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Horizontal vs Vertical Video, Which Is Best for Real Estate Marketing

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vertical vs horizontal video
Vertical vs Horizontal Video

One of the most common questions I get right now is “which is best, Vertical or Horizontal video?” My answer is “it depends”. First of all, let’s examine vertical and horizontal video, which is best for real estate  and in what situation(s).

What is Vertical Video?

A vertical video is a video that is created in portrait mode and has a 9:16 aspect ratio. Unlike horizontal videos, vertical videos are taller in height than they they are in width. The dimensions of a vertical video are 1080×1920 pixels.

Vertical video is best viewed on mobile phones. Unlike horizontal videos (which have to be turned to view in full screen mode), vertical videos are already full screen and therefor are easier to consume for mobile viewers. While platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok have seemingly always embraced vertical video, platforms like YouTube have not. That recently changed with #YouTubeshorts which as you may have guessed, are vertical. Not really surprising given over 60% of YouTube’s views come from mobile devices.

 

Why Vertical Video?

Vertical video is all about user experience, they fill the screen which lends itself to higher engagement rates. They take up more real estate than the traditional horizontal video making them ideal for mobile devices. I recently saw a study that said 82.5% of mobile users hold their phones vertically when watching videos or scrolling through social media (I know I do). Many of these users do not flip their phones horizontally to watch videos, so vertical videos not only look better, they are much easier to consume.

Vertical videos also have a higher completion rate than horizontal video, not like 10% more either, but 90% more. So if you want more engagement with your real estate content some of it should be vertical. Almost every social platform is already embracing vertical video. You’ve likely seen so many vertical videos on Instagram and TikTok at this point that horizontal video now looks kinda strange.

When should you go Vertical with video?

Pretty much any video that can be horizontal can be vertical as well, but that doesn’t mean that it should be. My general rule is this: if the video is meant to be consumed on social (Facebook, Snapshot, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts etc), go vertical. BUT if the video is meant to be displayed on  your real estate website, desktops or tablets or will be viewed on YouTube (the normal YouTube) go horizontal.

Longer videos, longer than 2 minutes, like interviews, community videos, testimonials etc should be horizontal while cinematic property videos should be vertical AND horizontal.

Why You ask?

While vertical video looks great on social platforms, they look horrible on pretty much anything else (think black bars on both sides – yuck). And while social media is important for brand awareness and engagement, it’s not always the best for real estate. Consumers at this point, don’t turn to social networks like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat or Instagram when they are looking for homes for sale or to learn about a specific area when determining where they would like to live next. For that consumers still turn to search engines like Google, YouTube, Bing and Yahoo and 3rd party aggregators like Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com and all of these platforms embrace horizontal video.

Look at your won behavior and you’ll agree: Social media is largely where content is discovered by ACCIDENT and is largely a place for ENTERTAINMENT while YouTube and Search Engines like Google and YouTube are INTENTIONAL. Want to know how to change the spark plug on a 1957 Chevy or how to program the garage door button on your new Mercedes…. you’re heading to Google and YouTube not social media platforms.

Consider Your Audience

It’s also important to keep your audience in mind when creating video content: marketing to active adult communities? They will likely find vertical video annoying. Marketing to baby boomers? They also may find vertical video annoying. Marketing to first time home buyers or Generation X or Y? They will likely find horizontal video annoying.

Best Practice

If you have the ability to do so create your video content to be vertical for social AND horizontal for your website, search engines, ads etc. If we have shot a property video for you (which is delivered horizontally) we can edit it to be vertical as well. Just make sure to mention that you would like a vertical edit in advance of the shoot as it changes the way we shoot the property. We can also shoot the video vertically which looks even better as it uses the cameras full sensor.

