Video tours and virtual walkthroughs are a must for agents who want to stay top of mind with buyers, expand their online reach, and win in the competitive real estate market.
Nowadays, buyers often spend time browsing online before contacting an agent, making video tours highly influential in their decision. In contrast to listing descriptions and photos, videos are far more engaging and immersive, as they can better capture the property’s charm, and take potential buyers on a tour.
Here are some tips you can implement to create a stunning listing video and maximise its ROI.
1. Create a Storyboard and Route
First things first, planning is key to a successful video tour. Scout the home and mark down unique or standout features you want to highlight – using the listing description or chatting to the homeowner as a point of reference. Walk around the neighbourhood and exteriors to see what is worthy of being shown.
After your visit, put together a shot list, highlighting all the features you want to show. Regardless of the route you plan out, the video should show viewers all the key features, ideally starting with the most breathtaking or unique ones first, whether that is a luxurious kitchen or spacious backyard area.
Never neglect the exteriors during your tour. Prospective buyers want to get a good sense of how it would be like to live at the property, so be sure to show off outdoor areas, nearby streets, the areas surrounding the outside of the house, as well as the main entrance.
2. Prepare the Property
Next, it’s time to get the place ready for filming.
Make sure to declutter the place – look under beds, inside closets, and other hidden spaces that might need a good clean. Clean doesn’t mean empty, however. Stage the place with some high-quality furniture and thoughtful decor to bring some life into the property, making it seem lived in, rather than bleak.
Be sure to strike a balance – the decorations should add to the property, rather than make it seem distracting or smaller than it is.
Open all doors to create a clear path for filming, and roll up curtains and blinds to ensure that sunlight can peek through for some natural lighting. If any part of the property is too dark, you’ll want to brighten things up with some artificial lighting for better visibility.
3. Use Creative Camera Angles to Showcase the Property
Make use of creative camera angles and frames to transport viewers to the location, and give them a complete view of the place from various perspectives.
Instead of only using the most basic wide-angle lens view, be sure to mix it up with time-lapse, medium, and detail shots. Rather than sticking to static shots, add some life to your video by using dynamic camera movement. This includes panning and tilting to create a better sense of flow.
For that ‘wow’ factor, you can try incorporating some drone shots. Using a drone to capture aerial shots that include the surrounding neighbourhood and streets can add a sense of professionalism, while giving visitors a more comprehensive look into the full exterior of the property, like the balcony or garden.
4. Optimise the Publishing of Your Video
You should upload your video tour not only on your website but also on your YouTube channel, to increase its ranking and reach.
Before uploading your listing video onto YouTube, conduct keyword research to find the most high-ranking keywords, and add in a relevant description, tags, and titles. Adding in closed captions will also give you an SEO boost. Ensure that your video description contains links to the website and your social media platforms to drive traffic in the right direction.
As for your agency website, after the video is uploaded, add close-up pictures of the property to complement the video walk-through. With Raptor, you can upload the listing videos with a click of a button and complement them with supporting assets, like detailed floor plans and a curated photo selection.
This will give potential buyers a better understanding of the property and also provide a chance for them to get an up-close view of features that stood out to them during the video tour, or ones they didn’t get a full view of in the video.
5. Repurpose the Video Strategically
Remember, the tour doesn’t just have to be used on the main website for people who happen to be browsing and stumble across that specific property; it can be used and recycled as marketing material across various platforms to increase your reach.
In addition to posting the full-length tour on YouTube and embedding it onto your website, you can tweak the video and make it shorter for platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Add text title overlays, so viewers can easily scan your feed to see what type of property you are featuring.
By posting clips of stunning properties, you can give followers a close look at the local market, and insight into the price points of different properties. Regularly posting exclusive content will also help build your reputation as a top agent. Instagram and TikTok algorithms also make going viral much easier, increasing the chance of attracting new potential clients and directing them to the listing.
You could also integrate videos into your email marketing campaigns. Using user behaviour information like view time and the number of clicks collected from a centralised CRM connected to your websites like Raptor, as well as AI-generated recommendations, you can send leads videos of properties they are likely to take interest in.
If they spend a lot of time viewing listings from a single apartment complex on your website, for example, you can utilise this information to send them targeted listing walk-throughs of an apartment in the building, or that in other buildings with similar amenities and features – bringing them one step closer to finding their dream home and increasing the chances of you closing.
The beauty of virtual tours is that you only have to do it once – and it can be viewed over and over again by different people and repurposed across many platforms, saving you lots of hassle. Implementing these tips will maximise your ROI, build your reputation, and ensure that each listing video gives you real and lasting value.
If you are looking to implement an automated marketing strategy for lead generation and management, speak with one of our consultants today to design a strategy tailored specifically to your needs. 
