Real Estate Social Media Strategy: The Quick-Start Guide for Agents

You may have heard that these days building a strong personal brand is key to growing your real estate business, or that "social media is invaluable for real estate agents to build their brands, nurture leads, and generate more sales." We couldn't agree more! If you want to reach your ideal clients, social media can provide the most impactful platform to share your message, build your brand, grow your network, and close sales. But with so many platforms to choose from, creating an effective social media strategy can feel overwhelming.

Social media platforms are filled with an abundance of opportunities

This Quick Guide will walk you through the key steps to leverage social media for real estate success. Follow these best practices to attract and engage more potential buyers and sellers.

Why Social Media Matters in Real Estate

Studies show that 44% of real estate buyers use social platforms in their search. An active social presence builds trust and credibility with this huge audience and helps them to find you.

"Social media allows real estate agents to establish themselves as experts, thought leaders, and trusted advisors for a target audience. This can be incredibly powerful for lead generation." - Morgan Carey, The Cultivated Group

Social media also creates viral sharing potential through likes, comments, and user-generated content. Plus, platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer paid tools like ads to expand your reach.

But it's about quality over quantity. Posting on every platform won't necessarily succeed. You need the right strategy for platforms where your audience is active.

1. Choose the Best Platforms for Real Estate

Consider your target demographics and goals to choose 2-3 ideal platforms. What will be your focus? Are you going to share video content of your listings, post informative videos about real estate, or use it to network and build your audience?

Here are the top social media platform options for real estate:

Facebook- 59% of users are 25-56 years old, a prime real estate buyer demographic. Create ads and publish listings, images, videos, and live streams. The real estate community is very active on Facebook, so explore ways to grow your reach. Join Real Estate Groups and engage with new audiences, local and global.

LinkedIn - Over 80% of users are college-educated professionals with disposable income, making it great for listings and lead gen. LinkedIn's current algorithm allows you to have a much wider organic reach (free) than Facebook's or Instagram's, which are very limited and are geared more toward favoring sponsored ads (paid).

Instagram - Now with over 1 billion users, it's perfect for engaging lifestyle content. Showcase listings through photos, videos, carousels, and Instagram Stories. Leverage your short format Reels or Stories content (30sec-1min) across social channels, such as YouTube Shorts or TikTok videos. Instagram works better for personal brand building than lead generation.

X (formerly Twitter )- A large number of real estate professionals use Twitter to network and build their professional brands. X's hashtags and viral nature make it ideal to join real estate conversations. Plus paid promoted tweets expand reach. X's #Spaces feature allows you to connect and have real-time conversations with other real estate pros and prospective clients.

YouTube - YouTube is #1 the search engine and video platform combined, and it's a powerful funnel to create a lead magnet for your brand. Today's buyers go to YouTube to search about their desired neighborhood, look up for-sale property videos, and review real estate agents in the area. If you're comfortable being on camera, creating videos will be your superpower to showcase your expertise on YouTube. Create video home tours, market explainers, and vlogs. Wow your audience by showing off your listings. Use the one-minute YouTube Shorts feature to create quick daily insight about real estate stats trends, local market stats, or neighborhood walk-throughs. Research other experts on YouTube and learn from them.

TikTok - Fun short videos can attract and engage new demographics. Participate in real estate trends. Show off your listings or provide value to your audience by educating them about real estate.

2. Be Strategic & Set S.M.A.R.T Goals

While having a presence on social media is crucial for modern real estate success, simply signing up for accounts on every platform won't necessarily translate to results. A strategic approach is crucial when planning social media marketing for real estate. Begin by setting S.M.A.R.T. , i.e. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals tied to metrics like lead generation, listings acquired, or sales closed.

Follow these fundamental tips to build an effective, high-ROI social media strategy:

Set Data-Driven Goals - Begin by establishing goals tied to quantifiable metrics like leads generated, website traffic, impressions, and sales closed. This focuses your efforts.

