10 Must-Know Real Estate Social Media Marketing Tips for 2024

So, do you think you know real estate social media marketing? Everything we’ve known has changed, driving every brokerage and real estate agent to leave old trends behind and adopt new-age practices.

With enhanced visual storytelling, augmented reality property tours, UGC, and interactive content, social media platforms are more complex than ever.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Standing out on social media channels has become too complex and time-consuming, so a change is much needed.

Leaving behind the influencer-dominated, picture-perfect profiles is the new trend (thankfully), and with the rise of AI in real estate and every other industry, new rules have emerged.

So, let’s explore the 2024 new way of doing real estate social media marketing.

Why You Should Use Social Media as a Real Estate Agent?

The question we should be asking is: Why shouldn’t you use social media platforms for your real estate business?

If you are not yet convinced that this is the way to go if you want to generate leads, engage your target audience, and become a thought leader, let’s look at some statistics:

• Real estate listings with high-quality images and videos tend to perform better on social media.
• Real estate professionals use social media not only for property promotion but also for building a community presence.
• According to Opendoor’s 2021 Real Estate Trends Report, 88% of respondents said they still want virtual touring options before buying a home, even post-pandemic

Social media content plays a growing role in the new real estate market. But your real estate business needs more than just data to thrive. Let’s delve into strategy and hands-on advice that you can use right away.

How to Use Social Media for Real Estate

Social media marketing for realtors should not be complicated or time-consuming. You likely don’t have the luxury of spending hours a day reading the latest digital marketing trends in the real estate industry and curating your feed, nor do your agents.

So, how can you ensure your social media presence with minimum effort and maximum engagement? Let’s go through seven tips that will help you do just that:

1. Make Your Posts Visually Appealing

High-quality photos and engaging visuals capture a person’s attention more than anything else. Plus, they attract likes, shares, and spark conversations.

To do so, you’ll need:

• Professionally taken photographs of your new listings
• A great design to showcase them

While you take care of the first, we’ll do the latter. Import your assets into Xara, and we’ll populate the templates to reflect your brand and listings.

In some other cases, you may only want to share a piece of information that educates your audience on a real estate topic, and you don’t need to spend on photography services. When budget constraints or lack of a use case for professional photography arise (for blog posts), general pictures will do just fine.

Luckily, there are plenty of options for royalty-free pictures. Here are some of the best resources to help take your marketing real estate to new heights:

• Dreamstime
• iStockphoto
• Pexels
• Depositphotos
• Pixabay

2. Educate Your Real Estate Agents to Write Social Media Posts Professionally

No matter if you write about your listings or industry tips, your posts should be three things:

• Authentic —It’s great to look at other agents’ posts. But use your voice when you speak to your audience. Never try to sound like someone else.
• Useful —Provide value through your posts. People will come back and read your posts if the information you offer serves them in some way. Use your real estate knowledge to share valuable content that attracts shares and makes people save it for later.
• Engaging —Write about things your audience cares about, but avoid using industry jargon. Keep it simple, fresh, and informative. If the context allows it, make your posts fun using puns, memes, or trends.

People can tell if your intention is selling or connecting, so choose to be helpful in your posts. Once you’ve gained people’s trust, closing deals gets easier. Check out some of these social media post ideas if you’re lacking inspiration.

3. Optimize Your Posts With Hashtags

When people look for content that is relevant to them, they use hashtags. Use this to your advantage and make your valuable posts get noticed by potential buyers, the real estate community, investors, or anyone interested in the field.