Green Screen Studio Phoenix
Green Screen Studio

Need professional video content like the videos above for social media (vertical), your website or search engines (horizontal)? Schedule time in our Tempe Green Screen Studio. Send us your scripts in advance some in and read from our teleprompter and 48 hours later you could have enough content for the entire month,

 

Contact Us

Thank you for your interest in HMC. We provide the highest quality business, commercial, event video productions, classes and services. We look forward to meeting you. Please fill out the form below or call 480.223.8113

Marketing Ideas For Vacant Land and Lots

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Vacat Land Marketing Ideas
Desert Mountain Lot For Sale

Vacant land and lots are kind of the red headed step-child of the real estate space, it is neglected, mistreated and often unwanted. I mean, when you think of a sexy real estate listing in Arizona (unless it’s on the side of or has views of Camelback or Mummy Mountain), a piece of dirt is probably the last thing you think about, as evidenced my the many beat up, crooked, knocked down, paint faded for sale signs you see all over the valley.

Riches In Niches

Loooong before starting Hub Media Company, for 13 years I was a sales exec for multiple title companies here in the valley, I learned then what the top real estate agents and teams in this valley (and any successful business really) already know: there are riches in niches. If I have ever seen a completely underserved niche in the residential real estate space, it is vacant land and/or land & lots. To most real estate agents vacant land and lots is a one off, or an oh by the way, not the first conversation but typically the last:

“ok so you’re not interested in the 4 bedrooms 5,000 sq ft in Desert highlands, and the 8,000 sq footer in Desert Mountain is too big for you and your husband, hmmmmm well did I tell you and the lot I have for sale!?”

There is a HUGE opportunity for real estate agents that know how to market vacant land and lots properly and by properly I mean effectively. The first thing you need to know about marketing vacant land and lots is that you are not selling a piece of dirt you are selling a story, a possibility. The problem is many buyers can’t envision what this piece of dirt, the one with the beat up, crooked, knocked down, paint faded for sale sign – could be. That’s where you come in.

The first rule in sales is to control the narrative. You can never allow a prospect to make up their own mind, in fact it is your responsibility as the professional that you are to guide them to an answer. Sometimes you are guiding them to a solid NO. and other times it’s to an excited YES! but know this: the best real estate agents are story tellers.

The Misconception

When someone is buying vacant land and lots, residential land, that they will ultimately build their dream home on, they are often times not actually buying the land, not at first any way. I know that sounds confusing but follow me here.

What they are actually buying first is what is around the land. The planned community the vacant land or lot and is in, the golf membership, the school system, the freeway access, the proximity to restaurants, shopping & major employers, the taxes in Arizona (if they’re from out of state) all of these things and more will likely be considered by a buyer BEFORE the actual land itself. This is also often how they will find land for sale as well. They won’t search Google for “1 acre lot in Scottsdale, Arizona”, they will search for 1 acre lot in Desert Mountain or 1 acre lot in 85248.

Some real estate agents marketing vacant land and lots put up that beat up, crooked, knocked down, paint faded for sale sign with a flyer tube (that will have no flyers in it ) and expect it to do something. In reality they are likely appeasing the seller. Sure, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes and you may find a buyer that way but you can greatly increase the odds of selling the land or lot and picking up additional land listings by leveraging video, professional video.

Now you’ve likely seen the videos Hub Media Company does, the ones with the automatic pocket doors, the 7 car garage, the insane kitchen with the quartz countertops or the heated floors in the bathroom and you’re likely wondering “How the HELL would I do that with a piece of dirt?”

Check out the lot videos below we recently made for Shawn Shackelton with EXP Realty of her Desert Mountain Lot and Oriana Lehman Wood with Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty

 

Oriana Lehman Wood Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty 

Did you see what Shawn and Oriana did there? First, in Shawn’s case she spoke about the community the lot is in and the amenities the community offers. The club houses, the golf, restaurants, spa, tennis etc. Then she spoke about the lot itself, the lot size, the views from the lot, what size property could be built on the lot and the plans that are associated with the lot that can be purchased with the lot or without. Shawn paints a story of what life could be for someone that chooses to build their home on this lot.

