Video Content material Is Exhausting. Simply Ask The Agent: Tech Assessment

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Ask the Agent is a video creation answer for actual property brokers

Platforms: Browser; cellular responsive
Preferrred for: Brokers, groups and brokerages

Prime promoting factors:

• Simple onboarding
• Facilitates quick video creation
• AI integration for scripts/teleprompter
• Content material distribution instruments

Prime concern(s):

Many. For starters, brokers merely have a tough time creating video, regardless of each device, tactic and incentive to take action, a reality that may make this app’s adoption a substantial problem. It additionally suffers from a dated, rudimentary entrance finish determined for a high-dollar funding in a redesign.

What it is best to know

Ask the Agent is a web-based video manufacturing suite designed to assist brokers create short-form video sources for his or her shoppers, leads and colleagues. The intent is to create a video response for as many questions as one believes a lead or shopper can have about shopping for and promoting, starting from “Inform me about your advertising technique” to “What’s an inspection contingency?”

The software program permits customers to embed their video library below an inventory of FAQs, then share them through e mail, textual content, QR codes and social media. There’s additionally the video profile, or “Meet the Agent,” a video introduction that every consumer ought to movie earlier than delivering extra content material. Movies could be activated, archived, re-ordered, highlighted and customarily managed in a lot of methods for re-use in every kind of media. I like to recommend utilizing QR codes in print adverts and unsolicited mail.

Naturally, itemizing movies are inspired on behalf of sellers, and the Agent Broadcast is a productive option to ship property availability to colleagues across the market whereas the Property Itemizing channel consolidates an agent’s stock right into a single location. This may be the app’s highest and greatest use. Video content material for listings is at all times welcomed by the vendor and, on this period, is taken into account table-stakes advertising for any energetic purchaser.

I checked out this app first in October 2023 and wanted time to gather my ideas.

The workforce adopted up in January with an adviser I do know on board, encouraging me to have one other look. The decision didn’t go tremendous nicely, even when The Ask the Agent workforce is made up of very good, clever actual property trade professionals.

However I merely couldn’t maintain my water after about quarter-hour of being advised how straightforward it’s to make a video utilizing their software program. My drawback is that that doesn’t matter; it’s been straightforward to make video content material for a decade, for so long as an individual may level a cell phone of their path and maintain their arm out. If brokers need to be on digicam, it’s not the benefit of creation stopping them.

In abstract, regardless of its dated feel and look, complicated use of the time period “interactive,” characteristic redundancies and willingness to tackle TikTok and YouTube, it’s finally not Ask the Agent’s software program or consumer expertise slowing it down — it’s the truth that actual property brokers drastically over-think and under-value video content material.

Give it some thought: YouTube has lengthy been the second most used and, many argue, the internet’s most valuable, search engine for years. What extra impetus does one want to acknowledge that sharing actual property intelligence through private video narratives is well worth the effort?

Perhaps this information is having a tough time discovering its option to the actual property trade; I don’t know. But when its members have been going to proliferate shoppers with video, it might have occurred by now.

Not serving to Ask the Agent’s worth proposition is that brokers who do need to be on digicam flip to social media to advance their manufacturers. TikTok and Instagram have immeasurably highly effective distribution expertise working always behind the scenes. Brokers who must disseminate their content material manually through their current networks are probably going to develop into disenchanted with the dearth of engagement, even when Ask the Agent gives a conduit to publish on these platforms. It’s merely not the identical.

The thought, at its root, is sound: give individuals private responses to the numerous questions they’ve about shopping for and promoting. Even when pre-recorded, it’s a pleasant contact so long as it’s not over-used, which is one other drawback I’ve with this product. Video isn’t wanted for each interplay, which this tends to encourage and albeit, its mannequin relies on.

A “Meet the Agent” piece is an efficient use of video, as is explaining the few, extra advanced deal milestones, like what occurs throughout escrow and the way a closing works.

I additionally provide the truth that AI is rampaging its approach into the house, providing shoppers numerous extra avenues for studying how the transaction course of works. On the most basic stage, this app even competes with an evergreen collection of well-written weblog posts.

Direct Offer’s audio tour characteristic needed to pivot to AI-generated voiceovers as a result of its customers have been hesitant to even put their voice to an inventory’s visuals.

Twice a yr at Inman Join, specialists on this very matter provide countless suggestions and motivators for creating short-term video content material and so they at all times ship highly effective arguments. I dare you to take a seat in on a Katie Lance presentation after which inform me you don’t need to tackle Hollywood when she’s achieved. She crushes. And though Giselle Ugarte as soon as pestered me with tedious phrase selection edits to a narrative about her, she’s as inspirational as they arrive on the subject of short-form video creation.

I hate to sound so down on a product, however I can’t be bought on its capability to make brokers out of the blue need to report themselves.

Ask the Agent can create as some ways as doable to make it straightforward — teleprompters, report buttons, fast hyperlinks, ChatGPT — however till they’ll persuade their viewers to face a digicam and push Document, the applying will face appreciable challenges to succeed in widespread adoption.

Ask the Agent if you would like, however you first must ask the individual within the mirror.

Have a expertise product you want to focus on? Email Craig Rowe

Craig C. Rowe began in business actual property on the daybreak of the dot-com increase, serving to an array of business actual property corporations fortify their on-line presence and analyze inside software program selections. He now helps brokers with expertise selections and advertising by reviewing software program and tech for Inman.