The 6 reasons why your real estate business needs video

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1- Video is a perfect match with social media

   Every social network is currently placing a strong emphasis on video-related solutions. Whether it is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok which is entirely dedicated to it or Snapchat, all of them regularly launch new video-relatedfeatures. The famous video platform YouTube is nowadays the second most used search platform in the world behind Google. And precisely, Google is valorising the use of videos by promoting videos from YouTube in its searchengine.  

As you can understand, video has become an inevitable part of the Internet landscape, and this is offering two main advantages.  

Firstly, it means that one single video can be shared on any social media with (more orless) the same format, enabling you to expend your marketing scale easily and to reach as many potential customers as you can. (More to come on thesubject of specific formats)

Secondly, you are investing your time on what is probably the future of internet. People are already consuming a lot of videos every day and this trend has been increasing for years. In fact, 82% of Twitter (originally a text platform) users principally watch video content on it and one-third of the global online activity is already spent watching videos (according to this study).

Results are already proven and the gap between businesses using video and those who arenot is growing. A study found out that theaverage user spends 88% more time on a web platform with a video, resulting ina growth of revenues 49% faster for marketers who use videos compared tonon-video users. In the real estate sector, a study by Realtor® showed that 51% of buyers use YouTube as their number one destination for research... Still doubting?

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2- Videos are crucial for the smartphone market

   According to GlobalWebIndex, 50.1% of time spent on the Internet is spent on mobile phonesand the way technology is improving, this number might grow even more. That means a significant share of your views will be on smartphones.  

That being said, smartphones have one major issue: they are absolutely not favouriting reading. People tend touse smartphones as a distraction so they mostly will not read long texts and prefer a short and catchy video to along and boring content.  

Using videos for your real estatecompany is a way to include these people by associating your property with entertainment and give a positive image of your brand in potential-customers' mind.  

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3- Video draw attention

   Social Networks have understood this very well: videos are keeping the user longer on screen. Imagine: it has been shown that people spent on average 2.6x more timeon pages with videos than pages without (according to this study).

Implementing video to your web site or to your social media helps people to stay and grab as much information aspossible. In other words, you will remain attractive by offering them tangible properties rather than promises.  

So, video is a great marketingargument to stand out from the crowd.It helps you create a personal content allowing your customers to visit their dream house without moving from their couch!

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4- Video for a maximum of information in a minimum of time

   Thus, videos are attracting people's emotion but not only: they also get their memory working. As soon as 1969, a long time before the creation of the Internet, R.V. Wiman and W.C.Meierhenry showed that people remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what theyhear, 30% of what they see and 50% of what they see (and hear). It's simple: Video is powerful. Itcatches the users' memory by appealing to almost all their senses, making it not only information, but also an entire experience they will remember.

In the field of education, video is being implemented to teachers’ toolbox thanks to its pedagogical value. In 2005, a study showed that “Students in the e-learning environment that provided interactive video achieved significantly better learning performance and a higher level of learner satisfaction than those in other settings.”  

The thing is that we spend our lives learning (and not only as students). In the end, rightly-made videos enable you to teach people about you and your business so they do not forget you. Once people remember you, people will eventually become customers.
Remember: the first step of selling is to leave a mark on your customers with a property (whether they finally buy this one or another in the near future). The best way to do it is by showing them a maximum of goods (->thanks to videos).

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5- Video makes your business trustworthy and authentic

   Trust in business isprimordial especially considering how expensive the purchasing of a property is. Well, video is the perfect mean to bring your business into life... but also to give it the authenticity that people crave for. Hence, your video should not have "sale for only purpose", its first goal is simple: be as appealing and connected as possible. People need to first enjoy seeing properties you are selling then remember you when they need to purchase one.

So video is great for the corporate image of your brand, not only to get well-known but also to get associated with a wholesome image.

Video is like the modern version of storytelling. You need to generate affection toward your 'personae' and video is the most efficient way to do this online. By "being real" on the internet, you convey humanity behind your screen. You are no longer a profit-making machine but a human-based business trying to help your customers to find the right property.

So video is not only directly efficient by giving you more attention and visibility, but also indirectly efficient by improving your image.

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6- Video, the cheap tool for efficient Real Estate business

   Whatever size isyour business, wherever you are, most people will always need to visit properties themselves before investing that amount of money. Video is more of adiversification and improvement rather than a replacement (think about evolution rather than revolution).

That means video and real estate are compatible despite the (relatively) small share of agents using it. It enhances your productivity, allowing people to previsualize your property and only visit the ones which really please them. It enhances your marketing strategy, so you are present and visible on every social media. Finally, it modernizes your offer: even during the pandemic outbreak, you are able to promote actively sell your properties and exist to the eye of your audience.

In addition to all these advantages, nowadays, with a bit of research, you will find cost-efficient ways to create video content (you have come to the right place :)

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Video is a precious commercial asset you do not want to miss. With only one well-made video, you could start generating interest seen simultaneously on Facebook, Instagram,Twitter, YouTube (among others...) People are surrounded by incredible volumes of information, and still... Video remains a way to gain their attention and effectively convey your message. This will not last forever.

Start today: try bringing a personal and genuine video content to otherwise your social platforms. This is a first step to gaining trust and contracts.