Last week, we talked about showing people your listing and not simply "telling" them about it. This week, we received all kinds of emails from you showing us videos you use to market yourselves and your listings. That is awesome! This is definitely a sound marketing principle and the fact that so many of you have already embraced it, and that many more are reporting to us that they are going to attempt to weave this concept into their marketing plans, inspires us.

The downside with everything technology related is the question of what to do when the unconventional or amazing becomes simply commonplace? This is especially troubling if you are an agent that sells high-end listings, and/or exquisite estates.

This week, we have explored this dilemma and have found three agents that are thinking outside the box, in three entirely different ways.

The Remarkable

What do you do if you have a $35 million dollar listing on one of the most exclusive, highly regarded strips of beach in the world? Would it surprise you if I said that you would commission the making of an action adventure style short film to market the property?

That is exactly what Dee Anna Staats and her REALTOR® did when she wanted to sell her $35 million dollar Malibu estate.

As you can clearly see, no expense was spared on this short movie. Not only that, they also developed an app for the iPad and even gave some iPads away that had the app pre-installed on them.

The Ridiculous

Every once in a while I have to admit that I'm wrong, and I hate it. It's not that I think I'm always right, or even have a problem with being wrong, for that matter. It's just that I'm super competitive, so being wrong gives me a stomach ache. I'm a big boy though, and can take my lumps, so today I have to admit to the guys at Neo Property that I am wrong.

You see, a couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post commenting on one of their videos for a listing they had on the Gold Coast. Basically, my take on it was that it was that using "sex sells" to sell homes is too gimicky, and at the end of the day, one should focus on the basic tenets of marketing best practices and hard work to succeed.

The thing of it is, though, that these guys have managed to be wildly successful when marketing properties in this irreverent fashion. Case in point, the original Bindi Place listing that I commented on sold for a record price, in a down market, in an area where sales were severely lagging.

Not only that, they have been relentlessly consistent with this marketing angle. One quick search online will show you that it is getting eyeballs. Here are two of their more recent videos:

Pretty crazy videos, right? Now please do not send me emails arguing about the objectification of people by using them as sexual objects for financial gain. As you can see in the videos, these guys seem to do an equal amount of objectifying both men and women, so I think it's safe to say there is not a hidden agenda here.

These guys want to sell homes. They are getting tons of eyes on their videos, and they are outperforming the market for their clients. It may not be an approach that is suitable in every real estate market, but if you stop focusing on the actual content and consider that these guys figured out their marketplace--and how to use that knowledge to think outside the box and achieve success--then that is worth noting.

The Realistic

Think those first two examples are too extreme, and you're still figuring out how to incorporate high end movie/tv show quality in your listing videos? It may not be as hard as you think.

Check out what this agent from Sotheby's International Realty did for his listing in Manhattan Beach CA:

This video is shot in a blessedly simple fashion, while still looking high end. It tells the story of the lifestyle one will experience by living in this home, and beautifully promotes the agent, as well. All while still having that movie/television quality feel to it.

Kids: Don't try this at home

While I generally like to give people advice on things that they might be able to do themselves, or for a reasonable price, the truth is that this week there is no such advice available. First off, as you can see, the production quality of all these videos exceeds anything someone not doing this sort of thing for a living could duplicate.

Secondly, let's be realistic. If you are selling a super high end listing like one of the homes in these videos, your seller isn't going to want to see you shooting your own videos, anyway. They want to feel like their listing is one-of-a-kind and deserves a one-of-a-kind experience. As they say, sometimes you have to pay to play. This is something that will truly end up as money well spent.

These types of video services are generally performed by very specific firms. If you are curious about getting something set up for one of your upcoming high-end listings and are looking for referrals, contact me. I am more than happy to point you in the right direction.

To view the original article, visit the Leading Agent blog.