As if you needed any more reasons to use video in your real estate marketing here goes one more – Zillow’s Enhanced Video Walkthrough – for Premier Agent Direct agents.
The top real estate professionals in the Phoenix metro area are all in when it comes to video. Whether it be cinematic property tours, lifestyle, green screen, talking head, explainer videos, webcam, lifestyle, agent/ team biopics or community videos, there are so many benefits to using video in your real estate business:
Video makes us smarter
Humans retain 58% more information when we are shown HOW to do something – visually. If you were making a new recipe for your family, would you prefer to read instructions from a recipe book or watch a video of someone making it?
Video builds trust and rapport
Studies have shown people are more likely to like and trust people they have seen in person – even in video marketing – than people they have only spoken to on the phone or through text or email.
Video is emotional
Video conveys so much more than text or pictures ever could. We are more likely to laugh, cry, be happy or sad by something we can see than something we read. If a picture says 1000 words, video says – them all.
Video is fast
We can convey a message is a shorter amount of time with video than text. It could take another real estate agent 20 minutes to convey their value proposition through text whereas that same message can be conveyed almost instantly through video. This is especially important given the immediate gratification, world we live in. As consumers attention spans get smaller you need to grab the consumers attention immediately. Video does that.
Video is believable
You are more likely to believe a video message than one comprised of text or pictures.
Video uses more of our senses
We naturally believe in what we can hear and see. It is easier for our brains to process. These visual cues in a video can convince us of the appeal of a product or service. A home for sale or even a real estate agents knowledge and experience.
Video Is Purple Cow
Most real estate agents have a website. Some real estate agents have multiple and some real estate companies have hundreds or even thousands of them. That is a lot of competition. Everyone has a website but not every real estate agent is using video in their real estate business. Nationally, less than 5% of real estate agents are using video. Video is different. In a sea of links on the 1st page of Google, Video sticks out like a sore thumb. Video is Purple Cow.
Video Gets Found Online
Video is 57% more likely to make it on the 1st page of Google than text alone. Many of our real estate agent partners have multiple videos on the 1st page of Google. If you were looking for real estate information about homes for sale, the Phoenix metro area, a subdivision/community, the buying or selling process, things to do – would you click one of the 9 links that all look the same or the video? Exactly.
Real estate professionals are using video to market themselves, their brands and their properties
Our real estate agent partners are leveraging their videos in places where consumers would naturally find them: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn, Email, in their CRM’s like Commissions Inc, Kunversion or BoomTown or even syndicating them with platforms like BombBomb. Today’s consumer is starting their home search online in the comfort of their own homes or at work. Many of them will start their search on Zillow. Regardless of your thoughts on the advertising platform, Zillow has made itself indispensable in the minds of the consumer which means it makes sense for your videos to be on Zillow. Enter Zillow’s Enhanced Video Walkthrough.
Enhanced is the key word here. Real estate agents have had the option of uploading their own video walkthroughs of their properties using Zillow’s Smartphone App. But there was a problem. Real estate agents are real estate agents – not content marketers or video producers. Many of the walkthroughs uploaded did more harm than good. The walkthroughs were too fast, too shaky, too long – the lighting, composition and audio in many cases was horrible. It was certainly not the best way to showcase a property. But good news, agents advertising on the Premier Agent Direct program with Zillow can now upload their BRANDED professional videos, (listing agent is in the video, the kind we at Hub Media Company produce for them), to Zillow which now receive prominent placement on the website (highlighted below in red). Click the image below to be taken to this listing on Zillow.
It’s important to note – the Enhanced Video Walkthrough videos can be BRANDED meaning the listing agent can be in the video. You’re accustomed to seeing other real estate agents listed on the side of your listings on Zillow, but when there is a video present, why would a consumer ever call another agent that is marketing along the side of the listing when they have the listing agent, the agent that knows the most about the property, better than anyone else, right in front of them?
At HUB we have always believed having the listing agent in the video is vital to their branding and their business. Most real estate agents are chasing consumers around to tell them they are in real estate, spending thousands of dollars to differentiate themselves from their competition in the eyes of the consumer. We see the Enhanced Video Walkthrough as being huge for real estate agents that are leveraging professional video because they are in the video at the exact moment in time the consumer cares most about what they have to say. The consumer can SEE the agent, they can FEEL their passion for the property and they want a real estate agent that will market their most valuable asset in this manner (Seller Leads!!!). We also see this new Zillow feature as a great addition to any listing presentation “Mr/Mrs Seller: We wont just use cinematic video to present your property to the market, we will also place it on Zillow where over 80% of consumers are going to search for homes – can you see how powerful that can be in selling a home like yours” – sign here please. If only Phoenix area real estate agents could get ARMLS to highlight your videos in the same way instead of being essentially hidden on a secondary tab (hint hint),
Submission guidelines for listing videos and enhanced video walkthroughs (from Zillow)
* Videos should be shot in landscape mode, less than 10 minutes in length and less than 500MB in size.
* Videos should be focused primarily on a walkthrough of the actual property. Best practices include showcasing the unique features of the home and how the rooms of a home connect.
* Videos must be recorded on the property. We currently do not support computer-simulated or 3-D rendered videos. However, you can still provide a link to your 3-D tour on your listing via your MLS or broker feed.
* Branding is allowed but should be limited to a maximum of 5 seconds at the start and 10 seconds at the end of the video so the focus is on the listing. An occasional mention of the agent or brokerage name is allowed in the audio.
* Marketing information, such as name and phone number or brokerage logo, cannot be overlaid as text or a watermark for the length of the entire video.
* We do not accept slideshow videos as they do not provide the experience of an in-person tour.
* Please avoid videos that are primarily of people or text. Videos that are focused heavily on the agent or brokerage should also be avoided. Branding videos can be promoted with our Premier Agent Direct ad platform.
* You must be the listing agent in order to feature a video walkthrough on a listing.
* Videos should not include copyrighted content (e.g., music).
Next time you order a cinematic video from Hub Media Company let us know if you will be using the video on Zillow as well, we will make a specific Zillow compliant version for you at no charge. Ready to get started?
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