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Why Are Your Shows 30 & 60 Seconds Long?

We get this question via email a few times a week, so we felt it might be a good topic to cover here.

Our main Shows are either 30 seconds or 60 seconds. This will always be the case. We allow an unlimited number of photos in the secondary slide show that is accessed by the "more photos" link. They do not appear in the main Show.

We’ve done significant research and experimentation concerning the optimum length of Shows. Let me share with you our findings, our experience and our conclusions.

Our objective is to help you be more effective and to help build your business.

Our shows work as 30 or 60 second commercials. We developed our technology and crafted our presentations with that in mind. The feedback we’ve received from real estate agents and from the general public (your client base) overwhelmingly says that when people view our Shows they feel as if they are watching an effective, evocative commercial.

The key in having our commercials be effective is attention span. We all know that television commercials are 30 or 60-second spots. The reason is attention span. It’s not money, or technology limitations. We could create Shows of any length. Our research supports attention span maximums of 60 seconds. In addition, during an earlier stage in our product development, we did some custom Shows (at a much higher price) for a select group of real estate agents selling multi-million dollar homes. The Shows ran 90 and 120 seconds. There was no increase in viewer or client appeal. Some viewers asked the real estate agents why the Shows were so long. Cognitive science prevailed. Presentations have no more than 60 seconds in which to make an emotional first impression on a viewer.

The goal of our commercials is to have viewers say, “I want to see that home and I want to meet that Realtor.” That is best achieved in 60 seconds. 

Here’s why our Shows are effective.

In the first 30 or 60 seconds, we capture the emotional interest of the viewer. That is essential if we want the viewer to act (contact the Realtor and go see the home). Once we capture their interest and the viewer wants more information, we provide that information in the form of additional photos – as many as the Realtor chooses to put up. Bear in mind that the viewer always becomes unconsciously hooked in the first 30 to 60 seconds. Everything beyond that is research – wanting more information. Making the shows themselves longer runs the risk of having the viewer lose interest by having to continue to watch a commercial after they’ve decided they like the product. That's talking past the close.

We’ve created our commercials for homes at all price points – from under $100,000 to in excess of $12,000,000. The same format has produced outstanding results across all price points because all of our unconscious minds want the same thing.

The keys to optimizing the impact of your Shows are:

• take good photos
• arrange them in an inviting order
• adjust camera movement for maximum dramatic effect
• write evocative titles for your scenes
• and tell an interesting story about the home in the Property Information section of the show.

Maximum emotional impact is best achieved by paying attention to all those elements.

We truly believe that the combination of all of the above is the key to having the absolute best, most effective Internet presentations in existence.

Small Rooms: Take Off The Door

When shooting a very small room, there are several things to remember.

First, take the photos at an angle, especially if there is a mirror in the room. It will give the room a greater feeling of depth.

Second, if you don't have a digital camera with a wide angle lens, get one. We highly recommend  The Kodak EasyShare v705.

And here is a tip I like personally. Take off the door. This is particularly helpful in very small bathrooms.

The top photo was taken with a wide angle lens with the door on. The bottom photo was taken with the door off. You can see the subtle, but important difference it makes. The room feels larger, less cramped. It takes only a few seconds to remove most doors and the sellers will be very impressed with the results.

This will not only improve the quality of the photos in your printed material, but give you more range for movement in your Real Estate Shows. Give it a try!

Sell Your Camera On eBay & Buy This One!

I realize that's a strong headline, but I want to make sure I'm clear about this. The Kodak EasyShare v705 is, without question, the best camera for the Real Estate Professional I've ever come across. I have searched high and low to find a camera I could feel comfortable personally recommending. This is it.

The two images below were taken with the settings right out of the box. I did not turn on any lights or open any drapes. I just used the basic settings, pointed the camera at the room and clicked. For the photo on the left, I used the standard 35mm lens, the one found on most point and shoot cameras. Then I took the photo on the right, two seconds later, from the exact same spot, in the exact same lighting. Only the photo on the right uses the v705's default "ultra wide angle lens." [click on the images to view them larger]

You'll notice that the photo on the left is probably a lot like photos you might expect from a standard, 35mm point and shoot digital camera. Even though this is a large room, it doesn't feel large in the photo. The lighting is also poor, though not as bad as it could have been. It is certainly typical of amateur interior photos.

The photo on the right is a dramatic improvement. The ultra wide lens captures more light, so the room is significantly brighter (again, this was shot in the exact same lighting conditions). The room also feels substantially larger. There is no question in my mind. If you buy this camera, you will take better photos right out of the box. As a result, the homes you sell will look better in your marketing materials and your Real Estate Shows will be more powerful.

Here is another set of examples. This time from the curb. There were cars in front of this house, as is often the case, so I couldn't go across the street to get a better shot of the front. I'm sure you've been in that situation. Notice the improvement.

