Quick Links:

• Chapter 1: Why YouTube is a Goldmine for Real Estate Lead Generation

• Chapter 2: Setting Up Your YouTube Channel for Lead Generation in 7 Steps

• Chapter 3: Optimizing Your YouTube Videos for Maximum Discoverability

• Chapter 4: 8 Types of YouTube Videos That Attract Real Estate Leads

• Chapter 5: Promotions and Lead Magnets to Grow Your Audience

• Chapter 6: Advanced YouTube Lead Gen: Paid Advertising

• Chapter 7: Automating Your YouTube Lead Gen Processes

• Chapter 8: Tracking YouTube Analytics to Optimize Your Performance

• Chapter 9: Advanced YouTube SEO: Ranking High in Search Results

But carving out some time to leverage YouTube could make your life a whole lot easier.

With over 2.6 billion monthly users, YouTube gives you direct access to a massive audience of potential home buyers and sellers in your area.

By creating valuable video content and optimizing your presence, you can establish yourself as an authority, generate more quality leads, and grow your business to the next level.

Today I’ll walk you through everything you need to crushing it on YouTube, from setting up your channel to creating binge-worthy content to promotions and analytics.

But before that, a quick rundown of all the lead gen tools you need to have in your arsenal to stay competitive in 2024:

So grab your favorite beverage, get comfortable, and let’s dive in!

YouTube is a valuable resource for real estate enthusiasts. There are numerous channels dedicated to providing educational content, market updates, and property tours. 

Whether you're looking for investment advice or home buying tips, YouTube offers a wealth of information from industry experts to help you navigate the world of real estate.

Before we get into the nitty gritty tactics, let’s look at why YouTube is such an amazing platform for generating real estate leads.

Huge Audience of Engaged Viewers

Like I mentioned before, YouTube has over 2 billion logged-in users visiting each month. 

For perspective, that's almost a third of the internet! 

And these aren't just casual visitors--they're actively watching videos and engaging with content.

The sheer size of the audience gives you direct access to way more potential buyers and sellers than you could ever reach through traditional channels alone.

And the video format allows you to showcase properties and connect with viewers in a more personal and engaging way. Videos help you build relationships with leads before you ever meet them in person!

Great for Local Targeting

YouTube also makes it easy to target your videos specifically to people in your local market.

Location-based keywords, geo-targeted ads, and warm community-building content helps you attract nearby viewers who are actually potential clients, vs just general real estate browsing.

This gives your channel an advantage when it comes to lead quality and conversion rates. You can zero in on buyers and sellers who are motivated and ready to take action in your specific area.

Higher Rankings in Search Results

Research shows that videos attract more attention and engagement compared to plain text pages.

As a result, YouTube videos have an advantage when it comes to search engine rankings, especially for voice search queries. 

Higher rankings equal more visibility which drives more traffic back to your channel.

And since many folks now turn to YouTube as their first stop for information, you can establish your brand as an authority right from the start.

Builds Trust and Credibility

Seeing someone on video builds trust and connection much faster than words alone. It gives leads a chance to get to know you on a more personal level and observe your passion, knowledge and character before ever meeting you.

Client testimonials, property tours, neighborhood insights - it all helps you demonstrate expertise and establish credibility as a true local real estate advisor.

This gives potential clients way more confidence to contact and work with you when it comes time to buy or sell a home.

Boost to SEO Through Backlinks

Each high-quality video you create is essentially a new opportunity to earn backlinks as others 

share and embed your content. More backlinks signals authority to Google and can improve your overall site rankings.

And with video being so sharable, the chances of people linking back to your channel and website is even higher than just text content alone.

Memorable and Shareable Format

Fact: most people remember visuals far better than plain text. A video is simply stickier content that keeps you top of mind after viewers leave your channel.

Videos are also highly social and shareable. Prospects are much more likely to pass along an engaging real estate video with friends and family, expanding your reach exponentially.

Alright, are you fired up and ready to start growing your business on YouTube? Let’s get your channel set up for success!

When potential customers visit your channel, you want it to immediately ooze professionalism and expertise. Follow these steps to get things started off on the right foot.

