Video & virtual content: rising and set to soar
Are you stuck on static marketing assets? We discuss the rise of video and virtual content in the property industry, with listing improvements that agents can’t ignore.
Whether they are for buyer or tenant, the benefit of virtual tours and video content is clear. People may be Covid cautious, moving miles away from where they are currently based or may lack time to make several physical property visits. And it appears the ability to experience the next best thing to visiting in person has some all-round appeal.
Just like us, Rightmove loves a statistic and its latest offering sheds light on the success of digital marketing assets. Its latest figures show a third of properties for sale on Rightmove now offer video content. In fact, the portal discovered the number of listings for sale with either a video or virtual offering is up from just 2% of listings in January 2020 to 34% in February 2021.
There is, however, still some way to go before every property listing is accompanied by video or virtual content, especially in the lettings sector. Rightmove also found that only 17% of rental listings feature video or virtual content – lagging behind their sales counterparts – although this figure is up from just 1% of listings in January 2020.
Is there a place for video and virtual content in the future?
Firstly, it is important to remember that the property industry has been open throughout the current lockdown. Physical viewings have not been banned but they are exclusively reserved for the most serious and genuine of home movers (and limited to 15 minutes in duration) and numbers are down because many buyers remain nervous. Therefore, it doesn’t stand up that video content will simply drop off the agenda once we regain our full freedom.
Don’t be quick in forgetting the past
Video content and virtual tours were fast becoming an essential marketing tool before the global pandemic. Already a hit with international purchasers, relocators and buy-to-let investors, the ability to view a property from afar was creeping into the mainstream decision-making process. Both Zoopla and Rightmove had developed the capability for each listing to display a virtual tour, and proptech developers were seeing some compelling statistics as a result.
Agent advantages
Figures generated by Matterport – a leader in the 3D immersive tour arena – were beginning to turn heads before Covid. Published in 2020, these included:
– Agents reporting a 4-9% higher sales price for homes marketed with a virtual tour
– Buyers 95% more likely to ask about a home for sale that had a virtual tour
– Properties with a virtual tour spending 31% less time on the market
– 20% of buyers making an offer after exclusively viewing a virtual tour and not visiting the property
5 additional agent 7 auctioneer perks:
As well as the above, agents and auctioneers can enjoy the following when they list a property with video content and virtual tours…
1. Increased engagement and a new ability to keep browsers on web pages for longer – both are aspects that Google loves when ranking websites
2. A time-saving prequalification tool – allowing movers to create more meaningful property shortlists from home, only requesting to visit properties they feel strongly about.
3. Reduced carbon emissions and travel costs – eliminate unnecessary travel to and from multiple properties to accompany viewings – potentially for people who don’t turn up or waste your time.
4. Lower fixed costs – the virtual tours provided by Viewber also create a floorplan, so there’s no need to pay for an extra service or send anyone else to the property.
5. Gain back precious time – as well as travelling to a property to take photos, you won’t have to edit the images as Viewber can do that for you.
One Viewber visit = multiple marketing assets
Viewber has developed a single-visit service that generates a full suite of digital marketing assets for both sales and letting agents, as well as auctioneers. One Viewber can take photographs, create a virtual tour, pre-record a video viewing and produce a floorplan from a single visit.
Whether booked to run before or after one of Viewber’s accompanied viewings – or as a stand-alone visit – using Viewber to create video and virtual content makes perfect sense.
Get in touch and start adding video and virtual content to your marketing deck.
