As a realtor, it is not uncommon to see prospective homebuyers reject a listed property after a tiring and time-consuming house tour, isn’t it?
Well, we understand your frustration! So how can you avoid this scenario in the future? Say hello to video marketing!
Still not convinced? Well, you may want to check this:
- Real estate listings with video receive 403% more inquiries than those who aren’t.
- 85% of homebuyers want to work with an agent who uses real estate videos.
- Click-through rates increase 2-3 times when marketers include a video in the email.
Image source: theclose.com
How video email helps realtors?
- Be noticed: Video helps stand out from competitors as it is still relatively unexplored and it has the power to bring that ‘Aha!’ moment in the prospective buyers. It helps them show, not tell!
- Build a relationship: Humanize their emails as prospects can see them and their body language, thus building a connection and trust.
- Drive deals faster: Answer potential buyers’ queries through video, thus driving deals faster.
- Save time: Send out engaging and visually appealing videos in less time rather than long boring text emails.
Today, we’re breaking down everything you need to know to improve your video email marketing in real estate. Here we go!
Tips to better your real estate video email marketing
Tip 1 # Don’t mass blast, instead segment your leads
Sending mass blast video emails are completely out of fashion and it will only hurt your open rates, as more emails will end up in the trash. Instead, opt for segmented video email campaigns by using your
Customer Resource Management (CRM) to organize your leads based on the price points, pin code, lead source etc. This way, you can break up your potential buyers and send only those video content which are relevant to their needs, helping you increase your conversion.
E.g: If you’re sending a blast video email for new listings, a big town event or an invitation for an open house specific to an area, segmented targeting is crucial for the success of your email campaign.
Recently, MailChimp had conducted a survey where they sampled 2,000 Mailchimp users who used their list segmentation tools.
The below stats show the results of those users who segmented their lists based on a merge field (this might include “customer_type,” “ZIP code,” or “job_title,” for example) – which turned out to be a popular way to segment lists as it showed a favorable increase in click rates.
Segmented by merge fields
Source: Mailchimp
Tip 2 # Don’t skip on video essentials
- Include a Call To Action (CTA) – This is a mandate as it prompts people to take the next step without being too pushy. Always tell people how they can take the next step by placing your CTA at the end or middle of the video. E.g.: ‘Give us a call!’ or “To find out more, click below.”
- Include your logo and contact details – When creating your realtor videos, it’s important to include your contact information so that the potential buyers or sellers know how to get in touch with you. Add details such as your name, phone number, email id, or however you’d like to be contacted. Also, add in your company logo to brand your videos.
- Subject line – Your email subject line is the first thing recipients will see, so it has to be punchy and unique to pique interest. Highlight important characteristics of the property by incorporating keywords into your subject line based on a pain point you’ve identified. E.g.: You might find that one of your segments searches a lot for “sea facing villa” on Google. So you send them a video email and use the subject line, “ Video inside – Sea facing villa with 3BHK.”
46% of emails are being read on mobile devices – Litmus
Therefore, your subject line should have only 4 to 7 words considering the dearth of space on a mobile device
- Annotations – Add in annotations to provide useful information such as square footage, carpet area, number of bedrooms and bathrooms etc. in the video. You can also add texts in the video to highlight specific selling points such as parking space, landscaped garden or to showcase the amenities. This is especially useful when leads have to watch your video with the sound muted, in this case, text can help viewers understand your video without turning on the sound.
- Set the mood with music – Choosing the right music for your realtor video is crucial as this one factor can make or break your video email. In spite of all the hard work you put into creating your videos, adding loud and overpowering music will annoy the viewer. Look for music that’s engaging and sets a warm, relaxed tone – instrumentals will work best here.
- Add a GIF video thumbnail – Add interest to your realtor videos by including a GIF thumbnail in your emails rather than using just a static image thumbnail.
56.6% of email marketers use animated GIFs in their marketing emails. – Litmus
Animated video thumbnail works because apart from personalization, it also gives a sneak peek into what’s in the video, thus capturing prospects’ interest.
Tip 3 # Lead nurturing is the secret sauce to success
There’s no way for you to know when a lead will be ready to buy or sell their home, therefore lead nurturing will keep you stay top-of-the-mind with them when they’re ready.
Source: Placester
- Nurture; not sell – Warm up your leads periodically by sending them video email with helpful and knowledge-focused content that builds trust and reveals your credibility. E.g.: Create a video series such as ‘home buying 101’ where you cover important topics such as ‘realtor tips for first-time home buyers’, ‘what to look for when buying a home’, ‘affordable housing options for first time buyers’ etc.
- Market updates – Show yourself as the real estate expert by giving your leads insights into the current real estate climate, the realty hot spot area etc. All you have to do is keep a tab on the local market stats and find 2-3 interesting pointers that you know will be exciting for buyers and shoot a video email out.
Tip 4 # 1:1 video email follow-ups
These days, nobody wants to spend hours typing and structuring their follow-up emails after meeting clients, right? So why are you? Ditch the traditional method, switch on your camera/webcam and hit that ‘record’ button. This way, you come out to seem friendly and genuine to your prospects, thus building trust.
E.g.: Following an open house, send them a follow-up video email within the next three days. This step will show them you care about helping them find their dream home. But to do this, start making conversation with potential prospects at the open house and collecting interesting information that’ll allow you to personalize your follow-up emails.
Check this video :
Tip 5 # Analytics
A main contributor to increased Return On Investment (ROI) in emails is the analytics you can capture from it – you know who’s engaging with your email, when and how. As a realtor, pay attention to email analytics as your goal isn’t just to send new listed property, market updates or newsletters – your goal is to get business and your analytics is the gateway to that opportunity. Therefore it’s important to see individual analytics so you know how viewers are interacting with your emails – this will help you do individual follow-ups.
Types of videos a realtor should create
- Listing video
Showoff best features of specific listings by taking a video tour inside the property, covering each bedroom, bathrooms and other amenities.
- Educational video
Teach prospects step-by-step ways to solve challenges or give insights into important concepts you know they should be armoured with throughout the buying process.
- Neighbourhood video
Show off the neighborhood around the homes you sell. Highlight parks, schools, restaurants and other community favourites so that your buyers understand the community they’re potentially moving into.
- Customer testimonial video
Word of mouth is the best referral in this industry. Take the time to interview happy customers and allow their words to convince your future prospects on why you’re the best choice.
- Open house video
Highlight features of the home, community and clips of people viewing the property to create that ‘exclusive’ feeling in the minds of the leads.
Conclusion
With video email marketing set to become a mandate in the future, it is high-time real estate agents grab this opportunity with both hands. Sadly, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), less than 1% of agents use video to market their properties. This huge gap will lead to prospective buyers slipping through their hands as they no longer want to tour every listed property.
Times have changed and they would rather prefer you send them a virtual house tour which can be watched from the comfort of their homes. Therefore forget your hesitations and simply click that record button – there will be no looking back, we promise! Have fun nailing video email marketing with these tips.