15 WAYS TO USE VIDEO STORYTELLING IN REAL ESTATE MARKETING

Video storytelling is a prominent trend in the world of marketing. More and more brands are jumping on board, using platforms like YouTube to enhance their brand and adding an emotional facet to it.

You’re probably wondering; “will video help my real estate business?” and the answer, without a shadow of a doubt, is yes.

Research has shown that real estate listings with video received 403% more inquiries than those without a video. This study emphasizes just how important video can be on your sales.

So, you know that incorporating video can boost your brand, but where do you even begin?  

In this article, we will guide you through the 15 best ideas to use video in real estate, with tips on how to make them the most effective.  

What is video storytelling

You’ll more than likely be aware of the video in marketing — particularly commercials. However, the effectiveness of traditional video adverts has worn off. Telling people that your service is excellent and that they should spend their money on it, no longer suffices.  

It might seem like another marketing buzzword, but this is where ‘storytelling’ hops in.

 

They quite literally are videos that tell a story, enabling a deeper connection with a businesses’ audience, and they come in many different forms.  

Below are 15 ways to use video storytelling for a real estate marketing. 

1. Narrated house tours

You’ve probably watched them yourself; home tours. Whether it’s from celebrities or just ordinary YouTubers — house tours are so engaging and addictive.  

Take Refinery29’s ‘Sweet Digs’ series, each getting hundreds of thousands of views each.  

As humans, we’re naturally voyeuristic, and giving your audience the chance to look around people’s houses will always go down remarkably well. 

A great idea would be to tour people around your listings. Almost like you would if you were showing a potential client around in person. 

It might feel a little weird to talk to a camera at first, but you’ll soon get used to it. If you genuinely hate the thought of this, you can narrate your video after you’ve filmed, as a talk over.  

It’s always best to have professional write the scripts and the texts to your videos.

Companies like EssaySupply or platforms like Freelancer can provide with a large choice of niche writers that can get the job done.

You can also look up their reviews and reputation on sites like Online Writers Rating and Pick Writers.

2. Interview videos

Why not interview some of the people that you have worked with in the past. This can be anything from your previous buyers or the professionals that helped you along the way.  

For example, you could interview an architect to see where they get their ideas from.  

You could follow construction workers around, questioning how they make their properties.  

You might even want to interview a mortgage lender, and title the video “mortgage lender’s top tips for buyers.”  

Make sure that your interview is relevant, and desired, this way your audience will keep tuning in. 

Beverly Meaux did a great interview with her past clients, spilling the secrets about their buying process. Of course, the buyers praised the service too.  

3. Home design trends videos 

Home design trend videos often reach viral status. Although they might not be directly related to your real estate service, they’ll undoubtedly get a lot of traffic.  

Make them fun, quick, and informative. For example, “How to make your bathroom look like a spa.”  

You see, if people are looking at buying new houses, they’ll also be interested in how to decorate them too. They work well together.  

The purpose of these videos is to make your brand name well-known. Putting your logo and name in the minds of the watchers will benefit you and your company greatly.  

Keep up with design and interior trends, and find inventive ways to bounce off them successfully. For instance, “how to get the terrazzo kitchen.” would be a big hit at the moment.  

4. Neighborhood tours  

Well, house tours are lovely, but what about the neighborhood? 

When buying a house, you don’t just look at the home; you check out the transport connections, schools, nearby shops, and safety of the neighborhood.  

When listing your houses, maybe add a separate video on the neighborhood — this way you reuse it for future properties too.  

You can even interview the community in the neighborhood, showcasing just how friendly and accommodating the neighbors will be.  

Make sure to shoot everything notable — business, playgrounds, exciting developments, and local schools. This addition will especially entice growing families. 

5. Use drones 

New technology, accessible to everybody, has arrived in recent years — drones.  

Sometimes it really does seem like they were created for the purpose of real estate videos. 

Using drones to film the area above and around the house, as well as inside all the rooms has a fantastic effect.  

Take Pienovi Properties for a great example. Their video tours, filmed on drones, allows you to feel the potential of every room.  

Floating around, you’re provided with a unique take on the usual home tour.  

Features like the roofing, landscape, and lighting can be experienced differently.  

Not to mention, flying around a drone is a lot of fun.  

6. Influencer videos  

Real estate is all about working with people. That’s part of the appeal of getting into it.  

Some of the people that you work with might have a strong following online. If this is the case, you should dip into influencer marketing.  

These influencers could be anything from lifestyle bloggers or local celebrities. Each type of influencer will require a different kind of content.  

Seeking out the perfect influencers for you requires you to do a little bit of market research. Mainly, who is your target audience? Are they young families? First-time buyers? Expats?  

From this, you can determine who your target audience would love to see.  

Some influencers are huge on Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook — all of which have prolific video opportunities.  

You can do DIY videos with them, house tours, challenges or interviews. The possibilities are endless.  

