Jan
22
How to use video in your property marketing blog and get a much needed edge on your competitors
Filed Under General Stuff
If a picture is ever worth a thousand words, it´s when you´re selling something like real estate, where each and every property is unique, no matter how similar. The importance of putting a good photo in a property listing hardly needs to be discussed. A well-taken photo catches the eye and generates interest in the property, just like a dark or blurry one puts the viewer off.
So, if a picture can be so decisive, think about what you could achieve if you used video to promote your top property listings on the Internet with a virtual tour! And now, it´s easier than ever, thanks to websites like YouTube and Google Video that make it a breeze post your property videos online in your blog or on your website.
On WordPress, the blogging platform we recommend, it takes all of a minute to post a Google vid!
You don´t have to be a camera expert to film great property video!
This is not Hollywood, so don´t expect to see Steven Spielberg stroll by as you film a property. If that´s a disappointment, the good news is that you don´t need to be a camera wizard to make a simple, but very effective property video. With a couple of hundred Euros worth of video camera and editing software, you´re all set to go. Oh! and we almost forgot! The professional cameraman´s secret. What´s that? A tripod of course!. Don´t tell any one we told you!
A dead easy way to make a professional-looking real estate virtual tour
Take a look at this property video we found on the excellent real estate blogging blog The Real Estate Tomato.
Notice how there is no special camerawork, just simple slow panning from one side to another to show the property, alternated with some zooming out, just for the sake of variety. The video consists of nothing more than the estate agent´s details and a few short scenes, voiced over with a pleasant narration of the property´s features, and still it looks so professional. Couldn´t be simpler, and yet extremely effective!
A word of caution and common sense
Remember what we said about dark or blurry pictures? With video, you don´t really have to worry about that, as long as you have adequate lighting, since modern cameras focus and adjust their sensitivity automatically.
What you do have to make sure, however, is that the property you are filming is clean, tidy, and looking its best. It´s surprising to see some estate agent listings with pictures of messy-looking rooms, and the same applies in video, of course. So, all the usual property photo tips apply here:
- clear up
- get rid of the piles of children´s toys
- move bulky furniture out of the way
- open windows for light
- shoo away pets
- all other common sense details to make the place look good
- and maybe a bunch of flowers to give colour to a dull room
So dust off your cameras and get out there! With a little practice, you´ll be amazed at the results you can achieve. But more importantly, your videos will give you a much-needed edge in today´s tough real estate market and will help you generate even more enquiries on your property portfolio.
And don´t forget that tripod it´s the secret that will mean the difference between a shaky amateur job and a stunning professional-looking video.
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