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Real Estate Video Phoenix | 9 Reasons Why Every Real Estate Listing Should Have A Video

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Real Estate Video Phoenix
Reasons Why Every Listing Should Have A Video

I got a call the other day from a real estate agent in Florida. His question: “Stephen, should I bother making a real estate video for my lower end listings?”

I remember way back in the day when I used to get questions from real estate agents like “should I use video?”, I don’t get those so much anymore (thankfully) which tells me the real estate community is FINALLY catching on to the value of leveraging video in their real estate business.

What I told him and what I will tell you is this: “YES! You should make a video for every one of your listings!”
I’m not sure where it came from but for some reason there is this notion that real estate video is only for LUXURY properties. Over the years, I’ve shot my share of luxury properties, from Paradise Valley to Scottsdale, Cave Creek to Queen Creek. If I helped to further this myth, “video is only for LUXURY properties” I apologize. NOTHING could be further from the truth. In my opinion, video should be used on ALL of your real estate listings.

A few years ago, it used to be good enough to just “do” video. Those days are over. Now real estate videos need to have some VALUE for the consumer. What a property looks like, what a property FEELS like, the floor plan are all of value – to the consumer.

If I was a real estate agent I would make a video for EVERY listing, regardless of price. And here’s why…

9 Reasons Why Every Real Estate Listing Should Have A Video

  1. IMAGINE THAT. Regardless of the price range, a good real estate video will help a buyer mentally move into the property. This will increase the likelihood of a showing and ultimately a sale
  2. INCREASED VISIBILITY. A good real estate video will increase the likelihood of, not just the home, but THE REAL ESTATE AGENT, of getting found online. Video is 53 times more likely to appear on page 1 of Google compared to text alone
  3. COMPETITION. Video will help real estate agents compete with 3rd party aggregators like Zillow, Trulia and REALTOR dot com. These are some of the websites that steal your traffic and your leads. The optimize a RETTS feed from your MLS to get their website found online BEFORE yours. BUT! They don’t have an answer for video. You can take back some of your web rankings as you are here locally. You can create hyper local video content (your listings) they simply cannot.
  4. STAND OUT. Video will differentiate you from your competition. Let the other guys do their standard postcards and flyers, sports schedules, newsletters and door hangers – while they are part of a strategy – THEY ARE NOT THE STRATEGY! You can use direct mail to drive the consumer to your videos. Of course, those videos will be on your website, where the consumer can search for homes and learn more about you.
  5. PERSONABLE. Video will help you show up as more of a PERSON instead of a SALES PERSON. People do business with people they LIKE and TRUST. This is another benefit video can do because the consumer can SEE your body language. They can SEE you know your stuff. That you are passionate about their home and your business.
  6. BRANDING. Video will help you build your personal brand.
  7. SPEED. Because video is FAST, you can convey more information in a shorter period of time, keeping the consumer engaged
  8. WEBSITE TRAFFIC. Video ranks better than websites. Google LOVES video. The more videos you have on your website the more traffic Google can send to them.
  9. EMOTIONS. Video uses more of our emotions. Emotions are imperative in any sales process. Haven’t you noticed all these retailers trying to appeal to us through our desire to be someone else? Like someone else?

Of all the reasons to have a video for every listing, none of them have anything to do with price. Take a look at the video below.



Now, answer the following questions.

What was the first name of the listing agent?
What subdivision was the property in?
What color was the front door?
Did the property have a pool?
Were the appliances black or stainless steel

The fact that you can answer any of these questions proves my point. Video conveys more information than any other medium.

The real estate agents that are using video in their business CORRECTLY are killing it. They are walking out of listing appointments victorious, even in the face of better known agents. They are getting found online. Their phones are ringing. We can help you do the same. Order your video today.

