Thanks to digital innovations, the real estate industry can now incorporate visuals in its marketing. Rather than going through several listings and attending multiple open houses, tenants can now get a good idea of what a place looks like before they even step foot in it.
This article takes a look at seven virtual tour hosting strategies that can help you boost your business's online presence.
1. Promote the virtual tour option
The first virtual tour hosting strategy on this list is to promote the option. After going through the pain of creating a virtual tour or scheduling a live feed, ensure you get the message out there. What's the essence of all your hard work if the right audience doesn't get to enjoy it?
Apart from broadcasting the option on your website and social media channels, you can also give viewers the option of scheduling a convenient date and time. Although that only works when the tour is pre-recorded. You could always incorporate a calendar attachment that sends notifications before the event if it isn't.
2. Outline your tour path
For the most seamless experience, you should have a clear outline of the tour path you intend to follow. Running down the hall from one room to the next because you forgot to share something can look disorganized. So to avoid coming off as unprofessional, map out which parts of the house you want to view. If you can't capture the entire house, focus on the most crucial rooms, such as the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, and baths. Further, you can also note down what you want to say about each room. For instance, you might want to highlight the sunset view from your deck. Or perhaps you want to zoom in on the wood type and its durability.
3. Put everything in place
After carefully creating a map of your route, the next step is to ensure everything is in place. It's much easier to sell a clean and organized house than a dirty and scattered one. If you have to make some cosmetic changes to spruce up the house, try to complete them before recording the video. Unfinished renovations can deter potential tenants as well.
In addition, if you're recording a video of a current tenant's house, that is, they haven't moved out yet, you need to discuss with them. Let them know when you plan to film and for how long, what you require of them, and how you can be of assistance.
4. Do a test-run
This tip is especially crucial if you're opting for a live video option. It would be best to do a test run of your tour to get a better picture of what the audience might see. That way, you can explore different paths, angles, and transitions. Don't be shy of the camera, either. Feel free to put yourself out there while you explore the best parts of your rental at a suitable pace.
Although getting so many takes might be stressful, you'll most likely be happy with the results.
5. Leverage on emotional connection
Some marketing experts will tell you that the best way to make a sale is by leveraging the client's emotions. There is some truth to that, and there's no reason you can't incorporate it during a virtual tour. Keep your audience interested and engaged by painting colorful pictures of why the home is so great.
Rather than showing them the bedroom and leaving it at that, try giving more details. Tell them how the smart lights with a dim function can set the right mood. Or highlight how the brand new cabinets have an impressive carrying capacity.
6. Use the right tools
Most modern cameras can make a clear video of your rental. But if you want quality that will pull in crowds and attract high-paying tenants, then you need to bring out the big guns. You could rent a professional camera to capture high-resolution images yourself or hire an expert videographer to make a great video.
However, if you don't have the budget to go all out, you can still make a pretty good virtual tool with more affordable instruments. You could buy a tripod and lights to make your shots steadier and well-lit.
7. Do a post-tour follow up
Finally, once prospective tenants complete the tour, follow up on their experience. It helps to collect their details such as names, phone numbers, and emails before the tour. That way, you can easily reach out to them, especially if the tour wasn't live.
During the follow-up, ask questions like what they thought about the tour and how much they enjoyed it. If they have any questions, please clear them up and shed more light. Then ask when they would like to put in an application.
Conclusion
There you have it! We hope these seven virtual tour hosting strategies help create great videos for your rental. Although knowing these tips and implementing them are two different things. The latter is much harder to accomplish, so it's understandable if you need help. In that case, it would be beneficial to have your local management company create your tour.
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