Research Your Audience - Analyze your ideal buyer demographics and personas. Which social platforms are they most active on? Where will you gain the most visibility? Studies show Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter have the most real estate buyer usage currently.

Audit Your Resources - Assess available time, budget, talent, and other resources you can dedicate to social media. This determines how many platforms you can manage effectively. Start with 1-2 networks and expand from there.

Choose Your Platform Mix - Based on your audience research and resources, select the shortlist of platforms offering the highest ROI potential. Most real estate pros find focusing on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter is optimal.

Automate Where Possible - Leverage tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social to schedule social content, manage engagements, track data, and analyze performance all from one dashboard to optimize efficiency.

RECOMMENDED FOR NETWORKING, MARKETING & LEAD GENERATION

3. Join Real Estate Groups & Use Targeted Ads on Facebook

Facebook's expansive user base makes it ideal for real estate professionals to connect with potential customers organically as well as using paid targeted ads. Grow your brand and reach new buyers on Facebook using these strategies:

• Create an official business page for your brand, publish listings, videos, images, and live video tours to showcase properties.

• Join and participate in niche real estate groups like "First Time Home Buyers" and "Real Estate Investing" to provide value and build community status.

• Run Facebook Ad campaigns with robust targeting options to get listings and brands in front of precise buyer demographics including location, income, lifestyle, and interests.

• Communicate directly and build relationships with prospects by answering questions and comments on posts and ads.

• Share market statistics, testimonials, sold listings, and other social proof content to build credibility as an expert.

• Stay top of mind with consistent organic posting and engagement within the platform.

The combination of targeted organic and paid reach makes Facebook a versatile channel for real estate agents to expand visibility, nurture leads, demonstrate expertise, and ultimately drive sales.

"Today's buyers and sellers turn to social media for insights on agents, homes, and neighborhoods. A strong social presence is critical for reaching and engaging new clients." - Katie Lance, Katie Lance Consulting

RECOMMENDED FOR BRAND BUILDING, NETWORKING & MARKETING

4. Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

One of the top marketing experts today, Gary Vaynerchuk, Serial Entrepreneur, Chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia" says, "What I love about LinkedIn is that it's the social network for professionals. You can target your customer avatar and have great organic reach." LinkedIn's current algorithm allows you to have a free, organic reach much wider than Facebook's or Instagram's, which are very limited because paid sponsored ads are favored by their algorithms. As one of the top platforms for real estate lead generation, optimize your LinkedIn presence with:

• A comprehensive profile summarizing your background, skills, and offerings.

• Connections with past clients, professional circles, and targeted prospects.

• Valuable content like local insights, market trends, home tips, and lifestyle.

• Active engagement by commenting, sharing others' posts, and joining real estate groups.

PRO TIP*

"The trick with LinkedIn is to not sell. Provide value, build authority around topics your audience cares about, and the sales will come." Gary Vaynerchuk

Beacons.ai simplifies real estate pros social media marketing

RECOMMENDED FOR BRAND BUILDING, MARKETING, CONTACT LIST BUILDING

5. Use Beacons.ai Link-in-bio tool to connect your socials in one place

You want to make sure that when someone clicks on your main link on your social media profiles, the link will take viewers to a Link-in-bio style page that can feature your social media links, website link, property listings, and anything else notable all in one place, mobile-optimized for this purpose.

Beacons.ai can serve as a working alternative to, or as a socially-connected extension to your branded website. Beacons ai serves as a multimedia link-in-bio page that is more versatile than the typical link-in-bios' text-only formats.

Your Beacons.ai's sleek bio page can include portfolio listings, testimonials, YouTube videos, contact info & lead form, and links to social profiles. With it's built in lead form and newsletter provider, you can send newsletters to your contacts. You can even sell your digital courses or downloads directly from Beacons.ai, or connect them to your store. This provides a professional landing spot to build credibility and share your brand story. All without needing to build a site from scratch. You can learn more about the benefits of Beacons.ai for real estate personal branding here.

DEAL ALERT *

Sign up with this link for a free Beacons.ai account and to receive $20 credit toward your pro membership, if you choose to take advantage of all the pro benefits.