In Oriana’s case she spoke about the views of Camelback Mountain, the size of the property that could be built on the lot, the multi-million dollar homes around the lot, water and electric that’s already to the lot (saving the future buyer money) the shopping and more. All of these things paint a picture for the buyer. Want to take it a step further? Align the lot with an architect further savage the buyer time, stress and money.

So what do you do with the video when it’s done? Well you can obviously add it to the Multiple Listing Service, to Zillow, Realtor.com, add it to YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok but did you know they can be used with paid ads on Google, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram? Yup. BTW, both Shawn and Oriana’s lot listings are currently for sale, reach out to them for the unbranded versions of each video if you have a buyer that might be interested.

So, do you have vacant lot or a lot that only has a beat up, crooked, knocked down, paint faded for sale sign on it? We won’t just help you create an awesome video we will also help you create the script that is the foundation of that awesome video. Ready to get started? Reach out by hitting the contact us button above or calling 480-223-8113.

 

 

Video Marketing Real Estate : Are All Video Views The Same?

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more views on real estate video
Are All Views The Same?

Everywhere you look everyone is talking about video. And it’s almost impossible to talk about video, any kind of video, without talking about one thing…. views. “Oh you did a video…. how many views did you get?” To some people, views are the biggest indicator of success and frankly, they shouldn’t be. Yes, if you are a YouTuber, views are everything, because views are how you make your living, but for the rest of us mere mortals that use video to grow our business and our brands, views don’t mean shit.

Heres why.

I uploaded my first video to YouTube on March 14th 2010, Back when it literally took an hour to upload a video to YouTube and that was after compressing the video with something like mpeg steamclip or Compressor. I was in to video early on, long before most of you that will read this post or watch the eventual video I will make out of this blog post (yes, I repurpose my content 🙂 ). Back then views were the furthest thing from my mind. Luckily.

In those days I was most worried about how to avoid fainting in front of  my camera, my fancy Flip Mino HD camera (Google it), a far cry from the 4K and 6K Cinema Cameras we use today at Hub Media Company. Back then I was so nervous. I remember my heart pounding through my chest. I didn’t have then what you have today…. a road map for success. Today there are literally hundreds of thousands if not millions of videos by thousands of real estate agents, coaches, trainers, mentors, gurus, experts; all of them with their own take on video marketing.

I get it, you see another real estate agents video with 100,000 views on it and think “wow, I want that, he/she is killing it!” but who are those views from? It’s natural to think they are from buyers and sellers but are they? There is a good chance, the views are from other real estate agents especially if the video has been featured on a real estate blog, podcast or YouTube channel.

Not Always What Is LOOKS Like

Look, if you are going to go through the trouble of making a video you want it to be watched right?  But the bigger question is by WHO? Do you even know? One thing I have become keenly aware of over the years is this: there is a strategy to video marketing, it’s not usually something you can wing and have success with.

Speaking of success, how do you define it? Success. How will you know when you get there? What it look like? Speaking of looks, they can be deceiving.

Did you know there are real estate agents out there driving $300,000 cars, living in multi-million dollar homes, eating at 5 star restaurants every night….. posting it all on Insta, YouTube and TikTok…..that are completely broke?  I swear there is and even better, you know who they are (you just don’t know it). And did you know there are real estate agents that have videos on YouTube, Insta and TikTok that have hundreds of thousands if not millions of views that have generated absolutely no business for them and likely never will? Yes, another fact. Why? Because all views are not created the same. An example.

Let me ask you this. Let’s say you are a real estate agent here In Phoenix, Arizona. Would you rather have a video that has 60,000 views all from people outside of your geographic and target markets, that have no interest in you, Phoenix real estate or Arizona for that matter or a video that has 6 views from people in the Midwest interested in learning more about Phoenix real estate? The 6 views right? Why? Because in this instance you can clearly see the views are not the same. Yet there are those out there that would have you believe one of the most important metrics, if not the most important metric, should be views. As you can see I disagree. I think you do too.

