Getting Your Videos Seen On YouTube
Keen internet observers would have recently noted the changes to Google’s ranking algorithms that may have affected how some real estate listings are found online, since it targets duplicate words targeting spam and older content. Matt Cutts from Google wrote in his blog that it was a ‘pretty targeted launch’.
Slightly over 2% of queries change in some way, but less than half a percent of search results change enough that someone might really notice. The net effect is that searchers are more likely to see the sites that wrote the original content rather tha
n a site that scraped or copied the original site’s content.
So how can you ensure you get your video seen in the places that matter, by the people that matter. Here at Visual Domain we can help you with Search Engine Optimisation, but here are some handy tips:
- Tag it right- tag words are often forgotten when uploading videos, but we can’t stress how important they are. Keywords are how your video is found and pushed to to the top of the search results. Think of as many variations on the keywords as you can.
- Write a detailed description- many people use the description to simply write ‘Contact Me’. Not good enough! Describe what’s in the video and then you can write your contact details at the end.
- Clear headings- make the title of your video clear, concise and to the point. Don’t try to be be tricky or sophisticated, just simply state what it is.
There’s plenty of information on the World Wide Web about SEO, so have a look around and make sure you’re not missing out on the views you need!
Happy Twitter= Happy Customers
Source: dbnet.com.au
Social media is an ever-changing evolution- once you get comfortable using one medium or site, there’s another bandwagon to jump onto. However, it’s great to see businesses really embracing Twitter and learning how to make it work for their company.
When Twitter really began to take off, companies were simply using it as a platform for free PR. There were constant updates screaming “LOOK AT OUR NEW PRODUCTS”, “50% OFF EVERYTHING FOR TWO WEEKS”, and the list goes on. Despite being so close to their customers, they weren’t personalising their site. It was generic rubbish you could see if you signed up for their e-newsletter or went on their website. In the end, they simply weren’t worth following.
However, soon Twitter started to get the respect it deserved and the corporates realised it was a fantastic way to personally connect with their customers. Brands such Optus, Vodafone, Telstra, and Australia Post are just some of the big names using Twitter to deal with customer complaints, hassles, problems and compliments on a one-t0-one basis. They generally have a dedicated ‘Tweeter’ online during business hours who deals directly with customers. It’s so personal, they generally even sign off with their first name, eg “Cheers, Scott”. So dedicated are they to Twitter, they don’t just respond to people who directly Tweet them (using @), they go searching for any mention of their business name and then respond to those. For example, if someone rubbishes Australia Post by saying they never received a certain parcel, the official Australia Post tweeter will find that tweet and respond, offering to help in any way they can.
Certainly, sometimes it doesn’t work. People sometimes don’t want help and will continue to abuse that particular brand, but more often than not, the customer is very happy to have received a prompt, helpful and polite reply, instead of hanging on the line to an off-shore call centre for 30 minutes of their lunch break! It’s public relations at its best.
Qantas were a brand that jumped on the bandwagon a little late- pointedly, after their A380 disasters. However, how much more efficient and satisfying would it have been if they had regular Twitter updates when there were massive flight delays due to exploding volcanoes and engine problems? Instead of looking at their website and hitting refresh, customers could have had minute-by-minute updates without the annoyance of websites crashing.
So what are our best tips on how to use Twitter effectively?
- Never lose your cool- learn to handle the criticism
- Always be polite and respectful
- Never accidentally post anyone’s private details when responding
- Be active in searching for discussion about your brand
- Reply promptly- either people don’t care a week later, or the damage has been done
- Handball queries to other departments if you must, but make sure they reply quickly
Best of luck!
Bits & Bobs at Visual Domain
With 2010 soon to coming to a close, plenty of people will be breathing a sigh of relief. What a tumultuous year it has been! Whether you’re an AFL fan or politics lover, it’s been a year of ups and downs and complete unknowns. Hung elections, hung grand finals- it’s been mayhem for the real estate industry. Hopefully next year will bring a lot more stability to the industry.
I’m really looking forward to checking out end-of-year market updates and reports. With final annual clearance rates and sales numbers in, it will be an interesting reflection of how the market reacts to unexpected events and circumstances. We’re filming a few at the moment and I’ll be sure to to post them here for you have a look at.
The end of a year is a great time for reflection- How can I do better? How can I increase my clearance rates? How can I get my name out there? How can I expand my database?
If you really want to reflect on these questions, why not do it in style? If you made a fantastic sale this year, and I mean FANTASTIC, why not splash out $40,000 a week on this amazing holiday house. It’s comforting to see that there is a still a market for these sorts of properties!
