High-quality photography, professionally produced videos and virtual tours are here to stay. And differentiation through personalization is more important now than ever, which is why now is the time to fold a handful of new habits into narrative video showings. 

 

Narrative video showings are separate from the general scene-setting videos you’ll share widely. We’ll explore some techniques for those high-level videos in a future article.

 

Think of narrative video showings as an opportunity to tell the story a buyer may need to hear; to express the warmth of the property; and to give buyers and agents a sense of what it’s like to work with you.

 

 

1. Prepare and practice

 

 

Before showings, make sure you understand what your sellers, their friends and family members have loved most about the property. 

 

If it’s helpful, create a general, bullet-point script with reminders of features to remember to include.

 

Next, run through a few rehearsals on your own to determine the best ways to introduce features of the property. Bring your videographer to test audio and camera angles.

 

Pro tip: Avoid conducting the video tour by cell phone in your own hand. Leave your hands free to look at your notes and to direct the videographer to each area.

 

 

2. Be yourself (and hear your vocal pitch)

 

If the buyers were touring in-person, they would lead themselves through most of the walk-through; you would stay near enough to answer questions but far enough away to give them privacy. 

 

You and your videographer can provide this same distance when showing by video. Remember also that a relaxed, natural voice; a conversational approach; and spontaneity resonate with viewers, even if they’re watching you on a mobile device.

 

Next, because performance nerves can push vocal tones into unnatural, higher-pitched ranges, invite a third party on recorded video tours. That person might be a coworker or the videographer themselves and will remain off camera. 

 

Speaking to that person, not the camera will help you project genuine and conversational vocal tones as you continue through each new part of the showing. 

 

Authenticity tip: Avoid the temptation to edit out sections where you might laugh at yourself for mixing up your words or your surprise on remembering that a door leads to a room, not a closet. 

 

 

3. Consider multiple, tailored tours to share privately

 

A single listing might be as ideal for a multi-gen family as it is for the buyers with school-aged children that plans to put down roots for 15 or more years.

 

Rather than marketing to every buyer profile, consider a few shorter, supplemental versions of the tour – one for each of the most likely buyers. 

 

 

 

Open-concept floorplans, for instance, appeal to different buyers for different reasons. The same goes for first-floor en-suites and large, landscaped (or smaller, lower maintenance), backyards. 

 

When recording for each buyer type, speak with empathy, demonstrating your experience working with buyers in life situations similar to theirs. 

 

Once you’ve recorded and edited each video showing, save each of them to sharing privately. After asking a few simple question of the buyer or the buyer’s agent, send them a link to your general marketing video and to the tailored showings that most pertain to their situations. 

 

 

4. Tour “live” (but skip the broadcast)

 

Unless you’re a well-known TV personality, talk-show host or podcast star skip the live, public showings. You won’t want to go viral for the wrong reasons.

 

Instead, invite agents to “bring” their clients on a walk-through video showing with you if needed before in-person tours. Take the time in advance to get to learn about the prospective buyers so that you’re prepared to highlight specific aspects of the property for them.

 

 

5. Have a conversation! 

 

 

A major benefit of live showings is the freedom to have a natural conversation with buyers and their agents.

 

Asking questions during a live tour helps you bring to life aspects of the property that the buyer prioritizes. 

 

You may learn, for instance, that the buyer has three teenagers in school and sports. On the way upstairs, therefore, you might ask what they’d like to see first - the loft area that’s set up as a media room or the master bedroom retreat. 

 

Other questions might include, “What do you like about where you live now?” or “What does mealtime look like in your household?” Use the buyer’s answers to tailor your narrative of the kitchen and to know which cabinets and drawers to open.

 

Before leaving each space, or the property itself, be sure to ask the buyers and their agent if they would like to revisit anything they’ve seen.

 

In all narrative showings, authenticity, genuine concern for the buyer and flexibility will best serve you, the buyers and your sellers.