Realtor Video Marketing - Increase Conversions, Close More Deals and Make More Cash!

As a Realtor or agent, what's one of the best marketing tools to slap on your website? Your prospects are attracted to marketing videos like moths to a flame. Marketing your real estate service with video can put you miles ahead of other Realtors or agents.

You have to use Animoto.com, no question. Yes, there are all kinds of video marketing software and companies you can use. I've tested out a bunch myself. Many of them were decent. Many were dirt cheap. Some of them were astronomically expensive, which I wasn't going to pay that much for.

I stumbled across Animoto when I was working for a Seattle real estate start-up. We were a "techy" company, even though I was the furthest thing from a "techy". I barely knew how to use our own website! But we had some awesome marketing partners we used that were on the cutting-edge, like Animoto.

I've used other video software on my website where it was just me in front of the camera talking about some topic. Yea, it's nice and personal marketing approach for your prospects but kind of boring, especially if you're looking at my mug. You need to "wow" your prospects with some "emotion-grabbing" videos, whether you want to include yourself in it or not.

Here's how it all works with Animoto: Within your account, you can upload images and video clips of your own or pick from their gallery. You get to arrange them in the order you choose, add text where you want, decide what length and speed you want your video to run at and choose from a pant load of commercially licensed music to play during your video (I REALLY like that touch). Animoto puts it all together and produces the finished marketing video for you.

You can edit your videos 'til the cows come home, which is nice if you have that "perfectionist" tendency like me. Once it's just how you want it, you can copy and paste the code into your website and "viola"; a video your prospects will actually stop and watch.

Think of the difference as being between pasting up a 10 year old profile photo of yourself on your site (as some Realtors or agents actually do) and creating a marketing video piece that will enhance your Realtor/agent brand in the eyes of your prospects. Which one do you think will have the greater impact on your brand and image; an old crusty photo or a world-class marketing video? Which one will your prospects remember more? What will set you apart more?

Another way I suggest Realtors or agents use the service is by creating listing DVD's. When you get a new listing, take all the photos and upload them to your Animoto account. Add some text and music and burn the videos on DVD's. You can hand them out at open houses or leave some in the home when Realtors or agents show the house. Either way, it sets the home apart from all the others.

By the way, if you don't want to use the images they have in their gallery, you'll want to go to 123RF.com where you can choose from an almost limitless supply of stock photos in nice, clear, crisp resolution. They're pretty cheap too. That's what I've always done because I like to keep my marketing videos as original as possible.

My only beef with Animoto is their pricing structure. While they do have a FREE "Basic" package and an "All Access Pass" package for $30/year, if you want the "Professional" package with all the music options and unlimited, unbranded videos, you have to pay $250/year. I'd rather it be a one-time purchase instead of having to pay that each year. I can understand why they've priced the service as they have though; more recurring income, I know. I guess I'm just cheap.

They do have a 3 month trial period for the "Professional" package that I took advantage of for $99. But even when you factor in the cost, this type of video marketing helps build your brand and prospect list so much as a Realtor/agent, it's definitely worth the marketing dollars.

You can always just use the FREE "Basic" package if you're tight on marketing dollars. Animoto's just too cool to pass up!

Josh F. Sanders is a Real Estate Broker and the Founder of Shiloh Street University in Seattle, WA.

SSU is an online marketing school for Realtors, dedicated to "Creating Wealthy Agents through World-Class Marketing" by providing step-by-step video lead-generation tutorials.

Get your "FREE 5 Day Sneak Peek" at http://www.ShilohStreetUniversity.com