And in exciting news for Visual Domain- we’re a mere 600 hits away from hitting 100,000 video views on our YouTube page. Extremely exciting! We were promised a party when it happened- lucky it will hit just as we’re celebrating our Christmas Party!
We also have some fantastic videos due to be edited this week. A beach box auction. A charity boxing match. And a ‘very cute’ Christmas message with some furry friends.
So, stay tuned to our Twitter, Facebook and Blog page for the most up-to-date updates!
What About A Christmas Video Message?
Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of December? This year seems to have flown by. But have you thought about how you’re going to thank your clients for their support throughout 2010? A bottle of wine, box of chocolates or maybe a gourmet hamper? How about a Christmas video message? A unique way to personally address your clients, a video message can be tailor-made, anyway you like!
Think you have a nice singing voice? Sing a Christmas carol. Think you have a knack for making some awesome Santa hats? Bring them along to the shoot. Or simply want to give a heartfelt thanks for all the amazing support you’ve received this year? Done.
A Christmas video certainly stands out from the paper cards that get delivered in the post, and the receiver will be intrigued and will certainly play it straight away! It is also a lot longer lasting than a paper card, so you’ll stick in the memories.
As well, the video gives you an opportunity to talk about some of the highlights of year- whether they be record sales, a new office or hitting an important milestone.
So have a think, get creative and then give us a call to book your video Christmas message- be quick, it’s nearly the 25th of December!
Have a look at the below examples for some inspiration.
Laing + Simmons
Starr Partners
Social Networking With The Best Of Them
Looking after Visual Domain’s Twitter page can be an interesting job. We get all kinds of followers , ranging from a disgruntled house hunter who got so fed up with what he calls ‘dumb agents’ that he created a Twitter page and blog in said name, to money hungry Americans from the midwest asking Visual Domain to help them make millions (help me first, please!), and then of course those so passionate about property, rates and any news at all, that they update every single minute (can kind of clog up the feed…).
Follow us @visualdomain
However, what Twitter does offer is access to some fantastic links or videos that you may not normally come across on the world wide web. The internet is a large, and sometimes scary, place to navigate, and a single Google search can often produce millions upon millions of hits- with probably only around 0.05% actually relating to what you need to know. I’m often on the hunt for fun facts and statistics about the benefits of video and social networking, but often there are so many DARN IRRELEVANT hits and I have completely wasted my time. However, today I was casually scrolling through our tweets and I came across three completely fabulous links I just had to share. They’re all about the power of social networking and having brand presence on the internet, something which we at Visual Domain often seek to proclaim!
The first was thanks to @shereenmitwalli who tweeted a fascinating and entertaining video about the power of social media. Once you watch it, you’ll be certain that you need to crank up your social networking! Check it out for yourself.
The Socialnomics book
Secondly, through the power of ’networking’, I have discovered the website for Socialnomics who created the above video. Love it! I could spend hours scrolling through and reading the interesting notes, watching their videos and studying their graphics. Their passion for social media is awe-inspiring, and really all the hard work is done for you- they’ve compiled the stats and facts and they are there for your use, making it a very handy site before it’s time for an important presentation.
Thirdly, after coming across his tweet on my Twitter feed, jeffbullas.com has been added to my bookmarks menu. I am always amazed by sites like this that manage to compile so many facts and make them easy to digest in concise form with graphics (basically picture books for the internet). Jeff is an expert in social media marketing and digital optimisation, meaning he’s in the same field as Visual Domain. We love hearing other people’s perspective on the industry, and his is a great website to stay across.
Take your time and have a read through some of the sites and check out their videos. You’ll be impressed by what you read. And then retweet our blog link!
It’s All Good At Visual Domain
Our new office in Sydney has been producing some fantastic work. It’s been a big week for prestige properties and you’ll want to have a look at a couple of videos Dougmal Real Estate have purchased. The first is 3 Pembury Close, Denham Court which is billed as ‘The Ultimate Luxury Resort.’ Also, have a look at Garth Makowski presenting 28 Cubitt Drive, Denham Court. Another luxurious stunner, this is an executive manor. It’s amazing how video really captures the spirit and essence of these properties.
We’ve also had some feedback from Garth Makowski about his experience with Visual Domain:
“Your guys could not have been more accommodating – very professional and personable decent guys too – well done on your recruitment & process. They have gone beyond the call of duty and I am very thankful for their efforts to assist me to be able to market and promote this property at the highest level – my vendor will be very appreciative also.”
