Is YouTube for you?

Over the months, we’ve discussed the value of many different types of technology: websites, Twitter, and social networking sites like Facebook. But one thing we haven’t yet looked at is YouTube. Have you considered including YouTube videos into your online marketing strategy? Well, here are a few reasons you might want to.

Save yourself some time.
Photographs are a near-essential part of any rental listing. With a text-only listing, it’s often difficult for would-be renters to distinguish from one property to the next and, therefore, your units are at a disadvantage from the start.  But even photographs are sometimes misleading. Based on angling and point of focus, it’s possible to (either strategically or inadvertently) make a rental unit appear much different than it actually looks.

Videos allow potential tenants to obtain a more realistic feel for what a given unit really looks like. As opposed to photographs, videos can provide a potential tenant with a realistic vision of the layout of a unit, its size and, if you’re feeling really ambitious, exterior and building features.

Providing this sort of “advance preview” means that you can save yourself a lot of time by paring apartment showings down to those who are really interested in putting in an application on your unit, saving you a lot of time in the long run by allowing you to hone in on serious potential renters.

Show off your stuff.
Because videos inherently provide a more all-encompassing, realistic preview of your units, they allow you to demonstrate why your property is more desirable than comparable properties from the get-go. Again, pictures may just not do your place justice. Reel tenants in by showing off your airy layout, your building’s amenities, and that great view from the balcony. Don’t forget that video is also a great way to convey verbal information. You can talk while filming, adding a personal voice to your sales pitch and easily conveying information that is sometimes more difficult to get across within the confines of a written listing.

Do away with the distance factor.
Videos are a particularly valuable tool for appealing to potential tenants who are looking at properties from out-of-town. From a renters’ perspective, making a long-distance move can be rather intimidating. Some simply don’t have the option of in-person viewings. And, even for those who do have that option, you may well put yourself ahead of the competition if you provide them with a means of avoiding a long apartment-hunting trip.

No matter how sophisticated or nominal your web presence is, YouTube can be easily incorporated into your online rental unit marketing program. After uploading videos to your free YouTube account, you can embed them in your website, providing potential renters with all the information they need in one online location. And if you don’t yet have a website, YouTube is still a great solution. You can easily link to your videos through Twitter, Facebook, or even on a Craigslist posting.

As always, the more information you can provide to potential tenants, the better off you are. There’s no doubt that YouTube is a simple, inexpensive way of doing just this.