Real Estate Marketing Blog

Using Video in Your Real Estate Marketing

Having commercial quality video that represents your business is a valuable animated brochure.

Much like a traditional website the highly produced video is useful, but not nearly as much as the more scrappy on the fly production. Much like what a blog is about. Because of its conversational nature, Web 2.0 demands speed and consistency.

Some ideas for quick and powerful video marketing:

1. Testimonial gathering-Nothing is more powerful than a testimonial and nothing is more powerful than a testimonial on video on your blog, website, CD, etc.
2. Digital Door Knocking. This beats the old style way of cold doors (which still works by the way). Simply go to all your happy clients and interview them about your neighborhood. What do they love about the neighborhood and local flavors? What do they like about their new lifestyle? Etc. Talk about local blogging!
3. Digital Neighborhood Tours-be the ambassador to your farm areas. This can really go beyond just video. It can become a social event whereby your online followers meet you in person as Pat Kitano described in our most recent podcast.
4. Meet the Affiliates-Buyers and Sellers are usually clueless about all these affiliate fees they have to pay. Like escrow, title, pest control, home warranty, etc. Interview  these people and let them describe the reasons for their services. There is a plethora of knowledge (translated as potentially very rich web content)  that these folks can provide for you. Besides it makes it much easier to get your rep written in on the contract when she just sold the client, not you!

So there are some ideas to get you brainstorming. Actually pretty much anything you would blog about can be vblogged.

We will discuss video marketing in much more detail in our launch of the Real Estate Guerilla Coaching Club.

Video Marketing Just Got Easier (A Little Bit)

Video is one of the most misunderstood aspects in marketing real estate today.

This is because of the perception that video requires Commercial quality production in order to be effective. Nothing could be further than the truth.

For the purposes of this post allow me to divide online video into two camps.

1. Commercial Quality Production
These are basically either video virtual tours or essentially what amounts to a commercial for your business. No matter what, video has a learning curve, especially if you are going for the high end look and feel. WelcomeMat has made that a bit easier creating what in essence is a ELance for video production.

The Video Production Board on WellcomeMat is your quick and easy way to anonymously post a project and find a video producer that best suits your needs; whether you are hiring a producer for the first time, or looking for someone new to fulfill a specific need, the Production Board is your spot!

2. Guerrilla Marketing

I believe this approach much more effective in the online medium.

• For one reason the high end type virtual tours and commercials are as BORING as a course in calculus. Remember there is a reason people are leaving their television sets to go online. TIVO is a big hit for a reason. Even high quality has a "been there seen that vibe".

There is so much more you can do creatively with video.Put your focus on the story you want to tell, rather than worrying about production. Typically your audience will be more forgiving on your quality as the content ramps up. However, commercial grade production with a guerilla creativity can be highly useful. And it is as easy as operating your own family camera.

What do I mean by Guerilla?

• Visit your "farm area" and interview happy clients and old time residents. Piece together residents and kids all enjoying the community. Get the public plunge, the neighbors walking dogs and smiling. Get snapshots of the shopping and amenities of living in this great community of people.
• Do a 007 type Hunt for San Diego's best Home Value. Let your creative juices flow on this one. Basically you do a tour of the best values in your market. Doesn't this sound better than San Diego's Foreclosure Tour? The word Foreclosure can conjur up visions of fixer uppers.
• Do you know all those flyers your escrow, title, and inspection guys give you? All that stuff noone ever reads? Interview your rep and have them explain the legal stuff in human terms. You will have a better chance of writing them into your next offer if your client already "knows" them.
• Virtual Tour. Yes a virtual tour does not have to be so virtual tour like. Who said it has to be so empty, so vacant of life? Add some pep to it, without making it seem too crowded. You can also put an edge on the video by not making it follow the same formula that everyone else follows.
  
  There is a natural human law where we have to know how a "story" ends. It causes us to want more. Thus, for example showing a child jumping off a diving board into the pool, but cutting right before she enters the pool could leave the viewer unsatisfied and desiring a finish. Haven't we all heard the phrase, "I just need completion" in a broken relationship?
  