We also had some feedback from Heather Steadman at Buxton who recently filmed an agent profile:
“Just wanted to give you some feedback after the filming for my profile this morning. Tim arrived on time and was quick to put my (reluctant) children at ease, and also myself. I had scripted a short ‘blurb’ to deliver but was afraid that I would come across quite ‘wooden’ and scripted. I was right, as I think when I delivered that bit, I did! Tim simply asked questions, and generally made everyone not only at ease, but enjoy to the experience. After he left, both my director Craig, and my testimonial Peter, made separate reference to how good Tim was in the way he captured the footage he required. Overall, after being quite sceptical on how this would turn out, I am now eager to see the first proof! Well done to you, Tim and the Visual Domain team!”
With those fantastic results and lovely testimonials, why not give video with Visual Domain a go?
Gettting Ready For Spring
Tomorrow, the long awaited, never-ending election campaign finally comes to a close and it’s actually time to exercise your democratic right and vote (unless you take Mark Latham’s advice to do a donkey vote, that is). It’s also only a week until Spring (though there are a lot of cold mornings still ahead, I’m sure), and with the election all over, that means it’s going to be a busy time for the property market. Read More…
Where’s The New Visual Domain Office?
It’s being a big week here at Visual Domain HQ. We’ve been racking up frequent flyer points, stimulating Sydney’s coffee shops and launching our Sydney office!
Yes, you read right, Visual Domain now has a Sydney office. Based in Surry Hills, we have a great team whose sole job it is to look after your NSW video and marketing needs. The Visual Domain Sydney office is headed up by Janet; client services manager, David; production manager, and Chris who is the head of photography and additional services. Alongside them, there’s a whole team of talented crew, producers and editors
Since launching in 2008, the growth of Visual Domain has being fast and action packed. As people realise the many benefits of video, and social networking sites like YouTube and Facebook quickly grow (Facebook recently hit the 500 million users mark) the demand for video has escalated. People know that video provides a point of difference and will help them stand out from the crowd. Visual Domain has being able to cater to that demand and produce high quality videos that everyone loves. As our popularity grows, we’re constantly looking at expanding and Sydney is just the first stop on the map (after Melbourne) but we’re also looking forward to opening offices in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, and of course we haven’t forgotten our good friends across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand. These are all big plans for the future and we hope you’re just excited as us to see what the future holds.
Visual Domain’s Sydney office is much like the Melbourne office, your one stop shop for all your video, property and marketing needs. If you’re selling a property, our Sydney team can provide the ‘all-services’ option including video, copywriting, floorplans and site plans, but there’s also a heap of other options like company profiles, auction profiles or agent profiles. We can also guide you through how to use social media, uploading your videos and how to ensure the best possible final video. Visual Domain Sydney has a specialised knowledge of the surrounding areas and will be able to conveniently attend to your needs whenever, and wherever. We’ve already had great success with a number of key clients in Sydney including
- Richardson & Wrench, Elizabeth Bay
- LJ Hooker, Mosman
- Ray White, Frenchs Forest
- Ray White, Paddington
- John Greig Real Estate
We hope that with our new office in Sydney will be the key to the start of many more long relationships with key clients.
How To Use Social Media…Well!
We’ve all heard the news that social media is the next big thing. Well, now it’s not the next big thing…it IS the big thing! So hopefully you haven’t being left behind, languishing about your lack of videos on YouTube or pathetic attempts at regularly ‘tweeting’ on Twitter. However if you have, Visual Domain has some simple yet effective ideas to help you catch up quickly.
Introducing the brand new visualdomain.com.au
We’re very pleased to be able to share with you our fantastic new website. A lot of time and energy has gone into ensuring this is the best site possible, showcasing our full range of services available and ensuring a smoother, streamlined process to ordering your videos.
The website is easy to navigate with six different subheadings allowing you to learn about our products, view examples, learn about the company and order your video online. You can also have a browse through some of our clients and their testimonials, check out our blog and see what we’re up too, and of course, watch some of the fantastic videos we’ve produced.
Ordering a video is now as easy as clicking on the link and filling in a form on the website. Once you’ve clicked submit, Visual Domain will receive your request and then we’ll send you a confirmation email. Visual Domain is also offering a broad range of services, no longer just videos. If you go to the additional services tab, you can have a look at what else we offer. Copywriting, photography and floorplans are just some of the services we now offer, and you can view some examples on the website.
Make sure you check it out and share with us your thought
s:
http://visualdomain.com.au
