Learn how to create the best real estate marketing videos for agents looking to grow their spheres of influence.
Welcome the third installment of our PIVOT series. We’re going to focus on the best real estate marketing videos for agents. For a while, changes in our world have forced our industry to start considering how adding video could help us market better. At Icenhower Coaching and Consulting, we coach many of the top producing agents, teams, and brokerages in North America. I will tell you that more and more of them are incorporating video. Especially in light of the recent COVID-19 crisis, folks who may have resisted using video before are now adapting and adopting it as a highly effective marketing tool.
In part one of this PIVOT series, we talked about our SOI. These are the people we are pushing our videos out to as a part of our SOI contact plan. In part two, we talked about how to use social media. Social media is going to go hand in hand with our marketing videos because it will be the way we distribute them.
The Best Real Estate Marketing Videos for Agents
Social media and video have become more important, thanks to COVID-19
Humans are social creatures. Because of this recent COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, many people became more comfortable with social media. It has been the only way to safely interact with many of our friends and family that we can’t see on a daily basis. Facebook had a hard time keeping up with the increase in numbers.
So many more people were trying to stream video and do Facebook Lives all at once. There were some reports saying that three times the normal number of people have been on during the Coronavirus crisis as there was prior. This is important for us because that means there is a lot more traffic moving to social media, and more opportunity for us to market ourselves in this venue.
Real estate marketing videos
First, let’s clarify what we mean by “marketing videos.” We are talking about quick videos, nothing fancy. Authentic, imperfect, low production value… all of this is good. Of course it’s ok to have a videographer. There’s a time and a place for that. Videographers can create some really cool videos for your business with a high production value, that make you look like a million bucks. You put on your makeup and practice your script and have everything just perfect.
These fancy videographer videos are not what I’m talking about right now. I’m talking about something casual, low-key, and genuine. This is the part that gets uncomfortable for a lot of you.
But, that’s what I’m telling you to do. It is really important that you connect with your people. Your people need to see you. They don’t want to see flyers of your open houses all the time, or your marketing materials – they want to see you. Believe it or not, if they see you, it’s much easier to weave in real estate-related content and get them to interact with you because they appreciate the genuine connection they feel from seeing your face.
Quick marketing videos for real estate agents
It is vital that these videos are quick. You should look the way you look every single day. This means you have to get comfortable just putting yourself out there. It’s not as hard as you think if you take a moment to consider what we’re talking about.
We are in real estate. Our job is all about human interaction. This means most likely, we’re pretty good at having conversations with people. You are familiar with sitting down with a new buyer, or making a presentation to a potential seller to list their home. I’m sure you have met up with somebody for an open house, and you know what to say and how to act in these situations. Real estate agents are usually very good at conversation, and we’re decent at charisma. We can get just as good at shooting quick marketing videos that put us out in front of our SOI on social media.
Coming from contribution is key
The term “marketing” video can be confusing. You might think that means a sales pitch. These marketing videos are meant to come from contribution. In the first two sections of this PIVOT series I talked about coming from contribution and adding value. You don’t have to ask for business on these videos. I don’t want you to do that.
For example, if you are at a new restaurant in your community and you want to give a quick shoutout to the owner, who you just met. You pull out your iPhone and you shoot a quick video. It could look something like this:
“Hey I’m over at Johnny T’s, the new steakhouse in uptown. It’s phenomenal, you guys! Get over here and see for yourself. I’ve got the owner right here, Johnny himself. I loved my meal and the service was great tonight. Do you have anything you want to tell my friends here on Facebook?” Then you can wrap it by saying “I just wanted to tell you guys that Johnny T’s is great and I hope to see you here soon!”
In this scenario, you’re not promoting your real estate services. You’re just helping out another local business. During turns in the market like the COVID-19 crisis we’re in right now, giving a shoutout to other local small businesses is much needed and greatly appreciated by everyone in your community. Even something as simple as a video at the grocery store when you notice it’s stocked up on toilet paper and cleaning supplies! Shoot a quick video talking about different restaurants that are still open for take out and pick up, or markets that deliver groceries.
Your people want to see your face and feel connected to you
A quick 30-second video is valuable to your followers. They see your face and they feel more connected to you as a result. Remember, you’re trying to create mindshare. If you’re a successful real estate agent and your SOI has grown to be very large, it’s going to be harder and harder to see all of our SOI members face-to-face. Video helps bridge that gap and provides you with a way to be connected, even when you’re physically separated.
Right now during the COVID-19 crisis, it’s not safe to go face-to-face with your SOI. Video is a great avenue to stay connected and put in some “face time” (pun intended). Even if you are doing it on your social media platform and it is blasting out to the masses, your people will still think they’ve seen you every day. You’re present their life and they’ve heard your voice.
