The undisputed leader in social media management
For over a decade, the world’s largest enterprises have trusted Sprinklr Social for its in-depth listening, unmatched channel coverage, enterprise-grade configurability and industry-defining AI.
11 Real Estate Social Media Post Ideas for 2024
You’re driving down a highway lined with billboard after billboard, all screaming property listings, urging you to call the realtors right away. No punch, no visuals, just hard selling! Unless you’re actively property hunting, there’s next to nil chance that you’ll remember these realtors, let alone call them. For the realtors, that’s solid money gone down the drain with zero ROI.
This was the scenario before the advent of real estate social media marketing. Today, realtor feeds are brimming with all sorts of engaging and low-cost content, from vibrant video walkthroughs of properties to authentic testimonials from satisfied clients.
So how did this transition from listings to likes come about? Is social media a viable lead generation channel for realtors? Do serious property hunters come to social for prospecting? All pertinent questions. And we have solid numbers to do the talking:
According to a 2022 Technology Survey by the National Association of Realtors:
- 46% of respondents got the most (and best quality) leads from social media
- 89% of respondents use Facebook in their real estate business, 59% Instagram, 53% LinkedIn and 26% YouTube
The same report stated that most realtors used social media mainly for posting property listings. However, there’s a lot more you can do on social, including showcasing your expertise, generating leads and driving engagement in existing and potential customers.
In fact, low-effort organic social media tactics are way more effective than costly and outdated tactics like marketing via billboards, print media and property exhibitions.
As a realtor, are you uncertain about leveraging social media marketing to promote your business?
Fret not. In this article, we have covered 11 effective content ideas to get you started on your social media marketing journey right away. And if you’re still on the fence about using social media, the next section will surely give you the confidence to take the leap of faith. Read on...
Why should real estate businesses use social media?
A 2022 report on the Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers reveals that 96% of prospective home buyers used online tools while searching for homes. This includes searches on websites, listing platforms and social media. Clearly, the modern home buyer does extensive research before making this once-in-a-lifetime purchase, most of this research starts online.
In short, if you want to reach, engage and convert this sizeable chunk of buyers/sellers, social media is your go-to. Here are other reasons you should focus on social media content:
- Cast a wider net: If you’re looking to attract more new faces at your open house, social media is one of the most effective ways to achieve that goal. While an online listing on Zillow may get a few hundred visits, a well-managed social media account can reach thousands of potential buyers.
- Stay on your repeat customers’ radar: By posting regularly and engaging with old customers, you will keep showing up in their feeds and stay top of mind when they’re ready to buy/sell/refer.
💡 Expert tip: Schedule your posts when your audience is most active and maintain a consistent posting frequency using a social media content calendar. Sprinklr’s social media calendar goes a step further and allows you to schedule across 10+ platforms at one go.
- Generate brand new leads: Real estate is one of those industries where word-of-mouth and advertising work well, but nothing beats the joy of scoring an organic lead. Potential customers can find you through influencer collaborations, local location pins and sometimes even reposted stories.
Dig deeper: Learn about 10+ social media lead generation tactics [with examples]
- Easy on the pocket: Social media marketing solutions are more budget friendly as compared to traditional advertising channels like print media, exhibitions and cold calling. Creating and maintaining social media profiles is often free. If social media advertising is more your jam, it is still more affordable than traditional advertising.
- Laser-focused messaging: Real estate social media marketing lets you promote your business to specific demographics with targeted messaging. Whether you’re looking for first-time homeowners or high-net-worth individuals looking to augment their real estate portfolio, social media ads can help reach them with precision.
- Build tight-knit communities: With careful nurturing, you can build a community of customers, property deal hunters, industry experts, influencers and vendors. You provide a space where your loyal followers can connect with each other and voice their pain points, yielding invaluable insights for your next venture or campaign.
- Humanize your brand: Real estate is a notoriously dry and capital-heavy industry. Social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram that thrive on visual content help humanize your real estate brand with bespoke images and compelling storytelling.
❓ Still skeptical about investing in social media marketing?
Social media marketing can sound intimidating to newbies. That’s why you need data-driven insights to plan, expand and defend your marketing decisions.