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

Real Estate Photography Phoenix

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real estate photography phoenixI shot another house today, yes it’s a Saturday, I should be out with the family, but there is so much demand right now for good real estate video here in Phoenix – I am now working 6 days a week. Well, its actually more like 1. Ya see, Monday thru Friday I work for a title company. I shoot my clients real estate listing videos, help them with their real estate marketing (WordPress real estate websites, social media for BUSINESS) and they use me for title. Pretty good deal. But sometimes, like today, I get hired by a real estate agent that absolutely LOVES their escrow officer and will in no way, shape or form use any other. In those cases, I shoot real estate videos for them on weekends – for a fee. You can see my real estate video cost sheet here. Today was one of those cases.

Today’s video was in the community of Finesterra at Valencia, a gated community in south Chandler. The home, beautiful, was right inside, to the right of the gate. At almost 4,000 square feet, it was a big one. Have you ever been inside a house where everything looked perfect? That was this house. Beautiful hand carved wood floors, custom tile, 2 fireplaces. The kitchen had stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and a large gas range. I LOOVE gas ranges, I love them in part because I have an electric one and believe me when I tell you, if you cook, there is no substitute for gas. NONE. I wish I could have gas.

The backyard was like being at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge without leaving home. Beautiful pool with 3 water features, a raised patio overlooking the pool and a large yard with mature landscaping. Mature yards are awesome, they add so much personality and character to the otherwise drab of the desert – there is so much BROWN, we need more GREEN! Check out the video below.



This home was a pleasure to shoot.

When I was almost done, the real estate agent mentioned pictures would be taken on Monday by a rather well known company here in the valley. She casually mentioned, “I wish you did pictures” to which I replied, “I have been practicing my photography, it’s still not where I want it to be but if you want me to shoot some pictures for you, I will do it for free”. I was already there so why not. Besides, if the pictures came out good, I could use them in my portfolio or a blog post like this one, and if they sucked, well, they were free and everyone knows, you get what you pay for.

So I took about 25 photos. For feedback I showed them to the agent “here take a look at these, they are not color corrected yet but what do you think?”. OH. MY. GAWD. STEPHEN, they look great! she said. So, long story short, my real estate photography skills aren’t where I would like them to be but they are obviously good enough for this agent, so I’ve decided I will now be offering photo packages for the real estate agents I shoot for on the weekends. It will give me the practice I need, shooting different styles – flash, bounce, HDR, ambient light etc – different homes, different lighting conditions, etc. I guess it’s a win/win. So if you are a real estate agent here in Phoenix that want’s a KILLER real estate video for a listing and some “OK” pictures (they will be awesome soon) – I think I am your guy. Oh and in case you were wondering, I finished the shoot today with enough time to make Gabriella’s volleyball game and Hondo’s Karate. Phew… momma (Mrs G) wouldn’t have liked it at all if I didn’t make it, ya know.

Real Estate Video Production: Getting Over Fear Of Being On Video

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When I was a kid, the Chicago Bulls were it. There was no team better. When I say “team” I am actually referring to Michael Jordan. He couldn’t miss! It seemed like everything he touched was good. He dunked with ease. So much so that I (and countless hundreds of thousands of other kids) thought, if we had his sneakers – “Air Jordan’s” or a Chicago Bulls Starter – we could be “like Mike”. Well, it didn’t take long to realize, “white men can’t jump” is not just a movie if ya know what I mean.

Mike made it look EASY. What we didn’t see is the thousands of hours he practiced to get better. The first in/ last out of the gym every day. The playing hurt, the missed shots, we didn’t see any of that, only the end result. Perfection.

It’s the same with real estate video. As you know, video is only getting bigger. I make this bold prediction…. Those real estate agents NOT using video in their real estate business will be irrelevant. They will be irrelevant for one reason and one reason only – CONSUMERS ARE DEMANDING IT. It used to happen once in a while, now it happens at least 3 times a month; an agent calling me franticly to shoot their listing because the seller demanded video as a condition of listing.

Real estate agents are a commodity in the eyes of most consumers. It’s why a buyer can walk into an open house and choose the first agent they find to represent them in what is the largest financial decision most of us will ever make. But video can differentiate you from your competition. One of the best ways to use video in real estate is to appear in your listing videos. When it comes to marketing, it’s (in my opinion) the BEST use of video in real estate. Priceless marketing actually. Pricless because the seller will be sharing the video with their friends and family through email and social media, it will be indexed by search engines like Google, Yahoo & Bing. And WHO is in the video??? Yep.

