Co-Founder & CEO of Replay Listings, a mobile-based platform to find rental apartments in New York City through unedited videos.
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As the CEO of a real estate technology company focused on video listings, I’ve seen virtual tours that are so beautiful they make me want to buy that property. I’ve also seen some video tours that are so bad they end up looking like a scene out of a scary movie. How can you create video tours that generate interest from multiple clients who are the right fit for a property? Here are some suggestions to generate more higher-quality leads.
1. Unedited videos take first place.
Clients often get angry when they visit an advertised property and find a discrepancy between what’s advertised and what’s really there, lowering the property representative’s chance to close the deal. Altering the content often leads to wasting everyone’s time because it gives the potential client unrealistic expectations.
Approaching the client with authentic content will help you earn their trust. Unedited videos serve as a guarantee that what they’re looking at is what they’ll get, and they will avoid wasting everyone’s time.
2. Slow and steady wins the race.
Leading a company whose value proposition is unedited video listings comes with a big perk: understanding which type of video listings get the most client interactions. Having helped over 100,000 people find their next home, I’ve found that clients tend to interact the most with video listings taken at a gentle pace. Imagine that you’re taking a panorama picture — that’s how you should begin your video tour. Walk slowly and steadily in between rooms to avoid bouncing your phone or camera.
Remember that clients who are experiencing your video tour are likely on the hunt for a new home, which means they’ve been looking at many video tours. The best way to make them feel comfortable enough to watch your whole video is by doing it at a pace that won’t make them feel uncomfortable or dizzy.
3. Start your recording at the best part of the property.
As an agent, it’s natural to want to begin the video tour at the door of the property, but it often hurts your case with clients. As a rule of thumb, clients will rarely get past 10 seconds of a video tour, which means you have to show them the very best features of the property first to keep them engaged.
Imagine you get sent two video tours by different representatives. One begins with a bathroom, and the other starts by showing a spacious living room with brick walls. Which video would get more of your attention?
4. Prepare the video tour in advance.
Subtle gestures can make a difference in a competitive market. Before you begin your video recording, be sure to open the drapes, close the toilet lid, turn on the lights and open the doors you’ll walk through in advance.
I’ve seen real estate agents record video tours at night, with no lights on, walking at a breakneck pace. When I see video tours like this, I’m reminded of a horror movie scene and expect a ghost scare. Why would someone ever call a representative with interest to live in a space that looks hostile?
5. Use your video tours as a client reengagement tool.
Consider sending an email containing diverse video listings to clients who have ghosted you in the past, making sure that the characteristics of the video listings match their needs. Doing so will increase your response rate, ultimately leading to closing more deals.
Property representatives don’t need to invest in expensive hardware to get quality leads — they only need to learn how to take quality videos. Using these tips can help you connect with clients more authentically so you ultimately close more deals and get more referrals.
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