Turnhere Lets You Do Video Cheap
Been thinking you might want to do video?
No better time than the present.
Turnhere has a great special going on right now that gets you a full 1 minute business profile for only $499. Regular price is $899 and the offer is good until June 30. That also gets you a player with embed code, a year’s worth of hosting and distribution to all the major video portals.
Here’s an example of what Turnhere can produce:
Regular readers of this blog will know I’m a big fan of Internet video and at the risk of this whole post coming across as a total pitch, (which, frankly, it’s turning in to), I think Turnhere creates some of the very best videos on the web.
But up until now there really hasn’t been any way to work with them, as their model dictated that they work largely with folks who would buy videos in bulk. This move however is especially interesting since now even the small guys can get in the game.
I stand by my prediction that the adoption of video in real estate stands to radically change the way consumers and the industry interact with each other (see Video Isn’t Just About Your Listings). So there’s still time to hop on this bandwagon.
Of course, you could grab a Flip and shoot this yourself – but personally I’ll bet Turnhere’s “Soup to Nuts” approach is worth the 500 bones. Finally if you’re less of a DIYer but still want some more control over the production; check out WellcomeMat to hook up with a video pro in your area.
Full disclosure: Turnhere is owned by Brad Inman, founder of Inman News.
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Naples Smart Girl | Jun 3, 2009 | Reply
Turnhere is still my favorite video company! They always do a MAGNIFICENT JOB with their video concepts!
potentialbuyer | Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
There are so many problems with both this post and the video itself I dont know where to begin.
Do I want a professional realtor that spends his day fishing?
I’m glad you have a passion for selling houses, but what specifically are you going to do thats different than everyone else to sell my home?
What did your 20 years in insurance do to prepare you to sell real estate? Do you have any background in marketing? How about your sales skills? How successful where you in selling insurance?
What are you going to do online, where most of the buyers are? Can you provide me with weekly updates on the effectiveness of all of your marketing tactics?
The video is actually ok, but the video company seems to know very little about human behavior. Google gave a great speech last year on the ‘behavior’ of video watching. People don’t watch the entire thing, typically only the first 20 seconds. All I would have gotten out of this video in 20 seconds is some guy likes to fish and has bad taste in music.
Ally Sheran | Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
this is a great example of why so many people have a very low view of real estate agents. Thousands of companies selling quickie marketing products, most of them have no payback, yet real estate agents fall for them. Almost like snake oil salesmen.
how about spending that $500 on a class about search engine optimization, or understanding online marketing techniques, or going to a trade show on how to best represent my property. Is there any information on how many potential sellers or buyers sit through these video’s?
Poor, poor taste for inman to be pushing a product they own.
David Ross | Jun 4, 2009 | Reply
Regardless of the medium, to generate brand awareness and build profile, marketing content needs to be market relevant and of good quality.
Video, when done well, is such an effective communication tool because it conveys emotion. Potentialbuyer is right in that agents need to think about their market first, then tailor the message to it.
We have been providing video to the real estate industry down under for 4 years now and reckon we do it pretty well. Check out http://tsr2.propvid.tv/tsr3/pv/view.php?sc=7fe9d408a6 as an example.
Great site by the way. Love it’s focus.
J. L. Winn | Jun 5, 2009 | Reply
I have to agree with “potentialbuyer”. It’s really an awful example of marketing and branding for the agent in the video.
Why would watching 20 seconds or even the whole 2 minutes compel a consumer to contact this agent? Because I like to fish? Because I also used to sell insurance and found it boring? The video might be “authentic” but not interesting or persuasive.
TurnHere’s discount seems to be further evidence that video just isn’t catching on with this industry to the level where it is a sustainable business model. The part of video that agents like is the free part, i.e. posting it to YouTube.
Not that there’s anything wrong with video. Our customers post to YouTube for additional exposure. It’s just that video is not the type of stand-alone solution that can’t be achieved just as well with any of a few other much more cost effective media.
Brad, I hope your summer promotion is successful.
Joel Burslem | Jun 6, 2009 | Reply
@Ally. Just to be clear – this wasn’t Inman pushing anything. I thought it was worth mentioning because of the switch in Turnhere’s business model from working with resellers to going direct. That’s fairly big change for them.
Looking back on the post – I probably should have led with that and left the mention of the $499 promotion to the end. My bad – nobody elses.
Louis Cammarosano | Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
Is there any market research that shows, or an internal turn here data that indicates that consumers are more likely to pick a realtor is they get some type of personal insights into the realtor?
I was not impressed at all as the video seemed to miss the mark as a marketing tool. HOWEVER, my opinion is not what matters. The real issue is not whether the video resonates with me, with FOREM or any one else in particular, but rather whether these types of videos appeal to a large enough segment of the realtor using public to make the investment in one worthwhile.
My guess is no.
Greg Swann | Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
Completely useless as marketing. Does not sell a thing. Does an excellent job of not selling the TurnHere product.
