Are videos critical for land marketing?
In today’s high-tech environment it can be difficult for sellers and even top agents to determine the best strategy for marketing premier farm & ranch properties. Nearly every conversation with a seller eventually ends with the question of video marketing. Advancements in aerial drones and lightweight cameras has made video more affordable. Still, quality real estate videos are expensive, ranging from $2,000 to more than $10,000. This can be risky expense for many agents with no guarantee of a commission. So, is video worth it?
What is your goal: To answer this question you must ask yourself what your goal is for the video. Is your goal to sell the client’s ranch faster and for more money? Is it to set yourself apart in a competitive real estate market? Or can it be both? I actually think it should be both.
Tell a story: Video provides viewers with a unique perspective that still photos cannot. It connects viewers emotionally to the property and to your brand, and allows you to tell a story. Every farm or ranch has a story that is unique as the people who settled it. It is our job as land marketing professionals to tell that story and allow the family’s legacy to live on. Storyteller Kindra Hall says, “The strength of a brand is no longer measured by how well you communicate what you can do for your potential customers. The strength of your brand is now measured by how well your customers can tell their network about you, and how well their network can tell their network”. People remember stories and pass them on. The story does the work for you. Storytelling is a method brand marketers rely on to captivate, and film is now their chosen medium.
Where we are today: Until recently, virtual tours were our only option and many realtors use them to simulate video. Boring! That is not what I am referring to when I use the term video. According to Clover Carol with New Story Media, “Film has an advantage over virtual tours for many reasons. Virtual tours are still images linked together and set to music, which provide a limited view of the property. Most importantly, they offer nothing more than what was posted in the MLS photos. You have a high-end clientele who can spot low quality in an instant; why offer them low-end, outdated marketing materials? A cheap production only cheapens the property and your reputation. Video gives you an edge over your competitors and communicates to customers that you are serious about selling their property.”
Numbers don’t lie: JP Lewis, Media Director at Keller Williams Realty (the world’s largest real estate company) says agents who use video earn approximately 103% more that those who don’t. Leading marketers in any industry leverage cutting-edge technology to keep their business ahead. In June 2015, 183 million Americans viewed more than 44 billion online videos. Currently one third of all online activity is spent watching video. Cisco predicts that within two years, 90% of internet traffic will be video content. Companies are investing more in video as they realize the positive impact it has on their bottom dollar. It is estimated that national video ad spending will increase from $1.97 billion to $5.71 billion in 2017. The numbers are staggering.
Not only can compelling video direct traffic to your website, your customers will actually advertise for you by liking and sharing it on social media. In the September issue of “Real Estate” magazine, Stephen Schweickart, CEO of VScreen, said, “The handwriting is on the wall. It’s not a matter of whether or not Realtors will incorporate video into their marketing … but rather how far behind they will fall before seeing the light.”
