There are two types of video within the industry: personal and professional. Both are imperative for acquiring a greater audience and greater engagement; however, for real estate in particular the focus is set on professional videos.
Personal videos are meant for friends, family, and other personal contacts. There are many platforms for this rather casual setting that can be quickly accessed and shared online by any citizen videographer.
Professional videos are a whole different beast. This style is meant to be a one-to-many type of model, whereas personal videos act better as a one-to-one approach. Professional videos are a valuable tool for marketing; however, distinguishing these videos with a singular purpose can lead businesses to shoot for quantity rather than quality, producing a plethora of mediocre content. Those in the real estate industry can mistakenly focus on producing a large amount of poor quality videos rather than a token amount of solid, well-done films. This quantity vs. quality struggle leads to bad impressions on the company. Producing an abundance of low effort videos available to the public causes consumers to associate the brand with unprofessionalism and a weak sense of vision.
Studies have shown that a majority of consumers are more likely to have a negative view on a business that puts out low-quality videos. A first impression can go a long way and detract from potential customers. Quality is important. Also, professional videos have historically done better than personal user-generated video content in regard to views, sharing, etc.
Social Media
Everyone knows that a social media presence greatly connects companies to large audiences, and it is a platform that is deserving of quality video content as well. While social may appear as a more casual and amateur setting, it is a mistake to assume low quality and little effort will pass as a success on any platform. Professional videos have proven to increase social media engagement in contrast to text posts and images alone. They help establish a more realistic image and build a connection between the audience and the company.
Customization
Custom videos perform even better with a longer lasting impact on the viewers. A neighborhood video will be enticing to prospective buyers, and they will stop to inquire about this unique feature. Whether it be on the listing site itself or a social media account, there are plenty of ways to project it to others for your benefit. These videos could extend to email campaigns, digital video marketing, and more that provide a large return on investment.
Unfortunately, videos that are customized can reach remarkably high prices ($500-$1000) for a short 60-second video. Semi-custom is a cheaper alternative to unique professional quality videos; however, they obviously withhold limits to the extent of one's creativity. Tis semi-custom option includes previously established content and info as a template for the personal information. This is budgeted at a low $10-30/video, a much more manageable price tag compared to the fully customized videos.
Automated or dynamic videos bring plain listings or market data to life, and they typically fall at a price of $10/video. They are not personalized/custom any more than some fill in information; however, they still add an engaging media element to the overall image.
Swap the blurry iPhone videos for the HD professional videos and watch your business grow.
Photo by Zorah Olivia under CC BY 2.0.