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Inman contributor Brandon Doyle made it his goal to interview 100 real estate professionals. Here’s a Snapshot of those conversations.
Brad McCallum
Brad McCallum, a licensed real estate agent since 2017, has taken an unconventional path to success. Prior to real estate, McCallum was an entrepreneur and the owner of a renovation and design company where he found joy in designing spaces. However, it was his strategic foray into YouTube that distinguished him from his peers and sparked a growth spurt for his business.
Today, McCallum’s team consists of five agents, a full-time videographer, an operations manager, and his wife Teila, who supports the team in an informal role. This team structure is a testament to McCallum’s successful YouTube channel, which boasts over 38,400 subscribers and more than 6 million views.
How he started
The inception of his YouTube journey is a story of determination and innovation. Early in his career, McCallum felt the sting of his father considering a more experienced agent over him to sell a home he was flipping. This experience motivated McCallum to provide undeniable value to his clients.
McCallum’s answer? YouTube. He purchased filming equipment, taught himself how to film, and showcased his father’s home on the platform. This marked the birth of a successful YouTube channel that now drives 65 percent to 70 percent of his team’s $100 million-plus business.
McCallum uses YouTube not just as a marketing tool, but as a platform to showcase his unique value proposition. The channel features mostly his own listings (97 percent to be precise), with occasional features of grand mansions in North America and partnered showhomes from a local community. With an average view duration of 33 percent to 45 percent for listing videos, McCallum leverages the platform to build knowledge, trust and authority among his viewers.
A standout example of the channel’s impact was a $6 million home tour that attracted significant viewership and continues to be watched for over an hour every day. This video marked a turning point, propelling the channel’s growth and visibility.
How it’s going
For McCallum, YouTube is more than just a business tool; it’s a creative outlet that allows him to blend his love for architecture and his talent in video production. He’s a self-taught videographer who learned through YouTube and shoots on high-quality equipment like the Sony A7Siii and the Sony GMaster Prime Lens. Every video follows a meticulous process informed by analytics from past uploads, including release time, average view duration, and the click-through rate of thumbnails and titles.
Additionally, the channel has become a recruitment tool, attracting service-minded, media-first agents. The platform allows McCallum to highlight his team members, boosting their personal brands and providing more value to their clients. He believes that featuring agents in the videos for their listings gives the clients access to their large social media audience, thereby providing additional value.
Despite the platform’s monetization potential, McCallum views YouTube as a tool for attracting business first and foremost. “YouTube plays the ads anyway, so I might as well make some money. It averages $400 to $700 depending on the month,” he says.
When asked about advice for agents considering YouTube, McCallum encourages them to define their audience, identify their strengths, and create content with those considerations in mind. He suggests choosing a content format that aligns with personal interests and serves the clients with a unique value proposition.
For McCallum, success isn’t determined by views or subscriber count; rather, it is gauged by the buzz a video creates and its effectiveness in selling a home. His YouTube journey underscores the power of innovation in real estate marketing, proving that when leveraged effectively, social media can not only transform an individual’s career but also redefine the industry’s traditional approach to client service and marketing.
While McCallum’s primary focus is his YouTube channel, he also acknowledges the value of a multi-channel approach, using Instagram and TikTok to amplify his message. “Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube all work together, in my opinion. It’s like having bus benches, billboards and postcards. You want to be everywhere that has people’s attention,” he explains.
McCallum’s differentiators
McCallum’s success is not just down to his innovative approach but also the quality of his content. The professional cinematography of his videos is a testament to his creativity and his meticulous attention to detail. He recognizes the importance of elements such as thumbnails, titles, hooks, visuals, storytelling and calls to action in making a video stand out.
His inspiration comes from various sources. McCallum is a fan of Ryan Serhant for his showmanship and salesmanship, admiring him as a great motivator for agents trying to build personal brands. He also appreciates the professional cinematography of Enes Yilmazer and follows creators such as Casey Neistat, Peter McKinnon and Matti Happojia for their creative output.
For those considering a similar approach, McCallum emphasizes the need to define one’s audience and play to one’s strengths. Whether it’s talking head, opinion, advice or tours, it’s essential to pick a format and stick with it. “I chose tours because I love architecture, and I felt it would really serve my clients with a unique value proposition,” he explains.
The success of Brad McCallum’s YouTube strategy serves as a blueprint for other agents looking to stand out in a crowded market. His innovative approach, hard work and dedication to providing value to his clients have propelled him to the forefront of real estate marketing. By leveraging YouTube and social media, he has not only elevated his own business but has also set a new standard for the industry.
McCallum’s story serves as an inspiration for real estate professionals worldwide. His use of YouTube has revolutionized his business, helping him grow his team, reach a wider audience and provide exceptional service to his clients. His experiences demonstrate that with the right approach, dedication and creativity, YouTube can be a powerful tool for real estate agents to differentiate themselves and achieve remarkable success.
Brandon Doyle is a Realtor at Doyle Real Estate Team — RE/MAX Results in Minneapolis and co-author of Mindset, Methods & Metrics – Winning as a Modern Real Estate Agent. You can follow him on Twitter.