Enter Forrester’s Planning Guide for 2024. In this guide, B2C marketers (from all domains, including real estate) will find out:
- Where leading marketers are investing their budget
- What strategies should be accelerated for quick returns
- Which marketing models will undergo scrutiny and bear risks
Go ahead, download your copy of the Forrester guide now and risk-proof your marketing investments ⏬
11 real estate post ideas for social media
If you’re onboard the idea of real estate social media marketing, let's get rolling with 11 proven yet low-effort marketing tactics.
1. Share video walk-throughs of listings
The 2021 Real Estate Tech Trends report states that 73% of homeowners say they’re more likely to list with a realtor offering to do a video tour yet only 12% of agents offer them.
Reason?
Agents are under the notion that video walk-throughs may deter in-person viewings.
However, what these realtors don’t understand is that high-quality, engaging video walk-throughs foster trust with potential buyers and help showcase the property in its true light. Serious buyers are most likely to reach out for in-person viewings if they’re interested.
How do walk-throughs work?
Imagine you are a realtor selling luxury properties in and around Manhattan. Pictures and descriptions just won't cut it in the high-end market. A captivating video tour, with smooth camera work and compelling narration renders an immersive experience, giving you a better shot at attracting the kind of buyers you want to target. Walk the viewers through the chic living areas, the state-of-the-art kitchen, the cozy master suite and the pièce de résistance, the open terrace with a scintillating view of the city's skyline.
A high-value video like this will grab the attention of people scrolling through their YouTube feed. The stunning visuals can prod them to pick up the phone and call you for an in-person viewing. Give your viewers enough details to imagine life in the homes you are showing and make them want it for themselves.
2. Spotlight the neighborhood
A common pitfall with real estate folks dabbling in social media marketing is that they only focus on the listing but forget to dive deep into the neighborhood. As a buyer, wouldn't you be interested in knowing what school district the listing falls under or the markets nearest to it?
By focusing the spotlight on the neighborhood, you can create a compelling narrative that captures the essence and appeal of the locality. This type of content helps potential buyers envision a home and a lifestyle within a specific community.
Pro tips:
- Feature nearby parks, schools, shopping centers, restaurants and other amenities that contribute to the neighborhood's convenience and appeal.
- Explore and share the neighborhood's historical significance, highlighting unique landmarks and cultural heritage.
- Introduce and support local businesses, fostering a sense of community and encouraging followers to shop locally.
- Provide information about any upcoming developments or improvements in the neighborhood, showing the impending positive changes.
Take a cue from The Front Door Project, a realtor who sells picturesque colonial houses in New England. In one of her Instagram posts, she has a beautiful, eye-catching house with a description that explores West Hartford's amenities. You can do the same with stunning short videos on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
3. Post about your clients
Client-centric posts always find takers on social media. Putting customers in front and center of your social media marketing is a surefire strategy to grab eyeballs and tug at heartstrings. This can be done in many ways:
Post type | What to cover |
Just sold | Feature house handovers to clients. |
Buying anniversary | Feature past clients a year or two later and what updates they’ve made on their holdings. |
Client testimonials | Sharing glowing sentiments from past clients can go a long way to securing future clients. |
Closing gifts | It’s customary to give closing gifts to clients and it’s a good idea to post about it. |
For instance, here’s a Nashville-based realtor who created a closing gift basket using products from local artists and shops, tagging each of the businesses. His followers can see his efforts to support local businesses and appreciate him going the extra mile for his clients.
Deep Dive: The Human Touch: How personalized experiences can drive business growth
4. Bring your team to the forefront
As stated, the real estate domain is gasping for a breath of human touch. Customers want to see the real faces working daily to build those real estate brands. When clients see the most valuable players (MVPs) behind your brand, it becomes more real and human.
Now how to pull off this tactic?
Create social media posts featuring a team member each week. Share their background, expertise, personality traits and some interesting facts. Commend their good work, tagging them all along to widen your network. Such posts have dual benefits. One, of course, is the human element of your brick-and-mortar business. Two, is the surge of motivation on getting shoutouts by their employer on social media. That’s a kicker for sure!
Here’s an example of a post introducing a new team member at an NY-based real estate brokerage firm, SERHANT. The video begins with an enthusiastic welcome and talks about the newcomer's extensive industry experience and what it means for the company to have her on board. It’s a carousel post with a video and 2 images. The post also carries an extensive description that dives into the value she adds to the real estate agency.
🎤Your team is your strongest advocate: Give them a voice on social media
Encourage your employees to post fun, engaging work content that showcases your brand values and grabs attention on overcrowded platforms. Like all industries, real estate can also benefit hugely from employee advocacy campaigns.