Video is hard enough without putting the added weight of views on your shoulders. Your goal isn’t to go viral. In fact, no one can tell you how to go viral, there is no rhyme or reason to it, no secret formula. And I have a secret for you…. (come closer)….. if there was a formula to going viral, everyone with the means to do it, would. The truth is almost all viral videos involve some aspect of extreme humor or controversy.

The Who, What, Where & Why of Video Marketing

To be successful with video marketing you first have to understand who you are talking to. WHO are you making the video for? WHAT problems do they have? What questions do they have? What do they believe? Then you have to know WHERE they search. Is it Google or YouTube? (yes they are different) Then you have to know what they would search for when they are attempting to gather information online. Once you know this, you can then search for the keywords and keyword phrases they would use so you can use those same search terms in your video content to help them find your video and therefor, you online. If you have done this right this is when they watch one of your videos and say “I felt like you were talking straight to me!” (because you were). This is WHY you will be the go to agent in your market.

Speaking of videos and views, where you put your videos matters as well. By and large, social media…… Facebook, Instagram, Instagram Reels, TikTok, is where consumers discover content BY ACCIDENT. Not saying there is no value in that but it’s not the same as a platform where consumers go to specifically search out video content like “things to do in Phoenix” “homes in 85248 near intel” or “4 bedroom homes near Hamilton High School” which is by and large Google and YouTube, not TikTok and Instagram.

So whether you are starting out in video marketing or you are a seasoned pro that isn’t getting the attention you know your videos deserve, keep at it, up your video game by upping your content marketing game. Understand who you are trying to attract, the questions they have and how you can help. Create valuable content, optimize it to get found by your ideal client online and your ideal client will find you, I promise. Oh and for the love of Unicorns and puppies….. don’t just put your valuable content on social media and YouTube, make sure your videos get embedded into the pages and posts on your website as well 🙏

 

Website Home Page Video | Make An Immediate and Lasting First Impression

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Website Home Page Video

“A real estate website home page video makes an immediate and valuable impression while differentiating you from your competition”

Where is your office?  Some of you will say  it’s in your home, or a Class A office space in Scottsdale Quarter, Old Town Scottsdale, Central Phoenix or the East Valley.  And you know what…. You’d all be wrong.

Your definition of your office is where you go to work, to email, scan, have meetings, that kind of thing but I would submit to you, that’s not your office. Your true office is where the consumer,  which is your ideal client ,would go to learn more about you, and that is most likely not your physical office at all.

If you’ve been in this business for 5 years or longer  You’ve already noticed most of today’s buyers/sellers don’t want to come to your physical office anymore no matter how nice it may be. Even if you have a water wall, branded water bottles, even a director of first impressions, it doesn’t help, for many, coming to a physical office is an inconvenience, they would rather meet you at the property that they are interested in (that they more likely than not, found themselves, online.

My definition of your office is not a physical location at all, it’s your website. This is where buyers and sellers would naturally go, to learn more about what you do, where you do it, why you do it and how you can help them. Your real estate website is your true office. It’s where they can search for homes, read/watch your testimonials from past clients that you’ve helped, read/watch your monthly market updates that (lets be honest, happen every 6 month if that).  Your real estate website is your brand, it is your storefront. A good real estate website will naturally incubate your future clients because they will come back again and again. Heres the best part, the longer someone stays on your real estate website, the more likely it is that they will choose you as their real estate agent. This is why its imperative to fill your real estate website with content…….good, valuable, unique content that clearly differentiates you from your competition.

Your real estate website has it all (or should) there is only one thing missing…. A video on the homepage. Your homepage video is the first experience new customers have with your business which is your brand., its like a virtual handshake.  They say “you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression and a good home page video  makes a memorable  and valuable first impression.

Your home page video can be as simple as a video collage  of recognizable areas and some text of areas you serve  (with no sound) or as sophisticated as a video with you talking and additional footage showing you and/or your team out with buyers, in a listing presentation, in well known areas,  In the areas your serve.

While its called The home page video it doesn’t just get used on your home page. It should also be added to social media, used in ads, uploaded to YouTube, added to a CRM, email signatures, even emailed to potential customers in advance of first meetings.

