Real estate and social media can work hand in hand. Social media platforms are an absolute goldmine for many real estate agents and businesses. The importance of social media in digital marketing can’t be overstated.
Studies from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) found that 77% of real estate agents use social media actively in promoting their real estate business. The same study learned that 47% of real estate businesses claim to get the highest leads from social media results than any other traffic sources.
Social media is an essential factor in marketing and advertising your homes for sale to more buyers. The best real estate social network platforms are where your potential buyers often hang out online.
Find out what the most popular social media platforms are in this article to know where you should begin your real estate social media marketing journey. Let’s start with the top 3.
1. Facebook
Of course, Facebook gets the top spot. That’s not surprising; at least 7 in 10 (69%) U.S. adults say they use Facebook. Facebook’s popularity means you have an audience to reach out to here. There’s an advantage in advertising to people on a platform they frequent.
Facebook is a good place to find leads, but it’s also ideal for networking. Joining Facebook groups in your industry and following other real estate professionals will help you keep up with the current trends.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook is unique for having the Facebook Marketplace, a specific section for buying and selling. You can take advantage of its dedicated category for housing rentals and homes for sale. It’s quite easy to set up, and transactions are straightforward.
Interested buyers can send you an inquiry about your listings, and you can arrange when or how they will tour the property. Potential buyers can’t purchase directly on Marketplace; they can only inquire about the details by messaging you. You will have to discuss pricing and other features outside of the section, but you can use Facebook for messaging.
Your competitors widely use Facebook, so neglecting it in your marketing efforts could cause you to lose many opportunities for leads.
2. Instagram
Instagram has over a billion active monthly users, making it one of the best platforms to get your listings and real estate brand noticed. Some may scoff at the idea of marketing their real estate business on a platform primarily used for sharing photos and videos. But Instagram is a powerful tool to increase your digital presence because of its highly visual nature.
“One major advantage of Instagram is that it gives a visual representation of the homes you sell, allowing buyers to envision living in it.”
You can consider Instagram as a real estate portfolio and lead generator rolled into one. Here are reasons you should consider Instagram as a marketing platform.
- Highly Visual — Instagram is a perfect online venue to post property photos, video tours, and other engaging content that will interest prospective buyers.
- High Engagement Rate — Instagram’s algorithm allows your most liked recent posts to jump on top of your user feeds. This means your posts will likely get frequent views and interactions even without you paying for ads.
- Users Have More Money — Another interesting fact is that Instagram users have higher salaries than users in other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. You can find more qualified buyers among IG users.
- Loyal Leads — People tend to do business with people they can relate with (i.e., someone with the same interest or hobby as them). With Instagram’s format, prospects instantly get a sense of who you are as an agent or business. If your posts are consistent and of high quality, you have a quicker chance of generating brand loyalty here than on other social media sites.
Your listings are not just text descriptions; you can entice other users by presenting your images using IG’s tools.
For instance, you may upload photos of the most elegant part of a home if your new listing is in a wealthy section of the city. It could be the chandelier or the glorious master’s bedroom. Add a caption that would make your prospective buyers long to be in that home.
If buyers could envision themselves in one of your properties, they may begin to engage with you and share your listings organically. Instagram enables buyers to see the value of your properties.
3. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is referred to as the business social media platform. It’s a good place to start connecting with business leaders and industry experts. For this reason, some real estate professionals overlook LinkedIn as a marketing channel in favor of other social media sites like Facebook and Instagram.
That might be a wrong decision. LinkedIn happens to be 277% more effective for lead generation than other social media platforms, according to marketing software company HubSpot.
One possible reason for this is that everyone on LinkedIn is in “business mode.” They are networking but also looking for a deal or waiting to hear a proposition. You’ll be surprised how many interested sellers or buyers use the site to find an agent to sell their house or buy new property.
Think of LinkedIn as a networking event of people from a specific niche. They can be your next client or recommend you to someone who will be.
LinkedIn is all about building professional networks. The site encourages you to join groups and discussions. Networking as a marketing strategy can be slow, but it may create amazing opportunities for referrals that could turn into sales.
With LinkedIn, you can connect with a variety of professionals or experts like:
- Contractors and suppliers
- Mom-and-pop landlords
- Mortgage brokers
- Real estate investors
- Property developers
There are many real estate success stories on the platform, as well. Take, for example, Warburg Manhattan’s Gill Chowdhury. After building his network through cold outreach on LinkedIn, he was able to score a 3-million-dollar deal. His efforts paid off.
You can think of LinkedIn as a networking event full of interesting people from a specific niche. They can be your next client, or they can recommend you to someone who will be.
4. Other Social Media Platforms
Apart from the three primary social networks, the following platforms are also worth including:
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing platform with over 2 billion users and at least a billion hours watched each day. It’s also considered a search engine for video-based information. Therefore, you should take advantage of it.
Open a YouTube channel for your real estate business. Upload videos such as house tours, informational content about the industry, and videos introducing who you are and what you offer. It’s a great tool for inbound marketing, wherein your leads come to you.
Twitter is not widely associated with marketing as other platforms, but that doesn’t diminish its potential to generate leads. On Twitter, creating connections with your audience and sharing high-value content is the key. It’s all about engaging your followers and crafting a trustworthy image.
With patience and planning, you can use it to drive traffic to your website and build a name for yourself as a trusted thought leader in real estate.
TikTok
TikTok is a video creation app where users create and share 15 to 60-second videos. One reason to consider marketing on TikTok is its user demographic. Fifty percent of TikTok users in the U.S. are between 18 and 34, and 20% are between 35 and 44. These are prime home-buying ages. Interestingly, 37% of the users also claim to have a household income exceeding $100K.
Like Instagram and YouTube, the key to marketing success on TikTok is by providing creative visuals and informational media content.
Wrap-Up
Developing a real estate social media marketing plan can be time-consuming and overwhelming. Start with one social media site first, learn the ropes, get comfortable using it, then move on to the next. The secret is to consistently make engaging real estate posts on every social media site you have.
It’s not an instant success, but your hard work will eventually attract a wider audience. Soon, you’ll have increased bids and sell properties quickly. Social media marketing can also help boost your real estate business’ social media presence enough to build an authoritative brand.
If you need expert help in navigating the social media landscape or other digital marketing methods, Dadri io will be happy to help. You may check out our article on other digital marketing techniques to enhance your real estate business’ performance.
Get in touch with us today to learn how our services can drive more traffic, leads, and sales to your website.