VP of Coldwell Banker Talks YouTube with TSA
I had the privilege of interviewing the Coldwell Banker VP of Marketing, Mike Fisher, about the innovative use of their YouTube channel On Location. If you haven’t seen what they have done it is impressive to say the least. We know that consumers are looking for more than just listing details like price, bed and bath when they are browsing the web. In fact they can now find the MLS listing data on about 5,000 sites it seems. On Location takes search a step further and combines a mapping IDX for real estate results with well done video tours of the property. Instead of the sometimes overwhelming list view of videos that you would normally see when you search YouTube for “your town” real estate, On Location makes the user experience much simpler and dare I say tech savvy by plotting out the properties on a Google map that they can easily navigate and will undoubtedly be comfortable with and appreciate. The search results don’t just include listings either, it is also a way for those searching to connect with local Coldwell Banker agents and to learn more about the surrounding amenities, giving the consumer everything they would be searching for in one place. There is even a simple opt in form for the potential buyer or seller to complete that sends the lead directly to that listing agent without them ever having to leave YouTube. In the year and a half that On Location has been up it has generated more than 1.3 million views for the company and thus the agents and Mike is excited to continue to see it grow.
The unfortunate truth right now in this industry is that their are not very many Realtors using video effectively, much less a video IDX, for the marketing of their homes. We aren’t talking 1997 style virtual tour, I mean a full blown, well done video tour of the property. Agents are always looking for ways to seperate themselves from the competition and my personal thoughts are that the first agent in a market that is known for their real estate video will dominate. With HD flip cams ($99) and features like On Location (free for their agents) available, I was curious what percentage of their agents were taking advantage of this amazing technology and Mike’s answer was simple, straight forward and did not surprise me, “Not enough”. Along with the President of Coldwell Banker, Jim Gillespie, Mike has been on a national tour and has spoken to more than 10,000 CB agents on leveraging this proprietary tool. They even have a company website set up, Coldwell Banker Works, that makes it simple enough to upload the videos for even a novice and they have created a how to guide that has been distributed to all agents. In fact they will do the majority of the work for their agents including adding it to the map once it is uploaded and removing the property once it sells.
I have to say that Coldwell Banker has really gotten behind video and are making it a learning point and must for their agents which I 100% applaud. Real question is when are YOU going to make this a priority in your business? Good news if you work for Coldwell Banker, they are their to help with open arms at the highest level of management! If you have any additional questions regarding On Location feel free to leave those below and we will pass them along to Mike.
Also, on a side note, we did not receive any form of compensation for this review/interview and are open to helping any other franchise or boutique get their products and tools featured here as well. Simply fill out this form and I will personally get in touch with you to set up a date and time if your technology fits the bill Tech Savvy.
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Great new site! Love the On-Location interview. On-Location it an awesome Coldwell Banker tool for the tech savvy agent!
It’s an amazing tool. Thanks for featuring the YouTube channel. Hopefully it will catch on in popularity. You can use it for listings, community or personal agent videos. Love the mapping tool of seeing local videos to where you are located.
Buyers are using this new technology and Sellers love the Cutting Edge technology that Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and the agent can provide for them! The bar is being set high for others to follow!
I love this. Can you share info on how a KW agent can accomplish the same?
TX, Paul
Fortunately most agents aren’t using video, which can be a good thing.
90% of agents can’t put up acceptable still photographs – can you imagine all the crap that will start appearing shot with these $99 Flip Cameras?
Better to do nothing than the Blair Witch Project, which is what is being encouraged far too often.
It’s true that video is not being utilized in the real estate industry like it should. The brokers and agents that use video correctly are definitely positioning themselves well to attract buyers and sellers.
Video IS the future of real estate marketing! Every agent needs to be aware of this to compete in the future!
Video is the New Photo!
If you’re the 90% then you do have an alternative. Professional services such as our HD Quality Full Motion Video Walk-throughs.
We do all the work and you end up with a quality product that buyers and sellers go ga-ga over.
http://mixedmediaco.com/mother-of-all-real-estate-marketing-tools.html
did he say real A tor dot com?
Pretty cool front end search. I’d love to see the backend of it that the agents are using (but I’m not looking to switch brokers just so I can toy with it).
Shame is, you’re zipping around a city like Los Angeles and the videos are sparse. For a tech savvy city like L.A., that map should be unreadable with so many dots and blips.
Definitely think CB is onto something.
How many Trulia and Zillow like sites will appear to try and take over this space?
Great interview. The biggest hurdle for RE agents regarding video is the intimidation factor. They need to overcome this…or, become aware of affordable video tour solutions such as http://www.Tour-This.com For less than the cost of a print ad, we do it all..shoot,edit,SYNDICATE and host. And BTW, I am an agent for Coldwell Banker too, so I know the business from the agents perspective.