Every Agent Wants to be James Bond

It’s no secret that nearly everyone working in real estate wants to project that suave, sophisticated, and successful ideal – I mean, “Real Estate Agent” is only a short step away from “Secret Agent”, right? We see so many agents who have social media accounts packed with stylish clothes and impressive cars and loooooonnnggg videos with beautifully cinematic shots, but we can’t help but think… why? Sure, it looks cool, but it’s not really what people are looking for in real estate social media these days. To us, these James Bond wannabes are out of touch with the property market and the general public — and we know their leads are suffering because of it.

So… what should you do instead?

Real estate social media is hyper-competitive. It’s a game of angle shooting, with big agencies being able to afford entire creative marketing teams while independent agents have to figure it all out themselves. That’s why so many agents lean back on the James Bond look: it shows that they’re successful, and success should attract interest.

But studies are showing that the realest and easiest way to catch engagement is speed. One of the most common video styles we see from agents is the big cinematic drone shot, with stunning sunsets and skylines and sweeps of the neighbourhood. Often there’s action shots of the suave agent stepping out of a fancy car or shaking hands with sellers or auctioneering. These videos might look fantastic, but they’re too long and too slow. If the agent wants to be James Bond, then their videographer wants to be Spielberg.

If instead you can communicate your intent in the first 15 seconds of a video post, you’ve got it. Whether you’re chatting about your ethics as a seller-buyer liaison or doing a walk-through of a newly listed property, front-loading all the important info before the user scrolls away is the best way to stick in their minds. Stick to one idea, get to the point, and let viewers know where to go for further info in the post’s caption. Social media consumers are savvy: they know what they want, and they can instantly recognise it in their feeds, so you need to be able to give it to them quickly.

This doesn’t mean you have to be all substance and no style: good-looking videos are still eye-catching, and social proof of your success as an agent is still important, but keeping style and substance in careful balance is key.

So how do you do this?

Of course we’d all love to have a highly skilled team of media professionals at our beck and call to whip up amazing social media videos, but that’s just not possible for most of us. Instead, take some time to learn how your social platform of choice works: what kind of formats they accept, what search functions (like hashtags, keywords, etc) they use, and what else is getting a lot of likes and comments. Keeping up with trends and fads can be useful sometimes, but leaning too heavily into that sort of culture can come off as “cringey” and desperate.

Once you feel comfortable on your platform, it’s time to start planning some content of your own. Start with some plans for different video styles: how would you structure a new listing video? What about an auction? A basic agency promo? Having these plans laid out ahead of time will make sure you don’t resort to the Speilberg fluff when you’re putting your final video together.

Next, find an editing app. There’s heaps out there: iMovie, Adobe Premier Rush, and Splice are some of the most popular, but find the one you like most and take some time to learn how to use it. These will give you most of the features of an expensive desktop editing suite without the massive learning curve, and all in the palm of your hand.

Once you have the gist of it, get out there and start shooting. Your phone has a great camera, and now it’s also got your editing software, so there’s next to no upfront costs. It’s ok if your videos aren’t perfect the first time — it’s all about growth, and your style can grow alongside your brand. Once your video is ready, throw it up on your platform of choice and see what’s working and what you can improve on later.

If that’s all too much to manage on top of your busy  day-to-day, there is another solution. Properti is a fully integrated service provider that can design, produce, post, and manage your social advertising content for you, using cutting-edge automation processes and seamless integration between your social media and your CRM. All you need to do is film it. Reach out for a demo today.