Over the past couple of years, video marketing has dramatically increased in popularity with estate agents – and for good reason. As we’ve covered before on our blog, using video can have a huge impact on your property listings, even increasing enquiries by over 400%. But not all property videos are created equal. Read on to discover the key components that will ensure your video marketing efforts won’t go to waste.
Including key features
Part of the appeal of using video is that it can show off a property’s features in a way that photography can’t. So if you’re going down the video route, be sure to make the most of them. Filming a home with a large, well-manicured garden? Linger on it or a few seconds more and shoot close-ups of some key details. Got a kitchen with all the latest mod-cons? Try filming some of them in use.
Property videos are all about helping people connect with a space and allowing them to picture themselves living there. Showing off a property’s unique selling points in motion is a fantastic way to capture the imagination.
A mixture of shots
Using a mix of shots throughout your property video helps to give it a more cinematic feel as well as keeping people engaged. Close-ups, slow pans, and zooming shots can all be used to direct the viewer’s eyes to where you want them to go.
Drone shots are also really effective and are especially useful for showing the size and scale of a new development. Take a look at the opening shots of this video for the Landmark Group:
By showing the property from above, we’ve demonstrated the size of the property and given a sense of the surrounding area. This also helps to build anticipation of what the home looks like inside.
A well-selected soundtrack
The music on any kind of video can make a world of difference in how it’s perceived. The best way to choose music is to think about the overall feel of the property. Is it luxurious? Cosy? Rustic? Match the music to the home and you have a recipe for success.
It’s worth noting that the video will usually be edited in time with the music. Your videographer should always agree the track with you beforehand to avoid any lengthy re-edits later on. And of course, it should be either royalty-free or licensed for your use.
Creative editing
There’s nothing wrong with using basic cuts in your property video, but creative editing can add an extra layer of intrigue that helps keep people interested. This could involve camera effects, like zooming through an opening front door, or could also involve animations added later on. Again this is something that is particularly useful for new developments, and is often used to show the location of plots or nearby amenities. You can see an example in the video below:
Branded
It’s all well and good having an impressive property video, but without your branding how will anyone know it belongs to you? Including your branding is great for building awareness and it needn’t be too in-your-face. A simple end screen can show your company name and logo, and can even include your contact details to prompt the viewer to get in touch.
Easily shared
Part of the beauty of video is that it is a popular format for social media and is more likely to be shared than a standard property listing. So once you have your video ready, make sure that it can be shared with the click of a button. Make it any more difficult than that and people will likely lose interest. Vimeo or Youtube are great for hosting videos as they have an easy-to-use layout and most people are familiar with the format.
There is more to property videos than meets the eye, but include these key components and you’ll be well on your way to a winning home listing. Will you be branching out with property videos this year?
P.S. Looking for some inspiration? Head over to our YouTube channel to take a look at our previous videos!
