The Best Videos to Help You Sell More Real Estate

Video marketing can help real estate agents stand out from the competition, engage with home buyers and sellers, and sell more.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed just about everything — including how we shop. Global e-commerce sales are up by double digits since 2019. They’re expected to hit US$4.9 trillion this year, an increase of nearly 20 per cent over 2020. It’s not just e-commerce that got a boost. Home buying and selling have also shifted online because of the need to limit face-to-face interactions.

For real estate agents, in-person connection is a big part of selling. This goes beyond just being able to show a property. It’s about being able to set yourself apart as a trusted advisor in a highly competitive market.

Video marketing is emerging as an effective way to help real estate agents stand out from the competition, engage with clients and sell more properties. Why? In addition to sharing information, video builds an important emotional connection with users and can help raise your profile. People are twice as likely to share video content with their friends than any other type of content, including social media posts, blogs, articles and product pages.

Fast facts: The U.S.-based National Association of Realtors reports that the first step in the home search process is to look online. This is true for all generations of homebuyers. Ninety-five per cent of buyers use online tools in their search, and video and virtual tours are among the most popular.

How to Use Real Estate Video Marketing to Sell More Property

1. Introduction videos
2. Social media videos
3. Customer testimonial videos
4. Listing videos
5. Personalized property tour videos
6. Follow-up videos
7. Educational videos for buyers and sellers
8. Recruiting and training videos for new agents

The benefits of using video marketing for real estate agents

Videos can help:

• Capture a potential client’s attention. People are more likely to open, remember and respond to video messages.
• Save time and money. Videos can be reshared, customized and updated.
• Answer client questions.
• Build a personal connection before you meet in person.

8 types of videos that work best for real estate marketing

1. Introduction videos

Videos are an effective way to build rapport. Introduce yourself with a video email that helps people get a sense of your personality and approach, and why they’d want to work with you.

A few best practices:

• Make the most of this opportunity. Know exactly what you want to say and create a script. This is not the time to adlib or list the highlights of your resume.
• Use a good quality microphone and hire a professional editor.
• Use iMovie or Windows Movie Maker to add your name, title and contact information to the video to make it easy for people to connect with you.

2. Social media videos

Create videos for the social media channels your clients and prospective clients use. These can include videos to market a specific property and showcase properties you’ve sold, as well as testimonial videos.

Fast facts:

• Instagram posts with video have 38 per cent higher engagement than posts without video.
• On Facebook, engagement shoots up 135 per cent for posts with video over posts that don’t include video.

3. Customer testimonial videos

Leveraging positive customer testimonials can help you build credibility, interest and trust. Ask your happy customers to film at each stage of the sale: making/receiving an offer; closing the sale; and living in the home about half a year later. When you’re ready to focus on marketing, review these interviews and edit them into a cohesive series. These videos do not require a high production quality. The key is authenticity. Keep it simple. Use your smartphone and ask direct, straightforward questions that capture what the experience is like, what it means for the client and why they’d recommend you.

Tip: A quick word about customer testimonials on social media. These are the organic, authentic statements from happy clients on your social channels. They are typically short and to the point, and relay a specific positive experience. It’s become a best practice to showcase these as they appear, without any editing or visual enhancements.

4. Listing videos

You can immerse potential clients in the space and create an experience that will help you stand out by offering 360-degree tours and indoor drone tours. They offer the next best thing to showing a property in person.

5. Personalized property tours

In addition to sophisticated virtual tours that will run on the listing page, use your smartphone to create personalized tours. Walk through the property and highlight the features your targeted buyer is looking for. Answer questions you know they’re likely to have. Before filming, do a practice walk-through and take the time to create a script, so you know what you want to highlight. It’s a best practice to keep videos under five minutes. Any longer, and you risk losing the viewer’s interest.

Tip: Don’t stop with the property tour. Take a stroll through the neighborhood to give clients a sense of what it will be like to live there. Be sure to plan your route and be clear on what you want to say.

6. Follow-up videos

Touching base with clients via video is an important way to remind them about the benefits of a property, demonstrate you are proactive and build a relationship.

7. Educational videos for buyers and sellers

These videos are designed to make it easy for clients to buy and sell a home or property. For example, you can create a video to walk clients through the process, so they know what to expect. You can also cover specific topics, such as how to make an offer or what fees to expect when owning a condo.