Step 1: Pick Your Channel Name

Choose a name that's consistent with your brand and easy to remember. Make it obvious who the channel belongs to. Usually your name or agency name is best.

It can also help to include your location or market area if you want to appeal specifically to local buyers and sellers.

Step 2: Fill Out Channel Keywords

Take time to complete the YouTube channel keywords section thoroughly. Think of words and phrases people would search to find real estate videos from agents in your area.

In addition to general terms like “real estate agent”, target keywords based on your specific location and niche like neighborhood names, “Seattle real estate”, “condos”, etc.

Step 3: Create an Eye-Catching Banner

Your channel banner appears at the top of your page. Use it to show off your branding loud and proud!

Include your logo, agency name, contact info, headshot, and any memorable slogans or value propositions. Just make sure to keep key info clear and legible.

Canva makes it easy to design awesome YouTube banners and profile images. You don’t have to be a graphic designer!

Step 4: Customize Your Thumbnails

Your channel thumbnails appear next to video titles on your page and in search results. Make sure they represent your brand and catch the viewer’s eye.

Consistent branding through colors, logos, and design makes your channel more recognizable as viewers scroll.

Step 5: Curate Your Channel Sections

Optimize your channel navigation by customizing sections and adding important info:

• Homepage: Feature engaging video playlists.

• About: Share your value proposition, market expertise, contact info, and links.

• Featured: Highlight your most valuable videos to get viewers watching.

• Playlists: Curate video playlists by property type, topic, series etc.

Step 6: Link Other Profiles

In your About section, link to your website, social profiles, and any other platforms to expand your reach. The more touchpoints the better.

Pro Tip: Set up custom YouTube vanity URLs for each important page on your website to drive traffic back to your channel.

Step 7: Create a Trailer Intro Video

Your channel trailer is like the homepage of your YouTube channel. Use it to introduce yourself, showcase your expertise, highlight properties, and encourage viewers to subscribe.

Keep it short, sweet and compelling!

Alright, you’ve got your polished channel set up and ready to attract buyers and sellers in your area. Now it’s time to master YouTube SEO so your videos can actually be discovered by those awesome potential leads.

Using targeted keywords, titles, descriptions, and other metadata in your videos gives them a better chance of coming up in both YouTube and Google searches.

Here are the top tips for optimizing your real estate videos for higher rankings and maximum views!

Do Your Keyword Research

Brainstorm keywords and phrases homebuyers would use when searching for properties or real estate advice on YouTube. Study location-based terms, buying/selling terms, property types, and other topics.

YouTube’s Autocomplete is a handy free tool that shows you the most commonly searched terms and phrases as you type. Look for volume and relevance.

Google Keyword Planner provides additional keyword suggestions and average search volumes. Look for highly searched terms that align with your niche.

Choose Compelling Titles

Your video title is the first thing viewers see in searches and recommendations. 

It’s your clickable headline.

Include your most important keywords, especially near the beginning of the title. 

Keep it short, descriptive, and enticing.

For example: “Stunning Seattle Waterfront Condo Tour | Downtown High-Rise Living”

Write Keyword-Rich Descriptions

The video description contains crucial details about your content. Naturally work target phrases into clear, concise sentences summarizing what viewers will see.

Descriptions can be a few sentences or full paragraphs. Just make sure to include relevant keywords throughout.

Tag it Up

Adding keyword tags to your videos provides another metadata signal to YouTube. Include variations of your most relevant search terms.

Mix up broader tags and longer tail variations. For example for a neighborhood tour video: real estate, West Seattle homes, Seattle realtor, Seattle real estate agent.

Grab Attention with Custom Thumbnails

Your video thumbnail appears right next to the title. A custom image forces viewers to stop scrolling and check out your content.

Incorporate nice imagery, your logo, text overlay with your main keyword or value proposition, and design elements that make it stand out.

Engage Viewers with CTAs

Calls-to-action in your descriptions and overlays encourage viewers to take next steps like subscribing, contacting you, or visiting your site.

For example: Click here to see new Seattle home listings! Or Subscribe and enable notifications so you never miss a new video.

