Everyone wants to get into the luxury property market. This month’s article is about how you can use video as a key part of your luxury marketing plan.   If you watch real estate programs on TV, you’ll note that a large percentage of the featured properties would qualify as luxury.  There is a reason for this.  Television producers use techniques to evoke emotion, add an element of storytelling, and capture architectural details as part of their program. These same techniques are available to you when you contract for a luxury property video. The keys to a successful luxury property video are perception, planning, and execution. Nail these three and you’ll have a luxury property video that will rival anything on TV. Manage Perceptions:  How do you want prospective buyers and others to think about the property? Many factors such as transcripts and imagery combine to build a perception.  The challenge with presenting a distinctive luxury property video is that the video needs to clearly communicate the luxury and lifestyle of the property owners. Some suggestions would be to: -         build perceptions with words and imagery-         associate perceptions with lifestyle opportunities Your videographer should have an understanding of how you want the property presented and the perception that you want to communicate to viewers of the video. Production Planning: Now that you know the perceptions that you’d like to build, you can begin to plan.  The beauty of video is that you don’t have to show everything and that which you show can be perfect. Every home no matter the price point has two or things that can be highlighted.  Your plan should integrate these areas to highlight with the perception that you want build.  For instance, you’ll highlight different areas if the desired perception is “stately” than if the desired perception is “active”. Suggestions for planning include: -         Build a list of shots to film and have your video transcript drafted before the videographer begins filming-         Organize the shot list into a compelling flow that builds the perception that you’ve developed-         Consider how various times of day might change the feel of your video given the architecture of the property   It’s important to note that the planning phase is what differentiates videographers. Your videographer should be creative and know how to evoke emotion with his or her camera. Execute Your Plan:  All things are easy for those that do not have to execute. You have your concept, you have your plan, now go out and make your luxury property video.  Some tips during filming include: -         Light every room with fill lighting-         Use video from the community to help build your perception story-         If you feel that you must appear in the video for branding purposes, limit your appearance to a short intro/wrap up and use voice-overs for the luxury tour portion Vidlisting.com has a special luxury package designed for RAMB members. Please contact a customer specialist for special RAMB member pricing or go online at http://vidlisting.com/luxury to find out more information.