In social media marketing for realtors, hashtags are a low-hanging fruit. So, do your research to understand your audience, and then use the real estate hashtags that support your content:

• Discover Relevant Hashtags. Identify general real estate tags like #RealEstate or niche ones such as #LuxuryHomes. Or, even better – check out our carefully curated list of 110+ real estate hashtags.
• Explore Niche Tags. Delve into specific hashtags related to your content, like #BeachHomes.
• Check Trends. Keep an eye on trending real estate hashtags for wider visibility.
• Observe Competitors. Analyze successful competitors’ hashtags for industry insights.
• Location-Specific Tags. Use location-based hashtags like #CityRealEstate to target local audiences. Use these in combination with local events to boost your visibility during peak times.
• Create Branded Tags. Develop unique branded hashtags for community engagement and to foster a sense of brand relevancy for your real estate firm. Ask every real estate professional in your team to use them once in a while when posting for work.
• Use Hashtags Wisely. Limit hashtags to 3-5 per post, balancing popularity and relevance. No one likes to read a post containing 20+ tags. It looks robotic, and may indicate that your post is spammy, according to this analysis of 14 million tweets.

4. Don’t Shy Away From Ads

If you want to gain new leads and help your real estate listings get more exposure, it’s a good idea to tap into the large amount of data that social platforms own.

How can you do this? Through paid ads. Social media ads are powerful tools for boosting brand visibility and engagement. They help you target specific audiences if you know how to use them wisely. Types of ads include:

• Display Ads (Eye-catching visuals to grab attention, usually used for promoting listings or vacancies to potential customers)
• Video Ads (Engaging video content to convey messages, likely used for promoting properties or offering behind the scenes content to keep the audience engaged)
• Carousel Ads (Showcase multiple products or features in a single ad)
• Story Ads (Short-lived, immersive content in a story format. It’s usually used for Instagram stories)

Begin by outlining clear objectives – whether it’s brand awareness, lead generation, or conversions. Distribute your ad budget by experimenting with different amounts for optimal results. Craft succinct, compelling ad copy and use high-quality images or videos.

Pro Tip: Perform A/B testing to refine your approach, and pay attention to platform-specific targeting options.

5. Start Using Video in All Your Real Estate Social Media Marketing

Social media users are embracing videos as a means to create more authentic connections.

Creating videos can be challenging in the beginning, but the effort pays off. No matter if you go live, use prerecorded videos, start a podcast, or use video property tours, they’re all great ways to increase engagement.

When recording videos for your social media pages, make sure to:

• Answer questions from your audience (e.g., from first time homebuyers, small investors like Airbnb developers or property flipping solopreneurs, international buyers, and so on).
• Provide real estate advice and tips for your target market and prospective clients.
• Share success stories to build social proof for new clients.
• Feature your crew to add a human touch to the brand and differentiate yourself from other real estate firms. You can try featuring your best collaborators, like your top licensed real estate agent. The key is to add your personal brand and your personal touch.
• Praise existing clients and their successful transactions with your firm, which will also build relationships.

6. Connect With Your Audience through Contests on Social Media Platforms

Contests are a fun way to learn more about what your audience likes and for them to see that you care about them.

So, ask your active users to:

• Engage with a quiz in an Instagram story
• Answer a question posed in a caption
• Vote for their favorite photo from your latest listing
• Enter a giveaway to win a prize like a free evaluation of their property

Your goal is to spark conversations with your active monthly users and get more engagement on your real estate content while also building momentum and brand awareness.

It’s up to you what they can win —an album of the best properties you’ve sold so far, a consultation with you, or a free service from local businesses you’ve partnered with to boost farming efforts.

7. Use Marketing Automation Software

This is an essential tool that automates and streamlines various marketing tasks and processes. It helps your real estate professionals engage leads, manage marketing materials, and collaborate on an ongoing basis.

As of today, every reputable real estate brokerage and experienced broker uses such software in their processes. How come? Well, automation software streamlines real estate tasks, boosting lead engagement and sales by 451%, with an 80% rise in lead quantity, based on Annuitas Group’s study.

In practice, implementing software for automation should look something like this:

• Head to Xara. Access our real estate marketing center to begin your automation journey.
• Add Your URL and Import Your Brand Guidelines. Input your website URL and import your brand guidelines into Xara for consistent design and branding.
• Customize Templates. Tailor templates in Xara for various purposes like property listings, market updates, or open house communications.
• Meeting with Agents. Schedule a meeting with your real estate agents to discuss the new automation procedure and how they can customize any template in seconds.
• Integrate Automation Software. Explore and integrate dedicated automation software to streamline tasks such as lead nurturing, email campaigns, and social media scheduling.
• Training Session. Conduct a training session to familiarize agents with the integrated tools, ensuring everyone understands how to utilize the software for maximum efficiency.
• Feedback Loop. Establish a feedback loop, regularly checking in with agents and social media accounts to gather insights on automation’s effectiveness and identify improvement areas.

