In our previous blog post, we already discussed all the benefits video content will bring to your digital marketing strategy, so if you haven’t read it yet, you can check it out here.
In this article, we want to take a closer look at things you can do to make sure your videos get you the results you need to stand out from the rest.
Video content allows you to send a clear and more personal message to a wider audience. When done correctly it also allows you to showcase your brand’s unique style, that will separate you from your competition and attract more potential leads.
In Real Estate, like in any other industry today, creativity and authenticity are key when it comes to digital marketing, whether it’s social media posts, infographics or videos. So here are a few tips on how you can achieve a higher level of engagement through video content creation.
Remember to tell a story
Just like in content marketing, your videos need to be about your audience and the story you are trying to convey and not about selling. They need to carry value for the viewer. With thousands of promo videos scattered throughout the internet, the last thing you want is for your viewers to think is – “Oh, not another ad again”.
It doesn’t mean you cannot add a call to action at the end of your video or in its description, it just means that it shouldn’t be your main focus. Instead focus on showing who you are as a company, introducing your team and highlighting your company’s ethics.
Allow your audience to get to know you like a friend and someone who is there to assist them in their home buying journey.
Appeal to their emotions and interests. Use images that carry a sentimental message in them and maybe even nostalgia. Try to look at your content from your viewers’ perspective and understand what would get an emotional reaction out of them.
A great example of a good Real Estate video is the introductory video by The Agency. As the co-founders Mauricio Umansky and Billy Rose take you on a journey of how the company was created, you relate to their honest and easy-going approach. Most importantly, you believe every word they say because of it.
As a viewer, you feel as if they are telling this story to you, which adds a personalisation aspect and allows you to feel special and cared for. Their smart use of infographics allows them to highlight their top achievements so that you remember them easily and it adds aa sense of legitimacy. They also showcase their team, smiling, looking happy and excited, that makes the viewer smile along and think “I’d want to work there”.
Overall you feel as if you are watching a whole movie, rather than you are being sold something to. In reality, though, they have already achieved their goal, as you will definitely remember them and approach them if you would be looking for a house in their area.
Don’t waste time
The average attention span of a person is only 8.5 seconds. This is why it is so important to hook your viewers from the first seconds of your video. Appeal to their curiosity and make them want to stay with you until the end.
You need to have a clear understanding of your audience and what exactly you are trying to convey to them and what emotions you want them to experience. Was your goal to inspire and motivate them? Did you want to make them laugh and brighten their mood?
The clearer your intention is from the beginning, the higher the chance that your goals will be met.
Thankfully there are different methods to do this. You can easily insert a quick preview of what the video will be about or illustrate your video with an appealing catchy thumbnail. You can also convey it by making sure that the sound effects, visuals and text all send out the same signal.
A great example of a clear message sent to the viewers is GLA Real Estate Company’s profile. From the very first still, you understand that you will hear about the Yarra Valley Victoria. The beautiful shots of the area, incorporated with shots of the magnificent horses, immediately set a tone and feel of the video and would appeal to anyone who loves the countryside and wants to find a home closer to nature.
The simple and raw way the director, Glen Siede, talks about the place, shows you that he loves it. When he tells you that the number one thing that he provides is honesty, you as a viewer have no doubt about it, because of the way he is portrayed. Visuals of him smiling with his wife, stroking his horse and patting his dog, all appeal to your emotions making him seem friendly and trustworthy.
Don’t be afraid to be funny
Nobody, and we repeat, nobody will want to watch a boring video. But it doesn’t mean that all the videos have to inspire or motivate. Some can simply make the viewer laugh. If you bring joy to your audience, they will have a connected positive emotion with your brand. This means that if they ever hear of you again, that same emotion will come back to them, making them feel positive about you as a company.
Allow your sense of humour to shine in your video content and don’t be afraid to be different from the array of corporate videos created by other companies.
In today’s digital world different is good. Different is what will get you more leads and more clients.
A Real Estate company called NEO Property took this approach when they were creating their listings introductory videos back in 2011. Their videos ended up going viral and are still re-shared today, with the most famous one reaching over 1,6 million views. Even though today the visuals seem horribly corny and bad, you cannot disagree that the company deserves credit for a completely unique approach. And there is one thing that’s certain, you will not forget them.
It’s not just about the sound
A great way to make sure that your video conveys a straightforward message and is interesting to the viewer is to imagine that there will be no sound accompanying it. Especially since a lot of social media channels have an autoplay function on when it comes to videos and a lot of people might be viewing their feed with the sound off.
According to DigiDay, 85% of videos on Facebook are watched without sound.
Sound should be considered as an additional compelling boost to your video rather than the main feature that everything evolves around. Use text and subtitles, invest in beautiful imagery or easy to read infographics. Try creating an animated video to bring certain concepts to life and explain things in a simple and entertaining way.
For example, Revere Real Estate company went for the animated infographic approach for their video. Even if you turn off the dynamic background music, you are still receiving the message the company wanted to convey. They focused more on the visual aspect of things, which allowed them to use their creation in many different ways and on many different platforms.
Help SEO help you
Just like you optimise your written content for SEO, you need to optimise your videos. The concept is very similar. Start with incorporating keywords that you want to rank for to your tags, descriptions and titles. Try to keep your video’s title below 66 characters and make sure you add your key keyword to it.
In the description don’t just list a series of words. Spend time on it and allow it to act as a certain invitation for your audience to watch your video.
Also, focus on your video’s length. The optimal video length is 2 minutes, however, up to 4 minutes is also a good length. Anything over 4 minutes is going to give you much lower results and you will simply lose your viewers’ attention. So, keep your video content short and informative.
Overall video content should be about pushing boundaries and finding new unique ways to communicate with your audience. Whether you incorporate short welcome videos into your emails to new clients, collaborate with other influencers in your field for webinars or Q&A sessions, do 360 video tours of your properties or even short animated “fact of the day” animations, you will see a change in your viewership statistics, that’s for sure.
Some other great unique Real Estate videos you can use for inspiration are:
