Videos that promote your business and inform potential customers are now expected by the vast majority of visitors to your website. Geoff Anderson reveals what content your potential viewers are looking for
If you want to stand out from your competition and be seen as an expert mortgage advisor, video is an essential tool in showcasing your unique skills and point of difference.
Video has the power to move your audience. It can engage them with compelling information and, more important, can connect with your audience emotionally. After all, selling is an emotional sport, so you may as well play the game well!
For many, approaching a mortgage broker can be an anxious experience. Purchasers probably have their heart set on a new home (or a first home), and they are hoping they will be able to borrow enough cash. With the right type of video, you can assure them that you have the answers and solutions to their borrowing situation.
Video allows you to build rapport before you have even met your customer. It allows you to show some personality and build trust in an authentic way – in a way that is far more powerful than the written word or that corporate headshot on your website or LinkedIn profile.
Video is not going away. It has become the easy way to communicate online, to gain buy-in and to manage expectations. A recent survey found that 96% of consumers say video assists them with their buying decisions. Research also supports that customers now expect video on any reputable website, and 77% of consumers believe companies that create videos are more engaged with their customers.
If that weren’t enough, 73% of those interviewed said that they are more likely to purchase a product or service after watching a video that explains it.
So, what are you doing to build your business with video?
Here are five ways you can use video in your marketing plan.
Introduce the team
Produce short clips – up to a minute maximum – that introduce the people on your team. Build rapport with your customers, and show your viewers who you are and why you do what you do. Share why you love your job and what makes you good at it. Don’t be afraid to include personal information about you – are you married, do you have kids and do you play sport? What hobbies or interests do you have? Let your customers know you are a real person who understands them, as this is a great way to build rapport.
Tips for getting the financing you need
What are some of the common issues you have to deal with? Prepare some tips for your customers to help make their financing journey easier. They could include topics such as:
- Know how much you can borrow before you make an offer
- How to save for a deposit
- What you need for a quick approval
- The benefits of an offset facility
- When interest-only is a good idea
- Why the banks don’t want you to refinance
Commentary on issues
As movement happens in the industry, provide some video commentary about it.
Sometimes nothing has happened – the Fed hasn’t changed interest rates. Then put out a video to explain why they haven’t changed interest rates and what this means from a borrower’s perspective.
If the property market is on the move, then explain why now is a good time to acquire a new property.
Interview success stories
If you have customers who are doing great things with their investments, then share the love! Interview them about their strategies. How did they get into the market? When did they decide to make property a key point in their financial goals? What influences their buying decisions? Do they mix negatively geared with positively geared properties?
Case studies
You also can include case studies. These might be stories from different customers about how you provided the ideal facility for them – often in spite of themselves. If someone else can sing your praises with a specific story, it is extremely powerful.
The typical case study will follow this format:
- What was happening in the customer’s life before you? What was their need? Why did they go looking for you?
- What did you do for them? (Asked the right questions, showed options they didn’t know existed, explained solutions they hadn’t considered … )
- How is their life now? How relieved are they? How happy are they? How are they feeling? How excited are they that they have their new home?
I’m a bit of a fan of case studies because it is subtle selling with great power. The story should focus on the journey of the customer. It is about them. It just happens that at a critical time in the story, you were there to provide a solution they needed. And then at the end, they are in a much better place because of it.
It’s about providing quality content that your audience will find valuable.
Testimonials
Hearing your customers explain how your service enabled them to get their dream home is very powerful. Video testimonials are more energetic and credible than the written word. A video testimonial can give your viewer the reassurance that you understand the individual needs of each customer and can provide the right solution for their situation. A testimonial is different than a case study. A testimonial will usually focus on the quality of the service you provided and less on how it impacted them.
Be smart if you embark on the video production route. Plan your videos and book the video production company so that you can create many videos in the one booking. Generally production companies charge for a half-day or a full-day shoot. If you ask your clients to come by to provide testimonials or case studies, then you could easily fill up the day with filming. This will provide you with plenty of content.
If you film your customers, then ask them to supply photos of their homes. At the end of the day, this is what you are selling, and by seeing the end result of your work, your prospects will be more emotionally connected to you.
If you are presenting to the camera, then consider using a teleprompter. This will enable you to focus on how you deliver the information without the pressure of having to remember the lines. The teleprompter can have the text loaded up for you to read. With a piece of glass that acts as a two-way mirror you can read the text while looking straight down the lens of the camera to the audience beyond.
Once you have your content, then be strategic with how you deliver it. Regularity is the key. If you have enough content, then provide a video every month, fortnight or week to your audience. Whatever it is, stick to it. It has been proven that regular content builds and maintains an audience.
Geo Anderson is owner of Sonic Sight, a corporate video production company. He is also the author of the Amazon Bestseller Shoot Me Now: Making Videos to Boost Business.
