How to Market Rental Property Videos

Written by on August 22, 2011 in Landlord Tips, Marketing - No Comments
YouTube

Once you have created videos for your rental properties and optimized those videos for search results, you’ll need to market them to your prospective renters. But in the sea of online noise, where is the best place to put your videos and what is the best way to promote them. Here are the top 5 places to show off your videos and how to make the most noise.

  1. Video Websites like YouTube & Vimeo - First thing’s first, upload your rental property video to YouTube and Vimeo. You can create a free account on either of these popular video sites and will be able to use the HTML code they generate for you to link back from other websites and advertisements. You will also benefit from video search and playback from the communities on these sites.
  2. Social Media – Use your social media networks to your advantage and share your rental property videos with your friends, family, and colleagues. Facebook is now the second most popular video website with 58 million viewers so there’s proof that people enjoy watching video through this channel. All you need to do is share your video from one of the sites above by clicking on the share button and logging into your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account.
  3. Email Signatures – A really easy way to remember to share your video is to add it to your email signature. Think about how many emails you send out each day. Add a line to your video about who you are targeting or what your video is about to help with the click-through rates and people’s desire to share it.
  4. Apartment Ads – Renter’s love to see video walk throughs because they give a more real sense of the apartment and the living space. Add a video link to your online advertisements and see how it helps increase the number of apartment tours and leases you sign.
  5. Property Website – If your property is large enough to warrant it’s own website, it’s a great idea to embed the video on your site from YouTube or Vimeo. Using the video sites makes it easier to add video because you do not need to know HTML or other web coding languages. Simply copy and paste the code to add it to your website.

These 5 tips will help you market your videos, increase the traffic to your apartments and help keep your rental property filled with tenants. Have you been successful with property videos anywhere else? Please share your experiences in the comments so our community of landlords can learn.

Related Posts:
5 Ways to Use Videos in Property Management
How to Improve Your Property Videos
8 Lessons To Improve Video Search Results

8 Lessons To Improve Video Search Results

Written by on August 2, 2011 in Landlord Tips, Marketing - No Comments
Chain

Video marketing has been picking up speed over the past few years and is more popular than ever. Recently we showed you creative ways to use videos in property management and how to make your property videos stand out. In 2010 over 14 billion videos were watched each month on YouTube. As your videos rank higher on YouTube and other video websites, you will get more views and ultimately better traffic. So, how can landlords get in on this trend and use property videos to direct more traffic to their rental property websites and buildings?

Here are 8 tips from experts to teach you how to increase your video search results and drive more traffic to your rental properties.

  1. Drive More Traffic to Your Site from YouTube: An Easy Tip by Blogging with Amy
  2. Can You Increase Web Sales With Image and Video Search? by Search Marketing Standard
  3. Improve Your Local Search Results with Video by Expand2Web
  4. How a Video Sitemap will Improve Your Video SEO Results and Explode Your Website Traffic by SwitchVideo
  5. Best Video SEO strategy Tips by SEO.tv
  6. Video SEO – Ways to Drive Traffic from YouTube by SEO Global Network
  7. 4 Ways Video Can Drive Traffic and Conversions by Practical eCommerce
  8. How to Drive Traffic to Your Online Video by ClickZ

Photo by: Wendell

How to Improve Your Property Videos

Written by on July 16, 2011 in Landlord Tips, Marketing - No Comments
Video-Production

A couple weeks ago we brought you ideas for how to use videos in your property management business. Now that you know where and why to have videos, we’d like to show you 5 ways to improve your rental property videos.

Videos help your tenants connect with you and your staff and can showcase your property to prospective renters. Relationships and first impressions count so that’s why it’s important to highlight your rental properties in the best light.