A homepage video provides a unique and valuable  opportunity to engage with your past, present and future customers while showcasing your brand, and leaving a lasting impression.

Unfortunately many consumers believe all real estate agents are the same, but a good homepage video could the reason you stand out from the others. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, and a good home page video makes an instant, memorable impact.  Ready to get started? Reach out to your boys at HUB today to start your homepage video.

Book your website homepage video with Hub Media Company at https://go.thryv.com/site/s0vrbgy310issq3w/online-scheduling

 

Contact Us

Thank you for your interest in HMC. We provide the highest quality business, commercial, event video productions, classes and services. We look forward to meeting you. Please fill out the form below or call 480.223.8113

Video Testimonials | Real Estate Video Marketing Ideas

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Video Testimonials

Video testimonials can help you grow your real estate business while differentiating you and/or your team from your competition.

Social Proof. You may not recognize the name but you no doubt know exactly what it is. According to Wikipedia, “

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation”

What?

Sounds confusing I know, and yet you and I do it every. single. day.

If you have ever bought anything on Amazon and you read the reviews of people you don’t know before buying or walking away, you were affected by social proof.  You’ll see social proof up and down your social networks in the form of influencers or celebrities endorsing a product or service.  “The Social Proof Theory”  as it’s called has been persuading us to buy a product or service for years.  “9 out of 10 dentists recommend Colgate…”. sound familiar? Marketers have known for years that testimonials significantly increase the chances of a product or service being bought.

As a real estate agent, happy buyers and sellers that have worked with you or your team in the past is the best marketing resources you have or ever will have. Still most real estate agents don’t have any testimonials.  Sure, Iv’e seen the 5 Star Zillow Review images with 3 or so lines of text “Stephen was great, highly recommended” which is certainly better than nothing, but those images lack content, we can’t see the body language of the person as they discuss why they chose you or your team over the 60,000 other real estate agents and the result they received after doing so. This is where video testimonials can be very powerful. Unfortunately too many consumers believe all real estate agents are the same.  A good video testimonial can clearly demonstrate how you or your team is better and different than your competition while building or reinforcing the brand of you.

There are many benefits to leveraging video testimonials in your business

– They build credibility and trust.
– They create emotion which other mediums like text don’t do easily.
– They give your brand a face.
– They are actually interesting.
– They are easily consumed and shared.

In the absence of value consumers choose based upon cost….  because it’s not you talking about how amazing you are (which most consumers don’t respond well to,  a good video testimonial can clearly demonstrate your value and even better….  the buyer/seller giving the testimonial is inserting you and your team into their social network through social proof.

We are experts at getting the best testimonials from our clients, clients. Our video testimonials are beautiful, they have a story to them, not just a talking head but visuals of you with them to help tell the story. Video testimonials should be added/embedded in your website, shared via social media, uploaded to YouTube, added to email signatures and sent to past, present and future buyers or sellers. The next time you have a client that raves about you or your team, bring your boys at HUB in to document the amazing job you did.

Book your video testimonial with Hub Media Company at https://go.thryv.com/site/s0vrbgy310issq3w/online-scheduling

 

Contact Us

Thank you for your interest in HMC. We provide the highest quality business, commercial, event video productions, classes and services. We look forward to meeting you. Please fill out the form below or call 480.223.8113

TikTok and Reels for Real Estate Agents

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TikTok Real ERstate
For Real Estate Agents

In the last 30 days I’ve had 3 real estate agents send me other real estate agents TikTok videos of them dancing, lip syncing etc asking “should I be doing this?”. My answer is – it depends.

Two words. Social Media.

Back when I was a sales exec in the title industry (2002 – 2014) helping real estate agents grow their business online I used WordPess, Video Marketing and Content Marketing Strategies, back then social media meant Facebook and Twitter, even YouTube was not seen as a social network by most back then, it was merely a place to host your videos. Today social media is ubiquitous. It’s facebook, twitter, snapchat, linkedin, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and the newest addition… Instagram’s answer to TikTok, Reels.

