Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - Technology seems to change on a daily basis and, in this digitally driven media environment, real estate agents need to capture an audience right away. One way to do this is through video blogging, or 'vlogging,' so one Puerto Vallarta professional is hopping on that band wagon to stay on top of this competitive industry.

Vlogging has become very popular over the years with YouTube, the Google video section, and all smart phones having the capability to show videos. "It is certainly not new but it is new to Banderas Bay," says Laura Gelezunas, sales agent/advisor at Boardwalk Realty. "This platform is a great way to build meaningful and engaging relationships with buyers and sellers. Videos done on a regular basis can do wonders for client contacts and this type of marketing strategy can generate more interest and hopefully leads. I want to set myself apart from other agents in this area because no one else is vlogging."

Laura's new vlog can be seen on her YouTube channel, TVPuertoVallarta, and is called 'The Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit Real Estate Vlog.' (Yes, she did get all her key words in the title.) The vlogs will cover real estate news, neighborhood profiles, testimonials, lifestyle advice, tutorials, and answers to questions from viewers and subscribers. Her channel also features the show Vallarta Life.

Real estate professionals know that their customers are uber-connected and informed. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), nine in ten home buyers rely on the internet as their primary research source and 52 percent turn to the web as their first step.

"This is especially true in a market that caters to people buying a vacation home or rental property," says Laura. "The Banderas Bay market is quite different than a non-vacation city in the US or Canada. The majority of buyers are looking online before they're actually coming out to see a property because they may be living in Chicago and have not checked out this area in person."

Google officials call this idea ZMOT/Zero Moment of Truth - the idea that shopping is no longer about showing up at a real estate office or an open house, seeking advice or counsel on what to buy or how much clients should pay.

As Google's ZMOT handbook for marketers explains, "The sales funnel isn't really a funnel anymore." Now there is a new, empowered consumer generation that does its homework ahead of time and really looks at this new and critically important, Zero Moment of Truth.

According to NAR 73% of homeowners surveyed by them said they're more likely to list with a realtor who offers to create a video for them. So, how surprising is it that only four percent of agents actually put their listings and other real estate info on YouTube.

YouTube has been utilized as a venue for effective marketing for almost every kind of business because optimized YouTube videos tend to rank high for relevant keyword searches. This places a link to your agent's website on your YouTube video channel brings more potential buyers and sellers to your website.

Video has become an increasingly important marketing tool for real estate agents. Laura thinks that if a picture is worth 1,000 words, video is worth at least 1 million.