How Agents Win Big with Bold Video Strategies

Question: If you could get your hands on a magic wand that allows you to generate listings and clients effortlessly, would you use it?  

Of course you would! Why? Because you aren’t a dumb dumb and the question itself is kind of insulting. I bet you would even go so far as to say with that kind of power you would dominate the real estate market like a power broker straight out of a 1980’s style wall street movie.

The thing is, this type of MacGuffin does exist and it’s called video content.

“Boo! What a disappointing payoff!”

Yeah I’m terrible, but hear me out. Video, when used strategically, is the #1 driver of sales via content marketing. It isn’t even close.  

Video is the most effective way to grab eyeballs and ears of potential buyers and sellers. If you are relying solely on static images and walls of text, here is your wake up call. It won’t get you the results you need to sustain success.

Video is for Real Estate agents that are ready to invest in themselves and their book of business. Your competitors are already utilizing it to great advantage, but there is much more meat on this strategic bone that you can take advantage of to surpass their efforts. The main difference is…(drum roll please)...Strategy!  

Give me 5 minutes and I will teach you how it's done.

Is Your Marketing "Just Decoration"?

There is one universal truth when it comes to real estate: Interest rates change and inventory fluctuates, but one thing that never changes is trust.  

I see it all the time, real estate agents attempt to build trust through outdated methods. It isn’t that some of these methods can’t generate leads, but the return on investment can be minimal and might actually result in the erosion of trust.

Most real estate agents are guilty of the following outdated methods:

• Glamor Headshots on Billboards or Bus Stop Benches

• Vague industry awards that don’t really convey value

• Generic written testimonials and reviews

• Stock photos of smiling couples being handed keys (“barf”)

• Neighborhood canvassing/Door Knocking with generic scripts

• “Selling Your Home in 30 Days or I’ll buy it” Gimmicks

• Scripted “hand-written” notes in cursive

• Email blasts and Newsletters that go right to the spam folder

• Brochures and mailers (junk mail)

• Static social media posts with stock photos and generic captions

• Corporate-style bios filled with industry jargon

Are you guilty of any of these? It’s ok, some of these are considered time-tested methods for attracting clients especially in the 1980’s.  

But just like asbestos and carpet in bathrooms, we now know better. Let me explain why.

What is the one thing all of these outdated methods have in common? All of these methods are impersonal even if the intent isn’t. Additionally, none of them really help you to stand out from your competitors. They don’t build trust and trust isn’t the same thing as familiarity.

Most importantly, none of these methods give potential clients a sense of who you are as a real person, how you help them overcome challenges that are very personal to them as home buyers or sellers. You might be attempting to educate consumers with facts and figures that don’t actually address a concern they have or build excitement to invest.

This is why video is so powerful. It cuts through noise and helps your personality to shine through exactly as you are, not some hyper airbrushed version of you that is static and stale.  

Video also stops the scroll and builds excitement both in search and social media platforms. But just creating video isn’t the solution, it is the type of video that you create that changes the game for real estate agents like you.

Video Helps You To “Be” The Authority and Build Trust

Remember that magical MacGuffin I mentioned earlier in this article? Of course you do, you are a studious reader and your Mom tells you you’re cool, just like me!!

All soul-crushing loneliness aside, what is one common theme you probably hear all the time from potential clients? Buying or selling a home can be scary. It’s a huge investment or risk. For first-time home buyers, it can be downright traumatizing.

There is so much to learn and so many choices to make. One wrong move can impact a client’s future for years to come. This is a big deal and can be overwhelming.

That’s where your expertise comes in to save the day.  

How many times have you eased the stress and tension that comes with real estate for clients during your career? Hundreds? Thousands? The one universal truth is that this is only possible through relationship building and so much of the time this happens only after a potential client has taken that big step of reaching out to you.  

This is where video, again, makes all the difference. What if you could reach potential clients on this same personal level by providing them with informational content that is actually useful and entertaining to watch?