So should real estate agents be using TikTok and Reels in their business? YES! Now before I go into the specs I need you to understand one thing, this thing is something most of your real estate gurus won’t tell you….. ready?

YOU CAN’T HAVE AN EFFECTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY WITHOUT AN EFFECTIVE CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY FIRST.

Social media is merely the vehicle.

Most real estate agents will share things on social media without understanding what they are sharing, why they are sharing it or even what the end goal is. Agents are taught to model other agents but don’t usually stop to think why they should. Some in the real estate space will tell you “the goal of social media is to educate and inform while building brand awareness” and while this is partly true, the real goal of social media is to pull people away from it to your website, sales pages, funnels, CRM’s etc. You can’t pay your bills with awareness – trust me.

One agent who I’m sure you have seen online dancing, lip-syncing on TikTok called me the other day asking for some tips in making her next video, so I took the opportunity to ask her if her videos were successful. She said, “yes! I’ve gotten so many comments and likes it’s awesome!” But then I ask her the million dollar question…. have you been able to trace any increase in your business directly to your TikTok videos? “Weeeeeell, no.”

Views Are Not Created The Same.

Views don’t always mean more leads, deals and/or money in your real estate business. Why? Because not all views are the same. It doesn’t matter if you got 1 million views on social media, youtube or even TV if the views are from people that don’t need your product or service. If you gave me the choice between 5 million views or 5 views from people that were interested in what I do I would take the 5 views every day of the week and twice on Sunday. “But Stephen, my coach said my goal is to create awareness!”, ok great, but let me ask you this…. how does 1 million or even 5 million more people being “aware” that your a real estate agent increase your business? Who doesn’t know a real estate agent?

You Must Have A Stategy

I’m not saying you should not be using TikTok or Reels, what I’m saying is you should have a plan, a strategy when using them. First rule of marketing, mine anyway, is to go where the fish are and the fish are on TikTok and Reels so it makes sense to post your content there. But that content would be best served to differentiate you from your competition, nothing wrong with singing and dancing just make sure you are singing and dancing about something you do, like sell homes. Sing about the steps of selling a home, dance out the steps of buying a home, sing and dance about the home inspection process, appraisal process, loan or refi process, sing abut your favorite communities, dance about your latest sale, your latest listings selling points, dance out frequently asked questions, post 15 second snippets that point to longer videos, you get the point…. just make sure you are pointing the viewers of your videos to your website and sales pages where they can learn more about your what you do and what problem you solve.

Targeted Content Is On Purpose

Keep in mind, singing and dancing are fun but targeted content is what will help you get found online by buyers and sellers at multiple stages of the buying or selling process. When I say online, I don’t necessarily mean social media, that’s because social media for the most part is where content is discovered by accident. People that find you on social media could be at any stage of the sales process or none at all, so social media doesn’t measure intent. But you know what does? Search. Google and YouTube. Someone that types into a search engine, (and YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine behind Google), 4 bedroom homes close to Intel in 85248 or 3 bedroom homes near Chaparral High School don’t just show intent, they are towards the end of the sales cycle.

He/She Who Has The Most Content – Wins.

My suggestion? In 2021 focus on creating content, valuable content, content that educates and informs, content that clearly shows how you are better and different than your competition and syndicate it on social media – facebook, twitter, linkedin, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Reels. While everyone is talking about real estate now, that will not always be the case, when the market changes – and it will, it always does, it will be the real estate agents that have the most valuable content online that are in the best position to win, not just for themselves, but their clients as well.

Contact Us

Thank you for your interest in HMC. We provide the highest quality business, commercial, event video productions, classes and services. We look forward to meeting you. Please fill out the form below or call 480.223.8113

The Ghost of 2008. A Cautionary Tale For Newer Real Estate Agents

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real estate marketing strategyIt’s 2005. The Arizona School of Real Estate & Business has a waiting list. The real estate markets in much of the United States are going crazy. Phoenix is one of the top 2 hottest housing markets. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go, everyone it seems is talking about real estate.