This extra engagement also signals to YouTube that your content provides value.

Optimize Your Video Content

Upload lots of awesome real estate videos regularly. The more content you have, the more keywords you’ll rank for, and the more search traffic you’ll generate over time.

Shoot for at least 1 full length video each week as part of your lead gen strategy. 

Let subscribers know when to expect your latest tips and tours!

At this point you might be wondering--what exactly should I create videos about?

The key is providing content home buyers and sellers will find helpful, interesting and entertaining. 

Here are some winning real estate video ideas to try on your channel:

1.Property Tours and Showcase Videos

Full video walkthroughs of homes you have listed are an obvious win. Show off the best features and give viewers a sense of what it would be like to live there.

Use exterior shots, drone footage, b-roll clips of rooms and amenities, 3D virtual tours, and more to showcase the property from all angles.

Don’t just point and shoot - add some production value! Add music, professional editing, on-screen text, transitions - anything to spruce it up.

2. FAQ and Educational Videos

Create videos responding to common homebuyer FAQs about the process, financing, working with agents, etc. Establish yourself as an expert guide.

For example: “First Time Home Buyer Mistakes to Avoid”, “How Much Down Payment Do You Really Need?”

Do some research to find the top questions and concerns for your specific audience and cover those in helpful, practical videos.

3. Neighborhood or City Tour Videos

Give potential residents a tour of popular neighborhoods, areas, and attractions. 

Show off desirables like parks, schools, shopping, and local flavor.

You can do walking tours, compile b-roll clips, or use a combination. Show viewers what it's really like to live in that area day-to-day.

Focusing on specific locales helps attract leads in those locations vs general city tours. Go micro with neighborhood names in titles and keywords.

4. Market Update Videos

Keep buyers and sellers in the loop on the latest real estate trends in your area. Provide stats on pricing, inventory, days on market, and more.

Compare numbers month to month or year over year. 

Give context on where the market is heading using your insider knowledge.

5. Home Seller Tips or Advice

Create videos with your best tips for preparing and listing a home for maximum sale value. Home staging ideas, pricing strategies, when to list, and more.

This educational content gets sellers thinking about you as their agent when they’re ready to make a move.

6. Home Buyer Guides

Produce videos walking buyers through things like getting pre-approved, writing strong offers, home inspections 101, negotiation strategies, and more.

Position yourself as the buyer’s advisor they can trust during the stressful purchase process. Offer your expertise!

7. Client Testimonial Videos

Success stories from past clients go a long way in establishing credibility and trust with potential leads.

Ask satisfied buyers and sellers to film quick videos sharing their experience working with you and the results you achieved.

8. Behind the Scenes Real Estate Vlogs

Give viewers a peek behind the curtain into the day-to-day of being a real estate agent. Ride alongs, listing appointments, open houses, and more.

Mixing in some casual vlog-style videos allows subscribers to get to know your personality. Let your passion shine through!

Alright, you’re cranking out amazing real estate videos. But how do you actually convert those viewers into leads for your business? Calls-to-action and lead magnets!

CTAs and lead magnets encourage viewers to take next steps like subscribing, contacting you, or opting into your funnel. 

In return they get valuable resources and access to your expertise. It’s a win-win.

Here are some of the top techniques to promote your channel and generate leads from YouTube:

Request Subscriptions and Notifications

Proactively ask viewers to subscribe to your channel and turn on notifications so they never miss a new video, tour or market update.

The more subscribers you have the more views you’ll get as each video goes out. This grows your audience and authority over time.

Share Links to Your Website and Listings Pages

Include links in your descriptions and on customizable end screens pointing viewers back to your website, listings portal, and other websites.

When promoting a specific property, link directly to that listing page for easy access.

Promote Your Social Profiles

Add links to all of your social media profiles so viewers can follow you on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Multi-channel brand awareness!

Offer Free Downloadable Resources

Create valuable guides, checklists or tools relevant to home buyers and sellers. Offer them as instant free downloads in exchange for viewer’s name and email address.

For example, a First Time Home Buyer Checklist, Seller Closing Cost Estimator, Home Feature Comparison Tool, etc. Useful resources that buyers will appreciate.

