How Long Should My Video Be?

Should you make the video a teaser so the viewer is hungry for more information? Or should you provide details that help the Buyer start the decision process without seeing the home? Maybe even to the point of making an offer?

It's a difficult decision. And it's one that you need to consider before you begin shooting your video tour. Here's my thoughts on the different approaches:

The 1 to 2-Minute Teaser... A tour of one or two minutes isn't really a tour but it's more of a video ad bringing the viewer's attention the subject property. Aside from the basics of size, style, location and a few quick scenes you don't have time to go into much detail. This approach starts with the assumption that you have just a few seconds to capture the viewer's attention and you need to get the message to them quickly and spur them to action. They assume to viewer is flipping through the possibilities quickly and won't stop to watch a video over one or two minutes. It's the approach that most of the ads you see on TV use. They are quick, catchy and tend to be strong in the call to action component. You might feel they are easy to produce, but it takes time and thought to compress an effective message into such a small package. You need to say more than "Hey there, look at me!"

The Medium 3 to 5-Minute Tour... This is pretty popular video time span, especially if you don't narrate. With a tour of this length you'll be able to spend more time on the highlights and get into some detail with close-ups. You can also do a pretty good walk-through tour of the home and the viewer will feel more immersed in the experience than in the 1 to 2-minute teaser. For a home of more than 1,500 sf you might find it a little restrictive if you want to show and say most of you'd show a buyer on a real tour. It's a little of both extremes and has the advantage of lower production time and smaller file size while exploiting the advantages of the media.

The Documentary 5 to 10-Minute Tour... At this length you have time to go into some detail. If you use a walk-through format you can just about cover every room pausing to take in the highlights and still have time for a summary at the end. This length might be a little too long if you don't narrate the video, but if you do, it might take this long to do a good job. Ever notice how fast the people talk in the 30-second ads? That's because it takes time to get the words out. Luckily, most video editing software programs make this fairly easy to accomplish. Many will let you adjust the audio length so you can squeeze it into the right place.

There is a school of thought among marketing and advertising folks that shorter is better. The idea is to present your message as flashy and impressive as you can in as short a time as possible. Generally speaking, this approach certainly has merit. When someone is flipping through the pages of a magazine or newspaper, visually flashy ads get their attention. There is the "Hey You!" component, then there is a "call to action" part and then there is a way to contact the advertiser or buy the product they are selling. Effective ads of this type are a precise mix of science and art. And it takes a real expert, or a very attractive product to do it effectively.

The well-worn term "just make the phone ring" we real estate salespeople have heard, (and said,) for so long is a another way of saying "shorter is better." It's based on the theory that if you can get the buyer to call you, you have a shot at selling them something, anything, just let me at them! If I can get them to call me before anyone else, I will have accomplished my objective. There are experts in real estate advertising that say you should never run an ad that answers every question the buyer might have. Make 'em call! For print ads, they're probably right.

But for selling real estate on the Internet a more comprehensive approach might be worth considering. Maybe a "Hey You" component followed with a documentary tour has it's place in selling real estate. I find that people will watch a video for a long time if they're interested and motivated. It's sure a lot easier than driving around to open houses only to be disappointed that the home you came to see isn't what you had envisioned it to be. I've had several of my listings sell to buyers that made offers sight-unseen except for the video tour.

I think the buyer that depends heavily on the Internet is looking for more than just a "Hey You!, Call Me!" ad. I think they want information. And I don't think there's a media better suited to deliver that information than an effective video tour.

That being said, there's still plenty of buyers out there that are shopping for a Realtor to help them. In the case of branding and self-promotion ads, there's plenty of room for all styles. I think a combination of "Hey You" videos followed by longer, more substantive ones of what you can offer, would be very effective.

BTW... Virtual tours, those funny little spinning photos, are a good example of the "Hey You" approach followed by a pretty week attempt at providing information to the buyer. Here's one of their "videos."

But no matter how you look at it, the future of on-line real estate marketing is VIDEO!