The downside?
Employees can overstep boundaries and post off-brand content on their social accounts, which can misfire for you as a brand and snowball into a PR crisis.
The solution?
An omnichannel employee advocacy platform that regulates posting with approval workflows and brand-approved assets. No risk of PR crises or guideline violations!
Curious to learn more? Book yourself a demo of Sprinklr’s advocacy solution and watch the magic unfold 👇
5. Educate your audience
You may speak fluent “real estate”, but the jargon may confuse novice home buyers. Educating them in the technicalities, policies and best practices of buying/selling/trading properties will win you brownie points. Content without a self-serving agenda is rare to come by on social media and that’s why it stands out and garners good engagement.
Here is one such post that breaks down industry-speak for laypersons. Make sure your content is tailored to the regional demographics of your audience. You may want to create separate content streams for separate regional audience segments to bring out the local flavor of your content.
Educational content may not generate leads immediately, but it primes you as a one-stop destination for reliable content. Your audience will turn to you when they are ready to buy real estate or for consultation.
6. Host giveaways and contests
Who doesn't like to win complimentary goodies and exclusive deals? It might sound absurd, but some folks come to social media only for deal hunting! That’s why contests and giveaways are great inroads into the competitive real estate social media realm.
Once you come up with a unique contest idea, start spreading the word and motivate your followers to tag their friends and repost on their stories and feeds.
Here are some unique giveaway ideas to get the ball rolling:
- Tie up with a local business: Score a double whammy by partnering with local businesses and offering prizes in collaboration with them. You build a self-serving local community and you win your followers’ trust. For instance, you can partner with a heritage hotel in your area and offer high-value gift cards as giveaways.
Source - Consultation with a home stager: Offer a free consultation with a professional home stager, helping sellers optimize their home's presentation for a faster and more lucrative sale. You could also offer a sizeable discount if they proceed with the staging services.
- Free home inspection: Give away a complimentary home inspection, helping them identify potential issues before closing the deal.
- Smart home tech hamper: Create a quick gift hamper with smart home devices like a security camera, voice-activated home assistant, smart thermostat and more. This will entice both potential buyers and sellers.
So, put your thinking caps on and innovate interesting giveaways and contests for your real estate firm and followers on social media.
7. Share authentic behind-the-scenes content
Ever wondered why “Day in the Life of X” videos work so well? It’s because people are curious about knowing what goes on behind the scenes of other people's workdays. Bank on this natural curiosity to push your real estate brand on social media.
How so?
Your responsibilities as a realtor are far from ordinary. From negotiating deals and conducting property assessments to collaborating with staging experts and photographers, there’s a lot going on behind the curtains that your audience deserves to know. Showing the surprisingly human side of this profession can endear you to the audience and set you apart from the pack.
For instance, a quick behind-the-scenes video could reveal the meticulous process of preparing a home for a photo shoot, demonstrating how much effort goes into showing listings in the best light. Florida-based luxury realtor, Tiffany Pantozi, aces BTS in her YouTube videos. Here’s a sample:
Tiffany shares her in-depth knowledge of Florida’s real estate landscape and enjoys unmatched popularity amidst YouTubers who value her knowledge as well as her transparency and rawness when it comes to BTS content.
8. Peddle real estate news to the masses
Show your audience that you’re on top of your game by sharing the latest news and legislative updates in your industry. Whether it's a shift in mortgage rates, updates in housing policies or significant local infrastructure developments, keeping your followers informed positions you as a reliable source of information.
In addition, responding to queries on such posts gives you insights into customer pain points and considerations could influence decision-making.
Example: Ballin Realtors in Toronto highlighted how the Canadian legislation coming into effect in 2023 prohibits non-Canadians from buying real estate in Canada for at least the first 2 years of their residence. This provides significant value for their viewers, as they discuss foreign buyers' limited window of opportunity and encourage them to take advantage of it.
👀Stay on top of trending news with Social Listening
Real estate is a dynamic space with a lot happening every day. As a progressive, real estate marketer, you must know the industry’s pulse and the popular sentiment around it. That’s where social listening comes in handy.
Using AI-powered social listening tools, you can:
- Tune in to relevant conversations happening amidst your industry, competitors and experts.
- Advanced AI helps define the prevalent sentiment – positive, negative or neutral.