Just be sure to deliver lots of value! The lead magnet should solve a problem or make their life easier. 

That earns you permission to contact them later on with helpful information about working together.

Host Free Educational Webinars

Promote free educational webinars or coaching calls open to anyone interested in learning more about real estate topics.

Require registration to attend. This captures lead contact info so you can continue nurturing them through helpful email follow-ups.

Run Sweepstakes and Contests

Who doesn’t love winning cool prizes? Run occasional contests and sweepstakes like giveaways for gift cards or fun experiences.

For example “Subscribe and Comment to Win a $100 Restaurant Gift Card!” This incentivizes viewers to engage with your channel for the prize.

Promote Exclusive Deals and Offers

Offer special discounts, incentives, or bonus gifts exclusively for leads who sign up or take action through your YouTube channel.

For example: Email subscribers get early access to new listings before they hit the MLS. Or Buyers who close within 30 days get a $500 Amazon gift card.

Create some urgency and excitement around the exclusive deals only available to your followers.

Send Traffic to Your YouTube Videos

Lastly, don’t forget to promote your awesome YouTube videos everywhere else you can - email newsletters, website banners, social posts, paid ads, and more.

The more exposure you drive back to your channel, the faster you’ll build subscribers and leads!

Want to amplify your lead generation even more? YouTube ads allow you to get your real estate videos and offers in front of a massive audience of targeted, interested home buyers and sellers.

YouTube makes it easy to reach people based on their demographics, interests, search behavior, and other factors that indicate they may be potential leads.

Here’s an overview of how YouTube ads can take your lead gen to the next level:

Retargeting Ads

You can set up pixel tracking on your website to create remarketing or retargeting ads. This lets you show ads across YouTube to viewers who have already visited your site.

For example, blast video ads to everyone who viewed home listings on your site but hasn’t yet contacted you. Keeps you top of mind so they’re more likely to convert!

Search Ads

Target video ads to appear when potential customers search YouTube for relevant home-buying terms like “Seattle real estate”, “first time home buyer tips”, or other keywords.

This allows your videos and channel to show up right when viewers demonstrate intent and are primed to check out your content.

Audience Targeting

YouTube allows advanced audience targeting beyond just keywords. You can select for demographics like age, income level, life events like recently moved, interests like real estate or home improvement, and more.

Targeting the right viewers based on their profile and interests means your ads reach accounts much more likely to become leads.

Remarketing Off YouTube

Expand your retargeting efforts beyond just YouTube across the Google Display Network. Show ads on millions of websites to viewers who’ve interacted with your brand.

The more touchpoints the better when it comes to staying top of mind until viewers are ready to engage!

>>Looking for a way to effectively stay in front of your old leads and be ready when they’re ready? Click here to learn more. 

Optimization and Testing

YouTube provides robust analytics on ad performance. Continuously optimize targeting, bids, placements, creatives and more to improve ROI over time.

Test different approaches to see what messaging, offers and calls to action drive the highest quality leads for your business.

Managing a thriving YouTube channel takes consistency and effort. Burnout is real!

Here are some tips to help automate pieces of the process so you can scale your results without totally overwhelming yourself.

Bulk Upload Using TubeBuddy

Instead of manually uploading one video at a time, use software like TubeBuddy to drag and drop bulk upload your content for hands-free posting.

You can set defaults like auto-filling titles, descriptions, keywords and more based on the video name. This saves a ton of time!

Automate Descriptions with Clipboard

Writing optimized descriptions for all your videos can get tedious. Use a tool like Clipboard by TubeBuddy to create templates with your common descriptions.

You can insert snippets of text with keywords, CTAs, links, etc and paste them into descriptions with one click for fast optimization.

Schedule Videos in Advance

Don't wait until the last minute to upload and share new videos. Use YouTube's built-in scheduler to queue up and auto-publish your content in advance.

This allows you to space out your video releases consistently without having to constantly log in.

Let TubeBuddy Auto-Tag Your Videos

No need to rack your brain trying to tag every single video manually. 

