In this article…

1. Breakdown about Video on Facebook
2. 3 Strategies for Creating Video on Facebook and Online
3. Video ScreenCast about Facebook Video
4. Example of Videos used on Facebook
5. Audio Podcast for this Training Article

Training Video: ScreenCast on using Facebook Video

In this video I’ll walk you through a short training module about How and Why to do video marketing on Facebook.

Podcast: Listen to the Audio Podcast for this Training Article:

If you want to download this Podcast Click Here…

Subscribe to it on iTunes

Videos are not just for YouTube anymore… Facebook wants to change the way video is used and viewed on Social Media and Online.

Some of you are making marketing videos, many of you are simply not….

Video is and should be part of your overall marketing strategy online.

WHY?

This is certainly not the first time you have seen an article about how important video is becoming to use in your overall marketing online.

Plus, I am certainly not the first “guru” out there to tell you just how important video is. But at least I’m a handsome “guru”.

Video is important and I’m going to try and show you WHY here…

Why Video

Video is a another communication tool for marketers. The same way like websites, images, blog articles, and copywriting are.

Video can be an effective way to tell stories and communicate messages, if they are done correctly.

In 2014, Facebook invested heavily to make video play a much larger role on it’s platform. Facebook is betting big on video and you as a marketer should also.

It’s not just on Facebook. Twitter has made some huge investments into video as well with it’s almost $100 million dollar purchase of Periscope, a live video streaming app.

We should expect to see Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest make improvements over how video is viewed on their platforms as well.

So video is here to stay. Now the question for a real estate agent is: When and How are you going to incorporate video into your marketing?

Using Video on Facebook

When we are talking about video on Facebook, we’re talking about manually uploading video into the Newsfeed. The same way you upload photos.

We are not talking about sharing a YouTube link for a video on the Newsfeed.

Video on Facebook has a lot to do with mobile usage. 65% of the total videos viewed on Facebook occur on mobile devices.

Here’s some more info about video on Facebook:

• It’s been reported that there are over 1 billion videos viewed on Facebook each day.
• The average Facebook user worldwide watched 75% more video this year compared to last year.
• In the US, that increase in views was actually 94%.
• Brands posted 20,000 more videos on Facebook than they did on YouTube in December 2014.

OK GREAT INFO, SO NOW WHAT?

This is the fun part now.

To Create content. To Create your own marketing. To Create how you want to communicate with your Audience.

This is the single most important concept to understand before you make your first video: YOUR AUDIENCE.

Just making real estate videos and posting them up online is not the way to make your video marketing on Facebook work for you the way you want it to. You have to create videos (content) which actually have the potential to connect with the people you’re trying to generate business from and/or create awareness with.

This is who your Audience is. Therefore, your videos must have a purpose/point to them and provide value to your Audience.

Strategies for Real Estate Agents Making Facebook Videos

Here are specific strategies and techniques that I recommend to agent for making their own videos on Facebook and online. There is also some examples below to give you some inspiration.

1: Be Entertaining

Facebook is a true Social Network. Your connections are not there to be slammed with “advertisements” and “sales pitches”. Using humor and being creative with how you communicate your messages goes much farther on Facebook.

You may not know exactly how to be entertaining on your first few videos, but if you continue to try and create new content you eventually will. You’ll find what your connections like and don’t like when you’re producing them.

If you’re a business owner in 2015 and beyond (you’re a real estate agent, and yes you’re a business owner and entrepreneur), then you must also adopt the philosophy that you are a Media Company now.

We are all media companies now.

The content we produce online all has to have some form of entertainment value to it and understanding your a media company now helps you create content which is.

2: Be Informative

Give, Give, and Give…

Deliver nothing but….

Value, Value, and more Deliver more Value.

Jay Baer has a really awesome concept/approach to online marketing in today’s world called YouTility.

YouTility: Marketing So Useful, People Would Pay For It…

The videos you produce must provide value to the people you are trying to reach.

This is an easy concept to understand but it can be a little difficult to implement sometimes because it means you will have to get creative. You’ll need to tap into your God-given creative capabilities to come up with effective ways to communicate your messages via video. Everyone has these capabilities, its just a matter of tapping into them. For some this comes really easy, and for others it can be challenging, but NO ONE is NOT capable of it.

It takes practice and requires that you actually start producing videos and be somewhat consistent with them to get better at communicating your messages using this format.

Each video you create should not be about you or focused on you. It’s not about you. It’s about your connections and your Audience.

They don’t want advertisements or sales pitches and that is not what connects online with people.

They want to see you be creative and deliver messages to them in an entertaining and informative way.

This is what will create long term awareness and that is what staying “Top Of Mind” is all about.

3: Sell Without Selling

If you’re being entertaining and informative…

If you’re providing straight-up value to your Audience…

If you’re Giving a lot of Value before you Ask for Something… Then you are simply Selling Without Selling.

This is the most effective way to communicate your services and market your brand online. It’s a more purer form of selling which promotes long term relationships if you do it right.

Real Estate is a long term game and if you’re not in it for the long term then you have already lost. If you’re goal is to create videos that will produce instant leads right now, like TODAY, then you’ll need an education on how to market yourself online today.

You’re running a Marathon, not a Sprint…. Gary Vaynerchuk

Video marketing is all about developing and creating your brand online. You can tell stories and communicate messages in ways that you simply cannot with blog articles and images.