- It always flags popular hashtags, pages and themes in the space.
All of this helps you craft accurate, in-the-moment news posts with virality potential. There, you have it. Our secret hack to staying on top of news and in the news. Now, you don’t have to flip TV channels to stay abreast. Just check out a free listening tool like Sprinklr and get listening today!
9. Show before-and-after listing images
Staging is a meticulous process that breathes life into spaces, transforming them into captivating narratives. Most buyers don't realize the difference staging a house can make, so show them! Showcasing the magic of good staging with before-and-after pictures can be a really interesting social media post for realtors.
For instance, look at the before picture on this Ontorio-based realtor's Instagram account. The 'before' picture is of a dull and cluttered living room. But the 'after' image is a spacious morning room that is modern and minimalistic. It looks like the perfect space for a young couple to have breakfast. That’s what staging is supposed to do. Weave a narrative for potential buyers and allow them to imagine living in the space.
10. Share your personal experiences as a buyer/seller
Nothing resonates more with your audience than seeing relatable stories on social media. Cliched it may sound, but it’s true: Facts tell but stories sell.
So, when you recount stories when you were buying/selling your own house, it touches a chord with your audience. Your stories would be peppered with your industry expertise and real estate knowledge, which helped you navigate issues in the customer journey.
Your story posts could look like:
- What I learned as a first-time homeowner: Share your journey of purchasing your first home. Talk about the challenges faced and the valuable lessons you learned along the way.
- 3 house flipping facts you need to know: Draw from your experience as a real estate investor to spill the tea on house flipping. You could share three key insights gained through experience, such as the importance of thorough market research, budgeting for unexpected expenses and knowing when to call the pros.
- 3 mistakes I made while listing my first home: Be transparent about the mistakes you made as a seller when listing your first property. This post could serve as a cautionary tale, covering common pitfalls like overpricing, neglecting home staging or inadequate marketing efforts. It can also offer tips on avoiding similar situations.
- How I flipped a $500,000 home to a $1 million home in 2 years: Share the story of a profitable real estate investment, explaining the strategies and tactics you used to increase a property's value significantly. This post could highlight your expertise in property renovation, strategic upgrades, market timing and negotiation skills, inspiring your audience with the potential for lucrative returns on their investments.
Go ahead, put your storytelling skills to the grind and watch some beautiful, insightful stories unfold.
11. Share design inspiration
Most realtors have a keen eye for aesthetics and interior design. Use your talents to share interior design tips to help homeowners and sellers. From quick decor hacks to space usage secrets, these insights can help your audience enhance their homes quickly and frugally.
Things to consider when writing real estate posts for social media
Novice or expert, all social media marketers operating in real estate should follow these best social media marketing practices conscientiously to maximize returns from their marketing efforts:
Dos | Don’ts |
🎬Showcase visuals | 📢Oversell |
💬 Engage with followers | 📈Neglect consistency |
📍 Share local expertise | 📖 Overlook rich storytelling |
# Use hashtags | ⚡ Forget calls to action |
🤝 Collaborate with local businesses | 📱 Neglect mobile optimization |
Social media and real estate: The road ahead
The influence of social media in the real estate industry is immeasurable. It provides a dynamic platform to engage, educate and inspire your audience. From showcasing property listings to offering educational content and staying on top of industry trends, social media seamlessly connects you with potential clients.
If you're looking to elevate your real estate social posts, Sprinklr Social is your best bet. The AI-powered social media management platform empowers businesses to streamline campaigns end to end, enhance collaboration and achieve remarkable results. It provides comprehensive social listening capabilities, unparalleled coverage across channels, enterprise-level customization and artificial intelligence.
Think this can be useful? Register for a 30-day free trial now to see how Sprinklr can unlock the power of social media for your real estate business.
Frequently Asked Questions
As a realtor, there is no set frequency for social media posting. You can look at it in terms of platforms. For instance, it is good practice to post once a day on Instagram, 3-4 times daily on Twitter and once a week on YouTube. But if you need a benchmark, check out this comprehensive post on the frequency of social media posts.
According to a 2021 report by the National Association of Realtors, 90% of realtors use Facebook, 52% use Instagram and 48% use LinkedIn.
Visual content is the most effective way to showcase real estate listings on social media. So, work on Instagram Stories and Reels, YouTube videos and Shorts and Facebook videos to market listings effectively.
