GFWAR Member Coco Fontao breaks down her success in adding video content to her marketing plan so you can add it to yours!
By Coco Fontao
Broker, CF Real Estate Firm
GFWAR Board Member
In 2018, I started utilizing video marketing as a powerful tool to promote my real estate business, and it has been an absolute game-changer! The day I posted a video of a home I was listing on my company’s website, I was amazed to see it receive hundreds of views. This response led to an epiphany that video marketing and its reach could far exceed any response that I could have achieved by going door-to-door. It was an eye-opening moment that made me think, “Why not use videos for all my listings going forward?” From that day on, my exciting journey with video marketing began.
I’ve discovered a whole new world of possibilities and learned valuable tips and tricks that can help anyone new to using video marketing grow their business. Let me share what I think is the most important with you, hoping they’ll help you make the most out of your own video marketing journey.
Be Prepared on the Backend
Before filming and posting videos, ensure you have a system to handle the leads coming your way. You don’t want to miss out on any opportunities because you are overwhelmed or unorganized. Ensure you have adequate staff, software, and tools to capture, manage, and follow up with your leads. For example, you can use e-signature, electronic contracts/forms, and multiple listing software to streamline your transactions. According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), these are some of the most common software tools provided or encouraged by real estate firms.
Be Consistent
Video marketing is not a one-time thing. You must create and post videos regularly to build brand awareness, trust, and engagement with your audience. You can use a calendar to plan your content ahead of time and schedule your posts.
Be Real
Video marketing allows you an opportunity to showcase your personality and connect with your audience – so you must keep it real! Be yourself and be authentic. Don’t overdo your makeup or try to overdress; be who you are. Your viewers want to see the real you. When you meet clients in person, they will feel like they already know you because you displayed the real you in your videos.
Identify Your Target Audience
Initially, when I started making videos, my goal was to help underserved communities with questions about real estate. Once I started having real success, I said, “Now what? I’m just someone else at this level doing videos,” so I decided to do them in Spanish because there was no one producing these types of videos in Spanish at the time. These videos gained lots of views and became popular, too. Soon people started leaving messages asking me to do videos on other topics they were interested in. I let my viewers know they could contact me directly with requests.
Production
Set aside a “Creative Day” each month to brainstorm content ideas and create videos. Your videos should be short and to the point. Most people get bored quickly, so try to keep your videos under 60 seconds. On an average production day, I record 80 videos at once -- sometimes until I have lost my voice. This may seem extreme, but I have a passion for helping people and giving them a voice; my videos are my way of doing this.
You don’t have to overdo it and buy expensive video equipment to shoot your videos. I use my iPhone and anything that has a good microphone will do the trick for sound. A ring light to enhance your production quality is also a must, but if that’s not in the budget, set up a space near a window that gets great natural light. Editing is easier than you think – platforms like iMovie and other user-friendly apps are already featured on your phones. Remember, you are just telling people what is happening in our local market.
Posting
When planning on which videos to post to your designated outlets, you should consider the audience that primarily uses that platform. The videos I post on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook differ in length – some are 30 seconds, 60 seconds, and up to 5-minute videos. By adapting each video to fit the social media platform’s audience demographic, you can encourage views and video completion. TikTok has a different audience than LinkedIn or Facebook, so you should create content that will fit that particular audience.
Content
People don’t want to be sold. They want to come away with something. This means your videos should not just be focused on selling but also providing something of value to your audience. Consider answering common real estate questions, giving advice, offering tips to first-time homebuyers, or discussing current market trends. How-to videos are great because they showcase your expertise, provide worth to your audience, and position you as a trusted authority in your field. You should also include a clear call to action in your videos, such as inviting viewers to contact you, visit your website, or subscribe to your channel.
ROI
While video marketing is becoming increasingly popular, it takes time to break through. You may be at it for a while, so be patient. It takes, on average, a year to see results, but if you follow these tips, you will see a positive return on investment in the long run.
Understand the Value of Video Marketing
Video marketing is the fastest and easiest way to get your foot in the door. You don’t have to spend much money or go out of your way to create videos. I did it with an iPhone and a passion to help people.
Video changed my career. Are you ready for it to change yours?
