The real estate industry, like most other industries, is officially online. It used to depend on traditional marketing and cold calling but it now relies heavily on digital marketing, especially social media marketing.

If you’re a real estate agent, it’s important to understand how big of an impact social media has on building your customer base and how you can leverage social media marketing to grow your business. Social media can be a major lead generator for you. But only if you maximize your brand’s online efficiency and effectiveness. 

This article will look at five simple tips that’ll help you step up your real estate social media marketing in 2023.

Why Real Estate Businesses Need Social Media

The average age of homebuyers in Ireland is 38, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). millennials make up the largest share of home buyers. This overlaps with the age group that makes up the largest demographic of Facebook users (25 to 34). If your clients are already online, why shouldn’t you be?

Social media is one of the best ways for real estate agents to connect with potential buyers and grow their businesses online. 

Some of the key benefits of using social media for real estate are:

• Instant engagement and feedback from clients 
• Targeted advertising unlike traditional marketing 
• Cost-effective organic reach
• Brand reinforcement 
• Customer relationship management 
• Increased brand visibility beyond geographical geographies 
• A broader network of potential clients
• Bigger return on investment 

The power of social media for businesses, including the real estate industry, has been proven. Fifty-four per cent of social media users research products and services online while 71 per cent are more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals.

The Best Social Media Platforms for a Real Estate Business

There are several social media platforms that real estate agents can leverage to grow their business online. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be on every one of them to get results for your real estate business. 

Choosing the channels that will work best for you then focusing on developing the right strategy and following through on it will work wonders for you. These are some of the best social media platforms to use when you’re looking for ways to get more real estate leads:

1. Meta

Meta includes both Facebook and Instagram. Eighty-eight per cent of social media users in Ireland are on Facebook, making it the biggest social media platform in Ireland. It’s the top choice for businesses looking to connect with their customers online. You can publish property listings, give video tours of your properties, and share educative infographics and blog posts. Additionally, you can easily target potential clients through Facebook ads at a very affordable price. 

While only 3.9 per cent of Irish people use Instagram, it’s the best platform for visual marketing- a key component of any real estate marketing plan. You can use images, videos, and other multimedia content to strengthen your brand and communicate with your target audience on Instagram. 

1. YouTube

Just like Instagram, YouTube is a great platform for visual marketing. You can use it to give clients virtual house tours and showcase the beauty of the properties you’re selling. You can also do live streams on topics around home ownership and address questions and concerns from buyers.

1. LinkedIn

If you’re looking to build brand credibility in your industry, LinkedIn is the place to be. It will help you reach and connect with professionals.

Insightful and educational content such as house-buying guides, industry trends, and home design tips can showcase your real estate expertise. The platform can also help you to network with other real estate agents, professional bodies, and professionals in related industries such as interior design. 

1. TikTok

TikTok started out as a youth-centric social media platform. It has since grown into one of the most popular platforms for businesses. In Nothern Europe, TikTok advertising has a reach of 29.6 million users. Additionally, 48 per cent of TikTok’s ad audience is aged between 25 to 44- a demographic which makes up the majority of home buyers. 

Besides offering a platform for visual marketing for your properties, it also gives you an opportunity to show your brand’s creative and funny side. 

There are also emerging platforms such as Clubhouse where people can get into discussions on a wide range of topics. You can use it to conduct private and public discussions on real estate and property ownership.

As you continue exploring social media, you’ll understand better the specific needs of your business and the most suitable social media platforms to take your real estate business to the next level. 

Five Real Estate Social Media Marketing Tips to Get More Leads 

Social media is every real estate agent’s dream- a place full of engaged users, pretty pictures, and ready buyers. The only headache for many real estate agents is knowing where to start and which strategies to use. 

These five tips will help you create the best real estate social media marketing strategy to close deals and get new clients.

1. Optimize your social media profiles

Before you even get started on real estate social media marketing, ensure that your social media profiles are optimized for page personality and brand identity. Have a profile picture that clearly communicates your company, for example, your logo. You should also provide essential contact information such as location, phone numbers, and website. These will help in establishing you as a legitimate business and build online credibility.

Plus, it ensures your target audience can contact you when they need to take the conversation offline.

1. Promote the town, not just your listings

People don’t just want to buy a house, they also want to buy into the neighbourhood. Showcasing the beauty of the local town and neighbourhood can help in winning over buyers. Post beautiful photos of the town in which your properties are listed.

For example, there are many “@CityOf… “ Twitter handles that showcase specific cities and give regular updates on them. You can mention these handles in your tweets to promote your listings and also increase your reach. 

1. Engage your followers

Home buyers still have a lot of questions to ask before making a purchasing decision. But the platforms in which they ask those questions have changed. Few home buyers still call real estate agents, with most of them prefer using social media platforms to ask questions about properties and neighbourhoods. 

Leverage such platforms to provide instant responses and get ahead of your competitors. Be ready for the outreach, actively participate in online forums such as Twitter Spaces that discuss real estate topics, and use the engagement as an opportunity to start a dialogue with buyers who might be in the early stages of the sales funnel.

Remember to respond to all comments, whether positive or negative, in a courteous manner. But don’t feel compelled to respond to abusive comments. 

1. Educate your buyers

Social media isn’t just for selling your properties. In fact, you’re more likely to sell more properties if you educate your buyers than trying to directly sell to them. Teach your followers about the process of buying a home in Ireland, common home-buying pitfalls to avoid, and how to have a smooth experience when buying a home among other educative guides. 

Buying a home is a heavy investment that requires careful thought and buying. It’s unlikely that beautiful pictures alone will push buyers into impulse buying your property. Educate them and stay on top of their mind so that when they’re ready to buy a home, they think about your property. If you have a blog, consider writing articles about home buying, and use social media to promote them. 

1. Share success stories and client testimonials

Social proof earns you trust and trust earns you paying customers. In a sensitive industry such as real estate, providing social proof can be a big boost to your business. Hearing from legitimate past clients could give them a nudge to consider your company. That’s why you should always share success stories and client testimonials on your social media pages. 

The beauty of social proof is that you can also repurpose the material and transform it into other types of content for your content marketing strategy. Videos of clients sharing their experiences could go on YouTube. Additionally, you can encourage clients to give their feedback in the form of user-generated content, improving your reach and visibility. 

Generate High-Quality Real Estate Leads With Effective Social Media Marketing

Building a successful real estate business takes time and effort. Social media offers a game-changing opportunity to cut above the noise and grow your business to the next level. These tips can help you to get started on social media marketing for real estate. But successful social media marketing takes meticulous planning and execution. We can help you with that. 

We’ve helped thousands of Irish businesses to grow their lead generation and conversion rates through effective social media marketing. Our MaaS approach to digital marketing makes us the best social media marketing company in Ireland.

Reach out today.