Anyone who has been involved in or is paying attention to digital marketing, specifically social media, has likely noticed the proliferation of video. And why not? Video is one of the most popular ways to entertain and engage target audiences. Most brands now consider it a vital part of their marketing strategies.
In the real estate market, online video can be one of the greatest ways to showcase new and available properties and neighborhoods. According to the Google/NAR study, “The Digital House Hunt,” 85 percent of buyers and sellers want to work with an agent who uses video. On top of that, properties listed with video get four times the inquiries of homes listed without video. Still not convinced? Including video in emails doubles the click-through rate and reduces opt-outs by 75 percent. Video is powerful and is desired in today’s social media world.
All of that sounds incredible; however, creating a perfect video that shows properties in their best light is worthless if no one ever sees it. One way many brands are seeing success is through posting videos on social media. Over 8 billion videos or 100 million hours of videos are watched on Facebook every day. And approximately 10 billion videos are watched on Snapchat every day. Using videos on social media is not always as easy as it seems though. You can’t simply post it and assume views will come. Even videos that receive rave reviews on YouTube, can see significantly less attention on Facebook or Instagram, for example.
To help navigate, here are a few ways leasing agents and multifamily professionals can tap into video on social media platforms in a way that will give them the most bang for their efforts.
Don’t Overproduce
One reason video usage on social media platforms has seen such high rates of engagement is that they are authentic. These videos aren’t flashy and overproduced advertisements. Social media users are looking for videos and interactions on social media that are as human as possible. Posting a full production quality commercial of a property is going to see much less engagement than a simple Instagram story walking through the community on your own or with a teammate.
Think Fast
Millennials, one of the most influential demographics to hit the multifamily industry in decades, watch the most online videos and are extremely present on social media. In fact, Surveys show that 25% of Millennials ages 25-34 are on Instagram every day and 41% are on Facebook every day. As discussed in this blog before, they and their Gen Z counterparts allow about 12 seconds of attention before they move on to the next thing. When developing these videos, think about how to make the first few seconds impactful. Show humans, not a property sign. Also keep the overall video short and to the point — no longer than 2 minutes. Don’t leave out a way for the viewer to further engage with you / your team as well. If the video grabs their attention, provide ways to reach out for more information or to schedule a live video tour.
Consider the Platform
Facebook videos are different than Instagram videos, which are different than Snapchat or Twitter videos. Each platform has its own sets of “rules”. These aren’t just rules on video length or uploading instructions, but intangible rules built by the users of that platform. Take some time to make sure that your videos mesh with the community shaped by each platform.
Also consider sharing videos natively – meaning use the video capabilities for that platform. For example, rather than sharing a link to a YouTube video on Facebook, upload the video directly to Facebook using their video service. As much as that may not seem to matter – the video is the same, right? – studies have shown that native videos take up 80% of all video interactions on Facebook. Similarly, native videos experience 67% higher reach compared to YouTube videos shared on Facebook. That isn’t just unique to Facebook. Uploading videos directly to the platform, from Instagram to Snapchat, will see higher levels of interaction across the board.
Finally, many videos on social media autoplay. As such, consider captions or some sort of text content to either encourage users to turn up the sound or allow them to still engage with the content without volume.
Video and live video experiences can be some of the best tools in a multifamily company’s marketing toolbox – and social media can be one of the best ways to garner interactions with a target audience group. By keeping in mind the above tips and tricks, we have a feeling you will be able to create the necessary buzz to compete in an increasingly competitive market.
Want to learn more about producing videos for your communities and marketing efforts? Reach out! We’re here to help.
Until next time…keep it real!
