even younger consumers, who prefer listings that feature digital content , prefer that information from businesses come via email.

These days, nobody wants to read very much, so a lot of text will not do. And nobody wants to open an attachment, so linking a YouTube video is not a great option. But sending out an email video, one in which the video is embedded in the body of the message, garners eighty-one percent more replies and fifty-six percent more referrals than traditional email. It also converts nearly seventy percent more leads. The story-telling power of a video combined with the ubiquitous influence of email is a tool not easy for an agent to ignore.

A natural next step from email video is a drip campaign featuring a series of video vignettes. If you have only eight seconds to capture the attention of an email recipient, video is the way to make it happen. Help your current subscribers with content that solves their problems or moves them toward their goals. Nurture new leads with high-value content so that they see your business as the logical choice when they are ready to dive into the market. Video emails are memorable and shareable, and a drip campaign creates multiple touches or entry points to get those memories and shares started.

Whether you are nurturing leads, keeping in contact with past clients, or caring for those in your current cache, one of the best ways to serve them is through educational videos. Sure, you can publish a 2,500 word blog post about closing costs, but it is far more engaging to feature a well-edited Q&A with a local mortgage consultant. You could do the same with a title agent who alleviates the anxieties of a closing session, or an interior designer who illustrates her thoughts on a kitchen remodel or living room layout. You can use short videos to educate your audience on any number of real estate related topics, and then add them to your social media accounts or drip campaign. 

Present Professional Products

Whatever the goal of your marketing video might be, and whatever the process for filming and editing might consist of, make sure the final product is professional in its presentation. You do a lot to protect your personal identity and guard your professional brand. Your video products should do the same. Nothing screams “I don’t know what I’m doing” quite like cheap real estate flyers , poorly-constructed postcards , or awkward ammeteur cell phone videos. Video content providers have upped their game with advanced video, lighting, sound, and editing capabilities, and viewers expect a level of professionalism. If your budget allows, consider hiring a professional video service. As with professional print services , it will go a long way to lend a higher sense of excellence and elegance to your listings, your website, and your brand. At the very least, plan out, practice, and edit your videos carefully. Then you will find that they provide you with almost unlimited ways to connect with your community and engage your audience.

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