Market Like a Rockstar with Animoto
By Reggie · September 28, 2008
Showcasing your listings online can be expression of your personality and marketing savvy. You know this, that’s why you showcase homes, maybe even the surrounding community in a special, attractive and unique way…right? The only problem is, some marketing avenues can be costly and time intensive. If you are looking for savvy cutting-edge video from stills, try a service like Animoto for Business.
Animoto has become famous for its upbeat party-style slideshows that feel like a celebration. This effect is caused by a combination of hip production effects and stylish copyright free music integrated with your still photos. I guess it could also be caused by the founder’s previous experience producing for MTV and VH1.
With production taken care of, now think of the various applications in your business! Brenda from Animoto had no trouble coming up with a few:
- make the listing(s) more appealing with stunning video tours
- easily adding powerful virtual tours to website or blog
- upload Animoto videos to YouTube for traffic generating commercials
- add to e-newsletters…go viral with featured virtual tours
- share videos via email
- highlight parks, restaurants, etc.
- carrying virtual tour(s) on iPhone
- creating high-res, virtual tour DVDs for VIP clients
So really, what’s my investment?
It’s pretty straightforward; you will need a subscription to Animoto for Business. You can start at $99 for 3 months or $249 for the year. If you’re reading this post before October 3rd 2008, use coupon code: RE09tech for an additional month added to your account free. (You should note that their terms of service states that if your commercial account expires you are no longer permitted to use your Animoto video for commercial use.)
What can I expect from the production process?
Since Animoto requires your still photos, that’s where you’ll start. Browse and upload into your new show. Then arrange photos in the order they should appear. Next pick music from a range of legal “commercial use” music. Then finalize the video by including title, description and cover screen photo. Animoto will take over rendering the photos and sound into a video. With the commercial version, Animoto branding is scaled back. The player will include a small “Powered by Animoto” logo in the bottom right corner and at the end.
What can I do with the Finished Product?
You’ll have full access to download your video (unlimited times) in MP4 and ISO formats. Your finished video can easily be added to your website or blog with supplied embed code. You can also have Animoto burn the physical DVD for $20.
Animoto - Real Estate Preview
-Related products: SpotMixer & Real Estate Shows
Animoto for Business also covered at Sellsius
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Comments
5 Responses to “Market Like a Rockstar with Animoto”
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Hey Reggie,
Great tip - I always love seeing how other agents use technology to market listings differently then everyone else. It seems like it won’t have the same appeal here in Minnesota as it would in California.
Hi Ben,
Thank you! The Animoto style video is certainly different and upbeat. I can see use of their video’s flourishing on blogs, possibly even attached to a single property sites….what do you think?
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Reggie,
Digging into Animoto’s website more, I see they offer a similar version for free! The only differences I see is that their logo is bigger at the end of the video and the paid version may have more songs to choose from. I think I’ll stick to the free version for now and see how it works out - I’ll send you a link to the video when it’s done.
Man, thank you so much for introducing us to animoto’s beautiful videos! They are amazing, and they have such a great selection of songs as well, not the cheesy ones that usually come with virtual tour (not real virtual tours)! Thanks for sharing! I too think I will use the free version for now (only have one listing that was co-listed with me) but the $99 for 3 months or the other option are not bad either if you have more listings!!
Market Like a Rockstar with Animoto http://www.mytechopinion.com/2008/09/market-like-a-rockstar-with-animoto.html