Top Property Marketing Video Trends in 2018

With 2018 officially behind us, we can look with 20/20 vision back at last year and see what trends really took off (pun intended) in drone property videos last year while considering how these trends will evolve into 2019 and beyond. 

1. Google Earth Maps: Context is key, and there’s nothing quite like seeing where a property is in relation to its surrounding area than through the technological wonder that is Google Earth. With a satellite view of the area around a property, you can zoom between macro views at a state level to the micro level of the property itself. Videos in 2018 took advantage of Google Earth to point out nearby metros, easy access to thoroughfares such as highways and rail roads, nearby ports, retail centers, and anything else that could be marked with a pin point. Daily traffic numbers and patterns could be pointed out with highlighting  streets and arrows. As Google Earth updates and becomes more precise, expect to see more 3D capabilities. 
2. Nothing But Drone Footage: Short and sweet was the end game with these kinds of videos. Usually under a minute with minimal editing, the unencumbered aerial footage showed that drone photography was a huge trend in the commercial and residential real estate spaces. As the technology continues to be adapted, expect more bells and whistles on higher-end videos. 
3. High End Production Value:​ Although a lot of the CRE (commercial real estate) world was just catching up to drone video technology, some brokers were taking expectations above and beyond. Using 3D renderings, professional voice overs, custom b-roll, and a very large marketing budget, some projects were showcased with very impressive property videos. Although this was a minority in 2018, we expect this to be a trend that grows somewhat in popularity in 2019. 
4. Spicing Things Up: We saw some videos in 2018 that felt more like a music video than a CRE property video, and they stuck in our brains for it. Going with  stylistic choices like quick edits, music in the foreground instead of the background, and heavy visual effects, these videos were meant to make an impression. As the market for property videos moves forward in 2019 and beyond, we’re thinking there may be more requests for these kinds of videos, especially for multi-use properties and development projects. 
5. Internal Videography:  Drones may work in the skies, but gimbals reign supreme when it comes to filming indoor spaces. Steadicam work and professional videographers filmed the internal spaces of properties, flowing seamless from the exterior to the interior of listings in property videos. Starting mainly with residential videos, it’s now come to the CRE side as well. This is another trend that we expect to see more of in 2019 and beyond, as more  buyers and clients begin to expect to see video instead of photos on listings. 

Were you ahead of the curve or are you playing catch up? What trends do you think will be popular in 2019?

Four Tens is excited to be a part of the changing landscape and to look back a year from now to see what is popular in 2019!