perfection
HE Found Me
We talked for about 30 minutes, he told me he has been in real estate for about 12 years and has been hearing a lot about real estate video so, like most consumers looking to gather information or solve a problem, he headed online. He found me. I told him a story. What over 3 years of shooting real estate videos, good and bad has taught me. We talked about cameras I use and why, editing softwares, microphones, tripods, topics, mindset and more. Towards the end of our conversation he said something that prompted this post; he said “I have wanted to get into video before but thought they had to be perfect”.
Perfection
Perfection is something many of us strive for. In our professional careers, relationships, parenting, sports but it has absolutely no place in real estate video. Perfection is actually your biggest enemy. Let me explain. When I first started making real estate videos I started with a 13 in macbook pro, the webcam on it allowed me to shoot and import video directly into iMovie, mac’s native video editor. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. There were times that I was too close to the camera and times when I was too far away. Sometimes the camera angle was less than flattering. The audio was good sometimes and horrible others {echo -echo – echo}. My background was presentable sometimes and MESSY others. I then “moved up” to a flip mino HD and then a Kodak Zi8 and then a Canon T3i, then a Canon 60D… years later here I am with Mark II’s and Mark III and more GoPro’s than I can count. As I changed from camera to camera, editing software to editing software, condenser mic to wired to wireless lavalier one thing stayed constant: My videos were never perfect. And I don’t ever want them to be.
Do Your Real Estate Videos Have To Be Perfect? mytitleguy.com/2013/01/do-you…
— Stephen Garner (@mytitleguy) January 10, 2013
IT’S Not About YOU!
The first thing you need to know about making real estate videos is this: it’s not about you. It’s about the consumer or whoever your ideal client is – the person/group/demographic you are making the video for. What they want and what you want are often at odds even though you may not know it. You may want to talk about you, your team, your brokerage, your production or awards/designations {like the typical real estate agent}, all of that is NOISE. Noise that will cost you a lead. Everyone has had a friend at one point that LOVED to talk about how awesome they think they are {you’re thinking about him/her right now} and we HATED them for it. Instead of a consumer telling you to “SHUT UP!” they will simply go BACK on their browser and watch another real estate agents video. What consumers want is information. Therefor it’s really the message that is the most important not the tools or even the vehicle used to deliver it. I make mistakes all the time. I studder, I say too many “um’s and ah’s, I even sneeze sometimes – while making the video! I leave them in. I don’t edit them out. You know why? Because you sneeze too. Perfection takes time and I’ve learned that perfection is the enemy of production. If I was looking for perfection I would never find it. There is always something that can be improved on. Aperture, Shutter Speed, White Balance, Kelvin, Angle, Lens etc. I simply make note of it for my next real estate video. What I thought worked and what didn’t. Today I make all kinds of real estate video, from HD Property Tours to Screencasts to Green Screen and Visual Stories but none of them are perfect.
Just Do It
So, do your real estate videos have to be perfect? No. But they have to be made. Todays consumer is online, looking, searching for information. Your videos can give it to them IF YOU MAKE THEM. My advice to the real estate agent that contacted me, others that follow my website and videos, facebook and Twitter, attend our classes or even meet with me in person is this: just do it. Set up a camera and get into the mind set of your ideal client. What are they looking for? What is of value to them? What problems do they face? You may think you are too fat or balding, you may think you are under dressed or over dressed, you may think you are dumb or ugly but I can promise you this: when someone clicks on your video what they care about most is not the way you look, but your message. The words coming out of your mouth, How you can help THEM. Help them solve a problem or avoid PAIN. But in order for any of that to happen, you need to make the video FIRST. Do your videos have to be perfect? No, but they have to be made.
If you are a real estate agent in Phoenix, fill out the form below. Our technology team at Grand Canyon Title will help you make videos of value. HD Property Tours, Screen Cast, Green Screen and more. Videos consumers are looking for online – right now. Videos that will help you convey value, stand out from your competition and help you get found online – where a consumer would naturally look for you and your services. Your videos don’t have to be perfect, but they have to be made.
