On this episode of the Atlanta Small Business Show, Jim sits down with Rett Harmon of Century 21 in Carrollton, Georgia to discuss video marketing. Rett has found tremendous success using video to capture an audience for his business. Tune-in to find out more.
Check out some of Rett’s videos on the Century 21 YouTube channel.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION
Jim Fitzpatrick: Hi everyone, I’m Jim Fitzpatrick and I’d like to welcome you back to another edition of the Atlanta Small Business show. Did you ever search on google for a product or a service and a video comes up with great content on the very service or product that you’re looking for? Well today’s guest has become a leader in real estate sales in Carrollton, Georgia, by using video to get his company’s name out there in front of potential home buyers and sellers. So let’s find out the secret to his success using video. I’d like to welcome Rett Harmon of Century 21. Welcome aboard.
Rett Harmon: Thanks a lot, thanks for having me.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Yeah, great, great, glad that you’re here. So obviously Rett, video is so hot these days. Everybody knows in marketing, at least I hope they know, that video can be a game changer. Correct?
Rett Harmon: Absolutely. We use it every day.
Jim Fitzpatrick: So let’s talk about that. How did it come about? Why video and why did you start using it in your company?
Rett Harmon: Definitely. So we were a start up with our franchise in 2014, been in business many years before that but we wanted to differentiate ourselves in our market to be known as the community expert. I think in real estate, we tie everyone together in everything we do. Someone buys a house from us, they’re gonna wanna know who to use for the dentist, who to use for a mechanic, whatever it its. So we wanted to be the expert there and really demonstrate that as a primary thing and then also real estate kind of comes as a natural thing after that if genuine through it. We promote local business and community happenings and amenities in our area through video and that has made a way for us to win over consumers in our market customers and let ’em know exactly what we’re about.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Okay. So lots of questions to ask here.
Rett Harmon: Sure.
Jim Fitzpatrick: A. How long is a video? How long does a video typically run?
Rett Harmon: They can vary. We try to aim for a 30 second to under a minute. Little commercial for what we’re doing.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Okay.
Rett Harmon: However, when I go and say that some of our most successful videos have been longer. I think it really has a lot to do with how much attention we’re able to gain from our audience on it. If it’s a really compelling topics or something that’s not been talked about a lot or something that’s really engaging, you can get a little bit more time there if it’s good stuff, but not just filler.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Sure. So what would a typical video and we’re showing some on the screen right now. What would a typical video have in it?
Rett Harmon: So a lot of time we’ll show up at a local business, talk to the owner, I’ll try to do a brief coaching on what we’re gonna talk about. Really just an introduction of who they are, where there located, and what they do, what’s the schedule of what they do? And it gives a chance for them to shine in the public eye. People already know who they are in our community and just talk about what they do and really just sum it up really quickly and I’ll usually wrap it up with, “This is another one of the great things about living and working here in West Georgia in the Carrolton area. So works out well. We do some light branding of our office on there on the front of the video and on the back of the video along with the content creator video marketer that we use. It’s really a great process for them. Then we take the video and advertise it on social media.
Jim Fitzpatrick: What social media platform do you use to get the video out there?
Rett Harmon: We use several. Basically, Facebook, Instagram, we do a little bit with Snapchat, we do a little bit with obviously YouTube. We backfill our videos there.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Sure.
Rett Harmon: Linkedin and Twitter a little bit, but primarily Facebook, if you look at the weight of attention for everything, Facebook really has the majority hof the audience that really are buying and selling houses.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right. Right.
Rett Harmon: That’s where we seem to win the most with using.
Jim Fitzpatrick: From the videos that I’ve seen, which you do a great job at, they’re really kind of home grown videos. It’s not like you gotta have some big production company to produce these. In fact, it probably lends more credibility to the fact that you’re gonna either hold up your phone or have somebody shoot a video quickly for you.
Rett Harmon: No absolutely. What I primarily do is professionally put together, but it’s one guy. He does all the shooting and he does most of all the editing. It’s very straight forward. He’s carrying a single camera.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right.
Rett Harmon: Obviously we go back and forth sometimes with the shotgun mic.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right.
Rett Harmon: Sometimes we put the wireless lapel mics on, but we do the video, kind of have it planned out, what we’re gonna do and try to get as many lined up as possible and then have it ready to go for us.
Jim Fitzpatrick: When you’re doing these videos, I think you mentioned to me before the interview got started here today, that you try to take one day out of the month and get all the videos shot that you wanna get shot for that month.
Rett Harmon: Definitely. That is probably the hardest part with anything is just committing the time and being consistent. So we basically work it out. There’s on full day of actually shooting the content, creating the content and then there’s probably at least another day of editing, but we also have it worked out that he helps me initiate the post on some of those. Then we go from there, but yes. To put them out there on social media, absolutely free, but we do have to spend some money to make those posts actually show up.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Sure. Okay to promote ’em a little bit, right? Spend $50 or $100 or something like that.
Rett Harmon: Five and ten a lot of times.
Jim Fitzpatrick: $5 and $10?
Rett Harmon: Yeah. Every markets different, but we have very targeted audience that we’re going after that are people that are hyper local to our area. We really try to keep it as local as possible.
Jim Fitzpatrick: For those people walking around, which is everybody nowadays, with a video camera on their hip. This can also be used, can it?
Rett Harmon: Oh, absolutely.
Jim Fitzpatrick: You took it to the next level there ’cause you’ve been having some success with it, but maybe a videographer for the small business owners that are viewing us right now that say, “Wow, that’s a great way to get the word out.” They don’t even necessarily need to take on the cost of the videographer at first.
