I’m always keen on finding creative new ways to promote home listings, so I was intrigued to find a tweet from a Sotheby’s Realty colleague using lifestyle marketing to sell his beachfront properties. I’ve seen lifestyle marketing for real estate, but Realtor Gerard Bisignano of Peninsula Sotheby’s International Realty was one of the first to do this with video.
He’s been getting a lot of attention for his recent lifestyle video promoting the Strand, a stunning oceanfront contemporary-style home he’s listed for sale. I’m glad he’s with us today to share his thoughts on the changing world of real estate marketing.
LM: What gave you the idea to create a lifestyle video as opposed to a standard home video?
GB: It was a collaborative effort between myself and the design/production team. We had this amazing house as a canvas and wanted to do something out of the box. Most home videos look the same; this is the kitchen, this is the master bedroom, etc.
Since the idea of marketing is to stimulate intrigue and a positive reaction from a potential buyer, why not create a scene that they can imagine themselves in? In this case, it’s the wife finding the perfect house and enthusiastically talking to her friend about it. Anyone who has bought a home can relate to that emotion.
LM: What was the home seller’s reaction?
GB: They liked it a lot. They come from the creative field themselves and understand the creative processes.
LM: What has the impact been? Has it increased buyer interest in the home?
GB: The video has been called sexy, provocative, and controversial. It has brought great attention to the home. A popular local blog picked it up and then a well-known Los Angeles blog. When that happened we averaged 1,000 hits a day for about a week, so we currently have around 7,000 people who would not have been exposed to the home otherwise.
The reaction from Realtors has been mixed. I don’t think most of them get it because they are used to marketing property the same old way. At the same time, I’ve gotten Realtors from across the country email me saying how great they thought it is. The reaction from consumers has been really positive. And we now have an accepted offer on the home!
LM: How does it feel to be one of the first real estate agents to delve into home lifestyle marketing?
GB: Our intention was to continue to do all we can to market our clients’ properties in a creative way. We are in an extremely competitive market, so how do you rise up above the clamor? It started out as an effort to accomplish just that. I guess we have blazed a trail. I know that we have in our market and I am very pleased.
LM: What are your future plans in this area?
GB: I have a new website launching that will help me accommodate a lot of videos. We will continue to push the envelope with everything we do, and the reaction to this video confirms that we are on the right track. We already have our ideas together for the next video and we are using a similar type of format. It should be very interesting and I am hoping it creates the same type of reaction. It should.