Last Spring, The Group, Inc. added a new dimension to its marketing vision when it launched a dedicated video department. Because it’s in-house, the department makes video accessible and available to all of The Group’s agents and their customers, and since April, it has produced more than 100 property tours as well as agent profiles, holiday, and community videos. Those videos are consistently attracting more eyes and for longer. In fact, consumers spend an average of 90 seconds or more looking at property with a video than one without.
The appeal of video isn’t that surprising. “Video is the perfect fit for the real estate industry and having an in-house video department allows The Group to deliver a unique customer experience and differentiate ourselves for the competition,” says Chief Innovation Officer Tom Flanagan.
Plus, more than half of buyers first find their new home online, and with three-quarters of Americans walking around with high definition televisions — smartphones — in their pockets, video is easier than ever to consume.
But as usual, The Group takes the medium to the next level. Which is where Senior Video Producer Brian Martinez comes in. Martinez heads up the department and handles most of the production responsibilities, from filming to editing, himself. The goal has been for the short films to deliver a cinematic experience that goes well beyond a typical virtual tour and gets viewers excited to see it for themselves.
“We want to make these things interesting, short, visually stimulating and beautiful to keep people’s attention,” says Martinez.
After connecting with a Group agent about the home and the marketing vision, Martinez will schedule the shoot. Martinez then spends one to two hours filming the interior and exterior of the property before heading back to the office where he pulls in Northern Colorado lifestyle footage from his growing video library. Once complete, Martinez sends the video to the agent, who shares it on The Group’s website, the dedicated property website, and social media. The videos are even available on Zillow now.
The resulting videos, unlike the home-for-sale slideshows that we’ve come to expect from real estate websites, play more like a movie trailer. They’re all set to catchy, upbeat music. Cameras take wide angles on subdivisions and zoom toward the homes to be featured. Once inside, rather than linking still photos, Martinez uses video to give the viewer the sensation of actually walking through the home, maybe looking up at a staircase or spinning a slow circle to take in an airy entryway or a sun-drenched kitchen. For really exceptional properties, drones (Martinez is a licensed operator) provide sweeping aerial footage of the Rocky Mountains and Northern Colorado communities.
“It’s fairly fast-pace,” says Martinez. “We take 60 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the size of the house, and we highlight the home, so clients want to [come] see it in person.”
You can view The Group’s entire video gallery here.
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