You’ve probably read somewhere in this blog about how email is still the most powerful tool in marketing. In order to not sound like I’m contradicting myself, let me say a few things about video because, on a whole other level, video is another “most powerful tool.” Email is the best marketing tool you can use for long-term engagement. Video is the most powerful tool for immediate engagement.
Good email marketers can stop someone hitting the delete key without opening the message by piquing curiosity with a good subject line. High-quality video stops people from scrolling past your content. It’s the same concept in an entirely different context. As someone in the real estate industry, it is important to understand this.
We live in an age where visual marketing dominates. This is true regardless of the industry, and that means being on top of your visual marketing game is not only a good idea, it is absolutely mandatory for success. That being the case, it’s time to pay a little closer attention to one of the key video genres that is currently dominating online marketing in countless industries: the explainer video.
Elsewhere in this blog, you will find more general information about explainers and how to write a good one, so I will keep comments on that part of it brief here today. I want to speak more specifically to the real estate agents and agencies who are looking for better ways to identify themselves with their audiences and, especially, potential buyers. I think that explainer videos are a powerful way to accomplish that and I would like to take a few moments right now to show you how.
Getting Started
If you have never produced your own video before, there are a number of steps in the process that an experienced video production team can go over with you in detail. In simplest terms, you need three things:
• A well-defined single concept
• A competent production team
• A killer script
It should come as no surprise that I’m going to focus most of my commentary on that last bullet since script writing for real estate explainers is an area in which we specialize. With that in mind, let’s have a look at how to compose the perfect script for a real estate explainer video.
The Explainer Video Formula
Most explainers follow the same basic formula, and it looks something like this:
• Introduce the characters or concept
• State the key problem or pain point your product or service exists to address
• Present your product or service as the viable solution
The most effective explainers have runtimes of less than 90 seconds. A minute or less is even better. Bear in mind that you are not presenting a complete idea in your explainer.
The explanation in question should raise additional questions and your script should promise to answer those questions when the viewer follows your call to action. That call to action usually involves contacting you for more information, filling out a form, providing an email address, etc.
Don’t be too picky about the details in your explainer. You will always catch things that you feel should be explained better or brought up in the first place. Remember: You have one minute to present your concept. Save the intricate details for your landing page or email sequence; the video is only there to get the viewer to click through.
Types of Real Estate Explainer Videos
You can approach explainers from a variety of angles and position yourself well as an authority in your field with them. When deciding on potential topics for your explainers, ask yourself a few questions:
1. What sorts of things do you wish people understood before ever contacting a Realtor that most simply do not?
2. What are some questions about home buying that you hear frequently?
3. What are some common misconceptions about home buying that you can clarify inside of a minute or so?
The answers to these questions will form the framework for the script that you or, ideally, your copywriter, will produce. Here are a few ideas to get the creative process going:
Types of Properties – What kinds of things do you wish people understood better about residential or commercial properties in general? What are some common misconceptions surrounding new construction vs. existing structures vs. historical properties, etc.?
Specific Properties – Are you looking to unload a specific house or commercial property that you think would be an ideal location for a specific buyer? What problem will buying that property solve for the buyer?
Home-Buying Concepts – The pain point here is simple: most people walk into home buying as blank slates and can be overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. How can you make it seem less enormous? Remember, zero in on one concept per video. There’s no law that says you can’t produce a bunch.
Spotting Problems – Want your buyers to get the most for their money? How about a video that helps them look for and identify common problems that can help them negotiate better prices or contract for repairs to be done prior to closing? You get the idea…
Working with Multiple Teams
As a final note, I would like to encourage you to deal with writing and producing your video as separate entities. While there are numerous companies out there that promise to produce your video in-house from start to finish, it is important to understand that most still farm out the script to a freelance copywriter or copywriting company.
It is always a far better idea to collaborate directly with your writer. It will take less time to produce the video, and your wants and needs for the script won’t get lost in the translation between the video producers and the writer(s). Never place your trust in a company that doesn’t know your business.
At BeezContent, we work with writers who have demonstrable expertise in the areas of content creation that we serve. Contact us today to learn more about how your agency can start developing quality real estate explainer videos right away.
