How to make YouTube your always-on lead generator

Robyn Cavallaro doesn’t use YouTube just to market listings. She uses it to make sure buyers find her before they know they need her. “It’s education before asking for the sale,” says Cavallaro, a sales associate with Florida Realty Investments in The Villages.

After moving to Florida from Pennsylvania in 2019, Cavallaro pivoted from restaurant work to real estate during the pandemic. She was already making videos for fun, and after earning her real estate license, she started creating content about homes around The Villages. Today, Cavallaro estimates that about 75% of her business comes from YouTube, where she posts as Robyn Cavallaro | The Villages Florida Realtor®. The rest comes primarily from Facebook and TikTok. “I do zero print,” she says.

Robyn Cavallaro

Here’s her strategy:

1. Answer what buyers want to know.

Many of Cavallaro’s video ideas come from conversations with buyers and sellers. “Taxes are a big topic,” she says. Other topics include community development, amenity fees, insurance and renovation costs.

She recommends breaking complicated issues into smaller pieces. “Break everything down,” Cavallaro says. “Most Realtors don’t want to stick the camera in their face because they’re trying to give you too much info in a short period of time.”

2. Don’t confuse views with business.

One of Cavallaro’s most popular videos, Living Single in The Villages, has attracted hundreds of thousands of views. But she says it hasn’t generated nearly as much business as her more practical Money Map videos about taxes, bonds, CDDs, amenity fees, insurance and other expenses. “The video with the most viewers doesn’t always produce the maximum number of buyers,” she says.

3. Don’t sugarcoat.

Cavallaro doesn’t limit her content to promoting the benefits of The Villages. She talks openly about drawbacks as well as benefits. “Be that visible expert and provide value so your buyers can make an informed decision,” she says.

That candor also shows up in property videos for remote buyers. “You can find all the rainbows and unicorns,” she says. “I’m the one finding the leaks in the ceiling.”

In one week, she says, two couples each purchased homes priced above $500,000 without ever meeting her or personally seeing the properties. She toured the homes on their behalf and pointed out her concerns. “You are neutral, I’m going to be honest,” she says. “I’m not just opening the door.”

4. Build an evergreen library.

Cavallaro calls her growing library a “constant sales funnel.” “Whatever I’ve made is evergreen content,” she says, noting that she even leaves property videos online after the homes have sold. “I’ll get a message, ‘Hey, I really like that house,’” she says, then tells them, “Yeah, I know. I sold that four years ago.” The listing may be gone, but the video has brought her another prospective buyer.

5. Make it easy to take the next step.

Cavallaro learned that placing her name, brokerage and contact info at the end of her videos wasn’t working because many viewers didn’t stick around that long. After moving the information to the beginning, four people called within two days looking for a real estate agent. “When they don’t know who to call, they’re going to call the last person they see providing valuable information,” she says.

Some viewers watch for months before reaching out. “They’ll tell me, ‘I’ve been watching your videos for a year,’” she says. “When they’re ready, I’m the first call they make.”

Cavallaro recommends that agents who’d like to begin their own video strategy start with subjects that consumers in their markets need help understanding. “Most agents don’t home in on their community,” she says. Her advice: Focus on useful information buyers in your market need—and give them a reason to find you first.