TubeBuddy's Auto-Tagging uses machine learning to instantly apply the most relevant tags to your uploaded videos.

It helps ensure your videos are discoverable without you having to do the tedious work.

Auto-Reply to Comments

Nothing builds more community than engaging with commenters on your videos. 

But manually responding to dozens can be time consuming.

Use a tool like Comment King to auto-reply to comments with a personalized message of appreciation. It saves time while still showing viewers you care.

Automate Your Watch Time Playlists

YouTube favors longer watch time. Create playlists of your full videos to auto-play through and increase time spent on your channel.

Tools like TubeBuddy's Smart Loop can continuously play your videos on a loop to build watch time metrics and subtly expose viewers to more of your content.

Cross-Promote with Collaborative Playlists

Connect with other local real estate agents on YouTube and collaborate on shared playlists where you each feature the others’ channel.

This exposes each of your audiences to new channels. Just be sure they create valuable content and align with your brand. More referrals and leads all around!

Outsource Video Editing and Production

If you want to level up the quality of your videos but don't have the skills, consider outsourcing production to freelancers and agencies.

They can handle the entire process - filming, editing, graphics, music and more - to create beautiful videos quickly. 

Focus on strategy and leave the rest to pros.

Just provide your desired style guidelines so the videos align with your brand.

Use AI Tools to Make Graphics and Images

Creating custom thumbnails and images for each video can be time intensive. Let artificial intelligence give you a hand!

Tools like Midjourney, Canva and Bannerbear have templates where you just plug in a few keywords and the AI generates optimized, on-brand graphics for you in seconds. 

Amazing time saver!

Automate Lead Nurturing with Email Funnels

Don’t manually email every new lead who opts in. Use automated email sequences to deliver a pre-defined series of helpful follow-ups.

Tools like MailChimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign and more make it easy to set up targeted drips and funnels tailored to different lead types and their stage in the buying/selling journey.

This nutures leads on autopilot while you focus on high value activities.

Schedule Social Media Promotions

Maximize your reach by sharing each new video across all your social profiles too. Just be sure to space out promotion.

Using a social media management platform like Hootsuite allows you to easily schedule video posts to go out on different days at optimal times for each network.

Repurpose Content Across Platforms

Don’t create totally separate content for each platform. Repurpose your YouTube videos across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and more.

Extract short clips, behind-the-scenes footage, bloopers and more to adapt your existing videos. This saves a ton of production time while exposing your brand across channels.

Just make sure to optimize captions and framing for the vertical mobile formats where needed.

Let Software Track Performance Data

Monitoring channel and video analytics like views, CTR, etc can feel overwhelming to track manually. Let software do it for you!

TubeBuddy and VidIQ provide powerful YouTube analytics dashboards that auto-collect key performance metrics so you can see what content is resonating at a glance.

Outsource Lead Gen Activities

Consider hiring a virtual assistant to help with more tactical YouTube lead gen tasks like metadata optimization, following up with leads, managing ads and analytics, etc.

Outsourcing time-intensive activities allows you to focus on high-level strategy, content creation, and client service. It’s a game changer for scaling efficiently.

Just provide clear guidelines on your processes, brand style and metrics so they can execute seamlessly on your behalf.

YouTube provides a treasure trove of analytics to help you optimize your lead generation strategy. Make sure you’re monitoring these key metrics:

Watch Time

This measures the total number of minutes viewers have spent watching your channel and is a key factor in how YouTube ranks your videos.

Aim for higher average view duration and total watch time. Consider creating longer videos with compelling info from start to finish.

Impressions

Impressions show how many times your video thumbnails have been displayed to viewers on YouTube. This demonstrates your overall potential reach.

Higher impressions indicate your content is being surfaced through searches and suggested videos. Click through rate is key too though.

Traffic Sources

See where traffic is coming from - YouTube search, suggested videos, YouTube ads, Google search, external sites, etc.

This helps you double down on high-converting sources and further optimize efforts.

For example if lots of traffic comes from YouTube search, make keyword optimization a priority.

Audience Retention

This graph shows when viewers drop off during your videos. Look for dips and make your content more compelling at those points to hold attention.

