Property advertising and walk through videos: What are my options?
/So you’re selling properties online and want to add property videos to your listings. Brilliant! Here are 3 options.
Have you noticed that more and more websites are incorporating videos into their content? Videos provide engaging, bite-sized chunks of information, which pretty much any type of web content can benefit from.
Is it fair to say that we’re becoming lazier online? The herculean effort required to raise a tired arm and swipe an exasperated finger to move between property photos is just too much for some. Or maybe the majority.
Perhaps we’re just busier than before and doing stuff like eating the freshly ‘deliverood’ Pad Thai whilst checking out property listings on the iPad is the norm. Property videos facilitate the lazy and busy amongst us to sit back and simply absorb the property pixels, no hands needed.
It might sound too fancy, too complicated or too expensive, but there really is a video option for everyone. If you’ve never considered property videos, read on to see what your listings are missing!
Why should I add property videos to my listings?
Making your listing as engaging as possible will help you to stand out from the crowd, generate more interest and more viewings. That’s what it’s all about, right?
Property videos are a great way of doing this, and there are several ways to make videos that really showcase and sell your property.
Whilst a Tony Stark-style mansion will have the budget for a high-end 3D 360° Virtual Reality or Pro Video Tour, your average 3 bed semi won’t. But that doesn’t mean that your bread-and-butter properties can’t come to the video party!
If you’ve read our stuff before, you’ll know we believe that great property photography is essential and that there are some strong arguments (3, actually) for why you should include a floor plan in your listing.
But with lots of agents now having both, video is another way to make your listing stand out. Property videos are engaging—and they look pretty fancy, too! Still not convinced? Here are some things to consider…
People LOVE video: By 2019, internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer internet traffic. Showcase your properties in a way that people want and expect to see.
Stand out from the crowd: A branded video can be the icing on the cake of your listing! Are your competitors using videos? No? Then your listing will be all the more enticing!
Win more instructions: When pitching for your vendor’s business, just drop in: “Oh yeah, and we’ll be marketing your property with a beautiful 1080p HD video on the portals and our social media channels”. See what happens.
Better for your SEO: Google loves engaging content and pages with videos often rank better than ones without. Property videos are good for your audience and good for SEO.
Tyre kickers: Some kinds of property video will give an excellent overview of the house, weeding out people who would have booked a viewing and wasted your time but now, after watching the video tour, know not to bother.
Starting to come round to the idea of property videos?
Take a look at our rundown of the various types of video to learn how to give your listings that wow factor!
#1: 3D Virtual Reality Tours
This one feels a bit sci-fi but it’s pretty impressive. 3D Virtual Reality Tours allow potential buyers to explore the inside of the property through a full 3D 360° walk-through. If you’ve ever looked at a company’s internal Street View on Google Maps, it’s just like that.
People can navigate through the house, going from room to room as if they were actually there! They get a good feel for the property’s size and layout, and can view the rooms from any angle. If you’re feeling particularly fancy, you can use a VR headset for a totally immersive experience.
Matterport is a popular technology/company providing 3D Virtual Reality Tours, click here to see a real life example >
What properties is it for?
A high-quality 3D 360° property tour isn’t cheap, so they’re better suited to luxury properties with a higher return on investment.
VR tours also work best on properties that are well presented throughout, rather than those trickier ‘viewing strongly recommended’ listings.
How is it done?
The property is photographed using 360° cameras. Special software is then used to stitch the images together, creating a virtual property. You can also highlight areas of interest like hardwood floors or brand-new fitted appliances that you don’t want people to miss!
Pros
A VR tour is a really impressive way to show off a property and adds prestige to your brand. As this technology gets cheaper and more accessible, 360° tours may become the norm, so now could be a great time to get ahead of the trend!
Cons
You probably won’t be able to make a VR tour if you’re not a professional, and hiring one can be expensive. It might be out of your price range right now, but costs could drop as the tech becomes more common.
