If you were trying to get a flight out of Gatwick airport before last Christmas, my guess is you will be well familiar with how airborne drones had a massive impact on those particular holiday flight schedules. However, this is not the only impact drones have had. For many innovative house builders, they have also had a huge transformative impact on their approach to product marketing.
Today, high quality drones are a lot cheaper than they used to be with costs being driven down by huge advances in technology. Cost aside, the real driving force acknowledged by House Builders is that high quality aerial video and photography delivers a huge ‘wow’ factor which can act as a massive differentiator. Dramatic views of developments and the surrounding areas, allow prospective buyers to really see where they could be living from a whole new visual and emotional perspective. Matt Thompson from Make Homes sums up their use of aerial video.
“We see drone technology as a real asset to our business and not only during the construction process. Using drones in the post build phase to showcase our completed developments from the air adds a terrific new dimension to our marketing activity.”
So, what’s the catch?
No doubt soon, any House Builder will be able to order an inexpensive drone, load up an app on their phone and send a drone over their development to capture video footage. However, there are increasingly complex laws regarding the use of drones and also the requirement to take a test and register with the Civil Aviation Authority. Contravening any of these requirements could (and given Gat Gate, probably will) result in big fines and even imprisonment. So, remember that whilst smartphones have turned everyone into a budding professional photographer, getting great aerial photography (without taking down the local power lines and going to jail) is slightly different! Furthermore, getting footage is one thing but with professional production and editing it’s the difference between viewing shaky home movies and booking your seat at the Oscars.
In summary, the use of drones should probably be approached in much the same way as learning to drive and then immediately tackling a potentially perilous mountain road. Sure, you could do it, but wouldn’t you rather hire a professional driver to start with to show you how it’s done?
Yourkeys Media can help – give us a call and let us show you our driving skills!