Why should real estate agents use professional photography even when homes are selling quickly.

I’ve heard it before… “Why would I pay to use a professional real estate photographer, the home will sell regardless” ….  This is such a significant mistake for your real estate sales business, and in this blog, I talk about why it is such an important investment to use professional real estate marketing.

The real estate agent who uses professional real estate photography such as what Mich Estate Media offers is not just to sell a home fast.  The goal of using premium real estate photography for Michigan real estate agents, builders, designers, and contractors is to market, promote and showcase the agent or business itself.  Top-selling agents understand this and build their brands accordingly.  They understand using professional real estate photography and Mich Estate Media is an investment to grow their real estate business and earning potential.

It is very tempting to save money and take real estate photos yourself.  Or hire cut-rate “photo mills” / individuals that deliver sub-par quality to keep costs down.   Terrible photos of properties are often seen taken with personal cameras or worse yet, cell phone photos.  However, this practice unintendedly sells your brand in a negative way.  What does it show future clients, that next seller or buyer what you offer?

Here are three reasons why real estate agents should use professional photography:

“You and your brand are defined by your marketing”

You and your brand are defined by your marketing.

Successful real estate agents are more than professionals that sell real estate.  Those that have been successful enough to stay in the business for over five years have established a personal brand.  New agents who will join their counterparts in this trajectory of success have the foresight to get started on their brand right away.  When we define a real estate agent’s brand, we are talking about how their current and future clients perceive them.

When a potential client views a property listing by an agent in their neighborhood, what assumptions does that client make about the real estate agent?

Without knowing anything about that agent, it’s the agent’s marketing campaign that forms a foundation for those assumptions and perceptions of the agent’s brand.  This is how important a listing’s marketing is.  In a fast-moving market, amateur photos of the listing may not affect the speed at which it sells.  However, the quality of that marketing campaign and showcase of the listing will undoubtfully significantly diminish returns in the future.  Furthermore, what does the quality of the marketing materials say about the level of professional service the agent provides their clients?

Part of the agent’s brand encompasses the utmost customer service and being a real estate professional.  You are the subject matter expert and extend services to provide an unapparelled experience for your clients.  High-quality photos and videos showcasing a property have proven to bring more views on a particular property and potentially more offers for you and the client to consider.  This speaks volumes to your clients and gaining referrals in the future is a significant lead generator for future business.

Using professional real estate photography is an investment for a business’s future.

Now, by contrast, compare those possible assumptions with an agent that has utilized a professional real estate photographer or videographer like Mich Estate Media.  With the use of magazine-quality real estate photography, potential clients see a more prestigious agent/brand and the level of professionalism used to sell properties.  In most cases, homes carry a high level of sentimental value to your clients.  These potential clients who don’t come from a referral often select their agents based on research.  An agent with a portfolio of listings with this quality communicates your professionalism, a prestigious brand, and the opportunity to separate your brand from a very saturated market of real estate agents.

In a hot market, homes may sell in 48 hours or less.  However, the real estate professional that has been in the business for a while understands the fluctuation of the market.  At times, the market can grind to a halt in a matter of months.  In these markets, homes can potentially be on the market longer.  Worse, leads and clients begin to dry up.  This supply and demand phenomenon has consequences on your business, and establishing your professional brand is paramount.  Sellers and buyers become much more selective about the real estate professional they elect to work with.  Your hard work and investment in your brand are a practice that will help you weather this storm.  Distinguishing yourself from other real estate agents in this competitive market is key to getting through these slow markets.

Where do sellers go to find an agent?

Clients who are not referred or have a friend or family member within the vast sea of agents, use online search engines and social media to look for agents in their area.  Not only having a professional portfolio of current/past listings with professional photography showcasing them, but a repertoire of digital branding/marketing content on your channels will also only increase your visibility.

What do potential clients look for in an agent?

The first thing they most likely look at is the sales history of that agent. They will browse through previous listings.  Moreover, potential clients look at the photos, videos, and whatever else the agent includes.  This is your chance to showcase what kind of agent you are, how you market your client’s properties and the prestige of your brand.

For some sellers, that’s as far as they get. Their decision as to which agents they speak with can be decided in those lists of past sales where they ask themselves this question: ‘Given how that agent has marketed homes in the past, do I want that agent treating my home the same way?’

And if the photos don’t look good, then they’ll probably answer that question with a decisive ‘no’.  Cell phone photos or amateur photos with poor lighting, bad, awkward angles, and inadequately staged homes are not doing your brand and marketing any good.  A negative impact if anything.

