The Importance of Video In Lead Generation

No matter when you receive your real estate leads, connecting with them from the moment they reach out is imperative. Include a video in the automatic email or text response to really get their attention and make an impression. Video will leave the lead feeling like they already know you which can improve conversion. Let's dig in and look at some ideas on using video to nurture leads.

Today's consumers prefer videos so why not give them what they want. Video can be used to engage and instantly build rapport with new leads. The first time you respond to a lead alert, send an introductory video then continue to follow up with educational videos. By the time you reach out via phone, they're going to be more likely to want to schedule an appointment because they'll feel like they already have a connection with you.

The first video should be brief and include information about how you can serve their needs (the end of this article provides tips on sharing video via email).  Introduce yourself, thank them for reaching out, share how you can help, encourage them to visit your website (include url) and follow you on social media. If you can convey a willingness to solve problems (ex. narrow their home search to save time), you'll increase your chances of eventually signing a contract with them. 

Here are some examples of videos you might use with your leads:

• Introductory video: after a short introduction, thank them for visiting your website (or however you generated the lead), tell them how you can make a difference in selling/buying a home, and let them know that a quick meeting can help speed up the process of finding or selling a home.
• Follow-up video: tell them a little bit about the current market and let them know about a video you recently shared on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter about a new listing/sale and include a link.  Encourage them to follow you on social media.  Let's face it, many consumers would rather look at information about you and your listings/sales on social media than talk to you face-to-face.
• Lead as a seller:
  • A short video about the current housing market (ex. little inventory = seller's market)
  • Steps they can take to sell their home, including being proactive vs. reactive
  • Video of you outside of a home you recently sold.  Provide details on why it sold quickly (ex. marketing, staging, curb appeal, etc.).
• Lead as a buyer: 
  
  • A video featuring testimonials from happy buyers and how you helped them find the perfect home.
  • Instead of simply sending an email about a new listing, text a short video describing the house and how they can schedule a viewing (the majority of people will open a text before an email, if they open the email at all).
  • Video of a recently listed home ("I'm standing in front of a home that just went on the market but it won't last long.  Would you like to see it today?").  Find ways to engage the lead and create urgency.
• Short video on how you can help buyers/sellers navigate the paperwork that comes with buying/selling a house. ("I'll make it easier to understand the paperwork so it's less overwhelming and you can focus on buying a home/selling your home.")

Other things to consider as you aim to engage leads:

• Most people love to view images of homes so consistently post them on your social media sites (video and photos) and you'll have a higher chance of gaining new followers and possibly book more appointments.
• At the end of your videos, direct them to your website where they can learn more about you, see amazing reviews and current listings/recent sales.
• Consider closed captioning when creating videos to accommodate those viewers who don't listen to videos (ex. Facebook users).
• Social media followers:  send them alerts when you're about to do Facebook Live, for example ("Live on Facebook in 5 minutes!").  Let your personality shine and give them something to look forward to ("Thanks for tuning in!  I wanted to share how this home seller quickly sold their home by improving curb appeal.  Next time I'll share a first-time buyer who found the ideal house in only 1 week.").
• Use analytics to track your most engaging videos and which form of social media are most popular.  Focus on promoting videos where you get the most social media engagement (ex. Facebook page has the highest number of followers and interactions).  You will have a greater chance of securing a lead as a client when you know which forms of marketing have the greatest impact.
• Video can help build your brand so consider having professional videos made vs. sub-par videos you record on the fly.

Conclusion

If you want to make an impression on leads, reach out to them quickly and include a video in your first point of contact... and beyond. Video is a great way to get in front of leads, without meeting face-to-face, and can make a the difference between converting the lead or not.  So start by filming a few short videos, include them in your first response and see how much more engagement you get.  I think you'll be pleased to see how much more impactful your marketing is, once you include video messaging, and you might see a jump in your ROI as well.  Let us know how it goes! 

Preparing your video for email:

1. Record a video using a smartphone, your computer, tablet, camcorder or DSLR camera
2. Upload your video to YouTube, Vimeo, or another video hosting service
3. Copy the video address from the hosting service
4. Take a screenshot of your video
5. Link screenshot to video address
6. Create an email in your CRM program, or other marketing platform, and send the link and image to yourself
7. Open email and try link
8. If image appeared in email and link worked properly, you're ready to send it to your leads
9. Send the video in your first automated email.

For more information on lead nurturing, read this article from our blog library.