Using Video within the Estate Agency / Property Industry.
This is not a new subject, video has been with us for many years as we all know, but what has changed in recent years to make video more impacting within marketing is the platforms that enable us to share them.
None of us will really have the budget to afford using video on television advertisement slots so we must look at alternative means of showcasing what we have filmed. Nowadays we have the likes of social media with Youtube and Periscope well known names along with the ability to showcase video within our own estate agency offices by way of flat screens to include touch screen options for window displays, we can also film and send out videos via DVDs in the post or email etc.
So, what really makes video an option for Estate Agents? Just like any other form of marketing, it is down to the audience that sees what you are doing and how responsive they are. Sure, you can have the most appealing and innovative video sat waiting to be watched on Youtube, but if those watching it are not interested in what you offer, then your ROI will be next to nothing. What counts is the audience you can build around the video you share, if it’s a video on your website that introduces your agency then have you sent it out via email to your subscription database or have you shared the live feed you are doing on Periscope via Twitter? My advice is not to rely totally on the platform that your video sits on, think of outside audiences you can draw towards it.
Video can exhibit a whole host of things so as an estate agent you can have an introduction movie to your agency, you can have an educational series of videos helping people to present their homes for sale or even have a full property video showcasing your property for sale that consumers can view on Rightmove.
Is there a gap in the market for you to tap into? Video is really ‘old news’ on the internet, it is nothing new and many millions of hours of video footage is shared online every month so your chances of getting ‘seen‘ becomes harder and harder. The difficulty of getting your content seen is though made easier if you have built audiences elsewhere and you are able to share to them that video content to view.
I remember sponsoring the Estate Agency of the Year Awards back in 2011 and having a stand for one of my old businesses ‘Property On Video‘ and I found it very hard to convey to estate agents that video was going to be a great way to attract new business – This is still the case today and even more so as people have less and less time to spend watching ‘your video‘ as they have too much other content to appeal to them. Yes, we may have many more video playing devices at hand to us both at work and at homes, yes it increases your chances of being seen, but as like most things in life, everyone else is after the same as you and fighting to be seen too.
The art to succeeding with video is to use other portals to draw in the audience you require to make it a profitable exercise and remember that it is not always size of audience that counts, it is the quality. If you have filmed a property for sale then it should be ideally placed on Youtube and you copy the URL to that video to email out to your subscription database and also use the other social media channels you have to share it out to. Quality of video will also play an important part in gaining success to both include image quality and standard of content to include correct branding.
What about live video? Once again, it will be down to the initial audience you have to what live audience you can have enjoying the content you are reporting on. Periscope is a new name to hit our social media revolution with it enabling you to have your very own ‘live channel’ online to share out content – This can be simple ‘how to’ videos done at your desk of work to you having an online version of a ‘open house‘ for your property listing.
To enjoy success from video you really need to have a clear understanding of all the video sharing platforms as well as other channels to draw in audiences. You should have quality filming devices (most of the time one of the latest mobile phones will provide this) and if you are releasing pre-recorded content, take time to edit the video and brand it up if necessary to include having your contact details should the video be seen without it’s initial description.
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