The Awesome Solution in Plain Sight

Why Reach Out With YouTube?

Here’s a question for all of you readers: How ridiculously obvious did the pandemic make your already-existing problems? Toilet paper is a perfect example. Who knew supply chains were that weak? Probably the toilet paper executives, but they couldn’t imagine a true rush on their products. Then COVID-19 hit and supplies ran out early, with people giving tissues and paper towels a chance as possible substitutes. Pretty soon, that stuff was off the shelves, too.

But for many of us, the problem we faced was communication. As digital as our lives are, we still rely on face-to-face communication to do the majority of our business. And when that business is buying a house — pretty much the biggest investment most of us will make — people really want the reassurance that an in-person conversation provides. Failing that, they want the convenience of learning at their own paces and having the same control as if they were sitting down in person and asking me questions.

One thing I’ve learned as a business owner, though, is that when you have a problem like that, the solution is usually right under your nose, as long as you can get creative. And that’s how our YouTube channel went from being irregularly updated and not super planned out to delivering regular, targeted content once or twice a week at least.

We’d had a YouTube channel for years, but with that platform, there’s “active” and then there’s active. The pandemic let us step back and ask, “What else can we be doing for people — especially the ones who are trying to learn more about these intimidating topics but don’t have anyone to ask?”

YouTube was the awesome solution right under our nose.

And developing that solution has been a journey, one that is far from over. For people to find you, you must post regularly, and your content has to be good. I knew that our information was solid, and I’ve been explaining this stuff in regular language to people for years, so that wasn’t a concern. But we’d never sat down and put together a posting schedule before.

Ashleigh in particular has been a rock star about this stuff. She’s taken it upon herself to learn anything she didn’t already know about filming, editing, and more. It’s incredible, and if our videos look polished and professional, you know who to thank! It’s been great to have her filming me, too, because as I go, she can give me feedback on what will look better once she gets the files onto a computer and starts working with them.

The pandemic may have been the fire I needed lit under me to really take YouTube to the next level, but it’s something that will be great to have going forward no matter what. We can post videos on our Facebook and point clients to one or another video as we accumulate more and more. They can pause my video, go make a sandwich, take notes, and hit play again to learn at their own speed. And they get access to everything I have filmed — at any time of the day or night! I know how these things go: you’re lying awake in bed thinking about this big decision that’s coming up, and you want to do something to make yourself feel better about it, so that it doesn't seem so scary and impactful.

And these topics can really impact people’s lives! Here are a few examples, from relatively recent videos:

“Highest and Best” offers

where sellers accept a high offer from a buyer who just wants to lock in the contract. Not a problem for cash offers, but if that buyer needs financing and has not had the appraisal done yet, they may be making an offer that is higher than a lender will go — resulting in a bad situation for everyone.

“What Goes Into a Rate?”

is a common question because people often want to know “today’s rate,” and this video breaks down why we can’t just give a number — and the factors that go into determining rates.

“Should I Lock in My Rate?”

is another big question that folks ask in today’s rising-rate environment. As I point out in this video rates are still historically low, and the answer to the “lock in” question really depends on the individual characteristics of the sale.

These are all things that I get asked regularly, and it made sense to make videos that people can access when I’m not at work to pick up the phone and talk to them, as much as I wish I could do it 24/7!

Not only is this useful with or without a pandemic, going forward it’s the sort of thing people will expect from companies they do business with. After a year of remote living, it just makes sense.

Another of my favorite things to do on YouTube is post content that appears on my “The HartBeat Show” podcast, especially the interviews I do with people in our community who I find awesome and want to draw attention to. These are authors, leaders, decision-makers, influencers, and all-around inspiring people — and I love to bring them to a wider audience.

Whether you want information on realty, loans, and best lending practices, or you want to learn more about people in your community who are making a difference, that’s all content you’ll find on my YouTube channel.

It’s just under my name, Tim Hart, because I don’t mind putting my name on this stuff. I want to help people, and I want them to know who’s trying to help them. That way, if they have questions, comments, or just need more information, they can easily find me. From the latest news on rising rates (still really, really low, guys!) to reviews of shows I watched like Cobra Kai, you’ll find a bit of everything on that channel — and I hope it’s as awesome, useful, and fun to check out as it is to put together.