As a savvy real estate entrepreneur, you recognize the value of using social media to grow your real estate business. However, if you feel like you’ve hit a wall trying to generate qualified leads online, starting a real estate YouTube channel may offer you a breakthrough.
YouTube, with its vast audience and powerful SEO benefits, offers a unique opportunity for real estate agents to showcase properties, share expertise, and generate leads. This guide will help you get started on YouTube and leverage its potential to grow your real estate business.
Find It Fast
Why YouTube?
High viewership: YouTube boasts billions of users every month and comes in as the second-largest search engine in the world, second only to its parent company. Google acquired YouTube in 2006, kicking off a relationship that allows YouTube to leverage Google’s advanced technologies, infrastructure, and advertising services, enhancing both user experience and monetization opportunities for creators. The combined infrastructure and audience provides real estate agents with an excellent platform to reach potential buyers and sellers.
SEO benefits: Videos on YouTube can rank in both YouTube search results and Google search results, enhancing your visibility online. Properly optimized videos can drive organic traffic to your website and listings.
Lead generation: Engaging video content can attract and convert leads. By showcasing properties, offering virtual tours, and sharing real estate tips, you can build trust and credibility with your audience.
Getting started on YouTube
1. Create your channel
Begin by setting up a YouTube channel dedicated to your real estate business. Customize your channel with a professional profile picture, banner, and description that clearly communicates your brand and what viewers can expect from your content.
2. Plan your content
Identify the types of content that will resonate with your audience. Some popular real estate content ideas include:
- Property tours: Showcase homes with detailed walk-throughs.
- Market updates: Provide insights on real estate market trends.
- Tips and advice: Share your valuable knowledge with buyers and sellers.
- Client testimonials: Feature satisfied clients to build credibility.
3. Fine-tune metadata for SEO
To maximize your reach, optimize your videos for search engines:
- Keywords: Use relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags. Keywords like “home for sale in {city}” or “real estate tips” can help attract viewers.
- Thumbnails: Create eye-catching thumbnails that accurately represent your content.
- Descriptions: Write detailed descriptions that include links to your website and contact information.
- Tags: Use tags to categorize your content and make it easier for viewers to find.
- Playlists: As you begin to accrue different types of content, consider organizing videos thematically so your library is easy to navigate and binge.
Creating high-quality videos
Equipment and setup
Invest in quality equipment to produce professional-looking videos:
- Camera: A high-definition camera or a modern smartphone with a good camera
- Microphone: A quality microphone to ensure clear audio
- Lighting: Proper lighting to enhance the visual appeal of your videos
Recording tips
Beginners can produce professional looking videos with these tips and some practice:
- Stability: Use a tripod to keep your camera steady.
- Framing: Ensure your subject is well-framed and the background is tidy.
- Sound: Record in a quiet environment to avoid background noise.
Editing
Editing is crucial to produce polished content. Use video editing software to:
- Trim and cut: Remove unnecessary parts to keep your video concise.
- Add music and effects: Enhance your videos with background music and visual effects.
- Subtitles and captions: Include subtitles to make your videos accessible to a wider audience.
Engaging with your audience
This is perhaps one of the most crucial steps, but it is often overlooked.
Consistency
Consistency is key to building an audience. Post videos regularly and create a content calendar to plan your uploads.
Interaction
Participate in the conversation by responding to viewers’ comments and encouraging discussions. This interaction helps build a community around your channel.
Promotions
Cross-post your videos on other social media platforms and your website. Share links to your videos in your email newsletters and encourage your clients to subscribe to your channel.
Measuring success
Use these metrics in YouTube Analytics to track your performance:
- Views and watch time: Monitor how many people are watching your videos and for how long.
- Audience demographics: Understand who your viewers are and tailor your content accordingly.
- Engagement metrics: Track likes, comments, and shares to gauge viewer engagement.
Starting a YouTube channel can be a game-changer for real estate agents. By creating engaging content, optimizing for SEO, and interacting with your audience, you can enhance your online presence, generate leads, and grow your business. Embrace the power of video marketing and watch your real estate brand flourish on YouTube.
Real estate YouTube marketing best practices
Following YouTube marketing best practices will ensure you get the maximum benefit from your real estate video marketing efforts.
Coherent visual branding
Ensure each of these visual elements follows your overall branding style:
- Video intro slide
- Thumbnail
- Titles and subtitles
- Animations
- YouTube banner (also known as channel art or channel header, it’s the large banner displayed at the top of a YouTube channel’s homepage.)
This includes logos, fonts, colors, titles, subtitles, and the overall color theme you use to create animations and text.
Focus on viewer intent
Many YouTube creators making video content for real estate struggle to find a balance between self-promotion and viewer-focused information, especially when starting out. Your videos should never seem salesy or spammy. Instead, keep the viewer’s objective in mind and focus on the value you offer through your visual content.
Use multiple calls to action in your real estate YouTube videos
Below are some essential YouTube CTAs to use in your videos:
- In your voiceovers or when speaking directly into the camera, prompt audiences to subscribe to your channel and click on the notification bell to be the first to hear about your latest content. Also, ask your audiences to comment and share your videos.
- Direct audiences to your other videos or website with pop-up CTAs. In YouTube Studio, go to the video you want to edit, click on “Cards,” and add a card, which will appear as a clickable pop-up during the video. You can link to other videos and playlists, but you will have to join the YouTube Partner Program in order to link to your site.
- Suggest related videos in your channel at the end of your content. To suggest related videos from your channel at the end of your YouTube videos, use the End Screen feature available in the YouTube Studio. You can add video elements in the last 5-20 seconds of your video, directing viewers to specific videos, playlists, or your channel. Again, if you want to use End Screens to include clickable links to your website, you will have to join the YouTube Partner Program.
- Include your social media links in your YouTube videos by adding them in the video description, which is editable in YouTube Studio. Additionally, you can include social media links in your channel banner by customizing your channel’s Basic Info section. Add them in the Links section and they will then appear as clickable icons on your banner.
- Offer your viewers freebies in exchange for giving you their contact information. For example, you could promote a free e-book on the homebuying process or a free home valuation in exchange for contact information. Recommend this lead magnet at the end of your video, and inform your viewers that they can find the link in the description box. When viewers click on the link, they’ll arrive at the landing page of your website where they will need to fill out a form with contact information to access the freebies.
Social media marketing + Luxury Presence
YouTube channels are just one part of your larger social media marketing strategy. If you’re looking to elevate your marketing across channels, we can help. We offer comprehensive marketing strategies from SEO to paid ads. And it all goes back to the linchpin of your efforts: a beautiful, lead generating real estate website.