8. Start with a Social Media Calendar

If your marketing team presents you with a social media marketing strategy that doesn’t include a calendar, just know it’s a no-go. Starting with a social media calendar is a smart move for real estate agents and brokerages.

It means you post regularly, plan for better results, and save time by scheduling posts. A calendar also allows you to visualize how you’ll mix up your content categories to engage different types of potential clients.

Here’s what the process of implementing a calendar for posting on social media platforms can look like:

1. Leverage AI for Calendar Creation. To ensure a consistent and strategic approach, dive into our social media calendar tips and learn how to create it using AI (from scratch).
2. Identify Posting Frequencies. Identify optimal posting frequencies from your free analytics straight in the app (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X, they all have it). Consider audience behavior, peak engagement times, and trends from the real estate world to determine how often to schedule posts.
3. Content Categories and Variation. Time to categorize and diversify your content. Analyze past performance data to understand what types of content resonate with your audience, but make sure to add a fresh twist to it. We recommend posting from three content pillars: promotional, educational, and trends. Mix these types of posts for the most engaging content on your social media channels.
4. Automated Scheduling. Use automated scheduling tools like SocialBee or Buffer. If you want to post your designs right away, you can do so from Xara. One of the main features is a social media management tool. That’s right: design, create, and post – all from the same dashboard!

9. Pick the Right Platforms, Not All Platforms

Pick social media places where your potential clients spend their time. The key idea you should remember is potential clients, AKA your target audience. There’s no need for you to hop on every social media platform, even if it’s the newest, most exciting channel in the stack.

Your target audience depends on the real estate market you’re looking to leverage. One key indicator of whether a platform is worth pursuing or not is whether your past clients are using it or not.

However, if you’re facing a rebranding or repositioning phase, research where your future clients and ideal market spend their time online.

Generally speaking, when it comes to real estate marketing, there are some evergreen choices like:

• Facebook (used by 67% of agents, according to the National Association of Realtors)
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• WhatsApp Business
• TikTok 

..are also a great example of the social media world. Access our complete guide on which social media channel to pick if you’re a real estate professional.

Ultimately, think about where your clients are most likely to see and interact with you. Being where it matters most for your business is what counts.

10. Find the Sweet Spot Between Trends, Promotional, and Educational Content

Content pillars are foundational topics or themes that guide your content strategy. They help maintain consistency and focus in your messaging.

We’re suggesting three specific content pillars: trendy, promotional, and educational.

1. Trendy Content

In a social media strategy, trendy content revolves around staying current with the latest developments in the industry and aligning that with your target audience. This could include showcasing popular home features, emerging architectural trends, or highlighting specific neighborhoods.

2. Promotional Content

This pillar focuses on highlighting your listings, promoting any special deals or events, open houses, and overall creating awareness about what sets your business apart while generating leads. Whether it’s a new property on the market, a successful transaction, or a unique service you provide, promotional content helps drive brand recognition.

3. Educational Content

This pillar involves sharing valuable information that educates your audience. This could include insights into the local market trends, tips for home buyers or sellers, or explanations of complex real estate processes. By offering educational content, you build trust and credibility as a thought leader.

Mix up your posts! Share things that are popular now, like trends, but also talk about your listings and services (that’s promotional). Don’t forget to teach your audience something new – it could be about the market, home tips, or any piece of real estate knowledge they’d find useful.

