The epic success of YouTube

To get an indication of just how powerful video is, here are some astounding statistics on YouTube’s popularity:

• 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
• Every month, eight out of every 10 people between the ages of 18 and 49 watch at least one video on YouTube.
• Almost 5 billion videos are watched online every day.

Those numbers hold great potential for your real estate agency, but if you’re planning to hatch a YouTube marketing strategy, you need to know the ins and outs of the platform.

Essential definitions

Channel
Anyone who joins YouTube can create a channel. This groups all your videos in one place and gives you the opportunity to enter a personal description or introduction to your agency and what you offer. If you have a business channel, then your channel can have more than one owner or manager. This makes it easy for somebody who has been drawn to one of your videos to find other properties that you have showcased.

Subscribers
A subscriber is someone who has signed up to your YouTube channel. If you get a notification from YouTube that you have a new subscriber, it means that someone has decided to follow your channel to make sure they don’t miss out on any of your videos.

The benefits of YouTube for real estate agencies

YouTube videos provide the perfect opportunity for you to bring your listings to life and expose prospective clients to engaging content.

Consider these benefits as well:

• It’s free unlike some third-party applications! There are no costs involved to post content or respond to comments.
• The potential for exposure of your real estate brand on YouTube is phenomenal.
• According to research carried out in 2018, 78% of marketers report a good return on investment from video marketing.
• Putting videos on YouTube can help you to achieve a higher rank on Google.
• They help potential buyers and tenants evaluate a property, which will reduce the number of viewings arranged for properties that won’t match requirements or tastes.

Those numbers hold great potential for your real estate agency, but if you’re planning to hatch a YouTube marketing strategy, you need to know the ins and outs of the platform.

So, how often should you be posting?

The general consensus is that you should upload a video at least once a week. That’s not to say that you can’t upload more often than that if you have lots of new listings. The purpose of uploading at least one video per week is to be consistent. Consistency breeds trust and if your subscribers can see that you are regularly showcasing new listings, they will recognise your agency as credible and trustworthy.

Tips for taking great quality video

Good quality video is the heartbeat of your YouTube channel. While no one expects you to become a world-renowned film director or videographer, there are some easy tips you can follow to take fantastic footage of your listing.

• Use a camcorder if possible, or a top-quality smartphone if you don’t have access to a camcorder. Make sure your footage is not grainy, shaky or blurred.
• Ensure that the home is clean and tidy. Clutter will never be a selling point.
• Take the time to stage the property, making sure that duvets have been smoothed down, personal pictures of homeowners have been taken down and that cupboard doors are all closed.
• Take footage of every room at a time of day when there is as much natural light as possible.
• If you have access to a drone, make the most of it and include aerial footage in your video.
• The footage that you capture will more than likely not be your final video. You will need to edit it to make sure that the final video flows from scene to scene and is polished.

PRO MOVE: Although any video is better than none, if you really want to impress your users, hire a professional to take and compile your video. Ideally this would be the same person taking your property photographs. They could create a video that includes still images, your branding and even subtle music.

Posting videos as part of a plan

Videos form part of your content plan, just like Facebook posts, tweets and Instagram posts do. Having a plan has a wide range of benefits for your social media strategy. It means nothing will be accidentally left out, and that every video is well-timed and well-purposed. For example, there would be no use in uploading a video of a property that’s on show this Sunday if it’s already 3 pm on Sunday afternoon.