The Use of Video is No Longer Optional

We’ve been hearing “you should be using video in your marketing” for years now… but why?

Well, here are just a couple stats to shed some light on the answer:

According to Marketingweek, video results appear in roughly 70% of the top 100 listings, the type of content most often displayed in universal or blended search results.

Research by Forrester shows that with proper optimization, video increases the chance of a front-page Google results by 53x.

In a keynote address at CES, YouTube’s VP of Global Content, Robert Kyncl, said that video would soon account for 90% of Internet traffic.

I could keep throwing stats like these out, but hopefully by now you’re starting to get the point. Before, when we asked the “why?” questions, we wouldn’t get definitive answers. But now we’re able to quantify a lot of the data and provide a pretty compelling reason as to why you should be using video in your marketing.

Is it any different for us in the Real Estate industry?

The rise in demand for video is clear. Clients want it. Some now expect it (and rightfully so).
At M Realty, we realize that the use of video to market listings is no longer optional if you’re looking to provide the best possible service to your sellers. In the past, one of the main problems associated with video was the cost. Cost of the hardware, cost of editing time, etc. Some agents would try to do it themselves in order to save money. The results were usually not something that they were very proud of and they’d often just scrap the idea.

So, we recently set out to change that. But, understand that our goal isn’t to have our agents out filming listing videos (though some do). Our goal is to give our agents the ability to provide world class marketing, which includes video, at a cost that is no longer a barrier to use. We purchased the proper equipment, the editing software, and even hired a full time photographer/videographer to handle everything for us. So far, the results are falling in line exactly where you’d expect them to with stats like the ones I quoted above.

I won’t bore you with more stats, but I will say the amount of traffic and interaction (it’s all trackable these days) that these videos have been producing even surprised me a little bit. I was not expecting the videos to be a direct source to new clients so quickly, but several of our agents have picked up new clients (both buyers and sellers) from their listing videos being spread online via tools like Facebook and forwarded emails to friends. It’s been pretty amazing to watch.

Here’s an example of one of our latest videos:

The total cost to capture, edit and produce this video, along with professional photos and the whole suite of marketing materials (including all print marketing and a cutting edge single property website that has gained national attention) to showcase this listing was roughly $200, a price point that simply cannot be matched for the quality of the materials being produced. Our agents are loving how easy it is to go out in the world to get new listings using these materials.

So, if having access to a program like this for your listings is intriguing to you, feel free to get in touch with us. We’re always looking for good agents to join our team at M Realty.