The answer the ‘Why video, why now?’ is pretty simple, the market demands it. It's no secret we're big fans of video around here, and we still get our fair share of objections every day from agents and lenders.

The main objections we hear involve time and a lack of equipment. Leave it to the amazing people over at Coldwell Banker to provide the industry at large with a fantastic resource about video creation.

Get Your Spielberg On

Imagine the neighborhood tour from this angle!

Here's why I think video works, and why you should consider it for your business.

• Video is more engaging than other forms of communication. It appeals to more of the senses.
• Video provides an opportunity for you to build trust.
• Video gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your product.

Now that last one might sound strange. It’s important to understand why I didn’t put home there. A home isn’t always going to be the product of your videos. Sometimes the product is past clients, other times it’s you!

In case you need them here are a few stats to help persuade you:

• YouTube has more than 3 billion video views per day
• Listings with video get 20% more leads
• 73% of home sellers prefer an agent that uses video

And that’s just to name a few.

On Location Video 101

Coldwell Banker's new site On Location Video 101 can be your new go to resource for understand video for real estate. They lay out the steps for creating video with 5 simple steps.

These are the same steps I address when I teach classes about video.

1. Equipment. It’s easy to get distracted from the very beginning with the question of what camera to use. Don’t fall for this trap. It’s possible with today’s technology to capture high-quality video footage cheaply and without much hassle.
2. Prepping. Taking a page right out of my Boy Scout handbook, Be Prepared! Doing proper story-boarding and having checklists in place will ensure a proper shot every time. Or at least help avoid common pitfalls.
3. Filming. You can use the power of video to showcase a home, have past clients talk you up or send out great personal videos without hitting the record button.
4. Editing. By far this is the most daunting task for most agents. Embrace the challenge and refine the technique over time.
5. Marketing. Now that most of the heavily lifting is done you need to get that video in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Learning how to market your video is a crucial step to succeeding with video.

Action!

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth ten thousand. That's why I recommend for agent to use even more of it this coming year.