Needing more ideas for your real estate video? Video is a great way to build your “trusted advisor” status, so here are a few more ideas to help you do just that. As a continuation of my series 10 Ideas for Real Estate Video, here we go with Part II which includes two more content ideas for your real estate video.

3.  Featured Business

Do a video featuring a favorite local business in your market area. You can do this by simply taking your camera to local restaurant, shop, or service provider in your town. Take shots of the scenery place of business, interview the owners or workers, and make mention why this is a favorite spot to do visit or do business. It is a great cross promotion tool, a great way to show off your neighborhoods to outsiders, and another way to show your area expertise. you can even consult with the business for them to offer special discounts and offers to your viewers.

4.  Highlight a Community Event

Show off a different side of yourself and your community. Highlight a special community charity you are involved in, or a special community event that speaks to you. If you are involved in something like Relay for Life, take along your camera and show highlights of the event, interview organizers and participants on why they are involved and show why it is important to you.

You could also take your camera along to special or unique festivals or parties that go on in your community. Whether it is a fall festival with pumpkin patches and scarecrows, or something that is unique to your community, show it off. It is another way to show how you are involved in your community,  show off why it is a great place to live, and again it helps to build your “trusted advisor” status.

Image via Wikipedia

Video is becoming a popular tool in the real estate agent’s marketing plan. And why not? YouTube happens to be the worlds second most popular search engine. That is why it is a great idea to incorporate video into your real estate business. Not only do you get exposure on YouTube, videos make great content for your blog, real estate website, Facebook Pages, and more.

Many agents really want to start using video, but draw a blank as to what kind of topics to do real estate videos on. So here is my first installment of my 10 Ideas For Real Estate Video.

1.  Video Tour of Homes

One of the most obvious ways to use video for real estate is to do video tours of your listings. As a form of a virtual tour, simply take a video walk-through of the home. Take shots of the front and the surroundings on the street, then walk through the front door and take viewer through the home as if they were walking through it in person. This is something that can easily be done with your own camcorder if you have the right tools (a decent camcorder, a tripod, and simple editing software). If you are marketing a “high end” or luxury listing, or you just don’t have the time, then I recommend hiring a professional to make the video tours.

(No camcorder or budget for a professional? You can also make a video tour by stringing together still photos using such software as RealEstateShows, Animoto, and more.)

This is a great tool to use for buyers too! Take along your camera on showings to record the homes your buyers are viewing. Then you can email your videos afterward to remind your buyers about exactly what they have seen. Or you can send the videos to their far-away spouses or family members to take a look.

2.  Tour of Neighborhoods/Towns

Image by cobalt123 via Flickr

Build your trusted “local expert” status by taking a video tour of the neighborhoods and towns you serve. Show off the great neighborhood features, the local parks, favorite local hot spots and shopping. Highlight everything that makes that neighborhood unique and a great place to live. It is a great way to show those thinking of relocating to the area why they should move there.

Do you serve a selling area comprised of several distinct neighborhoods? Do a separate video for each of them. The more content you can provide, the better.

For an excellent way to do a call to action:  Invite your viewers and current residents to request that you highlight their favorite neighborhoods or parts of the area.

Image via Wikipedia

Have you seen my latest video posted to YouTube? You still need a great real estate website? Well now at BVAS, we are offering WordPress website design! Check out what I had to say about the recent development.

So if you are interested in starting a new real estate website and real estate blog using the WordPress platform, visit my  website for more info and contact us today!

I am a real estate virtual assistant, and it is no secret that I run the business from my home office. Occasionally, my husband and young son let me venture outside of the home office for a day.  So when I saw that the RE BarCamp Philadelphia was happening May 27th, I jumped at the chance to fit it into my schedule. I was really looking forward to it. Heck, just getting out for a day sans diaper bag, is thrill in and of itself. So, last Thursday, I dropped the munchkin off at Grandma’s and headed to Philadelphia for a day to attend the RE BarCamp Philadelphia (or #rebcphl).

I was way excited to listen and learn, and to get the opportunity to meet many awesome real estate folks I see on my social media streams on a daily basis. And REBCPHL didn’t disappoint.

First of all, the venue, World Cafe Live, had to be the coolest I’ve ever been to for an event like this. It was a great atmosphere, a great casual setup, the music in between was fun, and lunch was great. Not a bad location at all. Since I’m little new to the area I didn’t know this place was there, but now it’s on my radar and I may be back for their many great musical acts.

I spent my time there observing, listening, learning and contributing where I could. Many of the sessions were on social media related topics, which of course has been the hottest topic over the last couple years. A couple of the most intriguing topics to me included discussion on “taking it offline” (which almost turned into a smartphone addicts anonymous meeting). Then the Raise the Bar (or “RTB”) discussion had me very interested even though I’m not an active REALTOR. It shocks me that some in the industry seem so resistant to raising the bar on professionalism and holding themselves (and each other) to a higher standard.

All in all it was a great event. I met some great people that I’ve networked with online, and made a few new friends. I am looking forward to the next RE BarCamp that comes to my neck of the woods. Next time, I might even present at a session.

Lastly, let me ask you to take a moment and help out a great friend of the RE.net, Joe Ferrara. He was diagnosed with an aggressive malignant brain tumor and he and his family need all the prayers, love, and support they could get. And check out the Friends of Joe Ferrara group started up on Facebook.

Image of Michael Russer

After attending the awesome VREBC last week, I wanted to highlight one of my favorite speakers from it, Michael Russer. When I first started out as a Real Estate Virtual Assistant over 5 years ago, I was introduced through the REVA Network to Michael Russer and his fantastic classes and webinars. Also known as “Mr. Internet”, Michael has been speaking and coaching real estate pros for years on using the internet for their real estate business. He is also one of the biggest cheerleaders of the Virtual Assistant industry, which is another reason why I am a big fan of his.

Michael’s extensive list of accomplishments and books written can be found right here. His latest program, Online Dominance, includes a fantastic Mentoring program for agents that contains his high-energy group coaching calls, as well as the highly valuable CLICKS to CLOSES™ and ePRODUCTIVITY™ courses. This is one program where a few of my real estate friends are participants, and they all are raving fans.

The main reason I am posting this is to highlight a fantastic lead follow up resource that he shares and how he goes about sharing it with the use of his Facbook fan page. The resource Michael shares is the ingenious “Critical First Response Email Script”. It is a simple email sent to internet consumers after their initial inquiry. It is crafted in a way that is no pressure, “non-salesy”, and invites consumers to open a dialogue when they are ready to.

How do you get this fantastic email script? Well, you must become a fan of the Online Dominance Facebook page in order to get to the download link. This Facebook tactic demonstrates a great way to generate new fans (or leads) to your Facbook fan page by enticing users to get something of value from you that they want or need. This simple trick is something you can do with your own fan page by creating a tab that only fans can access and use that tab to share valuable links, or special downloads for your fans. Then just watch your fan numbers grow.

I highly recommend that you check out Michael Russer

• Online Dominance – www.OnlineDominance.com
• The Mr. Internet News Real Estate Blog
• Online Dominance Facebook Page

Looking to spruce up your own Facebook fan page and add valuable links and information for your fans? Your Real Estate Virtual Assistant can help you! Contact us today for an assessment of your real estate and social media support needs. and if your not already, come on over to Facebook and be a fan!