A video can be an excellent addition to your insight. It can enhance the story you are telling about a neighborhood or give further details on an upcoming community event. You will also realize some advantage in the fight for top rankings in Google searches when you include videos with your Agent Insight submissions.
Jim Simmons, RE/MAX Greater Princeton in New Jersey, has been including videos with his Agent Insight submissions for years and has realized great results.
“My posts come up very high in Google rankings,” says Jim, who features videos on both Agent Insight submissions and on his personal website. “I frequently find my videos in the top five slots of a search and very often in first place.”
Jim’s neighborhood videos are typically one to two minutes long and he shoots them himself with his cell phone or a Nikon Point & Shoot camera. He highlights neighborhood amenities with a few captions inserted throughout the videos and each one is accompanied by a catchy MP3 tune he downloaded for free.
“I get responses from the videos all the time,” Jim says. “Just last week a couple called and said they wanted me to sell their house. They said they had found one of my videos when they did a Google search for agents and thought it really showed them that I knew specifically about their area. So, I was their choice to list their home.”
Take a look at one of Jim’s videos, including his short written submission:
Tour of Windsor Haven Townhomes in Princeton Junction
Here’s a one minute tour of Windsor Haven located in Princeton Junction, NJ. One of only five townhouse communities in West Windsor, this one is closest to the train station and many residents here walk to the train. These three-story townhouses have unique floor plans and have been very popular with commuters since they were built in the early 1990’s.
Videos can be simple and easy, but still be very effective. Ray Guest, RE/MAX Platinum in Brighton, MI, narrates his videos as he drives through his featured subdivisions. Ray’s tone is friendly and chatty and he packs plenty of information into each video. He includes one with nearly all of his Agent Insight submissions. Here’s an example:
Deer Park Farm Estates in Fenton
Deer Park Farm Estates is in Tyrone Township close to the intersection of White Lake Road and Denton Hill Road, but its mailing address is Fenton, MI. It is a small subdivision that was built in four phases and is around Sullivan Lake. Sullivan Lake is a spring fed, electric motor lake with good fishing and is about 30 or 35 acres. Some homes are lakefront and some are not. In 2015 and early 2016 homes have sold for between $210,000 and $325,000.
Marty Perrea, RE/MAX Results in Kansas City, MO, has produced some beautiful work using a drone and professional videographers. His market area includes some gorgeous lakes, homes, rolling hills and wooded drives that are shown to great advantage in these videos. Marty appears as the narrator and, like Jim Simmons, he has included a musical accompaniment. In addition to subdivisions, Marty has also posted videos about local public schools, Park University and the cities he covers in his businesses. Here’s a good example:
Weatherby Lake from the Air!
Weatherby Lake is a beauty from the ground, but seen from the air it is spectacular. This video was taken with a drone. What a fabulous way to see this wonderful neighborhood! The best of lake living and only a short drive from downtown Kansas City — Weatherby Lake is a Missouri gem.
Don’t be intimidated by the process in creating your own videos. It’s fairly easy and can be fun to do! Every Agent Insight video must be posted on YouTube first, then transferred to our site. YouTube has plenty of information on how to make a post. When you are ready to add one to Agent Insight, click here for instructions. You can also review this article in our blog for specific requirements for posting a video on Agent Insight: IF A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, WHAT’S A VIDEO WORTH?,