Video is becoming a staple of real estate marketing. Pricing and technology have made video more affordable than ever before, and savvy real estate agents, property managers, and home sellers are starting to take advantage. According to the National Association of Realtors, 90% of homeowners surveyed said they would prefer to hire a Realtor who uses video to sell their home. However, video is currently only used by about 5% of brokers. And even between them, the quality of these videos can vary. This is especially important for vacation rental listings because they have to be sold over and over again, making them even more dependent on high volumes of web traffic.
While it's clear that adding video to real estate marketing will soon be as expected as professional photos and websites, video alone isn't enough.
1. HIRE A PROFESSIONAL
First you need to find someone who knows what they are doing. None of the other items on this list will matter unless a competent cinematographer is behind the camera. The good news is that it doesn't cost what it used to. For around $500-1000 (depending on your market area) you can get someone who knows what they are doing, has good equipment and provides professional photos and video. even including drone footage! Creating videos is not easy. You have to understand equipment, lighting, content, sound, editing and a million other things. Without a professional, you're almost guaranteed to end up with a worse result and waste a lot of time and brain cells. Time is money. Spend money and save time.
2. USE GOOD EQUIPMENT
While it's possible to shoot decent videos on your phone, it's not easy these days, and you wouldn't be reading this if you knew how. You don't need Hollywood level equipment, but you do need some minimum quality or your results will look shaky, too dark or too bright, grainy and generally not very good. The good news is that the professional ones (see item #1 above) will have almost their own equipment, which should be fine for your purposes. Basic requirements include a good camera (a mid-range DSLR can shoot both stills and video), a slider, a few different lenses, basic lighting, a decent shotgun or microphone, and professional editing software (Adobe's Premiere Pro or Apple's Final Cut Pro are standard) to put it together. In this day and age, it's fair to expect a drone to be involved as well.
3. INCLUDE COMPRESSIVE CONTENT
This means that it must be organized and must provide a certain amount of relevant information. Start with a script. Even if you don't plan to use voice recording or on-screen hosts, it's a good idea to create a logical flow in advance. The script will also help you ensure that the essential details of the listing are communicated. Whether it's a narrator, on-screen text, or both, it's important to give viewers the details they'll need to assess the home and what it has to offer. It's best to keep it simple, including things like address*, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, floor space and lot size. Throw in some shots of the neighborhood and a map to pinpoint the spot. And of course, don't forget your contact details.**
Think of it this way: Suppose the viewer has no information other than the video. Your goal should be to give them everything they need to decide if they want to schedule a showing. It never ceases to amaze me how often I see videos without these basic details. If viewers have no way to tell if the house is 2 or 7 rooms, or if it's on a large corner lot in the suburbs versus downtown Detroit, that's assuming they can even tell who you are.
, treat your video like a paper flyer. Everything that belongs on the flyer belongs in the video.
No comments:
Post a Comment