This week, I have two videos that suffer from the same issue. And what is the issue? I hear you cry.

Simple - they are not videos. They are crappy quality slide shows. They remind me of the advertisements for Indian restaurants I used to sit through as a young man when (I don’t know if they still do this) I was at the local cinema.

This was, of course, in the days before the multiplex. Here’s how they went - background music - usually some standard sitar music - Ravi Shankar probably as that’s the only sitar player any one has ever heard of. Fade in photo of exterior of the restaurant, fade out/in to interior shot, fade out/in to couple staring lovingly into each others’ eyes over the appetisers, fade out/in to smiling restaurant owner with happy staff members all around, fade in name and address of restaurant, End.

Just watch these two videos. Seem familiar?

It was OK back in the day before ready availabilty of good quality video. Everyone knew the restaurant anyway, and everyone knew they couldn’t afford to have a video produced. I still wanted a curry after the movie though

Is it OK now? No, I don’t think so. One, it shows these expensive, high-quality properties in a poor light, not even coming close to doing them justice. Two, it demonstrates the fact that the real estate agent cannot afford or is unable to source a good quality video. These are million dollar plus properties.

So, not only are you risking the potential loss of a sale, you are turning off potential clients. If I had a million dollar property to sell, I would be looking for an agent that had some kind of grasp of today’s luxury marketing techniques. Crappy slide shows on YouTube ? No thanks. If you are going to market a property using video, at least make a video.

There are real estate videos and then there are luxury real estate videos

This particular video was produced for Alsop architects in London. If you want to use the word “surreal,” go right ahead – I already did. Not limited by the constraint of actually having to sell anything, Alsop apparently let squint/opera, the production company that made the film, go ahead and make something just plain interesting instead.

William Alsop himself has come in for a degree of criticism over some of his designs and he himself estimates that only 10% of them have ever been built. Those that have been built are in locations ranging from Singapore to Toronto to Manchester. He has been nominated several times for the Sterling prize, which he won in 2000 for his Peckham library design.

Squint/opera are closely associated with Alsop’s and have produced a number of videos for the company. Much has been written about Mr. Alsop, and his wikipedia page is here. My personal favorite quote is from the British newspaper, the Observer, which described him as “obviously not a man familiar with gyms.” I could say the same myself.

Squint/opera

Alsop architects
 

Some one has obviously said, “The next big real estate marketing technique is going to be online video. Get ‘em while they’re hot and upload a sales video today.”

I certainly agree that online video is the way to market a luxury property, but when I look through some of the videos online, I wonder what their thinking was. This one, for instance is an aerial view of a luxury mansion for sale in Tulsa with a $1.6 million price tag.

After watching this video, the first thing I thought was – “What’s the point?”

Thirteen seconds of poor quality footage that manages to show how close the main road is to the mansion with the sound of helicopter rotors in the background. Why bother?

All it really shows is lack of professionalism on the part of the realtor. They have obviously gone to some trouble with the text describing the mansion:

“Southern Plantation Estate at 85th and Sheridan

Estate priced at $1,650,000”

The photos I have seen of it show it in an extremely good light.

So why the crappy youtube video? You wouldn’t think of using an out of focus, tilted to one side photograph or badly written, misspelled text in the details. What this really does is throw the written details into doubt. Professional grade appliances? - like the professional grade video?

This mansion is still for sale – the details are on that high quality, exclusive  market place, craigslist, so I am assuming the video didn’t help clinch a sale.

I wonder why not?

This will be a weekly look at the “Worst YouTube Real Estate Videos,” so if you have a particular favorite, let me know in the comment box – I will be glad to feature it.
 

It doesn’t take an I.Q in the genius range to see that online video is the up-coming marketing tool for just about any product and service. The rise of YouTube and hundreds of cloned versions has been nothing less than spectacular.

YouTube was launched in 2005 and has since had hundreds of millions of page views. No one questions their “success,” and the recent acquisition by google shows some one values the service. Although, back in 2006, billionaire, Mark Cuban, was quoted as saying, “Anyone who buys YouTube is a moron.”

Regardless, the fact is, everyone and their Grandmother sees YouTube as just another marketing opportunity. Easy uploads, massive exposure and a ready audience panting with anticipation to see the next uploaded video. Or is it? Here’s five questions you should ask yourself before doing so - if you have a luxury property to market.

1. Would you market your property in “Seventeen,” magazine? 

Despite conflicting reports from some sources, Neilsen and Netratings agree, “ Visitors between 12-17 years of age are nearly 1.5 times more likely to visit YouTube than the average Web user."

2. Would you market your luxury property alongside 25,000 other properties?

A search for the term “real estate” at YouTube yielded 25,300 results – many of which are never viewed.

3. Would you wish to have your luxury property associated with some one like this?

Sure, he’s funny, but do you really want the next video a prospective client watches after yours to be this one - on the same page, with the same look and from the same source? 

4. Is it remarkable?

I am a big fan of Seth Godin. Seth Godin’s marketing advice (apart from suggesting that you quit selling real estate) is that for something to warrant attention, it has to be “remarkable,” i.e. some one seeing it should remark upon it.

How remarkable are YouTube videos? I am not sure exactly how many youtube videos there are – in fact, I’m not sure they know, but as of February 2008, there were over 72,000,000. Needle in a haystack anyone? Anyone can upload a video to youtube. My 7-year-old niece can upload videos to youtube. How “remarkable” is that? You need an edge when it comes to marketing something, and youtube is not it.
 

If, as I suspect you did, answered “No” to any or all of the preceding questions, the next logical question is:

5. Where should I market my luxury property video

Here are a few options that offer a far more targeted audience.

Forbes Video Network

Forbes has an extremely high quality, well presented video search facility, which includes luxury real estate. For a good example of the sort of quality available, take a look at this video of one of Donald Trump’s $6 million properties.

Luxury Property

Luxury Property has combined with a number of professional video production services to offer the best possible quality and a peerless venue.

This is an excerpt from Seth Godin’s blog:

“I had the good fortune to speak to a large gathering of real estate agents last week. Here’s my best advice (everyone knows an agent or two, so feel free to forward this along).

Plan A: You should quit selling real estate.

I’m serious.

Quit being an agent. Get a job doing something else.

Some of you have been waiting to hear that. My pleasure.”

If you want to read the rest, you will have to pay him a visit here - Seth Godin’s Advice for Real Estate Agents (quit now)

For those of you familiar with Seth Godin, you will certainly know there is more than this to it and for those of you unfamiliar, here is an extremely enlightening video presentation made by Mr. Godin back in 2003 – Fortunately, his marketing advice doesn’t have a “Consume by xx/xx/xx date,” attached, so it’s just as valid now as it was then.

While you are there, he may even try and sell you a book or two. Not a bad investment in my opinion.

Mr. Godin is widely acknowledged as an expert in a field that seems to have more “experts” per square foot than any other – marketing. In an area dominated by spam, Godin is one of the few advocating less, suggesting instead that for an idea to get spread, it needs to be “remarkable.” And I have to respect anyone who reaches for the clippers rather than a bottle of Rogain when their hair starts falling out.

Seth Godin’s wikipedia page is here.