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Video is all the rage in real estate marketing, provided you have the courage to step in front of the camera.
From the stage of the Main Ballroom at Inman Connect New York, social media strategist Katie Lance echoed the industry’s trends, telling agents all they need to know about long- and short-form video, sharing tips, tactics and a honest approach to being who you are.
Lance ensured the audience that putting yourself out there isn’t about getting popular—all that matters is trying. Her tips to stand out in a sea of sameness start with her list of YouTube tips:
- mention other videos
- link to other videos
- have a great title and description
- thumbnails matter
- promote, promote, promote
“Traction is not automatic,” Lance said. “You have to be your own best promoter, and if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”
Facebook Live is also a great option for long-form video, and especially useful for sharing expertise, Lance said. “The first time you go live, it can be a little terrifying.”
To get people to your Facebook Live event, it helps to promote it ahead of time, the day before, and hour before through email, Instagram stories and other social media.
“There’s nothing worse than a live video that just wants to wait until more people show up,” Lance said. “Just start right away, engage your audience. And tell people to like and comment below, you have to tell people what you want them to do.”
Promoting the replay is key, as is finding ways to repurpose it. Facebook Live events can be downloaded and shared on YouTube.
On the topic of short-form video, such as Instagram Stories or general posts on your channel of choice, Lance’s tips include:
- be quick
- take out the pause (between statements)
- have a hook – start with what you want the audience to know
- use captions and hashtags
- re-post and repurpose
Using a personal story or sharing job milestones make good short-form video subject matter, Lance said, and suggested the audience look into an app called 1 Second Everyday, which create a hyper-cut of snippets from selected videos or photos from your camera role.
“Another thing that’s hot right now is green screen video, which is when you’re talking and something is happening behind you, like a screen recording, which are easy to do,” Lance said. “This a great opportunity for all of you, when something happens, like when NAR posts an article, or Inman writes an article, and you totally agree with it or totally disagree.”
Lance told the crowd to use Google or find news that resonates with them to share with their audience. “Lean in to who you are and who you aren’t, you may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and it’s all good.”
For those times when you’re not feeling it, Lance said it’s fine to not always be on camera. For those instances she recommends an app called Video Leap, especially for anyone already started with TikTok or Reels. Tips for this type of content include adding B-roll (short, establishing shots or expositional video) and adding music and text.
Lance is a fan of the show The West Wing, and encouraged the audience to use the political drama’s style of lengthy “walk and talks” as a video format. The Captions app is good for this, too, according to Lance.
To encourage agents to get going on their video marketing, Lance provided a list of broad subject areas to cover:
- local real estate
- national real estate
- local / community
- personal interest
- home & design
And beyond the apps mentioned, Lance is a heavy user of general business solutions to help her stay organized and productive, such as:
- Dropbox
- Google sheets
- Videoshop app
- Later.com
- Repurpose app
“Having a content strategy, and idea, having a plan versus winging, obviously can be really important,” she said.
While Lance left the audience wanting more of her insight on social media video, she wrapped up by reminding them that now is better than later.
“I know it’s tempting to say, ‘that all sounds great, but I’m really busy right now and next week I’ll get it done’,” she said. “Don’t suffer from analysis paralysis, and take this down: done is better than perfect.”
