Real Estate Video Promotion: Using Social Media to Promote Videos

Many real estate agents are incorporating videos into their content marketing efforts. This makes sense as video is an engaging and shareable medium. In fact, real estate videos have become one of the main ways of getting leads for real estate agents. They are effective, so why not make real estate video ads? This way real estate agents can combine the value of videos with the potential of ads. Reaching a higher number of people and getting a bigger load of leads. As a result of these positives, real estate video promotion is becoming more common.

There are many different promotions out there on many different platforms. Videos can add more value to these ads. They can make real estate agents stand out. On platforms like Facebook where the organic reach has dropped, videos are still running better than content in text and images.

Videos, however, tend to be harder and more expensive to make. This is one of the main reasons some real estate agents avoid them. Buying the required equipment and learning how to shoot and edit videos can be a challenge. But there is a solution for this as well: you do not have to create the videos yourself.

Video Marketing in Real Estate

Research shows that listings with a video generate 4 times more leads than the standard listings with text and images and with good reason. Thanks to higher internet speeds, videos are easier to use, and more and more videos are available online. Some research suggests that by 2021, videos will take up 78% of all mobile data. This alone is enough to show the importance of videos in real estate marketing.

Videos Show More

Real estate is a highly visual market and its audience needs to see is more. Text descriptions are not enough, and the images fail to meet the audience’s expectations. Videos allow the audience to have a better understanding of how the property looks and make better decisions. This is especially true during the current global pandemic where many prefer to stay home and limit the number of times, they go out.  

Videos Are Easier to Watch

Time is precious and technology has made people’s expectations higher. In this day and age where almost everything related to business can be done online, traditional methods and measures fail to attract people’s attention. Why would anyone spend time reading to guess how a property looks or what a real estate agent is capable of? Especially when they can watch and learn through videos on another agents’ page? The world is moving toward videos and if you do not move with it you will be left behind.

Other Methods Are Failing

If you take a look at what most real estate agents are doing, you will see a lot of repetition. Home valuations or blog posts that get no exposure have become the main avenue of lead generation for many. The problem is that they are used on a large scale that leaves everyone looking the same. But marketing is not about doing what others are doing. It is about offering something unique and new.

The Challenges of Real Estate Video Marketing

The fact that real estate marketing videos are not fully utilized by real estate agents has a few reasons. Here are some:

Videos are Expensive

You might read online that you do not need professional equipment to create real estate videos. The proponents of the idea suggest that your cellphone’s camera is all you need to shoot and create videos. Yes, you can shoot videos. But if you want to stand out you need to create professional videos that attract the audience’s attention. Poor videos will not only fail to create any value but will also harm your reputation. You want to stand out positively and this is not the way.

Videos Take Skill to Create

Waving your camera around and shooting videos is easy. But what makes the videos valuable, is the professional production and editing that renders them interesting and eye-catching. Therefore, you need remarkable videography and editing skills to make them fit the expectation of your audience. The aim is to look professional from the get-go.

How to Create Real Estate Video Ads

As mentioned above, videos grab attention and promotions increase your reach. The combination of these two becomes a deadly weapon in your arsenal that accelerates what you are hoping to achieve. Creating video promotions is a complex process. While we suggest you leave the creation of the video to the professionals there a few point to have in mind to share with the video producer:

Keep Your Audience in Mind

The first step in making real estate video promotions is to find out who will be watching them: Your niche and target audience.

• The ideal property they are looking for
• Audience Demographics
• Purchasing power and budget
• Favorite areas and neighborhoods
• Main concerns
• What they need the most from a real estate agent

When you have a clear understanding of your audience you will be able to create video promotions that fit their needs. There may be persona crossover in your audience and that’s fine. You may need to create a different kind of ad for each. The more targeted your promotions are the better outcome you will have.

Offer Value in the Beginning

Make sure the initial part of your ad is interesting and grabs the attention of your certain persona. Every persona needs its specific and unique drive to keep watching the video. They need to see the value you are offering for them in the ad immediately. Do not save it for the last part of your video. If you fail to make your point at the beginning of the video, you risk losing your audience.

Grab Attention

The more eye-catching your videos, the better. As you do not have a lot of time to convince the viewer to keep watching, your video ad should appear interesting for your persona. Use bold statements and beautiful images in your videos. Give convincing stats and ask questions of your audience. If you are introducing yourself, include some of your achievements.

Keep Videos Short

Ads are supposed to work in a short time, or they will be closed before they have conveyed the message. Therefore, it is a good idea to keep your video promotions short. Depending on the platform and purpose of the ad you may go with video promotions and ads lasting 15 seconds to 30 seconds. Remember they are ads. They are supposed to grab your audience’s attention and lead them to another landing page where you can fully brief them. You should not take too long to make a point.

