42% more viewings, sale agreed 9 days sooner: what Beaulieu Estates changed about how they market properties
What happens when an estate agency introduces cinematic films into its property marketing? For Beaulieu Estates, the results included 42% more viewings and properties reaching sale agreed nine days sooner.
These aren’t projections. They’re real figures supplied by the independent Chelmsford agency, comparing five listings with cinematic films against five without.
Listing a property is not marketing it
For years Beaulieu Estates did what most good agencies do. Professional photography, a floorplan, a portal listing, and the occasional social video shot on a phone when someone in the office had the time.
It worked, in the sense that properties sold. But two things were nagging.
First, the team could see where buyers actually spent their time. Buyers weren’t just searching on Rightmove. They were discovering properties while scrolling Instagram and TikTok, too. Beaulieu recognised that relying solely on property portals meant missing opportunities to reach audiences beyond active property searches.
Second, every competitor on the high street was offering the same package. Good photos, a floorplan, Rightmove. When the proposition at a valuation appointment is identical, the conversation defaults to fees.
As Chandler Quirk, Director at Beaulieu Estates, put it: “Photos and a floorplan are enough to list a property, but that doesn’t mean they’re enough to properly market one.”
Film on 75% of listings, chosen by story, not price
Beaulieu Estates began commissioning cinematic property films from Mode Photo as a standard part of its marketing package. Today around 75% of its listings carry one.
The selection rule is worth noting, because it is not what most agents assume. Film is not reserved for the top end; the question the team asks is whether a property has something worth showing: an interesting layout, a strong interior, a garden or setting that photographs well, a location with a story. Chandler elaborates: “Our job isn’t just to put a house on Rightmove. It’s to create as much attention around that property as possible and ultimately give our vendor the best possible chance of achieving the strongest price.”
Cost was the obvious hesitation at the start. The return was unknown, and film is an extra cost on the marketing budget. What shifted the agency’s view was the reaction…vendors liked seeing their homes presented properly, buyers shared the films and the office had something to post that was not just a photo carousel.
The results
The agency compared five listings marketed with a cinematic film against five marketed without. The averages for each group, over the first 14 days on the market:
Each step compounds into the next. More exposure, more enquiries and more booked viewings — all contributing to a stronger marketing campaign. Most notably, the filmed properties reached sale agreed an average of nine days sooner, a particularly compelling result for agents and vendors alike.
On top of the portal figures, the filmed listings also averaged approximately 8,600 film views across social platforms, creating additional opportunities for buyers to discover properties beyond traditional portal searches.
The benefit nobody puts in the brochure: winning the instruction
More enquiries and viewings are one thing. But what if the same investment could also help you win more instructions?
For Beaulieu Estates, cinematic films have become a powerful tool at valuation appointments, allowing the team to show prospective vendors exactly how their homes could be marketed. Rather than simply promising exceptional marketing, they can demonstrate it.
The agency confirms that professional video has helped differentiate its offering and win instructions against competitors. While pricing, local knowledge and track record remain essential, cinematic films give vendors another compelling reason to choose Beaulieu Estates.
The same investment that helps market a property can also help win the instruction in the first place.On why the agency keeps using film, Chandler explains: “Because it gets our properties and our brand in front of more people, gives our vendors a better marketing package and ultimately helps us generate more opportunities.”
Could your next listing achieve more?
More exposure. More enquiries. More viewings. And a stronger reason for vendors to choose your agency.
Discover what cinematic property films could do for your business.
Speak to Mode Photo about your next listing.