YouTube Meets Pop-Up Video
June 5, 2008
How cool is YouTube’s new annotation feature? Answer: Very cool.
Some of you know me as “The Appraiser-Realtor“, some of you know me as “The Uncommon Agent” and some of my office colleagues know me as “That Weird Guy Who Does the Videos and Spends Way Too Much Time in Front of His Silly White Computer“. Regardless, I LOVE the potential that video marketing has for real estate, and this new feature has inspired me to push the envelope further! Click here to see an example of how I turned (in a matter of minutes) a crappy looking response video into a salvageable, borderline humorous, introduction video message to nail down a lunch appointment with a very smart marketing guy in my area. (Listen to yesterday’s interview with David Meerman Scott on Real Estate Radio here)
This feature alone could turn a generic, boring real estate virtual tour video into a generic, boring INFORMATIVE real estate virtual tour video instantly! Imagine a virtual tour that has notes and links embedded inside the video.
It brings your customers from being a passive observer of your video to being an active participant! I know personally that if I’m watching a boring video and notes start popping up, I will stick with it to see where it goes. And if you’ve got the gumption to get creative with it….look out!
Just wanted to quickly share this with you all. I’m super pumped-up about what I can do with this for my business! Please stay tuned for ways I plan to incorporate this new YouTube feature into my overall marketing plan.
Agents: Get a Flip! Mino (The newest member of the Flip! family…so tiny, so cool!), get filming, get it on YouTube, annotate it and start separating yourself from the competition. As evidenced by the video example shown here, quality of the video is not important. Those who are waiting and getting hung up on “I need better editing” or “I need slicker production” should move out of the way so the people who are (sorry Nike) just doing it can learn as we go!
And finally from the “Help Mike Win Some Money to Continue His Little Real Estate Hobby” department… in other video news, stop by the current Flip for Budget viral video contest. If you like the videos I make, watch this one, leave a comment, leave a rating (5 stars are preferred) and Digg it please.
I gave my sellers $21,000 for winning the last contest and would like to win myself a little cash with this one. OK, enough of the shameless plug. This might even get edited out.
But keep in mind Barry and Barry, if I win the $25,000 I can continue to work in real estate, keep blogging for you guys and not end up like this poor guy.
About the Author:
Mike Lefebvre, The "Uncommon Agent", is a Massachusetts licensed real estate agent with Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty in Hopkinton, MA. In addition, he is also a certified residential real estate appraiser and the owner/chief appraiser at MeetingHouse Appraisals. Mike wields a double-edged sword, combining his appraisal expertise with his sales and marketing prowess to maximize benefits and profits for both his buyer and seller clients.
A self-admitted marketing junkie, Mike loves exploring all things Web 2.0 and brings a refreshingly unique approach to real estate marketing. Last but not least, Mike is also a proud card-carrying member of Red Sox Nation.
Contact him at 617-828-4127 or 508-359-1465. You can reach Mike on the web at The "Uncommon Agent"
You can also email Mike at mike@theuncommonagent.com
Hey Mickey Fever,
What about this. Videos of REO properties, use the annotation to ’suggest’ upgrades, repairs, etc so people can start ’seeing’ it in their head?
Hunter that’s a killer idea!!!
Great stuff! Or you can highlight a lousy kitchen in a REO house and when the viewer rolls over it, something like, “Estimated cost to replace kitchen $7,500 from Designer Kitchens of Waltham, MA (508)-555-1234″ and then Designer Kitchens pays YOU a referral fee! There are ALL kinds of stuff you can do with this. It’s very cool.
pop up video from VH1. there ya go.
Great stuff, as always, Mike! I laughed at your quotes, but ended with a clear message and a call to action. What else can you expect for free?
I’m convinced video is a key part of the future real estate success story. I’m starting to think you will be as well. Keep up the good work!