Real estate agents are a community resource
It can be so simple. If you’re out at your kid’s soccer game, you can shoot a quick little video of the soccer team warming up. “Hey man, this is our soccer club! If any of you have kids looking for a fun activity, let me know and I’ll DM you the info on how to sign up. Look at my kids run around, this is the field where most of our games are. I’ll post a link in the comments below for more information, hope to see you out here!” Posting fun, informative posts on your social media channels makes you a community resource.
Adding marketing videos to your real estate SOI contact plan doesn’t have to change your whole world. It can just be something quick you add to what you’re already doing. And if you happen to have a really good sense of humor, make your videos funny! Go for it! Go with your strengths.
Easy, simple editing
There are many easy to use applications you can download to your phone that will make editing a breeze. If you have an iPhone, for example, you have an iMovie app that comes with it. It makes it simple to clip the ends off or even add some text or background music. For those of you with Google phones or Android phones, they have simple editing software apps you can download on your phone like Filmora. These apps are so easy to use and you don’t need to go any crazier or more complex than that.
Facebook Live
Going Live on Facebook is another great quick marketing video tactic. Facebook Live is very engaging, too, and it’s one of the ways a lot of real estate agents are doing virtual open houses – directly from social media. It’s probably the most effective virtual open house technique out there. You can shoot the video and get some engagement going while you are filming. If you post that you are planning to go Live at a certain time, you can tell your followers that they can ask you questions about the property in the comments section. You can answer their questions live!
Post the Live video after you are done, so it can be viewed by those who were unable to see it when it was live. You can get a lot more engagement after the fact, and you’ll start getting more likes and comments. This is a valuable thing to show your seller. It shows that you did have an effective virtual open house. It demonstrates that the industry is evolving. Being able to shoot quick marketing video for real estate is helping to get us through this time.
Live virtual open houses aside, Facebook Live can be used for just about anything. Any of the marketing videos I talked about already can easily be a Facebook Live. The neat thing about Facebook Live is that it allows you to engage and communicate with your viewers as they are watching you.
Quick tip: ask for help!
Having your audience comment live also helps to give you more content to talk about in your video. You don’t have to think of everything to say on your own, which is nice. You can even “plant” some questions. Ask your close friends or colleagues to tune in to your Facebook Live and ask some questions or make a comment or two. You can even ask them to bring up a specific topic. This also makes you look good to the rest of your SOI that is watching.
Video equipment to help real estate agents with their marketing videos
Most cellphones today are well equipped to shoot high quality video. Other options for shooting your real estate marketing videos would be a webcam. For a decent webcam, you’ll only need maybe eighty to a hundred dollars for a high-definition model.
You’ll also want to set the scene for shooting quick videos at home. My desk in my home office is set up with good lighting. The camera is in place and it takes me 10 seconds to hit a button and everything’s up and running. None of this is expensive or complicated. It’s also important to learn about the default settings on your computer if you are using your computer’s camera.
The biggest obstacle here is getting comfortable with technology. It’s a hurdle you just need to get over. You can pivot your business! This turn in the market that we’ve seen is what’s going to force all of us to knuckle down and do what we need to do. This is how we’re going to pivot our real estate business and embrace making these marketing videos to push ourselves forward.
YouTube
Another platform we should be utilizing right now is YouTube. YouTube is a really important social media channel, as it’s owned by Google. That’s important because we know Google loves YouTube so when you put up YouTube videos, they tend to show up when people search for things via the Google search engine. If you put a YouTube video on your website, it gives you a higher search ranking.
Learn how to upload your videos to YouTube! There are also some pretty good editing software within YouTube’s platform. It’s really easy. You can learn a lot about how to use YouTube by watching tutorial videos on YouTube, ironically. You’ll want to learn how to upload the video, how to title it, and how to create tags that will increase your SEO. You will also want to learn about how to use cards in your video, and how to upload a good thumbnail.
Action steps for using marketing videos in your real estate business
Set goals and push yourself. You need to jump in when it comes to video. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will get. Set goals for yourself to shoot three of these short marketing videos a week. Create a schedule for yourself. Maybe you will shoot a quick video on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Learn how to use YouTube. Maybe once a week try something new. Start with learning how to create a playlist or learn how to create thumbnails. Learn how to upload the videos. Research how to create good, effective descriptions. These are all things your ICC coach can help you with. If you do have a coach, I would get one — that’s my advice.
Set goals for using Facebook Live. Try one out by the end of next week. Figure out a cadence. Try to shoot two to three marketing videos each week. Quick videos, just like we discussed.
You will get better over time. It’s okay if they are not the most awesome videos in the world as you’re just getting started. It will become more natural the more you do it. You will get better at editing them and better at cranking them out quickly. If you put in the time and the effort, you will learn how to do new things and you’ll start pivoting your business to where it needs to be. The results will speak for themselves.