The software required for viewing 360° tours isn’t supported by Rightmove or Zoopla. You’ll have to host the tours on your own site and link to it from the listing—though this has the added bonus of getting more people onto your website!
#2: Pro Video Tours (aka Virtual Tours, Property Walk Through)
A Professional Video Tour is a recorded walk-through of the property, taking viewers into each room individually. You can even include the surrounding area in your video, giving a flavour of the location.
Specialist camera and recording equipment is used to keep the camera still and smoothly glide around the house. The footage is then professionally edited in software like Adobe Premiere Pro with music and graphics added.
What properties is it for?
Pro Video Tours are, on the whole, still for the higher end stuff, but this will depend on what area of the country you’re in (which determines the value and therefore your commission and budget).
These professionally made property videos (yes, you’ll need to hire an expert) give a clear idea of size and layout, allowing viewers to feel as though they’ve already visited. And, to be honest, on a nice house, they look incredible!
If you want to ditch the ‘Pro’ aspect of the video tour, then you could do it yourself by just walking around the house and record it on your smartphone. However, the difference between your video tour and a Pro Video Tour will be, err, kind of noticeable.
How is it done?
Someone physically walks around the property, filming their point of view as they go. Usually performed by a professional videographer.
The video can be a simple walk-through or something with higher production value, using tracking shots or even drone footage. The video footage can be edited with branding, music and narration if you like.
Pros
Professional Video (or Virtual) Tours give a great idea of the property and can look phenomenal in a nice home, definitely ramping up the ‘warm tingly feeling’ someone gets when they just have to book a viewing!
Plus, they’re doable for anyone with basic camera skills if you go down the DIY route (but these don’t look phenomenal).
Cons
Depending on your skills and what you want the end result to be, video tours can take a long time to make. Hiring someone who know how to do it properly can get expensive, especially if you opt for all the bells and whistles.
#3: Video Slideshows
A Video Slideshow is the easiest and cheapest way to make a video tour. They simply transform property photos into video, playing them one after the other like a slideshow. While these may now sound pretty basic compared to the other 2 options, they can still look very cool!
Photos of the property are displayed alongside various transitions, motion effects and music. You can also encourage people to contact you by adding your own custom branding and a CTA. Good video slideshows are much more dynamic and engaging than photos, and can help you to get real people through those doors!
What properties is it for?
Video Slideshows are perfect for properties of all shapes and sizes, both low and high value, as they can be created very quickly (Like, a few hours after taking the photos quickly). They’re also extremely cost-effective.
How do I do it?
You can use software like Adobe Premiere Pro, or there are companies that can do it for you (that’s where we come in!).
You’ll need to take the pictures of the house first, then either add them to Premiere Pro or send them to us to do it for you. The example Video Slideshow above is one that we made.
To make sure that your videos look awesome, the images need to be awesome as well. Download our Ultimate Guide to Property Photography for our simple tips to help you to capture sensational shots! You may also fancy enhancing your images first to show the property in its best light.
Pros
Video Slideshows are a really affordable option suitable for a wide range of properties. They’re quick and easy to create, and don’t require expensive equipment or time-consuming video shoots.
A slideshow can be just as engaging and informative as a walk-through tour, but at a fraction of the cost, giving a great return on investment. If you’ve got a nice set of property photos, you’ve got what you need for a great property video!
Video slideshows can also be displayed in the ‘Video Tour’ tab on Rightmove.
Cons
A Video Slideshow can’t display the precise layout of a property in the same way as a VR or pro video tour; they can only show what the photos show.
They are less immersive and less impressive compared to other types of property video available.
Property videos by Jam Shakeshaft Video
If you like the idea and look of a property video and want to learn more about what Jam Shakeshaft Video can do, head over to Jam Shakeshaft Video’s property page for more info and to see further examples, or get in touch if you’ve got any questions.
Simply send Jam Shakeshaft Video an email today or call on 07709 627 634 for a free competitive quote. standard turnaround for a professional property video is 48 hours after the property has been captured. More urgent properties can be completed for the very next day.