With a background in film and television, Joe Carter believes video and imagery have the potential to provide real opportunity to real estate agents who use them well. The challenge lies in creating content that offers quality and a point of difference.
Mr Carter will be on hand to offer his professional insight into creating quality content when he joins the expert line-up at Digital Live 2018.
The Queensland-based lecturer and production company director says the era of the smartphone offers more tools than ever before for agents looking to make their mark, but the downside is it’s now harder to cut through the digital noise with something that offers value to clients.
“People have a short window of attention; you need to capture them in 10 seconds or they’ll swipe.”
Part of gaining audience interest involves telling a captivating story, but it also includes “amazing” footage.
“The story needs to be short, but it has to look amazing from the start. Video with poor audio, or that is uninviting or dull, simply won’t last.”
Mr Carter advocates looking to professionals for the most important marketing videos, and using in-house tools when to comes to daily updates, but notes in many cases the ethos is the same.
It’s about quality, storytelling and consistently producing engaging items.
“Some agents go to the expense of setting up a web page or Facebook page and then sit back thinking that’s done.
“You really need to populate your media to keep it fresh. Content that’s four or five years old is out of date, so make the effort to stay current.”
Meanwhile, he notes many agents simply rely on property videos rather than exploring the many other avenues available to showcase their brand and persona.
“It needs to be a mix of high-quality videos that show people what an agent can bring, testimonials, personal insight, and an illustration of why agents do what they do.
“It’s important agents acknowledge that the industry is changing. They need to be happy about innovation and roll with it as a long-term strategy.
“The same old-school approach within a decade may not work.”
Joe Carter is a lecturer in film and television at QUT, and the director of 2XS Films. He joins the expert panel at Digital Live 2018.
Digital Live 2018 is a comprehensive six-month program where agents will be given the skills, mentoring, feedback and tools to stand out in the crowded digital arena. It includes live events in Sydney and Brisbane.
You can learn more about Digital Live 2018 here.
