No doubt you’ve seen one of those cute videos that get shared all over Facebook or shown on the news as the “Viral Video of the Day.” We love to see the puppy cuddling with the family’s new baby, or the toddler hilariously shouting “Linda, Linda, Linda! Listen to me!” For us it’s a peak into someone else’s life and a chance to live vicariously through them. Videos are powerful! Your senses are immediately exposed to sight and sound. Videos bring out emotions that other media (such as writing or radio) has to work harder to achieve. I can text you that I just bought a beautiful red sports car and you might reply “That’s pretty nice. Congrats.” Or I could call you and say I just bought a beautiful red sports car and let you listen to the engine roar in the background. That would definitely perk your interest. But if I showed you a video of me in my beautiful red sports car zooming down the road and then showed you what the inside of the car looked like (“Look at this leather!), your response might be more like “Wow! When can I get a ride?!”
You have the ability to generate more leads by tapping into the power of video to showcase your properties in a way that goes far beyond a real estate video. You want to capture the viewer’s emotions! Day in the Life videos are snippets of real life happening and are designed to focus on one person, or couple, at a time. What are the top questions you get right now from potential residents and/or relatives? Is it something like “How active are the residents?” or “How can I tell what it’s really going to be like for my mom living there?”
Day in the Life videos can be used to highlight a new exercise program that you’re offering, or a new personal service that you’ve added, without the viewer realizing what you’re doing. You can bring your bullet point list of “Amenities” to life by showing real residents engaging in these activities. It’s one thing for a resident or family member to see a list of services or a beautifully written description of your mission and values, but to see a :30 second video of “Alice” talking about her life at your residence and how she feels like she’s gained her independence back, takes your selling to a new level. There will be an immediate emotional payoff for the viewer who watches the video. They will see their own mother in “Alice.”
We recently produced a series of videos for one client and I’ll never forget the couple that we interviewed. They were cute as a button. I had them sit together in front of the camera and asked them to state their name and how old they were. A pretty straightforward question, right? Well they quickly turned into one of those couples from “When Harry Met Sally“ and started talked over each other and laughing. It was pure video magic. Everyone who has watched this video has laughed with them and then responded with “Aww…they’re adorable!” This was a real couple living in the residence. Not hired actors. I know you have these types of people living in your residence too. They probably crack jokes with you all the time and/or are a part of the welcoming committee for all new residents. These are the people you’ll want to use for your Day in the Life videos. If you want to expand your recruiting, Day in the Life videos are perfect for showcasing employees as well.
If you are interested in learning about how you can incorporate videos into your existing website or social media strategy, please contact us → and we can get the conversation started!
Tara Slusher, Account Manager for Bild & Company, joins the team with over 10 years in television production experience in both local and national audiences. She has produced work for “Grounds for Improvement,” “Bad Girls Club,” “Yard Crashers,” “Plane Extreme,” and “Jack Hanna: Into the Wild” airing on Oxygen, DIY, Food Network, Fine Living, HGTV, Weather Channel, PBS and NBC.
