Don’t Just Tell Them About Your Marketplace, Show Them [Video Idea of the Week]

Many agents are getting hip to the idea that to score well on search engines, you need niche-specific keywords. One of the greatest ways to do this on your website, and to solidify yourself in your specific marketplace, is by creating interactive neighborhood guides on your website.

I put a special emphasis on "interactive." Sure, you can have a written neighborhood description, and even integrated MLS neighborhood maps that show current listings, but why not video?

REMEMBER AGAIN: Google loves video content.

Even more, your prospective clients do, too. As a mass media society, we all have the attention spans of mosquitoes. Why read something, when you can watch it?

One company we look to all the time for compelling, local, niche content is Blu Skye Media. Owner Matthew Anello is a genius when it comes to artistic video. His videos don't just show the characteristics of a home or a neighborhood--they tell the story, and show the lifestyle.

That is a rare talent, and is why we love working with Matthew so much.

So, in keeping with this week's tip, here are two videos Matthew shot so that you can see, in real life, what we are talking about.

This first video is a short clip, showing the lifestyle of downtown Menlo Park. As you can see, it perfectly gives you the impression of what it would be like to live there. Even more, it is short, so it would be the perfect addition to a webpage about Menlo Park, as it is quick and easy to digest. As we all know, web visitors love video:

Do you host your listing's video tours on your website? Imagine not only telling the story of your listing, but also the lifestyle of the surrounding area. That would be awesome, right? Well, check out what Matthew has done for agent Mary Gilles of Alain Pinel REALTORS®:

Pretty neat way to showcase your local marketplace or listings, isn't it? If you'd like to see the entire virtual tour that Blu Skye made for Mary, click here to see it.

Want to do something like this on your website? While I would strongly recommend hiring a professional to do these types of shoots, it isn't always 100% necessary. If you are in a "cash crunch," or just want to give it a try for yourself, there may be hope.

While Matthew's creative eye and his ability to string together visually appealing, interesting videos certainly are something he's not only got a talent for, but worked very hard to hone and develop, there is still hope for an agent that wants to "go it on their own" and shoot a neighborhood video themselves.

When you shoot your video, try to ignore the "big picture" and hone in on the little things--the things that tell the story of what you are shooting. The nuances make what you are shooting different and more unique than anywhere else.

Keeping those things in mind, and trying to stay true to the art of "showing" and not "telling," will get you on the right path.

To view the original article, visit the Leading Agent blog.