Guest blogger Andre Oentoro shares his advice for creating eye-catching and engaging videos by reminding agents of the mistakes they don’t want to make.

Real estate is a competitive business. It’s not easy to start a real estate business alone or even when you have the support of a broker. The competition may be tough, but with the right tools, you’ll have the upper hand among the crowd of competitors. Video marketing is one of these tools that will help your business grow if used wisely.

Videos are widespread among internet users. It’s estimated that video content alone will make up 82% of internet traffic in 2022, which means most people will search and view information through videos. If you can leverage videos to promote your real estate agency, then you can expect a surge of new clients coming to you.

There are many things you can achieve with video marketing. You can use video testimonials about your property and place them on YouTube to drive traffic back to your website, where hopefully viewers will click on a call-to-action button like “Get a free CMA” or “Schedule a walk-through.”

You can also use ad videos on Facebook to attract more clients by viewing videos that describe the kind of services you provide.

With marketing videos, you can promote your property relatively easily by showing potential clients how your service helps them live better.

6 Video Marketing Mistakes Agents Should Know

You can’t make a video and assume that people will watch it from start to finish. You have to grab their attention early on with a captivating opening title and compelling content throughout the video.

That’s why it’s important to take a few things into account, so you won’t fail in using video marketing.

Below are some video marketing mistakes that brokers or real estate agents should eliminate.

1. Don’t target the wrong audience

The target market is crucial for the real estate business. For instance, you should know that selling your downtown condo in a suburban area is pointless simply because it’s not the right target market. Miss your target and you miss an 0pportunity.

Another common mistake that agents often deal with when targeting a client is forgetting to qualify them. For example, if you’re targeting a client with an asking price of $5 million and they only have $1 million to spend on a new home, then there’s no point in continuing the conversation.

Make sure to define your target market early on. For example, you might describe your clients as males, aged between 27-35, married with children, and employed. This model will help refine what clients need, so it’s easier to offer your service.

Producing high-end marketing videos can be expensive. Be sure you have a thorough client analysis before making content to attract them. After all, video helps clients engage with your brands more when they feel the content is made especially for them.

2. Don’t forget to offer value

Sometimes, agents only focus on selling properties rather than educating clients on the benefits of doing business with your brand. You may find the majority of housing videos talk more about the rooms, landscape, and whatnot, rather than about the benefits of these features.

Visuals may enchant people at first glance; for example, 3D-rendered house tours can be captivating.  But it’s important to place these images in context. Instead of simply displaying your illustration, provide a core message for why people need to capture this high-demand home right away. Or maybe emphasize the location offers a one-stop-living environment where owners don’t need to commute back and forth to get daily supplies. Or perhaps the exclusivity of a gated community is what will provide the most appeal.

Whatever your message, make sure it taps into the primary reason WHY people should view a listing–and why you should be the one to show it to them.

This is where your unique selling point (USP) of your agency becomes critical. When you provide content that helps people solve their problems, they will most likely feel connected with you and may consider using your service in the future.

3. Don’t forget about SEO basics

If you want people to find your video content, understanding and applying SEO in your video will do wonders.

In the past, marketers relied on paid marketing where agents could put their business on Google, hoping people would click those ads. Let me tell you the truth–that tiny ad-text above your website works much less when compared to ones without them.

Most internet users refuse to visit a website with a promotional banner on it. The reason is quite simple: everyone can pay for a top search result. If all you need to do is pay a fee to rise to the top, there is less trust that your content is deserving of the top spot. That’s why organic search is more trusted. It takes time and huge effort to rank near the top since every business will compete for that position, with the most useful content rising above the others.

To attain the coveted #1 organic spot, make sure to optimize SEO in your content by adding keywords in your video title, descriptions, and tags. Keywords make it easier for viewers to find your videos on search engines like Google and social media platforms.

4. Don’t make exceptionally lengthy videos

Remember that your audience is working people, busy with their daily tasks. Make sure that viewing your content is worth their time.

Clients make comparisons when deciding to invest in what is likely their life’s most important buying decision. They will check one property against another when considering purchase options. Help them out by providing simple yet comprehensive information that they can digest quickly.

Your audience won’t remember all the details after one viewing. Use the valuable time you have to get them sufficiently interested to view it several times. Include what they need to know, don’t include details they don’t, and they’ll call you for the rest.

5. Don’t forget about editing

Most real estate agents who are just beginning to use a video marketing often ignore the importance of video editing. They upload a “home movie” version straight away to their website. This is a mistake. You should spend some time editing your videos.

As previously mentioned, a home tour video is a common practice among agents. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to spice up the video to make it look more appealing for clients. Consider using music, animation, testimonials, voice-over narration, or motion graphics to make your video more engaging.

Using tools such as Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the most efficient ways of editing videos because it has a user-friendly interface that non-professional video makers can use with ease Of course, Adobe isn’t the only option. There are plenty of different video editing platforms to use that can do the job well.

6. Don’t forget to include one, easy to understand call-to-action

Call-to-action (CTA) is a phrase that prompts your clients to take the desired action that helps drive your business performance, such as subscribing to your YouTube channel, booking a showing, subscribing to your list, and more.

If you intend to publish marketing videos, make sure that the content has a proper CTA. Posting a raw video won’t invite people to checkout your business if you never ask them to do so. You can add CTAs in your video by adding a pop-up message at the end of the content with a link to where the viewers can get more information about what you’re offering.

It’s essential to keep your CTAs clear. Don’t confuse your viewers with ambiguous phrases that leave them hesitant. Instead, use simple words that they can understand immediately and give them a sense of urgency when reading it, such as, Visit my website now and get a free competitive marketing analysis that will show you what your home is worth today.

Takeaway

Video marketing is one of the most powerful methods you can use to market your real estate business.

Today, people spend more time watching videos than reading articles and posts on Facebook and Twitter. If they like what they see in your video, chances are, interested prospects will seek out more information about your services.

Creating a marketing video can be challenging, but with some guidance about the mistakes to avoid (like the ones discussed here) it doesn’t have to be.

Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order). You can contact Andre via email andre@breadnbeyond.com, on Twitter @breadnbeyond, or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreoentoro/