Social media is a critical part of scaling any real estate business. Understanding which social media networks yield results is crucial. So, how do you decide where to invest your time, energy, and resources? In this article I’ll outline the best social networks for real estate agents that drive results.
The following nine social networks are the ones that that you should include in your marketing strategy. I’ll give you advice and tips on how to to become a real estate social influencer on each recommended platform. I’ll even throw in a few free real estate memes that you can download and share on your social media accounts.
If you’re reading this article, you’re obviously interested in how you can leverage social media to grow your real estate business. Each social media platform has unique advantages that include targeting different demographics (read: age groups), positioning yourself as a subject matter expert and hyper-local real estate market expert, building your network of prospects and leads, distributing edu-tainment to potential and past clients, and more!
1. Facebook
Active Monthly Users: 2.9 billion
Average User’s Daily Engagement: 33 minutes
Interesting Fact: Video on Facebook generates nearly twice the interaction as photos or text.
If you have to choose a single real estate social network to be active on, it’s got to be Facebook. Facebook is, far and away, the most popular social network on the planet, especially among adults between 25 and 55 years old.
Facebook offers a perfect storm of real estate marketing opportunities. Using your personal account, you can connect easily with your friends, family, and broader sphere of influence. Using a professional page, you can create compelling content that your fans can opt in to see, or you can use the powerful Facebook ad network to get your message in front of exactly the right audience, exactly when you want.
Many in the social media landscape have started labeling Facebook the “Boomer” social network, and for those of us hustling in the real estate game, this is music to our ears. The fact is, homebuyers and sellers aged 50-plus often have bigger budgets and more frequent real estate needs, making them ideal clients to help build your business.
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2. Instagram
Active Monthly Users: 1 billion
Average User’s Daily Engagement: 53 minutes
Interesting Fact: 90% of Instagram users in the U.S. follow at least one business or brand account.
Instagram (IG) is a close second to Facebook in recommendations for real estate social networks where you should invest time, but IG might actually be #1 for some Realtors. Why? Instagram is all about the visuals and aesthetic. It’s a platform that lends itself well to the real estate industry, especially for luxury and other high-end properties.
However, Instagram isn’t all about static photos of backsplashes and backyard gardens. Many Realtors use the platform to post videos, share “stories” (short, temporary photos or videos designed to highlight something happening in the moment), and even long-form video content on “IGTV.”
Instagram audiences tend to skew younger, hipper, and are more into aspirational content. This is a very popular platform on which to be active if you’ve got designs to become a social media influencer.
3. LinkedIn
Active Monthly Users: 800 million
Average User’s Daily Engagement: 7 minutes
Interesting Fact: LinkedIn direct message open rates are higher than on any other social media platform.
In a surprise to many, LinkedIn ranks at number three on our list of real estate social networks. Why is LinkedIn ranked above some of the trendier video networks on our list? One word: Intent.
Users on LinkedIn are there to connect with other professionals, to grow their network with connections that will serve them and their career, and to generate opportunities. These are the sort of action-oriented people you want as real estate clients.
Also, active members of LinkedIn tend to be higher earners in more senior positions professionally, and tend to be better connected to other high-earners than non-LinkedIn users—making this platform an ideal place to pick up clients as well as referrals.
4. YouTube – Social Networks For Real Estate Agents
Active Monthly Users: 1.7 billion
Average User’s Daily Engagement: 19 minutes
Interesting Fact: The typical YouTube visitor will watch some or all of six different videos on the platform in a single visit.
Before you rush to the comments to tell us that YouTube isn’t a social network, here’s a few things to consider: People who subscribe to YouTube channels regularly interact with content creators through comments and off-platform interactions.
YouTube offers a “Community” tab where creators can interact directly with their audience through written posts, polls, and more. YouTube’s LIVE feature allows users to interact in real time with viewers. This is indeed a social network, but it’s so much more than that!
YouTube is a launching pad for distributing video content on just about every other social media platform. It’s a place to build authority, demonstrate your expertise, and show you’re active in the communities
5. Pinterest – Social Networks For Real Estate Agents
Active Monthly Users: 478 million
Average User’s Daily Engagement: 5 minutes
Interesting Fact: More than 90% of active Pinterest users credit the platform for helping them make a purchase decision.
Pinterest isn’t like most social networks. Rather than connecting over pictures from the latest family vacation or over a news story you and your community are passionate about, Pinterest users connect over their shared interest in projects.
Visitors come to Pinterest for inspiration, to learn from experts, and to find new ways to express themselves—all activities that hit homeownership right in its sweet spot.
Maybe best of all, the lifespan of a pin on Pinterest is dramatically longer than a post on just about any other social network. On Facebook, a post will remain relevant to readers for maybe a day, Instagram a few hours, Twitter only a few minutes. On Pinterest? Posts stay active and relevant for months, making the time and effort you put in last a lot longer.
6. TikTok – Social Networks For Real Estate Agents
Active Monthly Users: 1 billion
Average User’s Daily Engagement: Almost 11 minutes
Interesting Fact: Users between the ages of 18 and 24 make up a staggering 45% of TikTok’s user base.
You didn’t think we were going to get through a list of real estate social networks without including TikTok, did you? Or are you surprised they’re ranked as low as #6? The fact is, TikTok is in an interesting place right now when it comes to real estate. Many of its users aren’t quite in the homebuying stage of their life yet, but they will be soon.
Plenty of young, hip Realtors are connecting with client bases and building relationships early, adding new buyers and sellers in their lead funnel earlier than ever.
What sort of real estate content does well on TikTok? Home tours, especially of aspirational, stunning properties, DITL (day-in-the-life) micro-vlogs about what it’s like to live and work as a Realtor, and home renovation content.
The best part about TikTok for most Realtors? High production value is actually not valued here. The best TikTok content feels authentic and raw and shot straight from your phone with little or no editing outside of the app itself. You don’t need a production studio to be successful on TikTok.
Here is a very handy Beginner’s Guide to TikTok from Wired.
7. Reddit – Social Networks For Real Estate Agents
Active Monthly Users: 430 million
Average User’s Daily Engagement: 10 minutes
Interesting Fact: Reddit is the only platform on our list where more than half its users access it on a desktop device rather than their phone.
If you’re looking for a social media experience that isn’t driven by some all-powerful, mysterious algorithm, we recommend Reddit. Reddit has been dubbed “The Front Page of the Internet” by many, and we have to say, the title makes sense.
On Reddit, rather than interacting strictly with a group of select contacts, you join specific communities you’re interested in called “subreddits.” Within these subreddits, the conversation and interaction is focused pretty specifically on whatever topic the community focuses on.
So, where is the upside for Realtors? There are TONS of subreddits that focus on housing, real estate, and the process of buying and selling homes, many of which are focused specifically on individual markets or regions. By plugging in here, joining the conversation, and showcasing your knowledge, expertise, and ability to help, you position yourself for direct messages from people who are ready to move off Reddit and onto the MLS.
Resources to Help You Get Started (or Level Up) on Reddit:
Check out this great article called A Beginner’s Guide to Reddit: How to Get Started & Be Successful. Every word in here is gold—check it out!
8. Snapchat – Social Networks For Real Estate Agents
Active Monthly Users: 530 million
Average User’s Daily Engagement: 49 minutes
Interesting Fact: Snapchat was the first social network to really embrace the use of AR (augmented reality) as a part of their platform; many argue that much of the virtual tour technology in our industry wouldn’t have happened at the pace it did without Snapchat.
I get it, many of you aren’t even going to read this section because you think Snapchat is just the way your kids talk to each other. Well, guess what? Some features of this social network are BUILT for a business like real estate.
If you aren’t familiar with Snapchat, here are the basics. This messaging platform is designed to allow users to send and receive photos, videos, and text, all with the use of filters and AR.
But, you don’t just have to send these things to individuals. You can also post to your “Story,” which allows ALL your followers to see it. And, you can add posts to the “Snap Map,” which allows ANYONE to see it.
Imagine the power of posting amazing photos or a mini-tour of your new listing and having it show up on the map for anyone to see? Starting to get the picture now?
We won’t lie—Snapchat isn’t widely used by Realtors as an important social media tool, but it could be if you’ve got the right audience and you’ve got the time and effort to put into it.
There aren’t many better ways to learn Snapchat than to watch someone else using it. Tech Insider has a fantastic YouTube video that explains how to use Snapchat in detail. Anyone curious about how they could use Snapchat for their business should start there.
9. Twitter – Social Networks For Real Estate Agents
Active Monthly Users: 330 million
Average User’s Daily Engagement: 6 minutes
Interesting Fact: In a recent poll, 46% of Twitter users said that they use (or have used) the platform to understand breaking news and what’s happening in the world in real time.
This micro-blog platform is used by many to have real-time conversations with people all over the world to better understand what’s happening across the planet and in their own community. If Reddit is the front door to the internet, Twitter is the headline generator for the internet’s newspaper.
What’s unique about Twitter? You only have 280 characters to share your thoughts. That might seem like a lot, but the paragraph you’re reading right now is 305 characters. It adds up fast, making it important that you get to the point quickly. Twitter’s format prevents the sort of TL:DR posts Facebook is infamous for.
(For those unfamiliar with the term, that’s the internet shorthand for “Too Long: Didn’t Read.”)
If you want to use Twitter for your real estate business, join the current events conversations underway about topics relevant to your business, your market, and your community. Unless a “tweet” goes viral, it is typically only relevant for a few minutes after you make it, so don’t expect to move the needle much by posting about listings or open houses.
However, speaking up and adding your voice to a conversation could easily spark direct message conversations with other Twitter users who have been following you all along—which is a great way to pick up new business.
Resources to Help You Get Started (or Level Up) on Twitter:
Once again, Wired has put out a fantastic guide for getting started on Twitter, and maybe more importantly, finding your voice and audience. Check out How to Use Twitter: Critical Tips for New Users.
Conclusion
Is social media a part of your real estate marketing and branding strategy? What networks have you had the most success with? Let us know in the comments below!
