Credit: Halstead
When it comes to online marketing and garnering engagement, one thing almost all real estate professionals agree on is that video is king. However, with so much noise, often only the best content finds success—and this is where Halstead comes in.
In recent years, the brokerage—with retail storefront offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, the Hamptons, Hudson Valley, New Jersey and Fairfield County, Connecticut—has been an innovator in its use of videos to market properties for sale.
"Our videos across all platforms average 400-800 views and our Concert Series, which tends to attract greater viewership, averages approximately 3,200 views per video," Matthew Leone, chief marketing officer at Halstead, tells Housecall. "Our video at 101 Warren, the most actively viewed of our Concert Series, enjoyed 31,500 views. Generally speaking, the better recognized the band or performer, the greater the audience."
Here's a look at 101 Warren—an expansive two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo located in Tribeca, which recently sold for $2,500,000:
Credit: Halstead
The Concert Series provides an innovative pairing of a live act—typically a current student or recent graduate of The Julliard School in Manhattan—performing in a client’s home to attract potential homebuyers. Through the use of this format, Halstead has held viewers' attention 1.5 times longer than with standard videos.
"We have an agent, Kimberly Hastie, who works with The Julliard School to help talent from the school gain more exposure," says Leone. "Live performances in a property are a perfect avenue, they broaden the audience for the performer, and at the same time, through the choice of the right musical composition, can help to tell the story of the home creating a special emotional connection. Unlike performances for hire, the artist becomes a member of the team with a vested interest in setting the right mood. Kimberly, through her own creativity and outside-of the-box thinking has come up with a wonderful vehicle drawing on her passions for real estate and music to benefit both the performer and the client"
Hastie tells Housecall that she has always had a love for the arts. She currently serves on the board of the Glimmerglass Festival—an event that celebrates opera and musical theatre in Cooperstown, N.Y.—and she sits on the young patron committee at Carnegie Hall (Notables Group). She explains that she hired an assistant, John Hong, this year who graduated from The Juilliard School and when they were thinking of creative promotional ideas, he turned her onto this musical concept.
Hong worked closely with Ken Kubota, a cellist at Juilliard who performs a YouTube series called JHMJams, which covers popular songs with classical and jazz instrumentation. Hastie's videos are currently shot in collaboration with JHMJams and have been featured in Glamour Magazine as a result of that collaboration.
Additionally, as a board member of Carnegie Hall Notables Young Patron Steering Committee, Glimmerglass Board of Trustees and Metropolitan Museum Apollo Circle Member, Hastie finds it important to give back to the arts. The Concert Series has given her a way to provide paid opportunities to artists so they can generate more business in a creative way.
Here's another of her videos in the Concert Series, featuring a massive Upper West Side apartment, and introduced by Hastie herself:
Credit: Halstead
"I loved the videos and we wanted to create that concept in the homes I am fortunate to sell. Ken is in every video and John is in a couple of them depending on his availability," she says.
For Halstead, which has more than 1,300 sales and rental agents, the video views that Leone mentions are just an average. There are some examples, as in the case of agent Kim Hastie, where much higher views are the norm.
"Working with Kim was a completely seamless experience!" says Jordan Person, one of Hastie's clients. "She brought the concept to us—which we loved—and brought the whole team together to make it happen."
Hastie, who regularly releases high-quality videos in the Concert Series that far surpass the 3,200 views mark, recently released a video that garnered over 26,000 views. This firmly places her video in the top five most viewed videos on Halstead’s site.
"As far as listings, I incorporate these videos as part of my ‘pitch’ to homeowners," Hastie tells Housecall. "All of those owners were excited to have a unique video with these great artists showcasing their talents in their home."
Hastie adds that she finds producing these videos to be a unique approach that keeps the property memorable. Here's another example of the level of quality you can expect from a Concert Series video produced by Hastie:
Credit: Halstead
To view all of Hastie’s listings and additional videos in the Concert Series, click here.