  1. Keep it Short – If you want your customers to watch your entire video then you must keep it under two minutes. Every one’s busy these days and there is a lot vying for our attention so for maximum effectiveness you need to make your videos entertaining, concise, and memorable.
  2. Edit it Down – With today’s technology there is no need to shoot your video in one take. Use a video editing software like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker and be ruthless with what material you keep. Only the very best footage should be included in your final video.
  3. Script it Out – If you are including spoken narrative it is important to write out a script. It will help keep your “actors” calm and remove the tendency to fill the dead space with “um”s. If you do not have people speaking onscreen it’s also better to record the audio separately. The audio tracks can be added into the software after the video has been recorded. This helps keep the narrative concise and clear.
  4. Use a Mic – If possible, do not use the computer or video camera microphone. For onscreen speakers, invest in a wireless microphone to help eliminate any background noise and amplify your speaker’s voice. If recording the audio directly to your computer, it’s best to use an attached microphone with an additional sound filter. This will help eliminate any echo or cave-effect from the room and minimize computer hums.
  5. Set the Mood – Just like in blockbuster movies, your music selection will set the tone for your property video. You should purchase an upbeat audio track to play in the background that will make people happy. This fills out the “dead space” and increases your video’s professionalism. Just remember, keep the volume to a minimum so that it does not distract from your message.

These 5 tips will help your rental property videos get noticed and stand out above the crowd. Get ready to see more qualified traffic coming to your buildings.

Photo by: kn0mad

5 Ways to Use Videos in Property Management

Written by on June 20, 2011 in Landlord Tips, Management, Marketing - No Comments
video_camera

It’s no secret that videos are growing in popularity. Every week you see new viral videos spreading like wildfire across the Internet and we often wonder how we can tap into that craze. The truth is that very few videos will make it to the level of Friday, Charlie Bit My Finger, or Numa Numa. Our goal in property management should be to connect with our renters rather than get the most views.

Good news is that it is easier than ever to create a quality video campaign for your apartments. You no longer need a studio or professional media equipment. All that is required is a handheld video camera and a computer with editing software. But if you’re still not convinced that videos can be beneficial to your marketing efforts, consider that videos can increase your business, help drive traffic to your properties, build better relationships with your renters, and increase your credibility.

Here are 5 ways you can use videos to connect with your prospective renters and help your rental property business.

  1. Walk Through Tours – Renters are very savvy these days and most do their research before ever stepping foot on your property. They want to know if your rental fits their needs and if it’s worth their time for a tour. What better way to show renters what your property really looks like? As a step above photos, your property videos will help pre-qualify candidates for you. But be sure they are a good representation! It’s a pretty straight forward idea, but there are many people who get this wrong. With video walk throughs, you want to keep the camera as steady as possible and walk slowly through each room, scanning the rooms in the same direction each time.
  2. Company Bios – People buy from people they like. The same is true in the rental industry. By creating a video bio of your leasing agents, or you as the landlord, your renters can connect with you on a more personal level making it easier to build rapport. Just remember to keep it simple and concise while letting your personality show. Focus on your expertise and why renting with you will benefit your future tenant.
  3. Video Testimonials – Do you have satisfied renters living in your properties? Sure you do! Ask them if they would be interested in giving a video testimonial about why your building is such a great place to live. Some people will be very happy to agree, while others may not wish to be on video. Don’t get discouraged. You could always gather testimonials in the form of quotes and include them in a video with pictures of your property and rental units.
  4. Neighborhood Tours – One of the biggest obstacles about moving to a new city is not knowing the neighborhood. Become a resource for people relocating to your area by creating neighborhood tours. Take a walk down your main shopping street with your video camera. Photograph the major retailers in the area. Showcase the outside of your property and the surrounding area and explain why your location is a great place to live.
  5. Contests – People love to win things so why not host a video contest for your renters. Some ideas for video submissions include why you chose to live here, showcase your apartment, and what’s your favorite thing about living at XYZ community. If you are on a tight budget, coordinate with local businesses for prizes in exchange for advertising to your renters. It’s a win-win.

We’d love to know if you’ve used videos in your apartment marketing before and if it’s worked for you.

Photo by: ceasedesist