Joel Burslem | Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
@Louis. “The real issue is not whether the video resonates with me, with FOREM or any one else in particular, but rather whether these types of videos appeal to a large enough segment of the realtor using public…”
Exactly. But I’d refine that even further to say “one or two people” rather than a “large enough segment of the realtor using public”. I see this as an example of niche marketing rather than “spray and pray” advertising.
In my mind, $500 is not a big investment to make if it lands you a couple buyers or sellers (and a couple of sales commissions).
Even if it’s only because they like to fish.
Louis Cammarosano | Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
@Joel Viewed that way ANY $500 investment that lands you just ONE sales commission is worth it.
The question still remains-how many people who have these $500 videos can attribute landing a customer as a result of seeing the video.
$500 worth of direct postcard mailings.
$500 worth of HomeGain buyerlink (about 500 visits to your IDX web site and about 50 emaiol registations)
$500 worth of HomeGain’s AgentView (about 18 months worth of the product)
$500 for a video of a realtor standing in a stream
Which might have the greater ROI?
Brian Brady | Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
“In my mind, $500 is not a big investment to make if it lands you a couple buyers or sellers (and a couple of sales commissions).”
Joel, you’re a bright guy but this is a common mistake that is constantly resold to agents by sales trainers:
“if y’all git just one listing from this here tactic, it will have paid fer itself)”
What that statement doesn’t account for is the people whom the tactic turned off. It may get an extra couple of closings but turned away dozens. Great marketing is great marketing and stands on its own merits. Bad marketing is, well…bad marketing. Video amplifies that it’s bad (or good).
Turn Here looks to be a valuable tool inasmuch as it saves real estate marketers time over the the free alternatives. I might suggest you focus on that value proposition of this product.
Joel Burslem | Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
@Brian – Wow, if I’d known this discussion was going to spin out into a thread on effective video marketing, I wouldn’t have so casually tossed off a post about Turnhere’s summer sale.
Fun discussion though. I think we’re all fixating on the video when in reality, there is much that is unknown about this particular example. Who knows if the Realtor was using it to promote exclusively to anglers and ended up “landing” dozens of them, I’ll admit I don’t. Without the proper context, we’re all just making guesses as to its effectiveness.
Funny that the sample has become the focal point, when as you suggest, my main point in the original post was to simply say that you could now get a Turnhere video direct.
@Louis. Spending $500 bucks on Homegain ads is probably worth the investment. So is spending $500 on SEM, PPC, SEO, video ads or postcards — if you can afford it. In my mind you should try everything at least once. The real issue, like you brought up, is you have to evaluate the ROI. And the result will depend on every person individually; based on their clients and their market.
Brian Brady | Jun 7, 2009 | Reply
I didn’t even look at the video, Joel so I don’t know of its efficacy. I’m just commenting on the rationale you used to defend the purchase of the product.
Louis cammarosano | Jun 8, 2009 | Reply
@Joel
“spending $500 on Homegain is probably worth the investment”
We can show that it is unlike most of the marketing
Big ideas that I read about here and on Inman news
We recently announced yet another agent who
Reached $1 million dollars in commissions using our agent evaluator product -a story ignored here
We annually announce our top producers, we noted one agent on pace to sell 400 homes this year
Using Homegain’s buyerlink
These stories are routinely ignored in favor of touting unproven marketing methods like answering questions on public forums
Marty Lachance (Utopria) | Jun 8, 2009 | Reply
The debate on video will not go away anytime soon. Quality, content, cost and where to host it further complicate the topic.
You can see from this discussion that Realtors are mixed on how effective and cost-effective it can be: http://activerain.com/blogsview/1090011/why-i-m-not-a-fan-of-real-estate-video
We do actually think video has merit, but agree with J.L Winn, that you have about 20 seconds to make your impression.
This is why we only allow for video introductions on listings with embedded audio tours for further property details.
You can find a sample from one of our free subscribers at http://listen.utopria.com/infocode.aspx?id=412&key=675
David Ross | Jun 8, 2009 | Reply
A well produced video profile is such an effective profile building tool if done correctly.
There are two parts to this. One is understanding the why part of “why invest in a video profile”. You are trying to build your brand, showcase you and your business to the desired audience – potential vendor(s). What do they need to know about you to put their largest asset in your hands? Fishing, probably not. The second part is using it effectively to get maximum value from the investment.
Video needs to be a part of every agents marketing arsenal. It just needs a strategy to direct it.
Sean Purcell | Jun 8, 2009 | Reply
Joel,
Unlike Brian, I did watch the video. If the man in the video was going after the angler market he failed at that too. Enticing a niche requires more than wearing their garb.
The problem with video is it exacerbates bad marketing (which is to say: real estate marketing – most of the time). A flier talking all about the agent is bad enough, but a video is bordering on narcissistic. When will agents learn that clients don’t care about agents, they care about what value the agent brings to their transaction.
I know your intent was not to push this particular video, but using a bad example to sell a product is, in itself, pretty bad marketing.
jay -- JustNewListings.com | Jun 9, 2009 | Reply
I think it should be also disclosed that Future of Real Estate Marketing is also owned by Inman…?
