If you’re selective about which properties you hire a professional real estate photographer for, and which ones you don’t, then perhaps it’s time to rethink that strategy. Photography and all the things related to it have never been more important for a successful sale or rental transaction than they are today. But shooting professional photos is much more than just marketing the property.
I can list many reasons why you should hire a photographer for all your listings, but perhaps the most important isn’t the one you’re thinking of. Real estate agents should always be in the mindset of doing what’s best for their clients, but they often forget about, or don’t know how to, market themselves at the same time as marketing their client’s listings.
How are you using the photos from your listings to promote your brand and to find new business?
When you have access to professional photography you can set yourself apart from the others. Of course the primary purpose of taking photos of your listings is to market the property, but using those same photos for your own personal marketing purposes can be incredibly productive in promoting your brand as well. That is the case both at the time of the listing and in the future as you’re marketing your own business. The cost of hiring a professional photographer for all of your listings will pay for itself when you split the cost with the efforts in your own branding campaigns.
If you’re putting all your resources into marketing the property alone, then you’re missing a huge opportunity. We all know that getting new listings helps you to grow your business right? But that’s only true if you have stellar photos of your listings. Since real estate is largely a marketing profession, and marketing requires great media and content, then having professional imagery is essential to your future success.
Leverage your current listings to get more listings in the future
Sellers want top dollar for their real estate property. That is accomplished by bringing as much traffic as possible into the property. The reason we take photos of any property is to get people to visit the property. The more people who visit the more likely it will sell quickly and at a higher price. Proper staging and preparation combined with great photography and a well executed marketing plan will get top dollar on any property, especially in the current real estate market.
Today’s buyers want to see everything before they go visit a property. They want to know the layout by studying the photos, looking at the floor plan and watching a walk-through video. They want to know the special features on the inside and outside, and the more you show the more likely they’ll be willing to pay a premium for the property. We know that the homes that show best online are the first to be visited and the first to sell and at the highest price.
Vacant homes offer a unique challenge for both sellers and buyers. Sellers are often concerned they won’t get good offers because it won’t show like it did when they lived there. Buyers aren’t as attracted to properties with just walls, floors and ceilings in the photos. Fortunately, we can address these concerns with staging, whether it’s actual onsite staging or virtual staging as you can see in the photo of this empty room below, which is virtually staged.
When a seller is thinking about hiring a real estate agent, and they realize they will have to pay a premium for their services, they expect professional quality photography. They have already done their research before they reached out to you. They have looked online and they’ve seen their competition. They see magazine quality photos, floor plans, 360 videos and aerial shots and they’re expecting the same from you if they hire you as their listing agent.
The most successful listing agents are those who learn how to showcase their properties for their own benefit as much as their client’s benefit.
The opportunity is there for you to win the business with professional visuals. The next time you have a listing presentation, you can share with your prospective seller-client, the images and marketing tools you’ve used on past listings. Buyers want to see this too. If you don’t currently have marketing materials to show prospective seller and buyer clients, then maybe now is the time to start.
What to do with your professional real estate photos?
Upload to the MLS – This is an obvious one, but lets not take the importance of this for granted. Your photos can make or break the success of your listing. You don’t want buyers to skim past your listing just because the cover photo wasn’t very interesting.
Choose the best image for your cover photo, and assemble all the images so they tell a story about the property. Be careful not to go overboard with too many photos though. Quality is always way more important than quantity. Experts say 20-25 images is plenty for most properties. The Smart MLS in Connecticut allows up to 40 images.
Create posts on your personal profile on social media – Posting on social media is the easiest and fastest way to reach the people you know and who know you best. These are the people who will most likely send referrals to you in the future.
“Secret agents” are never successful agents in the real estate business
Even if you have business profiles on your social media accounts, using your personal profiles will reach the largest audience. Marketing your listings on social media is about marketing yourself as the agent, not just your listing. This is your opportunity to show your people what you do and how you do it.
In marketing, one of your goals should always be to create “news events” you can talk about during your marketing campaigns. Through the life cycle of a listing there are multiple opportunities to showcase your properties and your abilities. Be sure to include the stages from “Just Listed” to “Open House” to “Under Contract” to “Just Sold”.
If you have multiple social media accounts it is recommended you post on each of them, as each likely has a different group of your contacts. The three most common platforms are Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. You probably won’t find a buyer for the property you’re marketing on social media, but you are likely to find future client’s either directly or indirectly through referrals on social media.
Use social media to your advantage. Use the professional images from your real estate listings to promote your professional brand in addition to your listings.
Facebook – If you have a Facebook profile you are most likely connected with friends and family both locally and far away, all of whom may be great sources of real estate referrals. Include the best 6-8 photos of your listing as well as a link to where they can find more information about the listing, such as your brokerage site or your realtor.com profile landing page.
Facebook allows text and photos so may want to include a brief description of the property, the location or address and your contact info as well. If you are creative you may also want to consider posting to your Facebook and Instagram stories. Set it up so the same story automatically goes to both accounts.
Instagram – If you have an Instagram profile it may include many of the same connections as on Facebook, but it may have others as well. Instagram is more about sharing images than text, so include the best 8-12 photos of your listing. Instagram does not allow shareable links, but it’s important to include basic information, such as the address and price. If you have access to any marketing slides that can be included as well.
LinkedIn – If you have a LinkedIn profile this audience may be very different than your connections on Facebook or Instagram, so it’s important to include this platform in your marketing. This post can be similar or even identical to what is posted on Facebook.
Brochures – Your brokerage firm most likely offers opportunities to print materials to display at the property during open houses and for showings. This provides another opportunity to market yourself to potential future clients. These will be seen and taken home by neighbors who visit your open houses who may be thinking about selling their homes. If you impress them they will call you later, if they can remember who you are. You should save extra copies of these materials for your future listing presentations as well.
Post Cards – Post cards are basically giant business cards. Your new listing gives you and excuse to pass them out to your friends, family and even acquaintances. Take them with you everywhere you go. This demonstrates your commitment to selling your listings, and showcases your marketing skills. Keep a book of postcard stamps on hand as well, so you can mail them to any prospects you may have in your address book. Post card stamps for a 4×6 card only cost about $0.50.
Listing Presentations – If you don’t have brochures or postcards from past listings, you want to be sure to include photos of your past listings in all your presentations. You don’t want to have to use other agent’s photos from their listings, you want to use your own. You should keep a library of your own showcase photos for all your marketing needs in the future.
Jeff Wirz is a Professional Real Estate photographer based in Stamford, Connecticut. He photographs real estate properties for real estate agents and brokers located throughout Fairfield County. He also provides other related services, including video, floor plans, virtual staging and aerial photography. Jeff is also a Connecticut licensed real estate agent.
JEFFREY WIRZ PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 