How Real Estate Professionals Can Build a Competitive Advantage with Video (and Keep the Traffic, Too)
Real estate pros are finally realizing that video isn’t just for YouTube anymore. From property tours to market updates, agents can use Open.Video to host video directly on their own websites - owning the traffic, leads, and search visibility that used to go to big platforms. Here’s how video-first pages can give agents and brokers a lasting competitive edge.
How Real Estate Professionals Can Build a Competitive Advantage with Video (and Keep the Traffic, Too)
Table of Contents
Why Video is the New “Curb Appeal” for Agents
In 2025, video is no longer optional for real estate pros. According to a National Association of Realtors report, 73% of homeowners say they’re more likely to list with an agent who uses video, yet less than 20% of agents actually do.
Video builds trust faster than any static listing or headshot ever could. It lets buyers and sellers see your personality, hear your insights, and feel your expertise.
But here’s the catch - most agents post those videos on platforms they don’t own.
The Problem: YouTube and Instagram Own the Audience
Let’s be honest: when you post your listing video on YouTube or a market update on Instagram, you’re renting space on someone else’s platform.
Even worse, when someone finishes watching your video, what’s the next “recommended” clip? Usually a competitor.
That’s not marketing - that’s leasing your audience.
The Opportunity: Video That Lives on Your Website
Imagine every property walkthrough, testimonial, and neighborhood highlight living on your domain.
Your traffic. Your SEO. Your leads.
That’s the idea behind Open.Video - a platform that lets agents and brokers host video directly on their websites, with built-in pages, video schema, and tools that make each video discoverable on Google (and even by AI search engines).
So instead of sending clients to YouTube, you’re building your own media channel.
5 High-Impact Video Ideas for Agents and Brokers
Here are a few proven formats that perform extremely well when hosted on your own site:
1. Client Testimonials That Rank in Search
Instead of a quote graphic, record 60–90 second clips of happy buyers or sellers. With Open.Video’s built-in SEO markup, these videos can appear directly in Google results when someone searches “Best real estate agent in [your city]”.
2. Neighborhood and Property Tours
Create pages for each community or listing, with embedded video tours. Each video gets its own link - perfect for email campaigns and for Google indexing.
3. Educational Mini-Series
Record short explainers like:
Educational videos build trust and authority, and when they live on your own site, they keep visitors in your ecosystem.
4. Market Updates and Forecasts
Instead of a Facebook Live that disappears in 48 hours, host your monthly or quarterly updates on your website. Over time, these pages compound in SEO value - turning into a searchable library of your expertise.
5. Local Lifestyle & Business Spotlights
Feature local restaurants, small businesses, and community events. These make you part of the neighborhood conversation, not just the housing one - and they’re great for organic shares.
How Open.Video Gives You a Real Competitive Edge
Open.Video isn’t just another hosting tool. It’s a video publishing platform built for ownership and discovery.
Here’s how it gives real estate professionals a leg up:
In other words, your video presence becomes part of your business, not a side project owned by YouTube.
Final Thoughts: Build Authority, Not Just Awareness
Top-producing agents have one thing in common: they’re not just selling homes - they’re building trust at scale.
Video is the fastest way to do that. But doing it on your own platform turns video into an asset - one that compounds over time.
That’s the power of Open.Video for real estate: visibility that you own, trust that you build, and leads that stay yours.
About Jeff Bernard
Jeff Bernard brings a wealth of experience in curating innovative digital strategies that drive user acquisition, engagement, and ultimately, digital revenue growth. He currently serves as VP of Content Partnerships at Open.Video, where he helps creators break free from walled gardens and take ownership of their content on the open web. Jeff also leads as the VP of Global Publisher Success at Ezoic, a recognized leader in the digital advertising space. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Redlands and a B.A. in Communication from California State University San Marcos. Outside of work, Jeff enjoys life with his wife and two boys - often found coaching youth soccer or battling it out on the tennis court.