There are many ways to reach home buyers online. Websites, social media platforms, and online real estate portals like Zillow and Realtor.com.
However, video marketing is quickly rising to the top as a medium to use, no matter the platform. Virtual tours, 360-degree videos, drone video footage, and even simple slideshow videos capture the attention more than images or link posts.
The National Association of Realtors 2017 report Real Estate in a Digital Age, shows that 50% of home buyers found virtual tours very useful. And 36% of young and older baby boomers used online video site in their home searches.
Of all the video platforms, YouTube remains king.
YouTube receives more than 167 million visits per month in the U.S. In 2017, it was rated the most popular mobile music and video streaming app, with a mobile reach of 62 percent.
YouTube video marketing cannot be ignored. Not only is the site the most popular video site, it is also the second largest social media network. Every imaginable interest is explored on the video sharing site.
From instructional to educational to downright outrageous, people are searching for and viewing videos of all kinds to satisfy their interests–including real estate.
Here’s a few more statistics that will make you think:
- More than 1 billion unique users visit the site per month
- It is the second largest search engine in the world after Google (which owns it)
- More than 6 billion hours of videos are viewed each month
- More than 1 billion video views per day are done on mobile devices
Being that YouTube is such a large pie in the online social media engagement world, the video sharing site should be a vital part of any Realtors® social media marketing plan.
YouTube provides an important avenue to showcase your knowledge and skills to potentially thousands of users, and to demonstrate that you are an expert in your industry.
In addition to proving you know your stuff, at the same time you are creating what is called “fame.” You are creating and promoting a brand name in an arena that can potentially reach thousands of fans and followers.
The more you are seen in the online world, consisting of social media posts, videos and blog articles, the more “famous” you or your brand will become–and the more likely people will trust you and your brand.
Real Estate on YouTube
Getting more specific in regards to why real estate agents and brokerages should utilize YouTube marketing, here’s a breakdown from the National Association of Realtors on where people search for homes:
Information sources used in home search:
- Internet: 90%
- Real estate agent: 87%
- Yard sign: 53%
- Open house: 45%
- Newspaper ad: 27%
- Home book or magazine: 18%
Now take a look at this chart, with statistics compiled in a joint effort by Google and NAR, showing how home shoppers use video to search for real estate:
Furthermore, YouTube is the top video site that home buyers use to watch real estate videos:
In my own quick, and completely unscientific, survey of how much real estate videos are viewed on YouTube, I found that a search for “real estate, Felton CA (pop. 4,057)” revealed 3,400 results, with some videos receiving upward of 600 views. I chose Felton because it is a relatively small town.
Another example: Wyoming is the least populous state in the United States, with an estimated 544,270 population according to national census figures. Some real estate videos on property for sale in Wyoming have more than 13,000 views!
The point is, home buyers are looking online and are using YouTube to research neighborhoods, homes, and agents.
If you’re not online, with a Web site, a blog, and a strong social media network that includes YouTube, you are missing out.
How to Use YouTube
Google/YouTube provides easy-to-follow guides on how to set up and manage a YouTube channel.
However, those completely new to Google’s array of products that are all connected–Gmail, Google+, YouTube, Blogger, Hangouts, etc.–may find their first foray into setting up an account a bit overwhelming.
With this in mind, we at Crackerjack Scribe have created an Ebook that will guide you through the process of opening a Google account, and creating a YouTube channel.
The “How to Create a YouTube Channel for Real Estate ” Ebook is an easy, step-by-step guide for everything from opening a YouTube account and creating an immediate community, to optimizing your channel to be found by others.
Following will be Ebook guides on how to further optimize a YouTube channel, upload and optimize videos, ideas for video content, how to make videos with a few simple steps, specifications, and how to publicize your videos to reach your market.
The first “How to Create a YouTube Channel for Real Estate” will be released soon. To be sure you don’t miss the release date, subscribe below and you’ll get first-hand notice about its availability.