This is a ripoff and pathetic taking advantage of ignorant agents. Back to technology for agents blog where I can get pure blogging without such inherent conflicts of interest by the writer.
Morgan | Jun 10, 2009 | Reply
It’s great to see the passion around video for the Internet. I’m glad that this post stirred up the debate around online video and its effectiveness, because I believe it is an important conversation to have. Before reading further please know that I am employed by TurnHere.
To the question of whether video, in particular TurnHere video works for small business there is solid research that video does, in fact, work to drive new business.
Video works on a variety of levels, from the top of the funnel with improved search engine placement all the way down to improving conversions of site visitors to leads and customers.
Let’s start where the rubber meets the road, conversions. Marketing Sherpa, a well-respected research company recently published a study showing that 52% of online video viewers took positive action after seeing an online video ad; 28% looked for more information; and 16% bought something. That’s a non-trivial lift to key conversions – actual ROI.
That corroborates the analytics we’ve seen from our partners which show that adding a TurnHere video increases clicks for more information by 32%, increased inbound sales calls by 20% (tracked via a unique number with call tracking technology) and more than doubles online contact form inquiries. Our partners also report that more than 80% of our videos are watched from start to finish. These metrics outperform other video products sold side-by-side with TurnHere’s video.
To the argument of whether its bad marketing, we, obviously, disagree. TV has shown for decades that people connect via video with other people. It builds trust and elicits an emotional response that is far more powerful that a list of features on a web page. These videos are played not as an intrusion but by the permission of the viewer. The viewer is looking for more information, looking for an agent (or any type of business) that they can connect with. Video brings the important human element to marketing that helps customers become comfortable and familiar with people they’re evaluating to do business with.
Bob Stoneburner | Jun 17, 2009 | Reply
Last I spoke with Inman and Turn Here, they used local freelancers to film footage based on a canned formula and semi-customized script. It was unclear if the freelancer (usually a local film student) did the final cut. While the formula is tight enough to make cookie cutter property, agent and neighborhood videos, the quality of the work varied from freelancer to freelancer. What you get may or may not be on par with the samples shown on the ‘TurnHere.com’ website….When it comes to creative, you get what you pay for.
Bob Stoneburner | Jun 17, 2009 | Reply
This video is very typical of many of the agent video samples I reviewed. Canned questions are used to get agents to simply talk about themselves long enough to get sixty second of footage. However, TurnHere does your customers a disfavor by not asking questions that get them to speak about their value proposition. This video has the right feel and decent production quality for the price. However it fails as a marketing piece. What’s in it for me the audience?
Seh | Jun 23, 2009 | Reply
As a matter of fact you can post a video FREE and get keyword-targeting to enhance your search engine traffic. So you target keywords that someone would use when searching for real estate related products in your area. The site to go to for more information is http://www.adwido.com
uloff | Nov 12, 2009 | Reply
this video sucked, if inman was somehow involved it shows how clueless they are
Steve Mancali | Nov 15, 2009 | Reply
The trick in producing a good realty video tour or an agent profile is all in the edit. Certainly there are those agents who will do more harm than good if put on camera. Still, the best editors out there can effectively portray a person doing the things they love to do. This can be effective when attempting to project their personality to potential buyer and seller clients. After all, you’ll probably spend plenty of time interacting with this person, so you’d better like them.
In my opinion, everything about what real estate video has been needs to change. Is it too much to ask that it evolves into something which may even resemble entertainment?
Here is a site which does a great job.
Round Rock Walsh Ranch Luxury home with theater produced by HomeSaleVideo .com on WellcomeMat
Agent Profile video
Tom Thorton produced by HomeSaleVideo .com on WellcomeMat
Kevin Tomlinson | Nov 27, 2009 | Reply
Isn’t it common knowledge that Inman owns this Web site FOREM?
That’s what I’ve been told. Then this video and all the Inman stuff makes total sense.
Correct me if I’m wrong.
allan | Jan 20, 2010 | Reply
Thanks for letting me know about this site, I’ll definitely have
to check it out. Like a friend said, I need all the info I can get!
Fred Light | Feb 27, 2010 | Reply
Like every other type of marketing, there are effective ways to do it – and ineffective ways.
Personally, I find video agent profiles to be nearly worthless ‘fluff’. I’ve seen way too many of these things showing an agent talking about themselves, how they ‘care’ about their clients…. it shows them holding a fake phone on a fake phone call, hammering in a fake SOLD sign and hugging fake customers at the front door of the fake house.
I don’t think that type self serving video is effective at all – the “me, me, me” type of marketing just doesn’t work these days. Potential customers want to know about what you can do to help THEM.
However, video DOES work on many, many levels. But just like everything else, there are many ways to do a video. I’ve seen many, many, MANY blogs that I know are totally worthless – mostly because these agents just don’t know HOW to correctly blog, what type of content to be writing about, how to tag it and write it in order to accomplish their (supposed) goal – which is to generate business. And there are excellent blogs that work very, very well.
This really isn’t about the effectiveness of video – video done right can be extremely effective. Unfortunately, THIS particular video is not a good example.