Types of videos that perform really well for this are first-time buyer’s guides that helps clients navigate the jargon and get real answers for what to expect from the home buying process.

Educational videos like how to properly stage a home for sale with actual video examples of do’s and don’ts to help sellers get higher offers faster.

We have seen a lot of success in creating informational videos about what to expect after submitting an offer and what that process looks like.  

These are just some of the informational videos that potential clients eat up. Overall, the key is pretty simple: by creating this type of hyper useful informational and educational video content, you are positioning yourself as the authority in the eyes of prospective buyers before they even meet you and that association is far more valuable than any bland mailer will ever be.  

Sell the Lifestyle, Not Just the Zip Code

Have you ever ordered clothes on Amazon only to have them arrive and not be even close to the color or fit that was advertised? Well imagine that but the investment was $20K down and the return process is nearly impossible and you have a recipe for the type of frustration and remorse a buyer can feel when they purchase a home for the house itself and didn’t pay enough attention to where the house is located?

As an agent, you know better than anyone else that lifestyle is everything when it comes to determining whether or not a client is being shown a property that is right for them.

Buyer’s aren’t just buying 4 walls, they are buying a Saturday morning coffee shop routine and that really scenic and safe bike riding path that runs through the park down the street.  

You cannot accurately express the vibes of a location or neighborhood with pictures and information alone. Creating an emotional connection that allows prospective buyers to feel what it will be like to live in that community generates interest and a sense of ownership.

A simple walkthrough can never be a substitute for a professionally produced video that showcases the shops, parks, schools, neighborhoods, and communities that will invest a potential buyer into the lifestyle that comes with the purchase of a home in a community.

The best part is that this type of video with voiceover is a very simple one-day shoot that lets you highlight the areas where you are selling homes all the time. It’s the simple paradigm of show don’t tell. Let buyers get invested in the lifestyle before they ever even come to visit the home.

Let Your Clients Do the Bragging

Social proof is a funny thing. I know when I read reviews my first step is to see if there is a filter and to sort from low to high for ratings. Why do I do this? As unfair as it is, I know a business isn’t going to pay for a negative review.  

To be fair, there are a lot of reasons a person might provide a negative review and some of the times it has nothing to do with the business, product, or service but the perception of these things or very specific circumstances around them.

That said, consumers are smart and they can suss out unfair or ridiculous reviews, well the same can be said for fake reviews or cherry picked reviews. These basically have the same impact.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could control the narrative while also showcasing why a potential client can trust you?

This is where video shines and specifically video testimonials.

I want to be crystal clear with ya. A scripted and formulaic video testimonial is about as useful as having a meeting about having meetings. Nobody will take it seriously.

You know what drives real impact? A genuine video testimonial that features a customer that tells their home buying/selling story. What they tried before contacting you. What the difference was. What challenges existed that you helped them overcome. What their life is like now.

These are the kinds of stories that resonate and humanize the buying/selling experience. Most importantly, it helps prospective clients understand the difference between you and everyone else in the real estate industry.  

At PPS, these are the kinds of stories that we know how to get out of happy clients organically. No professional actors required, we know the questions to ask that will help build trust and sell your ability to solve real estate problems for clients. All without it sounding and looking like a hostage video. How novel, right?

Lights, Camera, Anxiety!

I remember reading once that a poll was done once that asked random people if they are more afraid of death or public speaking.  

It should come as no surprise that the majority of people stated that they feared public speaking way more, and I totally relate to that!  

Let me tell ya, speaking on camera has to be a close second to public speaking. The stories I could tell of some of the negative reactions to this will make an awesome blog post for the future, if only we were allowed to put it together in a clip show lol!

What I’m trying to say is that if you fall into this camp you are far from alone.  

Without a doubt, the biggest hurdle to video content creation that we see all the time is the fear of being on camera.  

Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t that people are camera shy, they will pose for photographs and selfies all the live long day, but it is a much bigger ask to get them to on video when they have already visualized all of the ways they won’t sound like they know what they are talking about, if they will remember a script, or if they will simply freeze up when the cameras begin to record.

The crazy part about this is that they only ever feel this way one time. Why you ask (such an astute question), when you have a professional production team working FOR you, WE make you look and sound incredible!

With every project, you have already collaborated with us to develop the type of video(s) you want to make. We have provided you with a storyboard of the shots we are going to take and in most cases you won’t need a script because we will simply be asking questions that you know the answer to.

Most of our clients are shocked to find out that they just have to be themselves and we take care of all the rest.  

We know how to edit videos, remove all the “ums” and “uhhs” that make you cringe.  

We are also masters of removing “fluff” so that it looks like you stayed on message perfectly rather than being your normal rambling self.  

This is important for real estate agents because the purpose, above all things, should be to make you look approachable and authentic. When potential clients see your videos, we want them to be excited to meet and work with you.

So, no need to panic and pass out the minute the camera goes on (this can happen). We like to do two things: shoot highly effective videos that make you look freakin’ amazing and chew bubble gum, and we are fresh out of gum.  

How Video Gets You Paid Mother Trucker!

Holy crap, if you're skimming, a unicorn just pooped rainbows and you missed it!

Not really, but this is the most important part of the article.  

I have never had a client, and I mean NEVER, that knew what to do with the video content we have created for them.

I know what you’re thinking, just post it on Instagram or Tik Tok, or whatever, right? Nope! This comes back to that strategy part.

You don’t just create a video, post it once, something something a million dollars. That’s just not how any of this works.

Strategy means being purposeful with not just the types of content that you create but where they will have the greatest impact and drive leads.  

For example, real estate agents that have websites love to put a video on their homepage but they want it to be an endless loop of drone footage over houses. It looks cool, but it’s only selling drone videography, not houses.

You know what will work much better on your website? That very personal and authentic client testimonial that describes the process of buying or selling with you as their agent.  

This isn’t just opinion, we see it in your analytics over and over. Yes we are that nerdy about your results, we watch videos of people watching your videos.  

Websites are great, but you know what really drives traffic? Your Google Business Profile. Why not share videos there that introduce potential clients to you as an agent, what you specialize in, proof of your authority, and helpful content that potential clients will actually use.

BTW, if you aren’t advertising you aren’t winning, no exceptions. Utilizing paid advertising platforms like Google and Meta gives you an enormous amount of exposure for audiences that are in all stages of your marketing funnel.  

Text-based advertising is fine, but you know what people hate to do, read. People want to see, hear, feel, and relate. Rinse, repeat, close. They don’t want to be sold to, they want to be empowered. If your marketing strategy for paid advertising doesn’t involve video, that isn’t just a missed opportunity, it’s damn near a tragedy.

Those lifestyle videos I mentioned earlier? These are great opportunities for retargeting ads for people that have already viewed your listings. You are meeting people where they are in their personal home buying experience.

You are leaving money on the table and we can prove it!

‍

Winning Big with Real Estate Video Marketing

You know better than anyone else that real estate is a highly competitive field where gaining a competitive edge can make all the difference between success and failure.  

The real estate agents that take advantage of video marketing are also the agents that are sharing relatable, authentic, and inspiring stories.

At Portland Production Services, we see this difference with every real estate client that we work with. There will be an initial amount of reluctance as it can be uncomfortable moving towards doing things differently, but it is exactly this change that will set you apart.

We make the process fun by providing the planning, shooting schedule, and editing so that you can focus on closing clients. We coach you through all on-camera anxiety that you have so that it feels like something you have been doing for years.  

And when those leads start coming in, which they always do, you’re going to kick yourself for not taking advantage of professional video production before.  

There’s no better time than right now to schedule a video consultation with us. Tell us what is working for you right now and what isn’t, and let us show you how we can help.  

Greatness requires that first scary step, but you’re going to be so thankful that you took it with us.  

‍