Make sure that your influencers share your video on their channels, this way their followers will likely come to your page too. Again, this is why knowing your target audience is essential — you don’t want to attract a bunch of millennials to your page when you’re targeting baby boomers, do you?  

7. Virtual staging videos 

Sometimes it can be hard to envision what a house would look like, all different. Virtual staging takes away this issue.  

A 2018 survey revealed that 68% of staged homes sold for at least 9% more than their un-staged counterparts. The benefit of staging is there, but now it’s all virtual.  

Impress your buyers will realistic virtual staging, allowing them to envision just how amazing the house could look. You could create ‘before and after’ style videos, or simple design videos.  

Either way, this is definitely a service that you want to start exploring.  

8. Case studies/client videos 

Word of mouth marketing will always be one of the best types. It generates trust in a brand or service and increases sales.  

Happy clients and past buyers are invaluable to your business, especially when caught on camera.  

Obviously, you cannot force anybody to be on camera when they don’t want to, so, a quick plan of action is always useful to have.  

For instance, have the camera set up, and questions at the ready. Make it quick and seamless  

Once your audience witnesses successful case studies, they’ll gain more confidence in your service.  

Don’t worry, these videos don’t have to be the most amazing; you can combine them with other clips to make something super interesting for your viewers.  

9. Just sold videos 

Why not showcase the magic that you can do?  

Having videos that show the listings that you have sold is a little bit different but highly effective. 

Instead of pitching your business, or explaining exactly what you can do, show them.   

Hilton and Hyland in Beverly Hills create numerous ‘sold’ videos, illustrating the power which their service has.  

Don’t worry these videos aren’t anything super high-tech; they merely use drones to create footage of the properties which sell.  

Sold videos will attract more and more people into trusting you. It’s a win-win situation. 

10. Whiteboard videos 

We know, sounds a little strange, but you would have watched one for yourself, we promise.  

All you need to create these videos is a whiteboard and a marker. Choose a topic and get to work. 

To make a whiteboard video that stands out (everybody is creating them, so you need to put in a bit more effort), you should begin with a script.  

The script and tone of voice are critical to making this video great. Otherwise, your audience will lose interest.  

Don’t forget to plan out your video beforehand, and take time with your graphics and animations.  

Better yet, you can easily make these explainer videos online using services like MySimpleShow or Animaker.  You could ask your audience types of things that they would like to see, or information they would find helpful.  


Here are a few suggestions to get you started on the whiteboard journey: 

• Step by step process of buying a home 
• What is a seller’s market?
• What is a buyer’s market? 
• Everything about down payment and credit scores 
• The best marketing strategy for selling homes 
• Types of loans available 

People not only want to watch these types of videos, but they’ll also need to.  

11. Team/office culture 

Don’t scroll past this one. You might not think people would be interested in these types of videos, but you’re wrong.  

When executed correctly, these videos can perfectly highlight how amazing your company is, and how hard they work for their clients. Make sure you film relevant, interesting scenes — not the admin tasks, or water cooler replacements.  

A Career with John L. Scott Real Estate from JLS Marketing on Vimeo.

“Another benefit of these types of videos is that you might get recruits. Use them as a way for people to see a glimpse of what it’s like to work for you, and use it to your advantage in multiple ways.” — Veronica Wright, CEO at Resumes Centre. 

People are incredibly voyeuristic. Knowing what happens behind closed doors appeals to everybody’s inherent nature, and office culture videos always get lots of views online. Try it out for yourself.

12. Vlogs

Ah, vlogs — they’re still one of the most popular video mediums on the internet. With trends like “Vlogurary” and “Vlogmas” taking over.   

If you’re struggling for content one week, try vlogging something interesting. Whether it’s a day in the office video, showing clients around a home, or helping with other real estate projects.   Vlogs have a personal touch to them and making your audience feel like your friend is invaluable to your business .

13. Use social media 

Social media makes creating and sharing videos ridiculously easy. Post your videos all over your social media, promote yourself until the views come naturally. Be careful not to enter the “spamming” stage, though.  

Not only that, but the majority of social media platforms have a ‘live’ option now. This feature makes streaming live Q&As or exciting moments effortless.  

Also, adding house tours on your Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat story will undoubtedly create a lot of traction, as people don’t have much choice but to click on your videos.  

Remember always to add links or information on where to find your services in your video. And vice versa — add links to your videos on your website and social media channels.  

14. Explainer Videos

15. Get creative  

Make your videos appealing with the use of animations and music.  

Don’t worry, as time passes, you’ll get better and better at filming and editing your videos.  

Also, you can hire a professional to do the hard work for you. Videographers will be able to make professional looking videos, while you sell houses.  

Conclussion

You’ll be able to realize by now that there are tonnes of ways to use video storytelling to enhance your business.  

We’d say, try out tonnes of different options — from Q&As, vlogs, drones, and house tours. Use analytics, to track which ones gain the most attention and views, and work around that.  

Video storytelling and marketing is a little bit of trial and error sometimes.  

Above all, remember to have fun, and allow your excitement to shine through the videos. Authenticity goes a long way.