By 2020, Facebook will be mostly video. That means you have two and a half more years to get comfortable with it.
A select group of real estate agents are already leveraging it in a big way for their business, but for most, you have yet to embrace it.
Why? Fear.
You don’t like looking at yourself. You don’t like hearing yourself talk. You don’t know what to say. You feel stupid. It’s too permanent.
These are all are irrational fears keeping people from working with you to buy or sell them a house.
So let’s agree right now that you are going to jump in the pool of video content!
Facebook Live videos are watched three-times longer than videos that aren’t live anymore, and people comment on Facebook Live videos at 10-times the rate of regular videos.
If the name of the game is user engagement, Facebook Live is where it’s at. But that doesn’t make regular videos obsolete.
Here are 10 ways to use video for your real estate business.
1. Promote an event
Claudine Ellis does a great job of leveraging her social media to promote events coming up. In this video, she’s trying to raise money for hurricane victims, but she’s offering a prize for those who share her video. It’s a very cool way to ask for engagement.
2. Share someone’s story
My parents found themselves in almost a million dollars in debt in the late ’80s because of the real estate crash. They fought through, persevered and paid back every penny, which totaled over $2.2 million.
Their story is inspiration and beyond encouraging to anyone who’s found themselves in any amount of debt.
So I forced my dad to do a Facebook Live video — 15,000 views later, it’s still going strong, and I’ve received business from it even though business wasn’t mentioned. People’s stories can do amazing things for your business.
3. Capture interviews of past clients
Don’t talk about how awesome you are. Let others do it for you. Our smart phones are so advanced that the video quality on them is great.
You don’t need some fancy setup to capture one of your reviews on video. It’s amazing how much more it matters when someone can see someone like them talk about how great you are. Jilian Gardner does a great job of this above.
4. Speak to your uniqueness
Ashley Schubert and her team are all moms. They pride themselves on what that allows them to bring to the table. They also don’t take themselves too seriously.
Check out the video they made asking their children: “What does mommy do for a living?”
5. Start your own vlog
Wayne Salmans is the master of this. He uses short two-minute videos, most of the time to share this day, his thoughts and what’s going on in the community, around the country and in real estate.
He’s definitely worth following as you find your own inspiration.
6. Encourage other people
Life is hard, and Facebook is full of negative people. Try to be the opposite.
We are drawn to encouragement because there is so little of it out there. Remember, you don’t have to always be selling.
You just need to be top-of-mind more often than you are. When we affect the way people feel about themselves, we are remembered forever. Leverage that if you’re naturally an encouraging person.
Here’s a video I made to inspire and encourage.
7. Live tours of your listings
Give your sphere a video to share on their Facebook page. This will also keep you top-of-mind to others without becoming annoying.
Get creative, have fun with it, and show the house off. You never know who might see it.
8. Add value to the real estate industry
The bigger voice you appear to be in the industry, the more people will desire to work with you.
Chastin Miles in Dallas/Ft. Worth is one of the best. He’s consistent with his content and keeps his videos short, sweet and to the point. You get a lot of value in a short amount of time.
9. Host engaging interviews
This could be with a counterpart in another market, a professional from title or lending or just someone who’s well-known in business.
Leverage their expertise for your audience.
It’s funny how this works; you can simply interview someone, and you get the recognition for bringing their value to the table. It’s a win all the way around. Kendyl Young is unbelievable at this.
10. Use humor
Getting people to laugh is so underrated. It lowers their guard, engages them and instantly puts you on good terms. Letting people see your fun side benefits your business as well as any other tactic.
We all love to work with those who have fun. This video isn’t great quality, but it’s simply made and is hilarious.
We could go on and on about how to leverage video for your real estate business, but the point is — jump in and start doing it, right now.
And be yourself. The worst videos are the forced videos.
If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re a teacher, teach. No one can do you like you can.
Kyle Draper is the president and co-founder of AgentImpress.me. Connect with him on LinkedIn or follow him on Instagram.
