The Internet has changed the way real estate companies and
residential and commercial developments promote the properties they have
for sale or rent. The hottest trend regarding real estate marketing on
the Web is the use of videos.
The cover story for the November/December issue of FloridaRealtors
magazine was about using videos to market properties. The title of the
article, "The Big Camera Conundrum," concluded: "YouTube video with
analytics is changing the way real estate professionals do business.
It's cheap, efficient and powerful."
A recent article in BusinessWeek regarding real estate videos read,
"Videos can convey more essential data in a shorter time. The viewer
does not have to read long texts or jump between pages. Instead he or
she gets fed exactly the data you want to deliver."
And statistics released by Arbitron/Edison Media Research concluded,
"7 of 10 Web visitors say websites would be more enjoyable if sound and
video were included more often."
All of this comes as no surprise to Duane Sulk, president of Sulk
Mullin Global Media. Sulk, who spent 11 years in the television news
industry and 20 years marketing real estate in Southwest Florida, has
experienced the power the placing real estate videos on the Internet as
the marketing director for The Chang Group, a real estate investment
firm located in Fort Myers.
"For the past 16 months, the marketing department for The Chang Group
has produced more than 120 videos which give prospective renters and
buyers a room-by-room tour of the home, condominium or apartment," said
Sulk. "In that time frame the videos have garnered nearly 30,000 views
with the majority of the properties being rented or sold within days of
downloading the videos on YouTube, the company's website and other real
estate-based Internet sites."
In early December Sulk, along with business partner Dan Mullin,
launched Sulk Mullin Global Media, a company that focuses on producing
Web videos for the real estate and business community.
"All signs point to the fact the real estate market is beginning to
come back in Southwest Florida and we want to assist in accelerating
that positive market movement," said Mullin, a former Army soldier who
was deployed to Egypt and Afghanistan.
According to Sulk, the main focus of the company will be real estate
developments that have models and Realtors with For Sale homes.
"In most instances, if we can shoot the digital video and take the
necessary photographs of the model or home in the morning, we can have
the 4- to 6-minute completed video written, edited and ready to be
placed on the Internet by the next day," said Sulk, who not only writes
the copy for the video but is the on-camera host and voice-over talent.
"Think of the video tours as mini-documentaries with the home being the
star."
Sulk explained Realtors are encouraged to co-host since they
represent the property. Kim Maloney of Florida Fidelity Realty Corp. of
Bonita Springs was one of the first to take advantage of the marketing
trend. Maloney was looking for a new way to promote a four-bedroom plus
den/three-and-a-half-bath home priced at $1,099,000 in Bonita Bay.
"Within a month of placing the video link on our website, the MLS and
other real estate-based sites we recorded more than 160 unique views,"
said Maloney. "I've received phone inquiries regarding the property
after prospective buyers viewed the video and have had several showings —
once again, a direct result of the video. Buyers find them very
informative."
Producing hosted video tours of models and For Sale homes is only one
of the offerings available at Sulk Mullin Global Media. The company is
also pioneering the concept of community video newscasts.
"It's the 60 Minutes format but done in 10 minutes," said Mullin.
"Incorporated within that 10 minutes would be 4 to 5 segments on a
variety of topics including, for example, a model tour, a conversation
with the golf professional regarding changes to the course, a profile of
a Preferred Builder and end with a profile of a resident."
According to Mullin, every month the lineup would change. And every
month current residents and prospective buyers, who had visited the
sales center, would be sent the link to the video via email so they can
keep up with the community's latest news and happenings.
"Consider it an entertaining, innovative and paperless way to
communicate directly with those crucial to the overall success of the
sales effort," added Sulk.
The price of a hosted model video, which currently ranges from $500
to $1,500, is based on the size of the home under air. Monthly community
newscasts are priced at $2,500 and include one model video with no size
constraints.
Commercial properties are also prime material for a video. Sulk
Mullin Global Media recently completed a 6-minute video for Paradise
Center, a small plaza located on Bonita Beach Road.
"With so much commercial space available throughout Southwest
Florida, a video about a shopping center, its location, current tenants
and a quick tour of the retail or office space available — and then
placed on the Internet — will garner more attention to prospective
businesses and commercial ventures," said Sulk.
All videos for Sulk Mullin Global Media are shot with the latest HD
digital video cameras and produced and edited at KnowDibs Studio/Rental
located at 4445 Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs.
Article courtesy of: Naples Daily News: http://ow.ly/hxFUl
No comments:
Post a Comment