The Additive Value of Video
We’ve done a lot of video projects in the first half of this year, both residential and commercial, and I’mI finding that aerial video is essential to explain a property in a few seconds. But there are many different ways to use it.
We always include an elevated curb shot and some house angles in our still photography packages, but adding video tells one more about the neighborhood and proximity to urban centers than a thousand words. Here are a couple of examples. Video is addictive to the core, but what an important addition it can be!
Full-On Video for an Elegant Rathdrum Manor
This Rathdrum home has the looks and feeling of an estate, and that is how it’s laid out and landscaped. It sits high up from the street down a long driveway, so it made sense to showcase the entrance into the 10-acre spread and by flying over, around and hugging the ground.
Interior shots were excluded to keep the ad brief and because they were already included in the listing and in a companion Matterport 3D tour. But without this video we could not have done the property justice.
Spokane Valley: Video Slideshow
This home in Spokane Valley sits up in the hills of the Dishman conservation area. In fact, Dishman’s a short walk down the street, and a five minute drive downhill takes you to Spokane and I-90. Its location as a safe, quiet neighborhood accessible to urban bustle is a great value, but that’s not obvious simply by looking at room photos or the 3D tour.
Aerial video was not purchased with this media package, but we created a video slideshow, adding motion to the stills and creating a video experience. The aerial views add context and excitement to the property.
Narrative Video Ad with Stills
Our most recent narrative land ad featured a 20-acre hayfield in Harrison. We excluded aerial video from this ad because it was already included in a companion LandVision36 tour that was part of the media package – but also to keep the ad brief. Like most content creators we’ve learn that brevity is magic, especially in real estate marketing.
The ad was surprisingly effective in terms of analytics, and the property was quickly under agreement by a buyer planning to build a home. That was also a surprise, as the surrounding parcels are working agriculture.
Only 2:10 in run-time, I think the ad’s effectiveness lies in its simplicity and the deliberate repetition of a few key selling points. Like other video ads we’ve done for land, it includes a 3D topographical survey and a brief overview of Harrison. We’ve done so many ads in Harrison, we now have a good re-usable library of stock photography as well as a narrative video piece about the town.