Another tempting element to marketing your property is video. It can look amazing and convey so much atmosphere when done well.
However there are some definite things to avoid when putting a video together.
- When preparing for a video shoot it’s even more important to ensure that your property is clean, tidy and well-staged. It’s not as easy to hide things from a moving camera and if you accidentally leave something in shot that you don’t want to be there it can’t just be photoshopped out in post production.
- Shooting a usable promotional video for yourself is not an easy thing to do well. It demands a lot of expensive equipment to get smooth shots. However with the advent of professional stills cameras having the capability to shoot 4K video there are many more professionals who can supply video because stills photographers are now branching out into moving image. Having said that, it is possible to take short promotional videos on your phone for social media updates. These don’t need to look too professional as long as your content is fun, engaging and not trying to show off absolutely everything.
- Keep it short! When looking through promotional videos for businesses, I have seen a vast array of quality. Videos need to be short and punchy. Any longer than 1.5 minutes is too long and you’d be well advised to keep it down to a minute in length. Attention spans are much shorter than you think. There is a reason Instagram & TikTok have a one minute limit. I have, in the past, seen videos on websites that go on for 10 minutes or more. No one is going to sit and watch something that length! Having a video that size on your website is not only pointless but can slow the sites loading speed, which means that less people will wait for your site to load. If you have a large property with a lot of amenities and features there is no reason why you can’t have separate short videos showing each of the selling points. These also double up as quality content for social media.
- Editing is so important. The key to keeping a video short and punchy is in the editing. Make sure you take a good look at videographers show reels. Some could shoot beautiful footage, but if the editing is no good then the video will drag. If you find yourself losing interest while watching it, your potential customers will too.
- Include people in your videos! Endless pans of empty rooms, no matter how beautiful they are, can only hold your attention for so long. As soon as you include people enjoying the place then the video will come to life and be so much more interesting. If you can include a story line for your video, even better.
- Show a day in the life of a family enjoying the facilities. Maybe cooking a family meal or going for a walk in the surrounding area. Or a couple on a romantic get away snuggling up on the sofa with a glass of wine or relaxing in the hot tub. As soon as you put a narrative into your video you will help potential customers will relate and aspire to staying. As soon as you have done that then you have their attention.
