Put a Face to a Name: Video Email Options for Real Estate Agents

How many of us have said this in the past few weeks: “I wish I had been smart enough to buy stock in Zoom.”Indeed, COVID-19 and “shelter-in-place” has turned Zoom video conferencing into the must-have app of 2020. Families, businesses, social groups, support groups…practically everyone is “zooming” to stay connected. Our new-found obsession with Zoom meetings underscores the value and importance of seeing someone’s face. In a strange way, being able to see someone’s face on our computer or smartphone, is comforting, and somehow reassures us that life can go on despite the craziness around us.As a real estate agent, you understand the importance of staying connected to people. It’s our lifeblood. In particular, you’ve been trained to appreciate the value of building a “sphere of influence” as the foundation of your business. By nurturing your sphere of influence, you create long-term opportunities for both repeat business and, perhaps more importantly, referrals.All real estate agents have their own way of nurturing their sphere. Some use a drip email campaign. Others use their Facebook or Instagram feeds. And, of course, periodic phone check-ins can be a standard part of your sphere marketing arsenal.But in this time of personal, professional and social disruption because of COVID-19, Espresso Agent clients have another tool that can help facilitate greater connection with their sphere: StoryTellr video emails.Storytellr video emails are currently built into the Espresso Agent platform and available with every account. Designed by top-producing real estate agents, the built-in video email capabilities simplifies the process of creating and sharing personalized video emails to your database. There are helpful tutorials to get you started, and several built in templates as well. There are also several service upgrade options available once inside the Espresso Agent platform, if you would like some more advanced assistance with creating video business cards or promotional videos.Video email allows real estate agents the opportunity to engage their sphere in a more intimate way than a standard email. Instead of an intrusion, your sphere may find a video email, like a Zoom meeting, a welcome break in their days of home confinement. But because video is more powerful and intimate, you need to go out of your way to make sure you aren’t using a video email as a hard-sell strategy. To that end, a short video email to do several things:

• Simply connect: use this time as an opportunity to reassure your clients about the market, let them know that you’ve been thinking about them, and find out if there is anything you can do to help them.
• Parenting tips: if you’re a parent with young children at home, perhaps you can share tips with other parents as to fun activities for the kids.
• Restaurant recommendations: share what restaurants you’ve been supporting through take-out or delivery. In the same vein, what other businesses have you been supporting, especially those who may have terrific sales in place.
• Gardening tips: remember, it’s spring and people are looking for excuses to be outdoors. Most home & garden retailers are open, with great bargains. If you’re a gardener and you know of someone in your sphere who loves gardening, a video email would be a great way to connect.

You get the idea! You are a great resource inside your community, and you can probably think of a lot of other ideas, any of which could be handled with a traditional email or Facebook post. But, in the era of Zoom, you might find a video email to be a nice, and refreshing, break from the expected.IMPORTANT: While video email can be a powerful tool, it is critical that you utilize it in a legally compliant manner. Agents MUST follow your own legal opt-in protocols to avoid being flagged as a spammer.Stay safe. Stay focused. Stay positive.