This camera also allows you to create panoramic shots with an ease I've never experienced. Three shots creates a 180 degree view of a scene and all of the alignment and stitching happens right in the camera. The following was my first attempt. I was so amazed at how simple it looked, I rushed out to sit on the love seat with my wife and forced her to watch me do it. So she was leaning up against me as I did, shaking the camera. You can see my feet in the photo (sorry). I could have done another shot, but I wanted to show you the very first attempt! It was even simpler than I thought it would be.

For $299, you are simply not going to find a better camera. So, do yourself a favor. Sell your old digital camera on eBay and take my advice. Buy this camera.

Jeff Turner, President, Real Estate Shows

Your MLS And Your Personal Branding

We get a version of this question almost every day: "Why isn't my branding showing up on my MLS?" or "Why are my titles missing on my Real Estate Show on my MLS?"

There are over 800 MLS systems in the United States and virtually every one of them forbid you to have your personal branding on the tours you attach to listings on their search engines. Some MLS systems are more strict than others. These "strict" MLS systems require that any information that can be input by the Realtor be removed. This includes tiltes, links to outside websites, property details. They remove any possibility that you could slip in your name and telephone number. Strict Sample

Other MLS systems simply require that the branding be removed and they trust that you will do the right thing and NOT insert personal information in the titles, headlines, and property details. We call this our "basic" MLS player. Most MLS systems accept this kind of link. Basic Sample

Both of these links are sent to you in your linking email that is sent as confirmation the moment you create a new Real Estate Show. Each Show you create has both the basic and strict link available for use. To keep yourself from being fined, make sure you use the right one for your MLS.

Making Shows Visible in "Other Shows" Link

Because we allow you to create as many shows as you want, even shows that may only be for personal use, you have to tell the system what shows you want Internet viewers to be able to see when they are looking at shows they find during their home searches. From your main menu, click on Manage & Edit Existing Shows. This will take you to a list of your previously created shows, your My Real Estate Shows page. Then, check the box next to Viewable In "Other Shows" for the listing you want Internet viewers to be able to see. This will add that Show automatically. See the graphic below:

In this example, the top Show can only be viewed by those who receive the link via email or who link directly to it. The Show on the bottom now appears in the "Other Shows" link of all of this user's Shows.

Always Trust Java Uploader

Our new photo uploader is a "java applet." Because of this, your computer wants to know if it is "trusted." If the trust message continues to pop up for you each time you choose to create a new show, you need to let it know that it should always trust this applet.

Doing this requires that you click on the "always trust" option when the certificate window pops up. This is easy to do. On the PC, this is typically in the window that pops up and no further windows are required to be shown. Just make sure the "always trust" button is check marked when you click on "trust." See below.

On the Macintosh, this is not on the main window. You will need to click on "show certificate" to get to the option to "always trust."

Then scroll down to the "trust settings."

The default status will be "Use System Settings."

Choose "Always Trust" and then click on the Trust button.

This will do away with the need to continually verify that this is a trusted applet.

Realtor.com Showcase Listing Enhancements

I'm A Showcase Listing Enhancements Customer of REALTOR.COM, why am I being asked to pay the $25 Fee?

There is a simple, but frustrating, answer to that question. The reason is that the information in the Property Details of your Show do not match EXACTLY what Realtor.com has in their system. Extra characters, # signs or the wrong city or zip are typically the reason for this. If the information does not match exactly, Realtor.com will tell us you are not a Showcase Listing Enhancement Customer. Remember, this is two computers talking to one another, they have to be perfectly aligned in order to make the right assessment. So, check the information on Realtor.com and make certain the property detail in your Real Estate Show matches EXACTLY with what is shown on the Realtor.com listing - then submit again.

If they match, the system will now know you are a Showcase Listing Enhancement Customer and you will NOT be charged.

Force Your Titles To Read Properly

The titles in your Real Estate Show will read better if one or two words don't "hang" over to a new line. It not only looks odd, it disrupts the reader's flow.

To correct this, just use the return key to force a better break point:

Your final result will look better and read easier:

   

Don't Leave Dates On Photos

One of the best things about the commercials you create using RealEstateShows.com is that they feel like video. Our unique process creates the illustion that you are standing in the room with a video camera "zooming" in and around the area. But one of the surest ways to destroy that illusion is have your digital camera imprint a date into the photo. See below. (click on image to view larger)

This date will move around the image as the camera pans and it will not receive the added benefit of the video illusion.

Digital cameras record the date in the image's "metadata", which is saved in the digital file, so this "feature" is a hold over from traditional photo days. Turn that feature off on your digital camera when shooting a home and your commercials will feel more video like. If you are scanning in photos from a traditional 35mm camera, then crop the date out in your editing software. You'll appreciate the difference.