9 social media marketing tips for estate agents
With TikTok videos and Instagram reels of glamorous London pads regularly racking up hundreds of thousands of views, selling properties on social media has moved into new platforms. Here’s our list of the nine top rules to make today’s social media work harder for your estate agency.
1. Think of what your customers will want to share
London-based agent Grant J Bates is an Instagram stalwart with more than 194,000 followers, who recently got 2.2 million views on a single reel of one property in Hampstead.
We might not all be able to showcase jaw-dropping homes like these, but think of what your customers might want to share so you can leverage their following too.
Aspirational properties, interior advice, tips on moving home and even news from your community are all valuable content ideas that might encourage people to share with their own followers.
2. Use social media to build hype around upcoming properties
Another long-standing fan of selling properties through social media is Paul Clarke, founder of the Mr & Mrs Clarke estate agency. Paul said 80% of its social media posts about a home for sale leads to an enquiry.
He added: “We posted about a home in Leamington Spa that was ‘coming soon’ to the market – it generated four enquiries to view, which led to two offers and a viewer asking us to sell their home.”
3. Use social media as an effective tool to reach customers who may not call the branch
Estate Agent Adam Sutton reckons that 30% of his viewing requests come through Instagram, often from young people who like being able to message him rather than phoning the office.
He posts video tours of all his properties, regardless of price, which means he’s not neglecting his target audience of younger buyers with a smaller budget.
This canny agent is looking five years ahead when his twenty-somethings followers can finally afford a house deposit. “If I can connect with them now, when they’re ready, I’m going to be the agent imprinted in their head,” Adam said.
Warm up future buyers by targeting younger demographics on newer social media platforms
4. Match the changing demographics on social platforms
Social media is forever changing, with new platforms appealing to different demographics. Estate agents need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and adapt their strategies accordingly if they want to remain front of mind.
Instagram works particularly well for interiors-focused properties. So, it’s best to avoid showcasing a dated studio flat on it.
On the other hand, Facebook is now the best way to reach homeowners with an older demographic, focusing on the community aspect which works well for estate agents.
Do your research into what content works best on different platforms, including sponsored content. For example, Facebook’s algorithm continues to prioritise advertising and boosted posts over free, ‘organic’ content from businesses.
5. Focus on brand awareness rather than leads
Estate agents shouldn’t only focus on selling properties through social media, according to Nelly Berova, a social media consultant at Art Division.
“It’s for brand awareness not conversion,” Nelly said. “You need to understand who you want to attract then look at what platform has the majority of those type of people in a cluster.”
For smaller letting agents looking for landlords, for example, it might be an idea to join some local Facebook groups as a way to engage with the local community.
6. Consider LinkedIn for connecting with potential landlords
“You can look for vendors by targeting them on Facebook in the area around your branch office, but you can’t do that for landlords who might not live in the area,” says Berova. “Using LinkedIn can be a good way to do that instead.”
By leveraging the professional networking platform, estate agents can expand their reach beyond their local area and connect with landlords across a wider geographical region.
7. Use local Facebook networks to build up your future pipeline
Ben Moore estate agency on the Fylde Coast is a regular Facebook poster whose videos can get up to 40,000 views.
“It’s easier to capture an organic local audience on Facebook by linking to local groups and bringing them into your ecosystem,” he added. “We’re building up a rapport along with people long before they know they need a house.”
Ben usually deals with buyers who are over 45 and have high-value assets, and Facebook’s algorithms make it easier to reach them.
8. Make use of polling tools to drive engagement
Just posting your latest properties is not social media marketing.
Adam Sutton says engagement tools like quick-fire questions and polls can add an interactive element to an estate agent’s social media strategy, encouraging vital audience participation which will boost your page in the platform’s algorithm.
Something as simple as an Instagram story poll asking followers ‘What do you think of matte black kitchen accessories?’ can get would-be buyers talking – and remembering your brand.
9. Posting consistently and efficiently instead of sporadic bursts is key
Ben Moore reckons the key to social media success is consistency. He reckons it’s better to do an average daily post than bursts of genius every few weeks.
Ross Davies warns that content should be engaging and ongoing, but don’t expect instant results.
He dedicates about 15 minutes to updating social media a day but admits it’s taken a few years to get to this stage.
“You can’t expect your first post to yield something, keep at it and it will eventually lead somewhere,” Ross added.
It can be useful to build a content calendar for your business, which sets out what posts you plan to share and when. This helps to plan content in advance but it also gives some structure to make sure you’re posting consistently.
As a busy estate agency, it is important to find ways to free up time to focus on developing your social media strategy. Let Alto take care of your sales, lettings, property management and client accounting.
