Thoughts on Real Estate Marketing…

Do I harp about this? I probably do, because it is so annoying.

I don’t even know how many times in the past few days I’ve seen something interesting and would like to have learned more about it – but when I clicked to learn more, the information was only available on video, so I passed it by.

I know – the gurus are saying how wonderful it is. How video can lead your prospects right to the sale and get them to act now. BUT… if your prospects happen to be among the half of all internet users who don’t have access to high speed internet, they’ll never see it!

Because I have Hughes Net Satellite I have to be VERY careful about how many megabytes I download in a day. Go over the limit and I’m shut down completely for 24 hours. Since I work on line, that won’t do… so I put everything interesting into a file marked “come back after midnight.”

Then, during their “free time” I dare to download large files.

So, what’s the problem? Well, for one thing, after midnight I’m not always ready to watch a half hour or more of something. But it gets worse. Without high speed, those videos won’t always play properly. They come in a little at a time, leaving the watcher to stare at someone with their mouth open or little clocks going round and round for a minute or two between each minute or two of video.

Last night I tried to watch something that promised to give some good information, so I gave it a try. It  turned out to be 72 minutes long – but had I stayed to watch, it would have taken at least twice that long.

This isn’t just a problem for those of us using a satellite connection. Dial-up users face the same thing, especially when “enhanced” dial-up isn’t available.

Not being a techie person, I don’t know how it’s done, but I do know that some videos do come in “all in one piece” while others behave like the one I tried to watch last night. So it is important for anyone using video to find out how to change those files.

If your sales page is strong enough to convince satellite users to stay up late and watch during “free time,” then you’ve got at least a chance of making the sale. You’ve also got a chance that people on dial-up might be able to see what you have to offer.

But if you want to reach everyone with your message – offer alternatives: the written word, or audio with no video.

I’ve had people tell me that it didn’t matter – that anyone who could afford their products had high speed internet. Well, that’s not true. Some of the wealthiest people choose to live in the most remote locations, because they value their privacy. And in remote locations, high speed internet simply isn’t an option.