If you’re a real estate agent that has decided to commit some time and effort to video marketing using YouTube, your own website and social networks, then you have already begun taking photos and videos of your property listings. Getting them organized on your computer is the next step. But unless you went to film-making school, chances are you have no idea how to transform this hodgepodge of video clips and photos into a professional-looking video tour.
Easy-To-Use Video Editors You could post to the Craigslist classifieds and hope to find a professional videographer that doesn’t charge higher fees than you can handle at this stage of your real estate career, which might be difficult. Or you could take advantage of an out-of-the box and easy-to-use video editor such as Sony’s Movie Studio, which you can try by downloading a free trial version. If you like it, you can purchase for just $49.95. I recommend this product because hundreds of customers have given an overall 4.9 stars out of a possible 5-star rating. The other reason is that if you find you have a knack for creating these videos, you will have many more options using a video editor program like Movie Studio than you will have using one of the automatic, self-service editing sites such as Animoto.
Animoto for Those Who Want Editing On Automatic Pilot
However, if you haven’t the time, interest or technological savvy to sit down and edit your own video tours using a video editor, then Animoto is the way to go. This service is extremely easy to use. In fact, with a few clicks of your mouse you can take the photos you’ve shot of a property and transform them into a professional video presentation with special effects and even with royalty-free musical background. But this comes at a price of about $20 a month, which is well worth the investment considering how it can elevate you and your brand.
Animoto also offers instructive examples of how real estate agents use its product by showcasing the following type of promotional videos:
- An Agent Video Selfie This is a short but cogent video where the agent briefly introduces herself and mentions her awards, includes customer testimonials and ends by giving her contact information.
- Tours of Properties The hook in this video is the mixing of quality video and photos with upbeat music and special effects provided by Animoto. It is designed to whet the appetites of potential home buyers and make them want to see more.
- Neighborhood Tours In this video the agent, who represents a number of properties in the same neighborhood, highlights some of the parks, businesses, schools and listings in the area intertwining all of this with the latest relevant statistics about the area.
- How-To Home Buying And Selling Basics The agent uses this video to cover some of the basics of buying or selling a home in easy-to understand terms. It’s the classic educate-to-sell strategy. While we have only skimmed the surface of options a real estate agent can exercise to create a strong video presence, the purpose of this article is to get you motivated enough to explore and put into place your own videomarketing plan. In future issues, we will cover more options and trends of this growing method of transforming prospects into clients.