Do you use YouTube for marketing? What type of videos do you use? How long are your videos? Do you need some tips for using YouTube for marketing?
Did you know that YouTube is the internet’s second largest search engine, second to Google which is the largest search engine? Since your audience is most likely on YouTube, YouTube can help improve your SEO and overall brand presence by allowing you to present unique content that’s easy for viewers to consume and share.
How long should the video be?
Don’t worry about not having the budget to create long 20 minute marketing videos; that’s a pretty bad idea anyway! Most viewers will not watch a video longer 2-3 minutes without losing interest.
If you want to make videos that are informative for potential clients, then make short videos answering frequently asked questions. Only address one question per video and try to keep the videos around 2 minutes long.
Realtors can answer real estate questions like what are closing costs or why do I need a home inspection. You can address questions about your local market area like what dog parks are the city or what is the real estate market like right now in the area. Answering questions makes for great, informative, short videos that are very search-friendly.
Once you get used to being in front of the camera, start doing some video neighborhood tours or community tours. Talk about points of interest or local history, anything to show your knowledge of the market, and let potential clients get to know you via your videos. Professional quality photos and videos are a must if you’re a competitive, full-service agent.
Using Slideshows
Slideshows turned into videos are the worst. Most users lose interest immediately when they see those. If you’re going to do videos for the purpose of showing your listings, hire someone. The cost charged is typically pretty reasonable compared to the cost for you to have the right equipment and software, plus your time for editing, and the quality will be better when it’s done by someone who is used to doing it for a living.
Put up as many video reviews as you can. If you can’t get your actual clients to let you record them talking about their experience working with you, then ask them to write a review for you on a site like Zillow or your Facebook page or Yelp, and hire someone on Fiverr.com to make a video of themselves reading the review as if it was them. It’s inexpensive and makes a big impact on potential clients.
Promoting Your Videos
Don’t be afraid to pay for some of the videos to be seen more, especially if you have a few that are really good marketing pieces for you. Even if you don’t get solid leads from doing it, the increased views on your channel videos are great marketing in and of itself! Tell homeowners in a listing presentation that you focus heavily on technology and digital marketing for selling their home, and how many number of views your YouTube channel has… it raises eyebrows, and most people don’t ask or care if the views are paid or organic.
The most important part of ANY video is the optimization. Make sure you are using all the tools that YouTube gives you to make your video rank high in searches, and lead viewers to where you want them to go. Every video should have a call to action using YouTube’s Annotations or Cards. You should use the video’s title, information text, tags, and playlists wisely to categorize and optimize every video you upload. Your YouTube Channel’s main page should be set up with branding and contact information in the banner, and a “Channel Preview” of a video that you think would attract the most clients. Embed these videos on your website(s), and share them on other social media platforms.
Making YouTube a big part of your digital marketing is a smart move!
Need help with your SEO or YouTube videos?
SEO is one of the most important long-term investments you can make for your business, but because the work is so tedious and specialized, there are plenty of companies out there who overcharge for it. SEO is very time consuming and most business owners don’t have the time to dedicate to it, but the more you know, the better off you are when hiring a marketing company to handle your SEO.
Velocifox Digital is here to help you with your SEO and YouTube videos! If you have questions about SEO, local search optimization, YouTube videos or need help growing or marketing your business, contact us for a free website audit.