I meet so many real estate agents that are scared of being on video. They may have tried but couldn’t get it done and thought there was something wrong with them, that they were not suited for video in real estate. Well, to dispel this myth (and it is a myth) I have created the video below to hopefully not only put video in the proper perspective, but to get you out of your own way as well.


EDDM Cost Increase January 26th 2014

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EDDM or Every Door Direct Mail costs will increase one cent to 17.5 cents per piece on January 26th 2014. For those of you not familiar with EDDM, I think it is best I let the USPS explain it.

From the USPS website:

Every Door Direct Mail® from the U.S. Postal Service®, is designed to help you reach every home, every address, every time. Now it’s even easier using our redesigned tool!

You can map out a target area, use demographic data (e.g. age, household income, and size) to select a delivery route, choose a mailing drop off date, and pay online—all from your computer. And, you can create your mailings up to 30 days before you plan to mail them.

 

EDDM is a cost effective method of reaching your target audience . You simply log in to the USPS website, enter an address, select a carrier route around the address and the USPS will drop one of your marketing pieces in every mailbox of the residences and/or businesses on the route.

I’m not a fan of direct mail. By “not a fan of” I mean – I hate it. I hate to be SOLD TO. I hate that it becomes a chore to sort my mail – junk over here, bills over here. I really hate that I have to SHRED these unwanted and unsolicited messages (to prevent identity theft). All of this takes time. Time I don’t have. Time I would rather spend online – WHERE I ACTUALLY GO WHEN I HAVE A NEED FOR A PRODUCT OR SERVICE.

Maybe this is why I only check my mail every 4 days.

Maybe I wouldn’t hate direct mail so much if the messages I received wire actually of value. Maybe I would think differently if the messages actually pertained to me. But they don’t. The bras ads and the Boston Proper and the Pottery Barn magazines don’t pertain to me. These marketers simply spam all of us with the hope their message lands at the moment we have a need. It’s a challenge to reach consumers like me as I only check my mail every 4 days – remember.

I think direct mail could be effective IF it was part of a bigger plan. Not THE plan. For instance, if I was a small business owner who was so inclined to use direct mail as a marketing method, I would first target a specific demographic or geographic area where those that lever there would be most interested in my offering.  Then I would create a message that pertained specifically to them. “Residents Of”.. Fans of.”.. etc. Then I would make the message more about them than ME. I personably HATE marketers that only talk about them. I want them to talk about ME. How are they going to help ME? How are they going to make my life easier? Save me time or money?  But no, they only talk about themselves. Wow, that’s great that you are a TOP PRODUCER Mrs Real Estate Agent but how does that help ME? If its all about them it can’t be about ME. Then I would encourage them to visit my website, for an exclusive coupon or to learn more information or to watch a video.

It is there – on my website where they will be educated and informed. It is on my website where they will learn more about me and how I can help. What problem I solve. It is on my website where they will sell them-selves. They can watch my testimonial videos of other satisfied customers (social proof). They can watch the videos of others (just like them) enjoying my product or service. They can watch my website introduction video where I welcome them and tell them what to expect and most importantly – HOW it will help them.  It is on my website there they can fill out inquiry forms.

Direct mail is part of the PLAN, it is not and should not be the THE PLAN. It’s all about getting traffic (your ideal client – those that would be most interested in your product or offering) to your website.

Businesses will always be subject to increasing costs in broken models – US Mail, TV, Radio, Magazines, Yellow Pages. They will always be reliant on third parties like the US Mail until they learn HOW to market where the consumer is. Not at their mailbox but ONLINE. The great thing about the internet is, IF you know how to leverage it, and you know how to create content (blog posts, videos, pictures) your ideal client would look for, those that will be finding you online are those that actually needed your product or service.

Now all you need is a website and the knowledge to use it. You probably want someone that can help you create the video content your ideal client is looking for too right?. As luck would have it – we can help with all of that. Please fill out the form below. Lets talk.

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