YouTube can be a goldmine of potential leads for your business. I know because I get the majority of my buyer and seller clients from my YouTube channel. Not just leads, actual clients that turn into closings.
But there is a secret to making your YouTube channel work for you. Here are six tips to getting people to tune into your videos and get to know you.
1. Think variety
They can’t all be listing tours. Tours of your new listings are wonderful and necessary, but the majority of agents don’t put themselves in the video and don’t even do a voiceover. The whole goal of YouTube is for your viewers to get to know, like and trust you. They can’t do that if you are not on camera.
When you make your listing videos, consider being in the video. Give an introduction, wrap it up at the end. Do a voiceover for the tour. This allows the viewer to connect with you, not just look at the house.
They may not like that house, but they may love your personality and choose to work with you even though that was not the right house for them.
2. Be consistent
You can’t just throw up a video whenever you have extra time and think that the YouTube algorithm will push your content out. Have a consistent posting schedule, whether that’s once a week or once every two weeks or three times a week.
Figure out what you can commit, to and don’t over extend yourself. It’s better to put out one video a week every single week without fail then do three this week, none next week and one the week after.
3. Be strategic about the title
Choose a title for the video that somebody would actually search for. If you give your video a title that nobody ever types into the search bar, it’s going to get very few views.
Calling your video “Jason’s blog episode number 72” is not Google-friendly. But calling your video “How to stage your home on a budget” is far more likely to be found in a YouTube or Google search.
And yes, if you have a video that is ranking high in the YouTube search results, you can absolutely show up on the first page of Google search results. That’s your goal.
4. Ask for subscribers
If you are putting out good, consistent content people will naturally subscribe because they’re finding value in it. But don’t forget to ask for it as well.
With every video I make I encourage people to comment, hit the like button, and subscribe to the channel. Many people who watch YouTube videos will just sit there and watch and love your video but not engage unless you specifically ask them to do so. So don’t forget to ask.
5. Give value
Figure out what people are interested in learning about, and make videos on that topic. Don’t be salesy. They came to learn something, not buy something. If they are interested in learning about a neighborhood in your town, take them on a driving tour of the neighborhood.
Show them the golf course, the pool and the local coffee shop that’s right across the street from the neighborhood. Tell them what the average house price is and how long homes are taking to sell. Freely give them all of this information in a conversational and friendly manner.
6. Include a call to action
Wrap up with a call to action (CTA) that is still providing value and not asking for the sale. “If you know anyone who’s looking to buy or sell, call me” is not a good CTA.
Instead, offer them something else of value. Maybe you did another video about a different neighborhood in the same town that they might like better. Link to that video, and tell them to watch that next. Or have a free guide that they can download from your website.
It has to be good because they’re going to trade their contact information for that freebie. A generic buyer or seller’s guide probably won’t be enticing enough, but how about a relocation guide or how to use your VA entitlement to buy a home with $0 down payment or a home inspection checklist? These are all lead magnets that I have used successfully, and they get plenty of downloads.
Employing a solid YouTube strategy has been the most effective, more profitable and most fun type of lead generation that I’ve ever done in my 14 years in real estate. I would encourage you to take the time to make videos about topics that your ideal client wants to learn about.
Be yourself on camera, show your personality, be consistent, and you will start to get business from it if you stick with it.
Karin Carr has been a Realtor since 2005. She was voted one of BombBomb’s Real Estate Video Influencers for 2018 and has been a frequent guest speaker at events such as Inman Connect and on podcasts and webcasts about her love of all things YouTube. Visit her Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/KarinCarrRealEstate and on the web at www.youtubeforagents.com.