The loan officers postcard, flyer or door hanger “Why rent when you can buy?“.  The co-worker bragging about the cash out refi to buy an investment property. The neighborhood for-sale signs that pop up and disappear in days. The mom and pop investors. The lotteries at new home communities.

I remember it, hell I lived it.

In 2005 I was a sales executive for one of the largest title insurance companies in the valley. I remember how crazy it was. I remember brand new real estate agents bringing me contracts 2-3 times a week, an unbelievable feat given the average agent sold less than 8 homes a year at that time.

I remember the wrapped Hummers some real estate agents had. The Cadillac Escalades (w/the Spinners), the CheeseCake Factory ads. The California and institutional investors and hedge funds that flooded the market with cash, buying homes sight unseen. The native Phoenicians on the news frustrated they couldn’t afford to buy a home in the neighborhoods they grew up in.

Everywhere you looked, everyone was talking about real estate – good and bad.

I heard a team leader at Keller Williams sum it up perfectly back then- “a blind poodle could sell real estate right now”.  And he was 100% right.

In 2005, there were too many buyers and sellers and believe it or not, not enough real estate agents. It was the wild west, loan officers were largely unregulated and unlicensed. A real estate agent could sell you a home with a loan they helped generate. Real estate agents accustomed to chasing leads were being chased themselves. Flagged down as they drove through neighborhoods with brokerage magnets on their cars. Writing contracts in 120 degree heat on the hoods of their cars was the norm.

Crazy was an understatement. “Drive until you quality” (for a home) was the old adage back then, which helped build the towns and cities of Maricopa, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Casa Grande and Buckeye.

I also remember 2008 when it all came crashing down. Many lost everything. “Jingle Mail” was a thing, a reference to homeowners mailing their keys to the bank and walking away. Short Sales and Foreclosures everywhere.

Homes being sold on the open market in days in 05 were now being sold at auction in minutes in 08. In May 2008 there were 45,243 active real estate licensees that made up the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service. According to The Cromford Report, real estate licenses in Maricopa County have risen to 88,616 in 2020. Up from 87,983 In fiscal year 2019.

In 2005, you only needed to fog a mirror to buy a home, the same test to become a real estate agent – a successful one at that. But when the market changed, the ones without systems, tools, without plans couldn’t and didn’t survive. The top agents survived, the others went back to their jobs at intel, Honeywell and believe it or not – CVS.

You may be asking, why am I writing about a time many of us want to forget in 2008? Because history repeats itself, we’re living it all again right now in 2020. Yes, its a different market, one being fed by low interest rates, COVID and the mass exodus from California. A healthier market no doubt. A sustainable market. But the lack of investment in systems and tools by many newer real estate agents is back and with a vengeance.

Many don’t have a database, a CRM, and many more don’t have a value proposition (or understand why they would even need one) other than to lower their commission rates.  I’ll tell you now, if you’re reading this in a real estate office and you look to your left and to your right, one, maybe two of you won’t be here in the event of significant market downturn, scratch that – when a market downturn happens (and it always does).

Learn from the past. Know that change does and will happen. Markets change, sometimes over night. It is possible for you to go from 10 buyers or sellers in your pipeline – to ZERO. Knowing this… what will you do today to guarantee you will be here tomorrow?

Meet with one of the valleys best title sales executives and/or loan officers – one well versed in today’s tech (Insta, FB, LinkedIn & YouTube). One that can help you create a CRM, communicate with it effectively and efficiently,  help with online ads, messaging and more. Invest in coaching, Tom Ferry, Mike Ferry, Buffini & Company, Craig Proctor, Metrix etc

Get a website, fill it with content that educates and informs to help your future customers find you online. Fill it with video testimonials that speak to how you are better and different than your competition. Create content on a regular basis (preferably video as it’s what that consumer prefers) about the communities and subdivisions you market to. Answer questions  in your blog and on YouTube a consumer would type into a search engine to help them find you. Send it to your database as additional touches through your CRM.