Create Social Media Posts Without Any Design Skills

Now that you’ve learned the steps to gain new leads through social media, it’s time for you to create your posts:

• Head to our template section and browse through the available options
• Choose a design that best suits your needs
• Create your free Xara Cloud account
• Play around with changing fonts and images and make the template yours
• Use our Open-AI powered generative tool to create text from scratch or improve the one you came up with
• Once you finish customizing your template, make sure to save it and post it on your channels or download it for later use

Dos and Don’ts in Real Estate Social Media Marketing

While the world of real estate social media marketing offers incredible opportunities, some common pitfalls can interfere with your success. Let’s explore the dos and don’ts that can guide your strategy:

Dos in social media

1. Showcase the human side of your real estate business. Share behind-the-scenes glimpses, introduce your team, and celebrate milestones. Authenticity builds trust.
2. Maintain a consistent brand image across all social media platforms. Use a unified logo, color scheme, and messaging to enhance brand recognition. PS: Did you know we have a fully integrated brand management feature that stores and organizes all your brand files in one place?
3. Respond promptly to comments and messages. Engage with your audience by asking questions, conducting polls, and encouraging discussions. Actively participating builds a sense of community.
4. Share informative, relevant content. Keep your audience informed on the real estate process, market trends, and home improvement tips.

Don’ts (avoid at all cost)

1. Never neglect data privacy regulations. Ensure that you have consent before sharing any client information or using data for marketing purposes. Don’t prioritize creating engaging content over adhering to regulations and maintaining a good reputation.
2. Don’t ignore or delete negative comments or reviews. Address concerns professionally and promptly. Handle criticism transparently to demonstrate accountability. All industry professionals receive complaints and negative feedback at some point, but it’s how they handle it that matters most.
3. Avoid constantly bombarding your audience with sales pitches. Balance promotional content with valuable, non-salesy posts to maintain your target market’s interest.
4. We don’t recommend using a one-size-fits-all approach for different social media platforms. Understand the etiquette and posting norms specific to each platform to maximize engagement.
5. Don’t be inconsistent. Establish a posting schedule and stick to it. Consistency builds anticipation and keeps your audience engaged.

Industry Trends from Market Leaders That You Should Know

1. Video Dominance Continues. Short-form videos, property tours, and live sessions are gaining popularity. Leverage reels, IGTV, and live features for immersive storytelling.
2. Virtual and Augmented Reality Integration. Potential buyers seek more immersive experiences, and AR can offer a realistic preview of homes. Use this powerful marketing tool to your advantage and reach out to international buyers who want to avoid traveling to view properties.
3. Niche Community Building. Move beyond generic content to create niche communities. Focus on specialized content for specific audiences, such as luxury home enthusiasts, eco-friendly property seekers, or first-time homebuyers.
4. Sustainability Rules. Highlight eco-friendly and sustainable features in properties. Green living is a growing concern, and showcasing energy-efficient homes aligns with environmental trends.
5. User-generated content (UGC) is Here to Stay. Encourage clients to share their experiences and showcase their homes. Six out of every ten marketers indicate that their audience shows greater engagement with UGC compared to branded content.
6. Integrate Interactive Elements. Polls, quizzes, and shoppable features can boost conversion rates. Streamline the buying process by allowing users to explore listings and even make inquiries directly through social media.
7. Podcasts for Real Estate Insights. Although expensive to create, podcasts offer a convenient way for users to stay informed. They also position you as an industry expert and humanize your brand. While the benefits and indirect and not tangible, they can ultimately help you close more deals.
8. AI Is Good. Too Much AI is Bad. AI can help you make informed decisions. It can help you assess the power of data analytics for targeted marketing. These insights can help you understand audience behavior, refine content strategies, and optimize social media ad campaigns. What AI can’t do is think, make decisions, engage B2C consumers, and be creative.

Your Real Estate Business Is in for a Wild Ride, But We’re Here

Succeeding in real estate social media means being genuine, using eye-catching visuals, and keeping up with trends.

Today, more than ever, you need to start creating engaging videos, exploring augmented reality, and using tools like Xara for a strong online presence.

Xara is like your helpful sidekick, making your real estate journey smoother. Stay engaging, and let Xara be your trusted partner in this exciting journey.