Every Realtor knows that buyers are visual. It’s hard to imagine a time when we will not use use still images (and we produce some beautiful ones!). But in 2015, we can no longer deny the age we are in where video is preferred, demanded, and most effective in marketing, especially in homes for sale.
There are many reasons for Realtors to use video for just about every listing they take, especially luxury real estate listings. However more and more studies show that buyers in all price ranges prefer to watch video over scrolling through images. In addition to the attention search engines give to videos, buyers are viewing videos of homes for sale more and more.
Top Five Reasons Home Buyers Prefer Video
1. Buyers are Busy
Whether a buyer is five days away from making a purchase decision or just beginning the home search process, buyers are a busy group of people. Video is a faster way to preview homes than scrolling through images – you can watch it on the go AND digest a lot of information in a short amount of time. Our brains processes visual information 60,000 times faster than words (Hubspot), and one minute of video is considered equivalent to around 1.8 million words(kapost.com).
2. Video Tells a Story
When produced thoughtfully, an HD video of a home sets the stage for a story to unfold before the buyers’ eyes. Thoughtfully selected music whether jazz, classical, contemporary, upbeat or inspirational can evoke an emotion and a connection to a home. That spark of emotion is the first step in the buyer picturing their personal story beginning in the home for sale.
3. Buyers Have High Speed Access
Most buyers are on their mobile phones, tablets and iPhones and iPads. And as bandwidth continues to expand, more users can access larger files, like video. In the second quarter of 2015, about 44% of all online videos are watched on a mobile device, according to Ooyala.
4. Buyers are Getting Younger and Younger
Millennials make up about 65% of the first time home buyer market estimates realtor.com® Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke, and 32% of the total buyers’ market. Without a doubt, this important group of consumers is searching online with the highest quality device and they expect high tech marketing like video.
5. Video is Powerful
Studies show that when the word “video” is used in an email subject line, open rates are boosted by 19% and click through rates are increased by 65%. Plus, according to Forbes, video is becoming a critical information source for senior executives. More than 80% said they are watching more online video today than they were a year ago.
