Below is a great article in this month’s “REALTOR” Magazine on the importance of video and photo marketing:
Video Stories
by Kristin Kloberdanz
Eric Lavey is a salesperson with Teles Properties in Beverly Hills, Calif. Last
summer, he created a video for one of his listings, a luxury home in the hills,
that attracted a lot of attention for its noir look and stylish
storyline.
Eric’s Story: After working in the talent agency world for years, I got into real
estate at the end of 2005, right before the collapse. I remember selling my
first condo within two weeks. Then the whole world flipped. I had to be
different. This town responds to things that are fresh and out of the
box.
In 2010, I listed a $1.6 million home and had
amazing photos to market it. It looked like it was out of Architectural Digest.
The buyers bought it within two weeks—without touring the property in
person—because of those wonderful photos. That’s when I started thinking about
videos. Some agents were already using video, but the quality was often bad and
didn’t reflect the property’s true potential. People looking here in the $1
million range are savvy. They are talent agents, attorneys, doctors, and super
creative people. Their expectations are high. However, their sense of
imagination is sometimes lacking. You need to show even the most creative people
how they can live in a house.
Last summer, I had a really sexy listing in the
Hollywood Hills for just under $1 million. My assistant and I scoured for a
young, hungry filmmaker. There are plenty here, but certainly agents in Ohio or
Kansas can find people in their area who want to make movies. I hired a sharp
guy who’d done small student films.
Keeping in mind those slick commercials from
Apple and luxury carmakers about how the product will make your life better, I
set about to capture that high-quality look and feel. I chose a buyer profile
and created a story line for the house. The video shows a young man, maybe a
talent agent or attorney, coming home from the office. He’s texting, changing
his clothes, fixing a drink, and then heading back down the street to some cool
restaurants, which shows how convenient this home is in today’s world. The
neighborhood looks stylish, and the house shows really well. People talk about
the house in the video. The goal is for the consumer to say, “I need this in my
life.” It’s pure marketing—a brochure.
Since then, I’ve done four storyline videos for
listings, and I recently did three mini documentaries on a neighborhood called
Atwater Village. I’m also working on very simple, informative videos, such as an
interview with a mortgage broker I work with. And I’m in the process of putting
together a line of videos that show buyers how the homebuying process works. I
try to keep my videos at about 90 seconds. My budget per video is under
$3,000.
The key is to find someone with equipment who
knows how to use it and who can edit really well. But I am involved in every
aspect of production. I direct the concept, shots, and editing My assistant and
I post the videos to my site, www.ericlavey.com, and to
my Vimeo and YouTube channels. I also use the videos in e-mail
blasts.
Since launching these videos nine months ago,
I’ve heard from people all over the world, which is great. But more important,
the videos have helped me gain recognition
locally.
_____________________
Are you ready to make that next step in
marketing your property and yourself?
Have an awesome day and sell that home!
Mike Maloney
Professional Video Home Tours and Photography
www.MikeMaloneyPhotos.com
Keller Willaims Professionals Realtor
Asheville, NC
828-273-9645
Video Stories
by Kristin Kloberdanz
Eric Lavey is a salesperson with Teles Properties in Beverly Hills, Calif. Last
summer, he created a video for one of his listings, a luxury home in the hills,
that attracted a lot of attention for its noir look and stylish
storyline.
Eric’s Story: After working in the talent agency world for years, I got into real
estate at the end of 2005, right before the collapse. I remember selling my
first condo within two weeks. Then the whole world flipped. I had to be
different. This town responds to things that are fresh and out of the
box.
In 2010, I listed a $1.6 million home and had
amazing photos to market it. It looked like it was out of Architectural Digest.
The buyers bought it within two weeks—without touring the property in
person—because of those wonderful photos. That’s when I started thinking about
videos. Some agents were already using video, but the quality was often bad and
didn’t reflect the property’s true potential. People looking here in the $1
million range are savvy. They are talent agents, attorneys, doctors, and super
creative people. Their expectations are high. However, their sense of
imagination is sometimes lacking. You need to show even the most creative people
how they can live in a house.
Last summer, I had a really sexy listing in the
Hollywood Hills for just under $1 million. My assistant and I scoured for a
young, hungry filmmaker. There are plenty here, but certainly agents in Ohio or
Kansas can find people in their area who want to make movies. I hired a sharp
guy who’d done small student films.
Keeping in mind those slick commercials from
Apple and luxury carmakers about how the product will make your life better, I
set about to capture that high-quality look and feel. I chose a buyer profile
and created a story line for the house. The video shows a young man, maybe a
talent agent or attorney, coming home from the office. He’s texting, changing
his clothes, fixing a drink, and then heading back down the street to some cool
restaurants, which shows how convenient this home is in today’s world. The
neighborhood looks stylish, and the house shows really well. People talk about
the house in the video. The goal is for the consumer to say, “I need this in my
life.” It’s pure marketing—a brochure.
Since then, I’ve done four storyline videos for
listings, and I recently did three mini documentaries on a neighborhood called
Atwater Village. I’m also working on very simple, informative videos, such as an
interview with a mortgage broker I work with. And I’m in the process of putting
together a line of videos that show buyers how the homebuying process works. I
try to keep my videos at about 90 seconds. My budget per video is under
$3,000.
The key is to find someone with equipment who
knows how to use it and who can edit really well. But I am involved in every
aspect of production. I direct the concept, shots, and editing My assistant and
I post the videos to my site, www.ericlavey.com, and to
my Vimeo and YouTube channels. I also use the videos in e-mail
blasts.
Since launching these videos nine months ago,
I’ve heard from people all over the world, which is great. But more important,
the videos have helped me gain recognition
locally.
_____________________
Are you ready to make that next step in
marketing your property and yourself?
Have an awesome day and sell that home!
Mike Maloney
Professional Video Home Tours and Photography
www.MikeMaloneyPhotos.com
Keller Willaims Professionals Realtor
Asheville, NC
828-273-9645
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