Your Audience can really get to know you on their own time without having to actually see you. This is why it’s so important and valuable for a real estate agent.

Examples of Effective Videos used on Facebook

In these videos you’ll see actual videos which I produced for agents that I work with in the Chicagoland area.

VIDEO NO. 1: In this video we used the blooper reel footage from a video shoot to make a funny video which was used on Facebook. These agents used the video as an introduction to entering into the real estate business and in the making of their first video online.

VIDEO NO. 2: This video used a combination of blooper reel footage and some shots of a virtual tour in the same video. The agent promoted the video on Facebook as sharing her day on a video shoot for a new listing coming onto the market.

VIDEO NO 3: This was a virtual tour video with blooper footage at the end of it. The agent posted the video and asked everyone in the post to “NOT LAUGH AT THE END OF IT”. She used a pure Sell Without Selling approach here and it worked.

VIDEO NO 4: In this video two agents, Steve & Tim, who primarily work with rehabbers produce videos which show their skills and value to their prospective Audience which are, Rehabbers. They both have some comedic skills and you see them use it in the video. There is also a cameo appearance of me in it.

VIDEO NO 5: Again Steve & Tim use their comedic skills to show off a new project and even bring in their client to become part of the video. Actually, many of their clients want to be in their videos.

VIDEO NO 6: My brother, Mike, here does a virtual tour video for a Rental listings in a Chicago neighborhood full of lofts. But he doesn’t just try to sell this particular loft. He gives value by providing info about the area and other lofts in it.

VIDEO NO 7: Listen for the Dinosaur. This video got a ton of comments and likes. Total sell without selling technique.

Equipment for Making Videos

You already have it. Well, you “kind of” have everything you need.

All of the videos I create for Agent Redefined and my clients are shot using my iPhone 6, iPad Air 2, and/or DSLR Canon T4i.

Not everyone has a DLSR camera, but you don’t need one. The quality of video you can produce on an iPhone 6 or iPad Air 2 is incredible. All you need is to produce good audio and this can be done with some really affordable options.

These are my current microphone set-ups for all of my videos using a DSLR Camera.

A. Audio Technica PRO 70 Cardioid Condensor Lavalier Microphone. This microphone attaches to both my DLSR and iPhone/iPad when filming videos. This is used when I’m filming one single person.

B. RODE NTG-2 Shotgun Microphone. I use this microphone when there is more than one person speaking. This microphone is positioned right above the subjects (the people that are speaking).

C. RODE VIDEO MIC Directional Condensor Microphone. This mic I only use on my DSLR camera and it’s good for a quick “run and gun” video shoot. There is a PRO version of this mic which is awesome but more expensive, but I really want one.

To hook up your iPhone and/or iPad to a XLR microphone like the the Audio Technica PRO 70, or RODE NTG-2 you’ll need an adapter. Both of these microphones use an XLR connections.

To accomplish this there is a really simple option: The iRig PRE Mic from IK Multimedia. Simply plug in this microphone to your iPhone/iPad then connect the XLR cable from the microphone to it and you’re set.

iPhone/Android Materials List for making videos.

There are some other options available for using your iPhone/Android device which are even a little more easier.

1. Tripod
2. The GLIF (phone mount for fitting onto a tripod)
3. Microphone.

About Tripods.
When you’re buying a tripod there are a lot of options available. I would suggest simply buying a cheap one at first and then upgrade from there. When I started I used a $50 tripod from Best Buy. Once you start making more videos you can invest into a professional tripod which will run you anywhere from $175 to $500.

The GLIF
For the adapter on my iPhone I use an adapter called the “glif”. It’s an adjustable tripod mount and stand. Simple to use and awesome. It will work on an Android or iPhone.

For mounting an iPad to a tripod I use the PadCaster. It’s the best tool out there for mounding your iPad onto a tripod.

Microphones.
There are so many cool, good, and affordable microphones coming onto the market for iPhones and Androids.

For a simple lavavlier microphone which plugs directly into your phone I use Aspen Mics. This lavalier cost about $50 on Amazon.

Next, if you have more then one person that is going to be on the video, then you’ll want to use the RODE VideoMic Me. It’s a small shotgun microphone. I don’t own it yet but it’s on my list now. It just came out and the reviews of it are solid. When I get this I will add some photos here.

What To Do Next…

This training article is meant to give any level of real estate agent a starting point for using video on Facebook.

As you start to produce more video you will get better at making them, but more importantly you’ll be better at effectively communicating your marketing messages.

The quality of your message will always be more important than the quality of the actual video production.

The most important take away here is to just start getting more comfortable making video. Video is here and it’s not going away anytime soon, and the only way to get started is TO JUST START NOW!

We live in an incredible time where it’s actually affordable and easy to produce high quality videos and just as easy to share them.

You and Me

I want to know more about the videos you’re currently making for Facebook and YouTube.

Or, are you not making any videos at all and need to get started? If that’s the case, share what’s holding you back.

You can COPY and PASTE a direct link for any videos you’re currently making and share them with all of us in the comment section. I would love to see them.

Want to learn more about social media marketing and building an online presence? You can take our FREE 5-Module Marketing Course with eBooks and Videos… GO HERE TO GET STARTED

Vaya con Dios amigo and don’t forget to leave some feedback for me in the comment section below.