Why You Should Invest In Drones For Real Estate Marketing

It is a strange week, The Masters, considered by many to be the pinnacle of professional golf, has drawn players from all over the world to the Augusta National Golf Club to test themselves against one another and against the famed course. For the first time, a pair of   drones  provide sweeping aerial views never before seen during live Masters telecasts. But what  is strange is what those drones reveal. What is strange is that there are no grandstands behind the greens. No ribbons to cordon off galleries of people lining each fairway. And no sun after five-thirty.

What is strange, also for the first time, is that the Masters is not being held not in the spring. A   worldwide pandemic  has prevented tens of thousands of spectators from adorning the event and pushed the tournament into November. The course, much quieter than any previous year, offers up beautiful eagle eye views of leaves changing colors and areas that are usually veiled by the crowds. Thanks to that pair of drones.

But it also offers a new set of challenges for the players as they adapt to fall conditions at a venue they expect to play during an entirely different time of year. Of course, professional golfers are prepared. They are able to adapt because they bring to the course an assortment of tools. Each tool, whether it be an array of different clubs, a specific ball, or a range of techniques, works in tandem with every other to navigate the course. A pitching wedge, a six iron, a driver; each has its place. So do the tools in your   real estate marketing  toolbox.

Using drones for real estate marketing

Like the tricks that every golfer in the PGA has up his sleeve, you have at your disposal a slew of strategies to capture the attention of homebuyers and sellers, and to market the properties they will buy and sell. Drone photography is one of those tools. And just as a golf pro might draw up a shot into the green by closing the club face and swinging a bit more inside out, you can draw on the synergy supplied by using your marketing tools together.

How might you do that? Well, consider your arsenal. You have an assortment of print advertisements,   postcards and brochures  , flyers and the like. Of course, you rely on quality 2D photography. You take advantage of social media outlets, 3D virtual tours, and even   real estate videos  . And one of the latest tools to enter the market,   drone photography services  is probably showing up on your radar.

Each of these strategies can be used in tandem with the others as part of a comprehensive   marketing mix  . When it comes to drones, a natural first step might be to include footage – still shots or video – in a listing on the MLS. But there are plenty of creative uses for a drone.

For instance, you might also feature a drone video of a property on your Facebook page or other   social media  platform. Many agents are taking advantage of the ever-growing immersive world of virtual tours. Did you know that you can embed a video, including drone footage, in your   3D showcases  ? If you are one of the growing number of agents who understand that, according to the National Association of Realtors, greater than seventy percent of homeowners are more likely to list with an agent who uses video marketing, you might consider not only offering drone videos, but incorporating drone footage in a real estate video storyline. Some agents have gone so far as to feature their businesses on   Google Street View  with a virtual tour. What about adding aerial images to give potential clients a better view of your location?

Like an iron shot around a tree that can only be dreamed up by the likes of Tiger Woods, the ways in which you might capitalize on drone photography are only limited by your own imagination.

Advantages of drones in real estate marketing

But why would you consider drone photography? Why add it to your tool set at all?

Well, besides the eighty-three percent of sellers who prefer to work with an agent who offers the service, at the very least the homes at the higher end of your portfolio, those that bear price tags of $500K and up, are expected to include drone images. The higher the price, the more likely a listing is to have accompanying drone photography. But really, properties across all sectors of the market are being listed with drone services. 

Did you know that potential buyers browsing through property listings spend about sixty percent of their time looking at images? Or that homes with aerial footage sell sixty-eight percent faster than those with only traditional photography according to MLS statistics? That must be why high-volume agents across the country use aerial images three-and-a-half times more often than low volume agents do.

And why not? Drones are able to capture images that traditional photography or videography cannot. Images of the entire exterior. Shots of inaccessible areas, like the roof or the chimney. Views of the shoreline and front elevation of a lakefront home taken from offshore. And when it comes to vacant property, a drone can capture a bird’s eye view rather than a crop of trees.

What’s more, a drone can help you tell a story as it sweeps across the front lawn, up the cobblestone pathway, and through the front door to begin a virtual open house of a property.

And you can offer your clients either high-resolution images or video footage. In fact, almost three quarters of sellers prefer to list with an agent who uses video in a marketing package, and yet few agents invest the time to create   listing videos  at all. 

The downside of drones

It should be said that drones are not a singular solution for an agent any more than a lob wedge might be for Justin Thomas. They are part of a comprehensive marketing approach. And there are some limitations.

For one, like a golf course, a drone is subject to atmospheric conditions. You need a reasonably calm day with little wind and plenty of natural light for professional results (although   twilight photography  is an emerging capability of a drone). But more than that, you need quality equipment. A drone and a compatible camera are no small investment. The time (and licensing) required to do it yourself are also significant.

Fortunately, professional drone photography services are in place to help you add the strategy to your own offerings. But whether you choose to get licensed yourself (and spend many hours developing the skill to pilot your own drone) or you seek the services of a local professional, you should consider what is fast becoming a favored form of media – whether by home buyers or golf aficionados. Is drone photography a silver bullet in your arsenal? Of course not. But it is one strategy that should be part of your comprehensive marketing package – one that many people in the market for a property have come to expect.

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