5 Clever Ways to Use Videos to Sell Your House

In the past few years, the incorporation of video and animation has taken the marketing world by storm. It appears digital advertisements with static images or text do not garner the same attention as those with motion graphics.

The real estate industry is also no stranger to this new concept. Those looking to sell their property should think beyond traditional open houses and for sale signs.

With the advancements of smartphones and free video software tools, creating a virtual home tour has never been easier. Especially given current times and the need to social distance, there may be no better or safer way to showcase your listing.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine what a video can do to sell your home.

To give you some ideas, I have compiled a list of 5 ways to share a virtual house tour to capture the attention of prospective home buyers during their search.

1. Upload the Home Tour on YouTube

Practically every step of today’s home buying search can be done online. From viewing listings on Zillow to scheduling a home tour, prospective buyers have access to a wealth of information at their fingertips.

To cater to this digital shift, a unique way to show off your listing is by creating a video home tour and posting it on YouTube.

Next to Google, YouTube is the second highest search engine in the world. For this reason, when using Google to search on a given topic, videos are often shown in the top few results.

This means prospective homebuyers can search for phrases such as, “houses for sale near me” and be shown your video at the top of the page.

Not only is this prime real estate, but once a video is uploaded to YouTube it makes for easy sharing on other social platforms, websites, emails, text messages, and more.

2. Add the Video to Online Listing Sites

Online listing sites such as Zillow, Trulia, and Homesnap have completely redefined the process of selling, renting, or buying a home.

One of the many integrations these platforms have added to their site is 3D home tours and videos.

According to Zillow Research, the number of 3D Home tours created on its platform was 188% higher in March compared to February of 2020. In the last week of March alone video tours increased by 408% from a normal week in February.

Instead of sharing static images like other sellers in your area, your home can stand out with video. The video can include a voice-over or text on the screen to share descriptions of each room such as square footage, renovations, appliances, and more.

3. Share the Video Home Tour to Your Own Personal Network

Are you active on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platforms? If so, utilize your personal network by sharing the video in a social media post.

Going one step further, when creating a post, ask your friends and family to share the post. This will help reach a whole new audience of potential home buyers that you would not have originally had access to.

Another great forum on social media is Facebook Groups. If your community has a local Facebook group, share the video here as well. At least a few group members are sure to have friends, family, or colleagues who are interested in buying a home in your area.

4. “Boost” the Post on Facebook

Depending on your budget, consider “boosting” your video tour on Facebook. Similar to sponsored posts, your video tour will be seen on the News Feeds of users who fit within your general targeting parameters.

Doing so helps reach a new audience of homebuyers in your area that might be interested in your property, but are not your “friend” on the platform. Plus, you are likely to get more people to engage, share, like, and comment on the video than if you were to share it organically.

Boosted posts are similar to social media advertising in that it pays to play. The minimum cost to utilize this feature on Facebook is $1 a day, or $7 a week. That small amount of money can make all the difference between a few people seeing your video home tour, to hundreds.

5. Ask Your Realtor to Share in Their Marketing Efforts

Lastly, speak with your realtor about using the video in their marketing promotions as well. Realtors oftentimes utilize various marketing components to drum up interest in their new listings.

This includes:

• Organic and paid social media
• Email marketing
• Google My Business Page
• Property pages on their website

By creating a video that is a comprehensive and accurate preview of your home, realtors will be thrilled to incorporate this in their marketing and communication channels.