Now some homeowners might go further than that and they’ll dig into the numbers, looking at the agent’s sales history, how long do they take to sell a home, and what price they get. In a hot market, those numbers can all look very similar, so the seller goes back to the marketing approach taken by each agent.

The internet is a powerful tool and should be utilized at every corner.  Traditional real estate marketing still has a place in your marketing and business plans, though it should not outweigh your marketing budget, and the power of digital marketing should be the priority.  Long after your property has sold, your photographs linger on the internet within popular real estate sites.  Your information stays on these past listings beyond the sale, and search queries will show your listing showcase.  You will either have terrible cell phone photos of listings lingering out on the internet or high-quality, publication-style photos.  What will your brand communicate?

“The quality of the photos you use to showcase your listings matters. If you get this wrong and your listings look undesirable compared with your competition, then you can easily lose that seller to another agent.”

As a professional real estate photographer in Mid-Michigan, I have often been privy to conversations between agents and sellers.  One of the best compliments I can receive is hearing that seller chose that agent based upon the professional real estate photography Mich Estate Media has provided them on past listings.

Sellers talk.  Referrals, referrals, referrals!

I don’t have to tell you how important referrals are for your real estate sales business.  This is true for any sales genre.  Seasoned real estate agent understands the pillars to practice in their career to set themselves up for a strong referral program.  The utmost customer service, being that subject matter expert in the real estate market and guiding your clients ethically and confidently through the buying or selling process to ultimately a successful transaction that is pleasing to both parties.

This undoubtfully includes HOW you showcased past properties.  Did you cut corners for your clients and take the photos yourself?  Or hire an individual with a low skill that did not showcase the property to its full potential?  Going the extra mile for your clients encourages them to refer you to their friends, family, and acquittances.  This may even include sharing the media package you put together on their property.  Sellers are not only motivated by selling their property quickly at the highest listing price possible, but they are also looking for their property to be showcased in the best possible way.

“The real estate industry is heavily saturated by real estate agents and Michigan is no exception.”

What about a slow real estate market?    

Many factors affect the real estate market…. The economy, interest rates, inventory, etc.  All are tugging at the market and during a slow market, inventory begins to dry up, or properties sit on the market longer.  Clients become hard to come by.  The real estate industry is heavily saturated by real estate agents and Michigan is no exception.  How you position yourself in this crowd greatly determines your success, sales numbers, and earnings during these times.  Separating yourself from your competition is paramount and having established your brand with professional real estate photography and marketing campaigns is critical to your success.

Okay, Okay, we get it. Hiring professional real estate photographers and videographers is critical to your real estate sales business success and brand.

However, one of the biggest missed opportunities I see agents make time and time again is not taking full advantage of the marketing materials they hire out and purchase.  Receiving high-quality real estate photos to showcase your listing is a great opportunity to not only market the property to sell but to sell your personal brand and services.  This is a key takeaway when choosing a real estate marketing professional.  Are you just receiving listing photographs for you to market yourself?  Or have you found a real estate marketing professional that will provide listing marketing materials that use these products to provide captivating marketing of not only the listing but you as a real estate professional?

Not all properties are gems.  However, the listings that would serve your brand well should be packaged in multiple digital assets that strengthen your brand equity.  As I mentioned, purchasing professional real estate photography is an investment.  The best photos of your package should be used in many digital graphic advertisements to showcase the listing and your business.  Long after the property has sold, these photos can be repurposed to advertise you as an agent, builder, or contractor of your services and level of quality.

Mich Estate Media LLC is a full-service real estate marketing agency. 

Mich Estate Media provides the highest quality real estate photography in Michigan.  We offer professional photography and videography in Mid-Michigan (Midland MI, Saginaw MI, Bay City MI, etc).  We also provide these services all over the state of Michigan.

However, we pride ourselves in the fact we don’t just provide media products to agents, builders, designers, and contractors.  We are marketing professionals that help real estate professionals thrive online and help them take full advantage of the products we deliver.  Our clients can receive a multitude of digital products to assist in their marketing campaigns, on both social media and internet search engines.  Products that build the unique brand of the professional and separate them from their competitors.  Your business success is our success and we are your partners.

Mich Estate Media provides professional real estate photography, real estate videography, 2D floor plans with dimensions, virtual 3D tours, drone photography, promotional videos, graphic design for social media marketing, and a full digital marketing service (web design, google ads, real estate advertising, etc).

Visit our website at www.miestatemedia.com for information!