Digital media success is largely determined by the quality of your content and video is no exception. As a real estate agent, video is your face—your representation to the world (wide web)—and a major component of the digital media strategy you use, or should be using, to increase your exposure, SEO and lead generation.

If you were thinking of using your cell phone camera and free Google Play editing software to make a video, just stop right now. You'll end up with a vastly inferior and unprofessional video that no one will ever see. Or if they do, they'll never watch again. They'll probably stop following you on Twitter and Facebook, as well.

If your intention is to use video to get results, then you need to use quality video.

But how do you get quality video?

You could pay the professionals. Most production companies have the equipment, employees and ability to make a good video. But they're also expensive. Which means you'll probably only pay for one video. What's the point in having just one video? Pretty sure you're selling more than one house. On top of that, if you don't know how to distribute that one video, then you'll waste all that time and money and be back at square one.

Okay, but what if the company is cheap? Well, speaking from experience, it's very possible that a cheap production company will view your real estate video as just that—a 'real estate video.' After all, your real estate video is much less exciting than the commercial they're working on for the trendy restaurant downtown. So they'll put the unpaid intern on your video and keep the veteran videographer focused on the more exciting one. As a result, your 'real estate video' will just 'get done' by the company—with little of the time, effort or creativity you paid them for in the first place. You'll once again lose time and money and still only get 15 hits on YouTube.

Here's a better idea: cut out the middle man.

You know your clients better than anyone else. You know exactly what they're looking for and how best to present it to them. Why waste your time teaching this stuff to a videographer who's just trying to get your project off his/her plate? Why give the money to a struggling production company so they can pay their rent on time?

You are better off in the long run to take that money and buy yourself a good DSLR camera. You are better off producing your own high quality videos.

The amount of quality content that you can create with a good camera and good technique is amazing. The amount of attention you can generate with this quality content is endless. Like the saying goes, 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' Master the fundamentals of video production and provide yourself with a powerful tool that will greatly improve the quality of your content and go a long way to ensuring your ongoing digital media success.

Stay tuned for my ongoing series, 'How to Make Pro Videos for Real Estate.' I'll go through all the fundamentals, practical tips and techniques, online resources and tons of other cool things that you'll need to know to be your own Video Pro.

To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.

Further Reading

• 7 Things to Check Before Hitting Record
• The Rule of Thirds for Video and Photography
• How to Use a Fade In/Out Transition in Your Property Videos