I hear this repeatedly, comments almost exclusively made by Realtors, photographers, videographers, or marketers! “People just don’t have time to watch longer videos – they have a very short attention span.”
Oddly enough, if you speak to the actual target audience of this particular type of video – real estate buyers – they will tell you the exact opposite!
Having shot over 10,000 real estate videos over many, many years, I frequently have the opportunity to speak with buyers who purchased a home I shot years ago, in which they are now selling.
Dozens and dozens and dozens of times, I am told that not only do they watch the entire video, regardless of length, but they also view it multiple times. Some had even claimed hundreds of times before they finally decided to purchase the home.
Many of these buyers hired the former listing agent of the home, not their agent. Why? The video is what sold them on the house in the first place. And this is the result they are hoping for as they begin to sell this home to a new buyer.
As new videographers enter the real estate market, they are spending a great deal of time trying to figure out how to be different. Sometimes this means incorporating actors; sometimes, it means zipping through the house, speeding up the footage for the sole purpose of making the video shorter to adhere to the false standard set by people who don’t understand this market. And others enjoy showing off their editing skills.
At the end of the day, an excellent real estate video shows the flow and layout of the house. It shows how the rooms connect. This is the information buyers are craving that cannot be understood from still photography.
Remember, photographers and videographers are NOT interested in purchasing this home. Realtors see many homes every single day and also are not interested in buying the house or even looking at another house. Of course, they find it boring – as would I. I see even more homes daily than Realtors do – the last thing I want to watch is the video of some random house.
Real estate videos are not entertainment. If people watch a minute or so and then drop out, it doesn’t matter. They are not your customers! Who cares?
Serious buyers for a home will watch a longer video – there is absolutely no doubt in my mind, which is why I’ve been shooting videos the way I have for 15 years. It’s as simple as that. As a creative person, I would love to change it up and be different. Still, the reality is THIS is the information buyers crave, and this is why I shoot more real estate videos than almost any single individual in the country. It’s because it works.
I understand that we live in a social media world, and we do offer a 60 second cut down of your video for use on social media. These are designed only as a teaser, as it doesn’t cover the entire house and doesn’t show the layout and flow at all – only a hint of what they can find if they want to see the full listing video.
Facebook allows for longer videos. When you upload your video to Facebook, they specifically suggest you upload longer videos, as they receive more engagement!
