The Future of Real Estate Video

With the new year approaching, it's time to look forward. 2015 brings new directions and new opportunities, and while it may be fun to look ahead on a personal level, it is vital to do so professionally.

Ask yourself: will you continue to do things in the future the way you've done them in the past? It may be convenient to keep things status quo, but if you fail to adapt to changes in your industry then you risk falling behind.

Indeed, there have been many recent changes in video production that are going to directly affect how, where, and why viewers will consume real estate videos, and if you want to stand out from the pack, you need to be ready to adapt.

So let's take a look at some of these changes and see what kind of impact they might have on your videos in 2015.

Technology

DSLRs are not just for photographers anymore. Many video producers now prefer DSLRs to camcorders as they have similar video quality but a lower price. The Panasonic GH4, for example, captures an amazing amount of detail, can film in 4K, and is only $1,900. Mirrorless cameras such as the Sony A7s are also 4K-capable, can shoot in extremely low light conditions and have film quality resolution for just over $2,000.

Point being: as these cameras become more affordable and high video quality more prevalent, poor video quality will be more noticeable to the average person. Your smart phone videos won't hold up to those shot in 4K—it would be like watching a VHS vs. blu-ray.

In 2015, you will need to ensure that all of your videos uphold the minimum resolution standards of these cameras, or you may lose your viewers to videos that do.

Story and Style

On the flip side, as this high video quality becomes more commonplace, it will also become more ordinary. So even though high video quality will help keep you relevant, it won't do much to help you stand out from the pack.

So put yourself in your viewer's shoes. What do you want when you click on a video? A sales pitch? A collage of crummy pictures with non-descript music in the background? Of course not. What you really want when you click on a video is entertainment or knowledge or feelings or anything that feels like a return on your investment.

Take a look at Ruhm. Watch any one of their videos and what do you see? Static images? Boring music? No, what you'll find here is that each video is a short film, packed from start to finish with both story and style. Here, viewers don't just watch a video about what a house looks like—they watch a video on what the house could be, what they could be if they lived there. How's that for a return on your investment?!

Just imagine how many more leads you could bring in if you could get your viewers to think like this. While your competitors are boring their viewers to sleep, you've got them going back to the beginning and watching again, sharing your video with their friends and followers. And you don't need a $2,000,000 listing or a big film crew to accomplish this effect: story and style are free to the creative, determined mind.

Interactive Websites

One my favourite new real estate sites is Idea Shed. It's direct, aesthetically appealing and most of all, interactive. Users can browse novel ideas from other professionals and submit their own to be published on the site. There is no self-serving motivation here: the idea is to encourage discussion and participation and in turn improve the industry for all involved.

This interactive design is what sites are evolving towards. Websites are now designed specifically with their user in mind, seeking to give the viewer what they want by addressing how they use the site, where they use the site, and why. What better than an idea sharing platform for real estate agents—who are always busy and always on-the-go—that is both informative and entertaining, that looks just as good (or better) on your phone as on your desktop?

Sites that are mobile-friendly, interactive and tailored to their users are ideal platforms for video consumption. While the site gives the reader an experience they enjoy, videos are the tool you use to pull them into picking up the phone, or opening up their email, to contact you. And if you don't give the viewer what they want at this pivotal moment in their experience, they will likely turn from passive viewer into passerby. As a result, your videos take on a whole new importance and potentially, a new direction.

In 2015, it won't be enough to put up a slideshow of low quality images, throw on some boring public domain song and call it a video. If you want to develop a comprehensive online strategy to gain quality leads in which videos are a vital component, then you'll need to a) produce high quality shots b) turn these shots into compelling, interesting or entertaining videos and c) utilize the strategy of your site to more effectively target these videos to your viewer.

So, looking ahead; are you going to fall behind or stand out?

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