Lessons from across the pond
Commercial real estate firms are well known for having top quality print marketing but fall years behind residential agents when it comes to blogging and even several more years behind when it comes to video blogging (video) which is a shame, given the visual nature of the industry. In the UK, commercial real estate firm, Hatton Real Estate has set out to vlog and is actually doing a commendable job.
Although the language and wording may be different than some of the real estate industry jargon in America, the video above shows that a simple video can announce a property and show visually the listing, without being cheesy or making it about the agent. Granted, we Americans are easily swayed by a British accent and not all U.S. agents can hire a British spokesperson, there are other standout qualities in the above vlog- it is concise, it is not self congratulatory, never cheesy, it is well scripted and the person on film doesn’t exhibit any strange hand movements or ticks.
Additionally, it is of note that Shaun Simons wears a suit in the video above, not a Hawaiian shirt or poorly fitted polo- his dress reveals a respect for his job and the viewer. Fashion depends on which segment of the market you work with, but upscale commercial properties demand less casual dress as demonstrated above. The video could use some lighting on the subject when inside the well lit unit because they are filming against backlighting and the idea of being well lit is a tad lost, but the editing is well done, the intro and outro are consistent in their vlogs and represent great branding. Because they keep it short, the video is easy to share on social networks and watch on a smartphone.
Check out Hatton Real Estate’s YouTube Channel to see other episodes of their vlog for inspiration.
