4 Keys to a Killer Real Estate Video
Video is quickly becoming an essential element in real estate marketing. Prices and technology have made video more accessible than ever before, and savvy brokers, property managers, and home sellers are beginning to take advantage of it. According to the National Association of Realtors Immobilienfotos , almost 90% of home owners polled said they’d prefer to hire a broker that uses video to market their home. However, only about 5% of brokers are currently using video. And even among them, the quality of those videos can vary greatly. Studies have also shown that listings with videos get about 4x as many clicks. This is of particular importance for vacation rental listings, because they have to sell themselves over and over, and thus depend even more on a high volume of web traffic.
While it is obvious that adding videos to real estate marketing will soon be as expected as professional photos and a website, simply having a video is not sufficient. It has to be a GOOD video. Here are some tips on creating a professional-quality video that will make any real estate listing look its best.
- HIRE A PROFESSIONAL
First, and foremost, you need to find someone who knows what they’re doing. None of the other items on this list will matter if you don’t have a competent videographer behind the camera. The good news is that this doesn’t cost what it used to. For about $500-1000 (depending on your market area) you can get someone who knows what they’re doing, has good equipment and will deliver professional stills and video. Maybe even including drone shots! Videos are not easy to make. You’ve got to understand the gear, lighting, content, sound, editing, and a million other things. Without a professional, you’re almost guaranteed to end up with an inferior result, and you’ll probably waste a lot of time and brain cells, in the process. Time is money. Spend the money and save the time. - USE GOOD EQUIPMENT
While it IS technically possible to shoot decent videos on your phone, these days, it’s not easy to do, and you wouldn’t be reading this if you knew how to do it. You don’t need Hollywood level equipment, but you do need a certain minimum quality, or your results will likely end up looking shaky, too dark or too bright, grainy, and just generally not very good.The good news is that a professional (see item #1 above) will almost certainly come with their own gear, which should be just fine for your purposes. Some basic requirements are a good camera (a mid-level DSLR can shoot both stills and video), a slider, a couple of different lenses, some basic lighting, a decent shotgun or lav mic, and pro editing software (Adobe’s Premiere Pro or Apple’s Final Cut Pro are standards) to put it all together. These days, it’s fair to expect a drone to be involved, as well. Aerials add an exciting creative element, as well as a significant amount of geographical context. - INCLUDE COMPELLING CONTENT
You want your final product to tell a story. That means that it needs to be organized and convey a certain amount of pertinent information. Start with a script. Even if you don’t plan to use a voiceover or on-screen host, it’s a good idea to establish a logical flow, ahead of time. A script will also help you ensure that the essential details of the listing are conveyed. Whether there’s a narrator, on-screen text, or both, it is 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 the address*, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, interior square footage, and lot size. Throw in some neighborhood footage and a map to establish the location. And, of course, don’t forget your contact information.**
Think of it this way: Assume the viewer has no other information available to them, ot