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YouTube for Real Estate

By Toby Barnett

Real Estate Agent with KW North Sound 103527

January 30, 2007 02:07 PM

Today was a very productive day in the office and pretty proudn of what all got accomplished. A few months back I setup a YouTube account for Marysville real estate videos with the purpose of captolizing on more forms of social media. As it so happens, Mickie and I, went on a listing appointment last Friday and we presented an in depth marketing plan that included making videos as a virtual tour.

Since YouTube was purchased by Google it is another way to gain tons of exposure for real estate agent that wish to gain more ground on the internet. So far the company's YouTube site isn't much but over the next few months I hope it takes some good shape.

If there are doubts that YouTube can be a way to promote then its an idea which may need to be rethought. Our client had different impressions about his house been on YouTube because they loved it and I am embracing it. I set up a page for my personal antics, Goingbigger on YouTube, and in the last PR Update it recieved a PR3 and I am pushing a link to my blog from it. It is my goal to get the company profile some PR so it can push PR to the real estate site. Links are great and I love them.

Also, the first video I posted (5 days before the others) is ranked #1 on Google videos for Kayak Point Property. So if that is good enough I don't know what is.

Well I am off to get some work done...peace out!

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Leslie Bloss, Bellevue Real Estate Professional

Bellevue, WA

Thanks Toby, When I get back to Seattle, I am going to pursue this. I am glad it is going well for you.

Jan 30, 2007 02:18 PM

Jeff Tomas

Accounting and Tax - Rockford, IL

Accountant

Good idea on the videos. You could probably use them as a form of commercial.

Jan 30, 2007 02:51 PM

Toby Barnett

KW North Sound - Marysville, WA

Toby Barnett

Leslie, do it :) it is the way of the future.

Jeff, I have a commercial in works as we speak. YouTube is such a strong and hihgly trafficed site that not using it would be silly. Also, the videos have the ability to be posted on a webpage which I am doing on the Kayak Point listing. Videos from YouTube lend themselves to major possibilities and I'm a lot about leveraging them :)

Jan 30, 2007 02:58 PM

Eric Bouler

Gardner Realtors, Licensed in La. - New Orleans, LA

Listening to your Needs

Toby, we are going to run out of time to figure these ideas out. I just started putting in photos on Localism and the litlle blur can say a lot about your town and of course you as an agent. Good ideas. Guess we were bear meat so to speak.

Jan 30, 2007 03:05 PM

Carol Spengel

Prudential Rubloff - Wheaton, IL

Wheaton IL

How do we get YouTube to add Real Estate to their list of choices? Travel & Places just doesn't seem right when advertising homes for sale.

Jan 30, 2007 03:24 PM

Fred Light

| Nashua Video Tours - Nashua, NH

Real Estate Video Tours for MA and NH

Up until last week, it used to be even better... Google would index YouTube videos in their MAIN index .. usually within a few days. Last week they threw ALL YouTube videos (which they now own) onto their "Video" search area, and out of their main search. I knew it was too good to last. For the past year, I've had 2-3 videos show up on page ONE for very popular real estate searches - it was a fast way to the top. However, there are other video sites that ARE still included in the main Google index, which is most important as I don't think a lot of people know about the video index... nor search on it when searching for real estate.

What it IS good for is PR... last night, on a lark... I sent out a quickie press release to a TV station in Boston, New Hampshire and Maine regarding real estate videos on YouTube. Within 12 hours, I got a story on the Boston station and the New Hampshire station ! It was THAT EASY. It's newsworth, it's popular and it's the current buzz right now. And real estate (good or bad news) is always in the news. And just last month I got TWO stories, one in the local paper that went out via the Associated Press to papers around the country, then reprinted as a full page story in the New Hampshire Business Weekly magazine.

Jan 30, 2007 03:27 PM

John Novak

Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV

Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate

Great ideas to leverage video with the power of Google. I think we'll see a lot of creative uses of video in 2007.

Jan 30, 2007 03:30 PM

Toby Barnett

KW North Sound - Marysville, WA

Toby Barnett

Eric, your the master of images...it would be easy for you (if you are running Windows XP) to make a a slideshow/movie using Windows Movie Maker and then upload to YouTube. All it is...is using what you currently do in a slightly new fashion :) Does anyone have a YouTube account with the addy neworleans?

Fred, I am with you but going after a different way. Using social sites is so mutli facited that defining one avenue for promotion is difficult...I solute you for your featured videos :)

Jan 30, 2007 04:12 PM

Devon Thurtle

Heffernan Law Firm - Kirkland, WA

That's such a great idea! You'll have to keep us updated with how the "experiment" goes.

Jan 31, 2007 05:11 AM

Jacqulyn Richey

Prominent Realty Group - Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas Real Estate

Nice. I wonder how effective it will be from a marketing standpoint. -Charles

Jan 31, 2007 06:30 AM

Carol Spengel

Prudential Rubloff - Wheaton, IL

Wheaton IL

I have four YouTube slide shows featuring homes. I link them to my website, blogs and email them to interested customers. I have had one on since December 29 and it has been viewed 69 times. I don't think people go to YouTube to search for homes, but it's a good tool for linking and emailing information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghYa09HhEoU

Sherry

Jan 31, 2007 07:14 AM

Toby Barnett

KW North Sound - Marysville, WA

Toby Barnett

John, social media is a real big thing (Google's purchase of YouTube is a sign of that) and anyway to leverage and gain more exposure I am all for it.

Devon, so far the experiement is going great. In less than 24hrs the videos are the top results for the main keywords :)

Charles, I am not sure but our client loved the idea and plus they can be place on our AA site on a webpage I am buidling for the property, Kayak Point real estate.

Kevin & Sherry, nice stats on the videos...I totally agree that people don't search YouTube for home videos but its just another avenue and using them in linking and emails is a great idea.

Jan 31, 2007 09:56 AM

Anonymous

fotohom

fotohom is a simple and easy free real estate site
that allows seller to embed youtube video.

Feb 16, 2007 03:55 PM

#13

Toby Barnett

KW North Sound - Marysville, WA

Toby Barnett

for anyone who is interested the web address is http://www.fotohom.com. It looks to be a very new website and is easy to operate.

Feb 17, 2007 03:42 PM