Did you know that, this year, 74 percent of all content online will be video?
Marketing with it is a must, according to Marki Lemons Ryhal, a social media speaker who recently shared tips on video at the National Association of REALTORS®' 2017 REALTORS® Conference & Expo.
One of the easiest, and most inexpensive, marketing methods? Facebook Live, Lemons Ryhal explained. On Facebook, an audience two billion strong contains your next homebuyer or seller—and a live video can help them find and get to know you as their real estate professional.
Related: Facebook Live the Latest Trend to Infiltrate the Open House Scene
Anyone can "go live" at any time, but it does pay to be prepared, Lemons Ryhal said. Dispel the fear of imperfection—"People do not care how you look" —and pick up some tools:
- Extra Juice – A backup battery and/or charger
- Lighting – A ring light
- Mic – A lapel microphone (more than one, if you'll be sharing screen time)
Give your followers and friends a heads-up you're planning a video—"about 24 hours in advance," said Lemons Ryhal. Is it a how-to for homebuyers? A Q&A? Give some thought to what you will say, even though it will be (mostly) unscripted, and market it.
Avoid, however, promoting properties.
"Every listing has three disqualifiers in it," Lemons Ryhal noted. "Most don't care about the location, and either they can or cannot afford the price point, and maybe a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home is not ideal for them. Every time you post a listing, you're posting content that does not resonate with people in your sphere because it has those disqualifiers."
Carrie J. Little, managing broker of CarMarc Realty in West Chicago, Ill., appealed to a broad group with her first Facebook Live video:
After going live, Little advertised her video again from her Facebook business page, and earned $42,000 in just six months off eight transactions—a 2,105 percent return.
According to Lemons Ryhal, Little did a lot of things right: she introduced herself, explained what she was going to talk about, and took questions. She also included a call to action and interacted with viewers.
"Ask people what they want to know and what their problem points are so that you can solve them, or, develop content [around them] and start researching it," said Lemons Ryhal. "Become the problem-solver for real estate in your community."
The other key to Little's success? Timelessness. Consider the diversity of your followers and friends, and also how you might repurpose the video. Some tools Lemons Ryhal uses:
- aTubeCatcher – Creates an MP3 (ideal for podcasts)
- Fiverr – Hire someone to transcribe (ideal for blogs, e-books)
- Zoom – Cross-promotes/syndicates to other platforms
"We should, as real estate professionals, originate all content in video format because of the ease of converting it into other content," Lemons Ryhal said. "All you got to do is do it."
Stay tuned to RISMedia for more from this year's REALTORS® Conference & Expo.
Want consumer-facing videos for your Facebook page and other social media? Visit ace.rismedia.com.
Find more social media strategies, tips and trends in RISMedia's Social Skills series.
