The right marketing techniques can bring in a lot of prospective tenants to your rental property. One of the ways to advertise, aside from professional photos, is by creating a video tour. Video tours are a trend nowadays considering that few people have the time to commute to see a unit in person.
At first, you might find the idea intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. You can hire a professional or do it on your own. You also don’t have to purchase high-end video cameras because your smartphone can be a powerful tool when used the right way. There are also fewer upfront costs on your part as long as you’re willing to experiment.
The following are tips to help you when you start filming a video tour of your rental unit.
Film Using a Widescreen Format
Most of us are used to watching videos in a widescreen format like on tv or in theaters. That’s because the video looks more professional and natural when it’s in landscape mode.
It also allows more details to be included on the screen. Thus, it makes more sense to record your video tour in a high-quality landscape mode. Even on mobile phones, the viewing experience in widescreen remains unparalleled.
Therefore, you should always opt for the landscape format rather than the portrait format. Viewers and prospective tenants will appreciate property videos that display more details.
Maximize Natural Lighting
You might notice most photography tips lean towards using natural lighting and filming during the golden hour period, this is because it enhances your photos and videos. There’s also less need to purchase lighting kits.
Regardless of what time of day you’re filming, always check the lighting in the camera. Sometimes the appearance of clouds can dim the surroundings making a room appear darker in the camera than it does in person.
It’s also good to have consistency in lighting. So, before shooting, check to see if your images are over or underexposed to ensure fewer editing corrections later.
Avoid Covering the Lens with Your Fingers
Reshooting can be time-consuming. Be sure to consistently check your video to ensure that the framing is perfect. It’s always frustrating to find out that a portion of the footage is covered with your hands.
Practice holding your video camera and correctly placing your hands away from the lens. You just need to feel more familiar with the proper hand positioning and familiarize yourself with the location of important buttons like the zoom feature.
In time, it will be second nature and you won’t need to consciously adjust or inspect your footage.
Focus on the Quality of the Audio
Bad audio is equally as distracting as a bad visual. People tend to skip videos that reflect both or one of them. If your property video includes a narration, ensure that the sound is clear. Otherwise, it’s tough for the audience to make sense of what you’re saying.
There are several things you can do to ensure that you have high-quality audio:
- Use a noise-canceling headset
- Arrange to shoot at a specific time when it’s quieter in your environment
- Don’t film on stormy or windy days
- Don’t have windows open in the unit when filming
- Consider is using a voice over rather than a live running commentary
Lastly, you should always consider adding captions to make it easier for viewers to follow what you’re saying while filming.
Hold the Camera Steady
It’s distracting to viewers to watch a shaky video so practice holding your video camera steady. You can also consider investing in a tripod to make the video look more professional.
Another tip is to use the wall to steady your arms as you take panorama shots around the different parts of your property.
Other tips for having steady shots include:
- Practicing filming from different angles
- Study the features you want to highlight to save time
- Avoid adjusting your camera settings while filming
Learn to Edit Videos
Put a lot of thought into your video and build a good story. When editing your video tour, take the time to arrange the footage so that the flow is understandable. For instance, you don’t want to start the video by showing the bathroom then jump to the curb appeal outside. Think of how you could give an in-person tour and re-create that general structure when arranging your video clips.
Several film editing apps are available in the market and you won’t have to spend a ton on professional editing software. There are free ones that are easy to use for basic editing purposes.
A basic edit is easier than it looks. It mostly consists of you inserting clips into the software, lining them up in the order you want, and attach background music and a voice-over. There are also plenty of youtube videos and internet guides on how to make the most of the editing process.
Think About Your Distribution Platforms
After finishing a video tour, you want to release it to gain more exposure for your property. You can attach it to your property listings, website, social media platforms and write down the video link anywhere you want to advertise. The goal is higher visibility for more prospective tenant leads.
You also want to make sure that your contact details are displayed prominently at the beginning and end of the video. You don’t want to make it hard for interested viewers to reach out to you.
Bottom line
Creating a video tour requires a lot of thought. You want to showcase the property's best features and amenities to elicit the interest of viewers. Incorporate all these tips and you’ll be on your way to producing an engaging property video tour.
If you have limited time or still feel overwhelmed by the process, you can always opt to hire a professional videographer. You can also hire the services of a professional property management company like Lone Eagle Management to assist you in all your property management needs.