Rett Harmon: It’s not an associate at all. I do that many because of keeping me mon track and having accountable. I know that I’ve obligated myself to be there. I’ll make sure that actually did get done and it actually gets posted and used.
Jim Fitzpatrick: It’s kind of like having a trainer at the gym, I know I’ll go if I’ve got a trainer sitting there waiting for me.
Rett Harmon: Absolutely, but if the trainer was free you could just show up whenever, you may or may not go.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right. Right, exactly.
Rett Harmon: So what I suggest a lot of times, is people sorry … I still use the video on my phone all the time. Actually sometimes we will integrate iPhone video as well as the professional video to get a different take at what’s going on, or maybe a different shot of what was going on. A lot of the times we’ll document while we’re shooting video, we do little short videos. Hey we’re here at this new business, this new restaurant, this opened up.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right.
Rett Harmon: Well do a little short snippet, maybe do a Facebook Live or something, or and Instagram Live. That kind of helps tee up interest around what we’re doing so when the professional video goes out, it already has a little bit of momentum behind it.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right. Right.
Rett Harmon: Also, if it’s using within just real estate in general, going to a new listing. Doing a live right in front of the new listing and walking through. Those videos are actually far more successful than a professionally produced video of a house most of the time, because it’s relevant. People see it happening real time.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Sure.
Rett Harmon: They’ll engage right away. Whereas, if you do the professional video, only the person really looking to buy that property that found it through a listing or whatever is gonna end up with it.
Jim Fitzpatrick: So with 30,000 plus realtors in Georgia, how come more real estate agents and brokers don’t utilize video?
Rett Harmon: I think a lot has to do with, I think people sometimes will get self conscious. I know I have a very heavy southern accent. I just embrace it. It’s who I am. I’m a real person.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Yeah. We didn’t notice it.
Rett Harmon: Yeah, I’m sure. In all actuality we look like we look. We sound like we sound. Just get over ourselves and do it.
Jim Fitzpatrick: I think the key to that, which lends the video, is that there’s also other people that look and sound like you, so they can relate when they see you on video and go, “Hey, here’s a home town boy that is in the real estate business and I have an instant connection with him or her” if there’s a female realtor that chooses to do this as well, and I think that’s really where video can help any small business owner out there, or is that the audience is out there looking for people that they can connect with on whatever level. Might be the southern accent, or it might be the way that you look or where you live or what have you. I think video helps that right?
Rett Harmon: Absolutely and at the end of the day, people wanna work with other people.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right.
Rett Harmon: You can be the best at what you’re doing. The best professional at what you’re doing. Outside of, I guess maybe a doctor, you can maybe not have the best personality, but it wouldn’t be a really good surgeon and that doesn’t matter, but if you’re in the people business, automotive, anything around sales, people are gonna wanna feel comfortable dealing with who they’re dealing with.
Jim Fitzpatrick: That’s right.
Rett Harmon: When you can … Video is the best way to work 24/7 even when you’re sleeping, ’cause watch your videos at night and they can see your personality. They can see, “That’s a real person.” It’s not a polished movie star actor or whatever. I make mistakes all the time. I usually just keep rolling with it. I like to go the first take.
Jim Fitzpatrick: I think it lends to the video, right. It makes it more authentic.
Rett Harmon: Even doing the professional stuff, we will … If I make a little small mistake, as long as it’s not terrible, we’ll just roll with it.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right. Using video to promote your business isn’t just for realtors. It’s for anyone whether you’re a dentist or a doctor, a chiropractor, or a health club, or a new restaurant, anyone watching this video right now. It’s funny they’re watching the video could get into this and use this in a very big way to push their company and to market their company in their specific area. Correct?
Rett Harmon: Absolutely. Let’s just go back to youtube. If I wanna learn how to tie a tie a certain way. Why I go to YouTube, look it up.
Jim Fitzpatrick: I do the same thing.
Rett Harmon: Bow tie, whatever.
Jim Fitzpatrick: That’s right. So you can imagine if somebody types in and say, “How do I buy a home?” Or “I’m a first time home buyer” or “I wanna sell my home because I’m an empty nester,” and they put it in and they listen to an expert come up in a three minute video.
Rett Harmon: Absolutely and then you going back to even with a dentist, like what do I do if this situation … If you’re on vacation and you have a filling come out, what is the remedy to get to where you get back.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Sure.
Rett Harmon: You can name any indust what so ever.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right
Rett Harmon: And find a way to relevantly use video that people are actually gonna be compelled to watch.
Jim Fitzpatrick: Right. Right. Congratulations on your new book, Secrets to Success From Leading Pros. Talk about what somebody will take away from this.
Rett Harmon: Absolutely, so if you search it on Amazon, it’s Winning Real Estate and then It’s got a long title obliviously, so this is basically writhen bee nine different people that are winning in real estate. They’re all over the country and they really are doing a fantastic job. So anyone that’s in real estate brand new or someone that is looking to enhance their career. It’s a good, good content, and there’s actual real takeaways you can use right away, but my chapter in the book is winning community and it talks about our whole process, how we went through what we did and how we make it work. How we actually convince owners of business to get on video, which is kind of a hard thing to do.
Jim Fitzpatrick: I would imagine. I would imagine. Sounds like a great read. Again, thank you so much Rett for coming in and we really appreciate it and as I said, let’s get you back on the show and see what’s happening in the future here.
