Ever feel the pressure to create captivating content but struggle to capture the perfect idea? We’ve all been there.
It’s one thing to miss out on opportunities to brand ourselves, but when it comes to promoting your client’s property, exceeding expectations is crucial.
When preparing a listing launch, I strive to streamline the media build-out process by strategically planning the content in advance. Ensuring it’s clearly mapped out saves me time while still delivering on the content promised to my clients.
Let’s walk through the media build-out for a new listing.
Build Your Content Plan
It doesn’t matter if your listing is a beachfront condo or an entry-level fixer-upper. Yes, the beachfront property will be easier to showcase with professional videography, but the reality is that we must put effort into promoting every listing—and to do that, having a media build-out is critical. Let’s get started.
For my newest listing, my content plan includes the following:
- Coming soon highlight reel
- Lifestyle listing reel
- Property listing reel
- Reel on the staging process
- New listing post
- Local spotlight reel on a community park near the listing
- Proof of success reel
Sounds super overwhelming, right? It’s not.
Here’s the media build-out to get all that content.
#1—Professional photography
This is the standard today, and it should include interior, exterior, community amenities and drone photography. This high-quality photography will be used for:
- MLS Listing
- Website Landing Page
- New Listing Post on Social Media
- Targeted Advertising Campaigns
- Direct Mail Campaigns
#2—Videos
Get a videographer; don’t get a videographer—it’s your call based on your budget.
I chose to get a videographer, and I have a plan before we meet regarding what creative pieces I want. For the six videos I mentioned above, the videographer will create four. Of those four videos, I am only in two, and I am only talking in one (see, not overwhelming).
Here is the breakdown of my video plan:
Coming soon highlight reel
A short, captivating glimpse using drone and property footage. Post to Instagram, Facebook, Google, and YouTube a few days before the listing goes live.
Lifestyle listing reel
Highlight the dream lifestyle with luxury interiors, pool, and beach views. Feature yourself (without narration) for a personal touch. Post to the same platforms as the teaser reel on the listing launch day.
Property listing reel
This is the “main video” for the property. Walk viewers through all the features with on-camera commentary. Post to a wider range of platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Google, Linkedin, YouTube) a few days after launch. Utilize targeted ads on Facebook and YouTube for maximum reach. Include this video in email blasts as well.
There are so many agents that do a killer job at creating engaging and memorable listing videos that you can look to for inspiration. My favorites are Paige Steckling, Krys Benyamein and Vanessa Reilly.
Staging process reel
I had this property professionally staged so I took the opportunity to capture some before and after clips to create a reel on staging. It highlights one of my seller services and shows the impact of staging an empty space. Luckily for me, Taya Dicarlo recently did a simply staging reel that I pulled inspiration from:
I captured the before and after content on my phone and will add in some professional clips cut from other videos to enhance it. Post this to Instagram, Facebook, Google and YouTube.
Local spotlight reel
There is a beautiful park near the listing, and nature parks are on-brand for me, so I am making a drone video to highlight this park. I will do a voiceover about the park and mention its proximity to my listing. This video will be posted a week or so after my listing goes live and can be used again in the future with a new voiceover omitting the listing reference. It will be posted to Instagram, Facebook, Google, and YouTube and used in an email blast campaign.
Proof of success reel
This video will be created from cut-up clips of the aforementioned videos. I will use this to tell the story after the property is sold, adding screenshots of marketing metrics and any behind-the-scenes clips I captured throughout the process. This “show the sweat” video highlights all the work done for my client. It will be posted to Instagram, Facebook, Google, and YouTube and used in an email blast campaign.
Final Thoughts
I know this seems like a lot. And well, it is a lot – but listings are leverage for more listings. So why not go all in?
Staying organized and strategically planning the media build-out for your listings like this will allow you to efficiently capture all the content you need, ensure the listing gets the exposure it deserves, and impress your clients with your marketing efforts.