Include Text Overlay

Videos are great at conveying messages and video promotions are the best avenue to do so. However as the videos tend to exceed the audience’s pace, it is a good idea to use text overlays on the video to make it easier for the viewer to grasp the ideas presented in the video ads. Furthermore, as many people will watch your promoted videos without sound, it is essential to show important data and messages using text on the video. If you fail to do so, you will lose those viewers who are watching the video without sound.

A/B Test Different Video Ads

Even the most comprehensive research will not give you the best results unless you put different versions of your videos to the test to see which works the best. By A/B testing different video you will have a better understanding of which real estate videos get more engagement and most CTRs. Once you have found the best combination of settings you can choose it as your standard for your real estate video promotions for every specific audience persona.

Real Estate Video Promotion Ideas

Real estate videos may carry different purposes from personal branding and increasing awareness to direct marketing and listing promotions. Here are a few ideas you can use videos for in real estate ads:

Listing Videos / Direct Marketing

Videos are one of the best ways to promote a property and get leads. However, remember that real estate is very local, and you need to keep the location of the property in mind. Think about the best aspects of the property and demonstrate them in the video ad. The ultimate goal of creating videos to show as much as it takes to leave the viewer willing to learn more. Focus on details, architectural features, and make the property stand-out.

Video Testimonials

One of the best ways to gain your audience’s trust is to use testimonials in ads. While it is a good idea to introduce yourself, it will have an even bigger impact on the audience if they hear it from your previous clients. The testimonials video should be about the client. Let them do the talking. They should describe what their main problem was and how managed to help them with it. In the end, they should say what they gained from working with you.

Neighborhood Videos

Another great video to showcase your expertise and stand out is the real estate neighborhood video. By promoting real estate neighborhood guides you show your familiarity with the area and let your audience know that you are their best bet. Believe it or not, homebuyers choose the neighborhood first, and home sellers trust an agent who knows their area.

Agent Introduction Videos / Branding Videos

Ads are used to promote a certain product or service. Therefore, you can use them to promote yourself and increase awareness around your brand. As the video will be pretty short, you will have to present yourself briefly. Instead of bragging about your achievements, it is a good idea to let your audience know what unique value you are offering. To say how you are different from the rest of the agents. What makes you special? Why should they choose you?

Highlighting how many houses you have sold recently alone Is not enough. In fact, they do not care about you. They care about themselves and that is what you should focus on. Show them what is in it for them if they choose you.

Use 360 Videos

Another brilliant idea for videos in real estate video promotions is using 360 videos of listings. They are interesting and grab attention. Also, they show your audience that you are a professional agent who uses the latest practices in technology. You will come across as an agent they can trust. 360 videos present your listings in a more comprehensive and detailed way leaving the client wanting to know more, and increasing the chances of them contacting you. Finally, as these videos are not used by many agents overall, you will stand out and offer more value in your video ads.

To Make Your Own Videos or To Leave It to The Professionals

As mentioned earlier, creating real estate videos to use in promotions is quite challenging. As you will be paying for your promotions you need to make sure that you are using the best videos possible. Of course, you can grab your phone and record video and with minor edits, but we recommend that you do not.

As creating video for your promoted posts by yourself will end up being pretty expensive, your best bet is to leave it to the professionals. In the past, such services were quite expensive but that is is not the case anymore. In fact, videos can be created at an affordable price.

Roomvu offer many different videos in real estate including:

• Cinematic Videos
• Agent Intros
• 360 Virtual Tours
• Market Update Video
• Listing Videos

• Neighborhood Guides
• Tips and Tricks

For your listings videos you can also have some practical add-ons like:

• Personalized introduction
• Drone Videos
• 4K videos
• Agent Voice-over
• Property info overlay
• Instagram edits

Real Estate Video Ads: Takeaway

Videos work in real estate marketing and promotions are a great way of direct marketing. Real estate agents are growing tired of trying different methods and getting no results. Home valuation ads are becoming so widespread that agents do not seem to be offering anything new and different. Video, on the other hand, offers many different ways to make every agent stand out.

Real estate agents can make their own videos using equipment as simple as their cellphone. However, to create value and demonstrate your professionalism, we recommend agents refrain from doing so. Creating high-quality and high-converting videos requires a specific level of quality and skill. Videos are not expensive anymore and seem to be a sensible investment for all real estate agents.

Read More: How to Set up Paid Advertising for Your Market Update Video on Instagram