Posted: October 19, 2020
Way back when, in the early to mid 10s, drone footage-based property marketing videos were still in the infant stage of utilization within the CRE community. When they were used, it was for Class A, big marketing budget listings where thousands of dollars spent on a video would be recouped tenfold at the end of the deal.
Now in the 2020s, this is clearly no longer the case. With licensed drone flight services as easy to book as an Uber, even smaller listings can reap the benefits of a well-made property marketing video. With so much video content in the CRE marketing world, a new problem is arising: how do you make your property marketing videos stand out going into 2021?
While well-composed and sufficiently informational videos will keep the viewer’s attention, sometimes clients and brokers want to take things up another notch. Today, we’re not talking about your run-of-the-mill property marketing video. We’re discussing next-level additions that will get your video shared across the internet without breaking the bank.
Just because you can still spend thousands and thousands of marketing budget dollars, doesn’t mean that you always need to though. Here are our three tips for making property videos pop without emptying out the entire piggy bank.
Interior Video Footage
Depending on the asset class of the listing, it may not make sense or be possible to have interior video footage. Land and development projects may not have anything to film the interior of. However, for industrial, office, retail, healthcare, and leisure properties all promise the potential of great interior video footage. Getting the lighting right and filming smooth, steady footage can help make any interior look more welcoming.
Industrial warehouses are usually the easiest properties to obtain video footage from, sometimes even with the same drone flying the exterior of the property. But office and retail interiors can be filmed with a camera and a steady hand. We recommend working with videographers who specialize in interior filming, so that they have the right Steadicam and gimble equipment to get smooth, clear footage.
Broker Voiceover and Video Presence
A personal touch is most often the one remembered. Applying that principle to property marketing videos works as well. Having the broker provide a voiceover narration lends a sense of authority and credibility to the video. It also provides a human element compared to a video without a voiceover.
Want to take it another step further? Record an introduction and outro with the broker in the listing space. With high quality audio and a broker that feels comfortable being onscreen, the combination is a dynamic powerhouse of marketing awesomeness.
While it can sometimes feel uncomfortable for brokers to speak into the camera for a property marketing video, speaking like you would to a client or investor during a pitch meeting, while conveying a sense of confidence goes a long way in bolstering the efficacy of the video.
View example here.
3D Renderings Imposed on Drone Footage
For land and development, property marketing videos often include stylized renderings or future site plans to help demonstrate the potential of a listing. But what if there was a better way to convey the potential possibilities of the site, or simply do a better job of showing the dimensions?
While often more expensive than the average property video, 3D renderings and 3D animated renderings can bring to life the possibilities for a listing. Is a 200-acre wooded property designated to become a future multi-use development? Putting a 3D site plan over the drone footage of the undeveloped property to scale shows just exactly how big that development will be. A fully animated rendering of an intersection showcasing a grocery store, residential buildings, and a nearby hotel (for example), give a clear and concise sense of space for a future development.
Example: Mixed-use Retail Render Oval Room
How to Make the Magic Happen
If these ideas make sense for a listing of yours, or you are interested in learning more for a future project, get in contact with our video experts at Four Tens. We’re happy to talk about the process for creating great property marketing videos, and what you can expect if you’d like to incorporate any of these concepts into one of your property marketing video projects.