The content you create today is the digital bread crumbs to help the consumer find you tomorrow. As midivil farmers used to say “Make hay while the sun shines……”

 

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Thank you for your interest in HMC. We provide the highest quality business, commercial, event video productions, classes and services. We look forward to meeting you. Please fill out the form below or call 480.223.8113

Real Estate Content Ideas | Ditch The Boring Newsletter

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real estate content ideas

It seems like almost every day I receive a canned, stale, boring, irrelevant newsletter from a real estate agent. To make matters worse, because we work with hundreds of real estate agents in the valley, it’s not uncommon for us to receive the exact. same. newsletter from multiple agents, sometimes as many as 20 at a time. Real estate content ideas don’t need to be this boring.

I commend the real estate agents on sending out something, when you look at the numbers of real estate agents that actually keep in contact with past clients the numbers are dismal at best, (according to NAR 91% never contact the buyer or seller again after closing) but real estate content doesn’t need to be duplicate, irrelevant or canned either.

How to clean your windows, make homemade popsicles or increase curb appeal isn’t new and certainly not unique. Staying in contact with valuable, relevant content can change your real estate business and reap long term referrals and business as only 25% of consumers use the same agent again, probably because only 9% stay in contact after closing.

There is a better way to create real estate content ideas, and if you follow our suggestions you won’t need to pay for those canned newsletters any longer. Good, relevant real estate content is valuable, now more than ever because the consumer is looking to you, the real estate agent, their trusted advisor, for not only your expertise but also your observations as they both directly affect the consumer.

If you are keeping in contact with your clients right now (hopefully you are given the height of anxiety related to COVID-19) your clients are asking you questions, questions that you happily answer maybe on the phone or in person, via email, messenger or text, answers that are valuable not just for that particular client but for your database, social networks, and sphere of influence as well. This is great real estate content that is just as valuable to consumers that you don’t even know, potential future buyers ad sellers that are asking the same questions, looking for the same information, only they are asking search engines like Google and/or YouTube.

The next time someone asks you a question or makes a statement that you know could be of value for not just that client but others as well, turn that question into a story and make that your daily weekly or monthly newsletter. You can choose to write it in text like this, or even better you can turn it into a video and text or email it out to your existing clients via BombBomb, Constant Contact, MailChimp, as well as add it to your real estate website to be indexed by search engines like Google and YouTube (this is how you get targeted traffic to your website).

Unfortunately many consumers believe all real estate agents are the same, (and they validate that belief by receiving the same exact content or irrelevant content  from multiple real estate agents). Whether you realize it or not, you have immense value, it is your expertise and your observations communicated effectively and consistently that will not only set you apart from your competition but increase your value and help you get found online as well.

Now I know you’re probably wondering what kind of real estate content? Well let me ask you this, are homes still selling right now in the face of COVID-19? Why is that, and how is that? Has the housing inventory gone up or down because of the Coronavirus? And if that inventory did go up how does it affect buyers? If it went down how does it affect sellers?

Is this a normal market? While were at it, what is a normal market? What about loans, is it easier to qualify right now or harder? Why? What about down payments, are they higher? Lower? The same? Are there new loan programs that today’s buyer may be able to qualify for?

What about deferments? Will that affect a borrower’s ability to buy a home later or refinance? What about showing homes? What steps or technologies are you or your brokerage leveraging right now, today, to show homes and sell homes in this post COVID-19 housing market?

These real estate content ideas are based upon the last 60 days, there are literally thousands if not tens of thousands of real estate content topics that you could be talking about, emailing, texting, writing about that would not only keep you top of mind with those you know, but when uploaded to YouTube, shared on social networks and your website, would help you get found online by those you don’t.  Good real estate content increases your brand awareness and clearly establishes you as a thought leader and expert in your space, and that is exactly who the consumer wants to work with.

Contact Us

Thank you for your interest in HMC. We provide the highest quality business, commercial, event video productions, classes and services. We look forward to meeting you. Please fill out the form below or call 480.223.8113