RECOMMENDED FOR BRAND BUILDING & NETWORKING

6. Use Clubhouse or X (Twitter) Spaces for Real-time Networking

The real-time audio platforms such as X (Twitter) Spaces & Clubhouse offer enormous potential for real estate networking and thought leadership. X Spaces allows you to start or engage in live real estate-focused large public discussions, and network on-the-go. You can host large public discussions, making it ideal for conducting virtual real estate conferences, panel talks, or niche topical conversations. Following up is key to maximizing the networking opportunities that these spaces offer.

Real estate professionals can join Clubhouse to participate in rooms focused on topics like mortgage financing, investment property analysis, home buyer Q&As, localized housing trends, and more. Active involvement and moderating real estate conversations on Clubhouse provide valuable visibility and authority that translates to brand credibility and trust with prospects. For a hands-on explainer, this video details exactly how real estate agents can tap into Clubhouse to boost their personal brand and make new connections.

If you love learning about the latest market trends and listen to real estate podcasts, you can also use X Spaces and Clubhouse as a place to learn, meet, and engage with other colleagues and experts in the industry in real time.

PRO TIP*

Since X Spaces and Clubhouse are audio-based social platforms where you only show your avatar, you may feel more comfortable joining live conversations at any time, without the pressure of being on camera. You can tune into these conversations just for the sake of learning, whether you intend to engage in them or not. Take advantage of these amazing opportunities to connect and build your personal brand & network!

Use free tools like Canva to create social media content

7. Create Shareable Social Content

Both original insightful content and curated visual assets help you stand out on social media. Mix it up with:

• Local market statistics and news.

• Thought leadership and business strategy articles.

• Eye-catching listings and property photography.

• Home staging ideas and tips.

• Client testimonials and word-of-mouth content.

• Behind-the-scenes daily vlogs and stories.

• Quick real estate FAQs.

• Cross-promotions with local businesses like home services.

• Use your smartphone to shoot better walkthrough videos (see below)

Use relevant hashtags like #realestate #tusconrealestate #singlefamilylistingstuscon , etc and add location tags for discovery. Learn ways to use your phone to create professional real estate videos, or hire a pro to create engaging content for you.

PRO TIP*

Use our Real Estate Personal Branding Quick Start Guide to discover free tools to create engaging social media content

Real Estate Personal Branding Quick Start Guide: Free Copywriting Tools

8. Run Paid Social Ads

Organic content has its place, but paid social ads expand your reach exponentially and can reach your ideal target audience. All major platforms offer self-serve advertising:

• Facebook and Instagram Ads - Target by demographics, behavior, interests, and more.

• LinkedIn Sponsored Content - Appear in feeds of professionals by job role and industry.

• Twitter Promoted Tweets - Amplify engagement on tweets.

• YouTube Video Ads - Pre-roll and mid-roll video ads.

• Pinterest Promoted Pins - Get your real estate pins in front of more buyers browsing ideas and inspiration.

9. Track Performance and Optimize

Free tools like Google Analytics and each platform's built-in analytics allow you to identify your best content, placements, and target audiences.

Continuously refine your strategy based on insights like:

• Highest-performing ad types and creatives

• Most engaging organic post formats

• Content topics that resonate most

• Follower demographic data

• Lead generation and conversion metrics

Now you're ready to build your real estate social media presence! Consistency, high-quality content, and data-driven optimization are key. Keep testing your content and see what connects, what gets the most engagements. Study the market, connect with your audience, and use social media to provide value to them. Let social media guide more of the right prospects to you.

#realestate #realtor #realestateagent #socialmedia #leadgeneration #sales #marketing #digitalmarketing #socialmediamarketing #contentmarketing #SEO #influencermarketing #branding #targetaudience #engagement #communitybuilding #customerrelationshipmanagement #testimonials #localSEO #GoogleMyBusiness #onlinepresence #digitalfootprint #socialmediamarketinngforrealtors #realestatesocialmedia