  There is another element that artists use quite a bit where they will place symbols or objects that have no relationship at all with an otherwise symbiotic design. Thus, a round object in a very square room will draw attention. Over the centuries it is believed that some artisians have actually crafted in almost subliminal markings to make their point.
  
  I am not saying to attempt outright manipulation. But as a thought I wonder what would happen if you placed a magazine on that round object that had a headline that said, "San Diego's Best Home Values", Or "San Diego's Best Home"?
  
  I hope that has helped you to get your creative juices flowing.

Universal Search and Real Estate

Real Estate SEO gets more complicated as the Natural Search results gets more crowded:

You may have missed it, but a few months back Google promised to start mixing their various other search results into their regular search. They call it....Drum Roll.........Universal Search.

Real Estate Video and You Tube, Blogs, News, Images, Local, and Google Base=Google Natural/Organic search results......

How Many Users Watch Video?

48% of All Users Watch or Share Video
Pew Internet and American Life Project says that 48% net users have visited a video-sharing site at least once to watch or post a video. This is an increase over the 33% number in December 2006.

• 15 percent watch or post a video on a typical day
• 53% of Men are more likely to have used a video-sharing site, compared to 43% of women.
• 70% of users under 30 have used the sites, compared to just 16% of those 65 yeas old and over.
• 25%  of Americans have recorded video, and of those 14% have uploaded their videos.

Viral

What did the leader of the free world, co founder of the largest search engine, founder of Re/Max, a Presidential Candidate, and yours truly do when we got together up North? Can you guess who is who?*

JibJab has grown by leaps and bounds and is a great example of viral growth as guys like me using their service and sharing it with you.I actually did this for the business and another with my family I am addicted!

http://www.elfyourself.com/ also has this feature. It is operated for free by Office Max.

*George Bush, Sergey Brin,Dave Liniger,  Hillary Clinton, Tim O'Keefe

Addition to original post:I made a video on how to create these videos. They are a great idea to add your staff and send out as an ECard.

http://www.spiderjuicetechnologies.com/christmas/

Free Video Software

Do you know those videos that I do? Some of my videos.

Well it is Camtasia and at one time I paid like $300 for a copy. Now they are giving it away. Kind of proves one of my Online Marketing Ten Commandments ( The First Commandment ).

Videos The Future of Online Marketing

///////////>>>Get more online consultation from
Spider Juice Technologies. ///////////

70% of those who use the Internet have broadband. So video is a no brainer.

Pew Internet & American Life Project says 57% of Internet users have watched videos online and most of them share what they find with others -- 19% do so in a typical day. 74% of broadband users who enjoy high-speed connections at both home and work watch or download video online.

Realty Video

Video habits are changing online. I have always thought that Video as a mainline medium is a tough sell. From the filming, editing and then uploading. It is a process that requires some technical skill and patience.

Mind Freaking Viral Video

Going viral with real estate marketing is tough without seeming gimmicky or cartoonish.

However, it does work in many cases. Just ask the founders of Hotmail.I guess, you can argue that the Zillow ap went viral when they launched.

Viral Marketing tends to work best in very targeted contexts as this most recent example by the Magician Chris Angel. I love magic and how if you study it, we are taught how easily the mind can be fooled.

Check out this Viral expose.

"Politics Leads the Way We Blog"

"Blogs, Videos, and the Political Season"

Politics has led the new media revolution. And this year is promising already to be cutting edge.

Hillary Clinton does not typically show good numbers across all demographics when making public appearances. She has brilliantly counteracted that by having personal "visits" with her viewers of her website, thusly controlling her appearance. She has a new video about every week for you to watch.

Ironically, it has been the Conservative side of American Politics that has typically dominated new media, with Cable and now the Internet. Many believe John Kerry's demise in 2004 was because of a very strong right wing net base that attacked him on every front, mostly from the web.

Politicians have lived and died by the net so far in this short century. Heck, even journalists have lost their tenure because of "corrections" by bloggers.

And as the right has typically dominated the new channels, it seems to be the left whom have been cutting edge. You will recall that Howard Dean was able to get huge grassroots support thru his blogging efforts in 2004.

Now Hillary is Vblogging. And Obama is attacking back not on TV or Cable. But on You Tube!