Using YouTube for Real Estate Promotion

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 20 years, you have heard of, visited, searched and/or shared videos on YouTube.  However, this hugely popular site is more than just videos of piano-playing cats, silly baby laughs and dumb stunts gone wrong.  YouTube has, in fact, become a force to be reckoned with as a promotional device.  Since it is the second most used search engine (right behind Google and a step ahead of Yahoo!), it's time you started thinking about how you can use YouTube in your marketing efforts.

Creating a real estate website or blog used to be the first step in getting noticed on the web.  Adding photos to said sites drew visitors' attention by breaking up a page full of simple text.  Now, video has replaced still images as the site enhancer needed to capture and maintain a potential real estate client's attention.  You should already be creating videos that promote your real estate clients' listings.  They don't have to be big productions.  A simple handheld Flip video camera is all the equipment you need to walk a viewer through the wonderful aspects of a listing, with you as their personal tour guide.  These videos should then be uploaded to your YouTube channel.

The first thing you need to do is create your own YouTube channel.  It's free and simple.  Then, create a few fun videos that showcase your skills, knowledge of the area, places to see, etc. that can be uploaded to your channel.  This will provide people with a reason to want to visit your channel again and again.  Shoot videos of each of your listings to add to your channel that include appropriate tags and a search-friendly description that relate directly to your video.  I would also suggest including the complete address of the property being promoted in the title, at the beginning of the description and in the tags.  In your description, you can also add a link to your website or a direct link to the listing itself.  You can even add annotations (text) within your uploaded video to encourage the viewer to investigate the listing further on your website, creating a better opportunity to convert them into a client.

Get creative with your videos.  After all, the point is to make an impression and keep a viewer's attention for as long as possible.  This doesn't mean spending tons of money on a huge production.  You do need to make sure that any audio is easy to hear and the video itself is steady, clear and conveys the message you want it to.

Like paid Google ads, YouTube Promoted Video Ads are a way to get your videos seen right away.  If you have the budget to do so, consider bidding for keywords through the YouTube Promoted Video Ads.  You will need to think about your budget, conversion rate and expected volume before you bid on any specific keywords, though, to make the most out of your time and money.  One of the key advantages to a Promoted Video Ad on YouTube is that you can also create an overlay ad.  This is a clickable link embedded into the bottom of the video that will send the visitor to another outside site (like your website or blog).  This is a fantastic way to send more traffic your way.

As technology evolves, the uses for it evolve as well.  With YouTube's popularity steadily increasing, it's time to consider adding it to your marketing arsenal by using YouTube for real estate promotion.  Create a marketing strategy like you do for your website and blogs.  If you need help promoting your YouTube videos, just contact us.  We're always ready to help you succeed.