Demographics

View the age, gender, location and device type of your audience. This helps you fine-tune your content and messaging to resonate with who's actually watching.

CTR and Impressions-Per-Click

Click-through-rate shows how often viewers clicked your thumbnail after seeing it. Aim for higher CTRs.

Impressions-per-click show how many impressions it takes before a viewer clicks. Lower numbers are better. Tweak titles, thumbnails, and keywords to make your content look more appealing in results.

Traffic Sources

See where viewers discovered your videos like YouTube search, suggested videos, playlists, channel pages, etc.

Optimize accordingly. For example, focus on compelling channel trailers and featured videos if lots of discovery comes from your channel itself.

Engagement Metrics

Likes, shares, comments and more show viewer engagement. Higher interaction signals to YouTube that your content resonates, which can boost rankings.

Ask viewers to engage for better reach. Respond to comments to further build community.

Added to Playlist

See which of your videos viewers are saving to public playlists. Focus on creating more binge-worthy content like those popular videos.

Channel Subscribers and Loyalty

Track total subscribers over time, average daily new subs, and audience loyalty or return rate. Faster subscriber growth expands your potential reach.

Traffic to External Sites

See clicks and traffic sent to your website or landing pages. Monitor how well YouTube drives conversions on your actual site using UTMs.

Ad Performance

If running YouTube ads, dig into metrics like CTR, CPM, video completion rates, subscribers driven and more. Continuously optimize for better conversions and lower cost per lead.

We’ve covered a LOT so far. Let’s bring it home with some advanced tactics to take your YouTube SEO to the next level.

Optimize Playlists for More Keywords

Create focused playlists around individual keywords and themes. The titles, descriptions and metadata for playlists are all searchable too. More opportunities to rank!

Use Chapters

Divide longer videos into chapters or sections. This helps viewers quickly scan through your content.

It also provides additional metadata tags for each section that can improve searchability.

Feature Channels

Set up a “Channels” content section showcasing other authoritative industry channels. This associates your authority with theirs in YouTube’s eyes.

Just be selective in who you spotlight. Only align with trustworthy channels that truly complement your brand.

Collaborate on Videos

Team up with complementary real estate and finance pros to co-create content. Collaborations expand your reach to new audiences which builds viewership and authority signals.

Publish Additional Languages

Translate some of your top videos into other languages using subtitles or voiceovers. This expands your global reach on YouTube.

Transcribe Videos

YouTube auto-generates a transcript of your video audio. Be sure to go in and clean this up, formatting it into readable paragraphs with keywords sprinkled throughout.

Optimize Descriptions

Expand your video descriptions using full paragraphs that incorporate related keywords and synonyms to provide additional relevance signals.

Curate Playlists

Create curated playlists that mix your videos with others from trustworthy channels on similar topics. This positions you alongside other authorities vs only self-promotion.

Publish on a Schedule

Post new videos consistently on a regular schedule so viewers know when to expect new content. This trains subscribers to keep returning for the latest updates.

Reply to Comments

Engage with viewers by responding to comments, having conversations, and generally being present on your videos. More engagement signals authority and boosts visibility.

Check Your Backlink Profile

See who is linking to your videos naturally and reach out to additional sites that make sense to request backlinks. Links signal trust and authority to YouTube algorithms.

Feature Top Videos

Promote your most popular, helpful videos in a “Best Of” section. This surfaces your strongest content to casual visitors who land on your channel. More plays equals more rankings power!

So There You Have It — The Complete Youtube Lead Generation Blueprint!

You now have all the tools, tips and strategies needed to grow your real estate business on YouTube. Trust me, if you put these into practice consistently, the leads will come rolling in.

Now it’s time to take action. Start optimizing your channel, cranking out helpful videos, promoting your content, tracking your analytics, and continuously improving over time.

Optimizing videos, promotions, and analytics requires major time and effort. Don't stretch yourself thin!

Instead, let our AI handle lead generation on Google, Facebook and more. Our dynamic lead forms instantly qualify prospects so you filter out tire kickers.

Engage new leads today until they’re sales-ready so you can focus only on real opportunities.

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