Everyone seems to be on YouTube nowadays, but how can you become effective at YouTube marketing? It's all about the essentials!
By Peter Ricci
As we highlighted in our first story on YouTube marketing, both YouTube and Internet video offer huge potential for real estate agents and the marketing of their businesses. Internet video traffic is estimated to make up 54 percent of all consumer Internet traffic by 2016, and according to Nielsen, Americans stream 15 billion videos a month.
But how exactly can agents harness this fabulously popular medium and successfully tailor it to their real estate business? In our second story on YouTube marketing, we’ll look at the two most essential components necessary to succeed in those aims.
YouTube Marketing For Real Estate Agents
1. Create professional videos – We’ve all seen what bad video looks like. From the horrid picture quality, to the nervous speech patterns of those on screen, to the jangly edits of the video, there are few things as thoroughly unpleasant as watching poorly made video! Therefore, it take upon yourself to produce high-quality, compelling videos through two ways.
One, purchase adequate equipment (there are numerous cameras available on Amazon, among other outlets), and either hire a professional editor to produce the video or spend some time with video editing software (start with the native programs, which are MovieMaker on Windows and iMovie on Mac) to make sure the editing is crisp and the presentation…well, presentable!
And two, show yourself to be a competent, professional individual, and that means looking and sounding the part. We’ve seen some professionals on YouTube (we’ll spare mentioning of their occupation) trying to add a little spice to their videos and professions, and 99 percent of the time it comes off as dorky. Of course, we’re not saying be boring! Be fun and spontaneous and engaging, just as you are with your clients – but, be presentable and reasonable at the same time.
2. Create compelling content – You’ll want to create videos that present some kind of value to your clients, leads and referrals, and this is where YouTube marketing truly shines. Given all the tools that video offers, you could easily create a whole series on, say, the best restaurants in your neighborhood; or maybe a series of videos on the most important things that first-time homebuyers should keep in mind when considering a purchase; or even singular videos explaining complicated real estate topics and jargon, like how escrow works, or why PMI is important for FHA-insured mortgages (or even, based on your clientele, what the FHA is!). The sky is the limit, and with the power of video behind you, you could really complement your expertise in real estate.
Regardless of what your video is about, those concepts – a professional presentation and compelling content – will always hold firm. Stay tuned for our next story on YouTube marketing, where we look a little more specifically at ways to distinguish yourself on YouTube.