About a year and a half ago, we did a post on real estate agents in Canada who use video to market themselves and their property listings.
Given that video is rapidly becoming mainstream on the Internet, to the point where surfers/consumers are actually expecting it, we decided to re-visit the subject.
For this post, we searched YouTube for realtors in Canada and found a variety of video marketing techniques being used right now.
And, last but not least, Vancouver real estate agent Ian Watt of Sutton Group conducts a daily video blog, from his car of all places! This guy is often cited as one of the top video bloggers in North America.
With often intense competition for new listings, some real estate agents are looking at the use of video for that added touch when marketing their services to clients.
Once only used by a handful of agents, technology has made it easier for sellers of real estate to capture video and display it for public viewing on the web.
Professional videographers are also popping up, which offer a more polished property video production, usually in High Definition.
You can check out the segment here, or have a look at some tips they offer for creating your own video tour.
Don’t pan around too quickly. Give the potential buyer time to take in the beauty of your house.
Use the zoom sparingly. It’s one feature that gets old quickly and, if used too often, will have less and less effect on the viewer.
If you’re showing something important, count to 10 in your head with the camera centered on it. Make sure the viewers have plenty of time to take it in.
Consider using a tripod. Even the most steady-handed of us tend to wobble from time to time. Your viewers will thank you.
The 2009 Swanepoel Trends Report came out last month. The Report is widely acknowledged as the most comprehensive Report covering change in the real estate business.
This is an annual report, authored by Stefan Swanepoel, which summarizes the preceding year and details the most significant trends, innovation and new business models impacting the real estate business.
Although, there is a price for this report, you can check out a great video below of Mr. Swanepoel describing the latest social networking and web 2.0 tools available for today’s real estate agent.
For those real estate agents considering a video marketing campaign, this is a must read.
Here’s an excerpt:
What percentage of your real estate customers come from out of your area? They need information about the area, attractions, natural beauty, parks, schools and more. But, they also want to SEE what all of this looks like. Photos are great, but video rocks!
For those who don’t know, Larry runs a blog called http://photographyforrealestate.net, which in itself is an essential for all real estate photographers out there.
With many real estate agencies stuck in the Internet dark ages, it is refreshing to see how companies like Century 21 have enhanced their web presence with consumer-friendly initiatives.
It includes a blog and an awesome new Google map search functionality, which displays the locations of their listings.
Meanwhile, Century21.com just launched its own YouTube channel. Aimed at sellers, buyers and enthusiasts, the Channel will provide the opportunity for customers and agents to create and submit user-generated content.
“The CENTURY 21 System understands that in order to serve our clients and meet the demands of today’s market, we must lead the industry with the most current home buying and selling platforms,” said Robert Schwartz , vice president of national marketing for Century 21 Real Estate LLC. “During the next year we will continue to build on this momentum with additional Web-based innovations to help our agents and our clients navigate the world of real estate in a digital era.”
At Base10, we promote the use of web 2.0 and thats why we have an integrated set of features in our UniqueHomeSites.com product, which allow Canadian real estate professionals to better serve consumers through compelling web content.
Real estate professionals who produce video for their property listings can now benefit from a FREE video podcasting service offered by TubeMogul.com.
For those who don’t know, a podcast is a collection of digital files which are distributed over the Internet, often using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers.
TubeMogul’s analytic technology also aggregates video-viewing data from multiple sources to give publishers improved understanding of when, where and how often videos are watched to effectively measure the impact of their marketing campaigns.
According to a recent RISMedia.com article, video has moved online in a big way and it’s use can be a huge differentiator for real estate professionals, helping build trust among existing and future clientele, as well as create a strong brand impression.
“Video can make a big impact on your marketing program, and of course, the Internet is where the buyers are. A big advantage of video over fixed content is that video involves more of the senses; it sells you and your service using sight, sound and emotion. When you communicate with your prospects through more of their senses, they become more engaged, and therefore, more likely to understand your message.”
Another popular video podcasting service is available at MLBroadcast.com, which is designed specifically for real estate professionals.
Michael Price, Co-Founder and President of MLBroadcast.com, was quoted as saying;
“Our service was designed to help real estate professionals take advantage of syndication technologies to distribute their listings and community content. Video sharing sites have matured into syndication destinations that provide not only additional traffic, but vast improvements in the ability for listings to be found in organic searches.”
As an extreme (and hilarious) example of why good photography is important in marketing a property for sale on the Internet, here are a couple of YouTube videos showcasing some of the worst real estate photographs ever.
As an added bonus, the results can be fully integrated within our UniqueHomeSites.com single property websites.
Here’s how it works - First, register your contact information (inc. logo and profile pic) with WhatIWantRealEstate.com. Second, upload your property photos and enter a text description of the listing.
The rest is taken care of by the folks at WhatIWantRealEstate.com. What they do is take the listing information that you supply and develop it into a video. Then, they distribute it to a wide variety of search engines – all for a one-time fee of $50 per property.
According to CEO and Founder Ryan Hoback, ”We place your video on Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Itunes, and many other directories to maximize the visibility. Our optimization strategies target viewers by geographic and keyword specific searches, so each viewing is highly targeted to localized areas.”
Twice a year, InmanNews holds a Real Estate Connect conference, where leaders in real estate and mortgage come together with top technology executives to promote change and innovation within the industry.
Topics range from that of real estate market conditions, interactive marketing, social media, Web 2.0, MLS, mapping, lead generation, blogging, user generated content, search engine marketing and search engine optimization, online video, paperless technology and more.
Although many Realtors don’t have the budget to attend these types of events in person, the beauty of today’s technology allows us to check out the highlights via the Internet.
For a plethora of other video interviews, forum discussions, and general commentary from these events, it is worth checking out the InmanTV channel at WellcomeMat.com.
About a year and a half ago, we did a post on real estate agents in Canada who use video to market themselves and their property listings.
Posted by uniquehomesites 
With often intense competition for new listings, some real estate agents are looking at the use of video for that added touch when marketing their services to clients.
Posted by uniquehomesites 
The 
Posted by uniquehomesites 
rketing.
