As a real estate agent, you know the importance of visuals. You’ve put a lot of work into creating a website that reflects your dependability and professionalism. While you may have used some free stock photos as window dressing, you’ve spared no expense on the photography showcasing your properties. If your business depends solely on static images, however, competitors using more dynamic marketing tactics will quickly leave you in the dust.

According to Easy Agent Pro, real estate listings that use video marketing receive 403 percent more inquiries than those that don’t, and 60 percent of consumers prefer viewing a video to accessing other formats of online information. While you might not have the skills and equipment to produce a full video marketing campaign yet, there are plenty of ways to get your feet wet.

One of the simplest and cheapest videos you can create is a screencast in which you record what appears on your computer screen along with your audio narration. REtipster describes how to use Google Earth Pro to zoom in on the listed property and give a guided tour of the surrounding area, without having to film a single shot.

If you want to do your own filming, a good way to start is by creating walk-through videos, which add much-needed energy to your real estate listings. In order to introduce motion into the still environment of a home’s interior, Wistia recommends the “slide and glide” method. Use a wide-angle zoom lens and mount your camera on a tripod with a slider and a second tripod head on top. This setup allows you to slide from side to side to capture wide shots of an entire room and glide forward and backward, which mimics the effect of walking through a doorway.

Fit Small Business reports one of the hottest trends in real estate is using camera drones to shoot exterior videos, which, because of the novelty factor, often go viral on social media. Square footage and short distances are difficult for most people to visualize, but they won’t have to if you provide a complete picture of the property and its relationship to nearby landmarks. Use aerial drone shots to show the full size of the backyard, which the trees at street level would otherwise obscure. Reveal how close the house is to the local school and grocery store, or illustrate the privacy guaranteed by the vast stretch of land between the property and its closest neighbor.

Hiring a professional drone operator may run anywhere from $300 to $1000 for five minutes of video. You could purchase your own drone for $1,500, but before you try out your new toy, make sure you review the FAA guidelines for commercial drone use and speak to an attorney about any liability issues. Even a small drone can cause property damage or injury if it crashes.

The Balance suggests adding background music to your videos and including information as text cues rather than doing a voice-over, particularly if you have a distinctive regional accent that viewers from other parts of the country might find distracting. Instrumental music with warm, relaxing tones provides atmosphere without drawing the viewer’s attention away from the property itself. Always purchase and download your music from a royalty-free website like AudioMicro; otherwise, you’ll end up owing a fee every time someone views your video.

While real estate listings may be your primary form of video marketing, there are many other applications for your burgeoning filmmaking skills. Paradym cites video marketing as a means to connect with current and potential clients on a more personal level. For example, you might film an introductory video where you talk about your hobbies and interests outside of work or tell the story of how you bought your first home. If you’ve worked with respected buyers, sellers, lenders, home inspectors, or attorneys who give you referrals, ask them to say a few words on camera about their positive experiences working with you.

As you record your videos, you want to ensure they reach as wide an audience as possible. YouTube is the second most popular search engine; in fact, YouTube videos appear in 55 percent of Google’s top ten search results. For that reason, Easy Agent Pro recommends posting all videos to YouTube, then embedding those link on your website.

You want to create some content that is “evergreen,” meaning it will be relevant for at least two years and offer an increasing return on investment. Provide value to your client base with tutorials and informational videos that answer common real estate questions or address frequent problems. Buyers want to know the kind of neighborhood they’re moving into, so posting video reviews of local businesses or interviews with business owners will give provide vital information to help close the deal.

How have you used video marketing to promote your real estate agency and how has it helped? Share your thoughts in the comments.