Reach new leads and market properties on a huge scale with a strong TikTok strategy
If you have kids, work with young people, or keep up with social media trends, then you probably know about TikTok. Most people see TikTok as a place where people post choreographed dances, lip-syncing videos, and the occasional personal story. However, there is a lot more to TikTok than that. Many real estate professionals overlook the fact that TikTok can be a powerful marketing tool. Here are some ways that TikTok can help you market your business.
Why Use TikTok for Real Estate Marketing?
Although TikTok was originally an app for young people, it is now important for social media marketing. By the end of 2021, there were 1.2 billion active users, and this is expected to increase to 1.5 billion this year. This number of users, combined with the way the app’s For You page works, makes it an effective part of any real estate marketing strategy.
Lead Generation
Producing content for Facebook and Instagram can help you build trust and authority with your existing audience, but you will need to pay for ads to reach a wider audience.
TikTok is less focused on people you already know and more on building your audience. The For You page curates videos for each individual based on their past activity. This makes it more likely that you’ll reach new viewers. TikTok videos are also a great way to show your authenticity and personality to new contacts.
Property Marketing
As a seller’s agent, it is important to make sure that the properties you list are seen by as many people as possible. This can be achieved by using a variety of different outlets such as magazines, print ads, social media, and property websites. TikTok is a great platform for creating extra exposure for your listings as it focuses on video content and reaches people who may not have heard of you before.
According to real estate professionals in NYC and Dallas, TikTok has been an incredibly successful tool, helping them receive hundreds of inquiries for some listings. In recent years, an increasing number of buyers are willing to make offers on homes they haven’t seen in person, making social media an even more powerful tool. TikTok is leading the way when it comes to showcasing listings to a wide audience.
How to Leverage TikTok to Generate Real Estate Leads
Determine your target audience
Your first step in starting a TikTok marketing strategy should be to identify your target audience and niche. Some real estate agents become visible by sharing advice about real estate investing and other profitable side hustles, while others focus on educational videos about real estate processes and common mistakes.
You will need to consider your target audience, your ideal client, and your career goals when deciding who to target. Many agents on TikTok provide helpful videos on how to become a real estate agent, which can be useful for those who want to coach or expand their team one day.
Let your personality shine through
One of the main advantages of using video content on social media is that it allows you to quickly show potential customers who you are and what you’re about. Video is a great way to highlight your personality and charisma.
Videos with faces in them tend to do better than those without faces. This is especially true for educational videos or videos with helpful information. When people feel like they know the person they’re taking advice from, they’re more likely to follow them. And when people find your personality compelling, you’re more likely to gain new followers.
Tat Londono is a real estate professional who has found success on TikTok through her personality. Her high-energy explanations, unique sign-off, and signature style have helped her to gain over 34 million likes on her videos and 2.4 million followers. For many real estate professionals, TikTok has become a healthy source of leads.
Use trends to your advantage
An important aspect of success on TikTok is knowing what trends are popular. You don’t have to be a dancer to be successful, but it certainly helps.
To be successful on TikTok, pay attention to the audio that is trending and save any that you hear repeatedly. You can use these sounds to create lip sync videos with text overlays or to create videos set to the audio. When you jump on trends, your videos are more likely to be seen by more people. For example, the @heider_realestate account created a video with the trending song “Hard Knock Life” that has been viewed 1.7 million times.
Utilize cover images
If you want to create a polished and professional look that will make viewers want to watch more of your videos, pair each video with a cover image. Many effective cover images include text that tells viewers what the video is about. Once someone lands on your profile, you want them to watch more of your content and, ideally, follow you!
Grab attention fast
Your viewers’ attention spans are short, so you need to start your videos with a hook to keep them engaged.
If you are under contract for a home and your inspector finds a huge issue, you need to consider a few key things and take some steps.
If you want to capture the interest of your audience from the start, try following the lead of Realtor Callan. This Florida-based agent posts videos that combine personality-driven content with engaging real estate videos. For example, her series “Adventures in Real Estate” gives followers a glimpse into her life as she films the most outrageous things that happen during showings, like being chased by a chicken! Callan also uses quick intros to grab attention in her videos, opening with lines like “Guess that price” or “Here’s what you can buy in Navarre, FL for $260K.” These videos allow her to showcase her listings and her local area in a way that’s entertaining for her audience.
Incorporate text and captions
If you’re creating video content for social media, it’s a good idea to include captions. A lot of people scroll through their feed with the sound off, so having captions will make sure your content is still engaging even without sound. It will also make your content accessible for people with hearing impairments.
You can use text on top of a video to layer meaning on top of it, for example by relating the video to a trending sound. This can help you show your audience how the trend relates to real estate.
Create a series
It can be difficult to get users to follow you on TikTok, as there is always a stream of entertaining videos on the For You page. One way to increase the number of views on your profile and videos, is to create a series. This could be a series of posts breaking down a process, or a story that would be helpful for your audience. For example, Steevie Sourcie, an agent from Ontario, created a series breaking down the three top mistakes to avoid as a homeowner. 2.4 million people follow her account!
Your Next Steps
1. Set up your account
The more you use TikTok, the more confident you’ll become in your content and sharing style. You should set up your TikTok account after you have considered who your target audience is and what kind of content you want to share. It is okay if you are not sure what you will share at first, you can figure it out as you go. Experiment with different types of videos to see what your audience likes and what you enjoy making. The more you use TikTok, the more comfortable you will become.
2. Batch create your content
It can be difficult to find time to make videos of yourself lip syncing to popular songs and audio clips. Rather than trying to incorporate this into your daily routine, set aside some time each week or every couple of weeks to film multiple videos at once. This will help you maintain a consistent presence on your audience’s For You page without becoming too overwhelmed with your daily schedule.
3. Share
Content is key, so make sure you’re sharing high-quality stuff. Post once a day to gain followers and momentum, but don’t worry if you can’t keep that up – being consistent is more important than posting every day.
4. Cross-promote
TikTok has become popular for sharing videos, but you can also share them on other platforms such as Instagram. It is a good idea to post about your TikToks on other social media platforms so that your existing followers can join your TikTok audience.
Although you might have to spend some time getting used to finding trends and lip-syncing in your videos, TikTok can be a really effective way to reach new people. Just jump in, learn as you go, and enjoy yourself while you’re doing it!
Creating content
The best place to start when it comes to making your videos is to figure out what you want your videos to achieve.
Videos that are shorter in length usually perform better on TikTok.
It’s important to deliver content that is engaging, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be perfect.
There is a false belief that agents need to be in front of the camera, but that this is not the case. You can get started by doing voiceovers.
People are more likely to respond positively to content that is either beautiful or provides value.
But what makes great content?
In addition to sharing listings and advice related to the real estate market, share everyday snippets from your life. These snippets include information about family, what you do to maintain high energy levels, and what it is like behind the scenes as a real estate agent.
Think about ways to interact with your viewers and get their input on things like office design or real estate questions like how much rent has increased since the pandemic.
People enjoy content that makes the author seem more human.
Many people are interested in the behind-the-scenes aspects of various careers. Those who work in a particular field often forget that most other people don’t have the same experience and knowledge. Therefore, when someone from the inside shares even a small amount of information, it is usually very well received.
Being authentic is important for all social media and TikTok is no different. People don’t want to see the stereotypical agent on their screens.
Viewrs are no longer interested in the idea that everything on social media has to be perfect.
So don’t be afraid to be yourself. People appreciate content that is real and authentic, even if it means that you didn’t do everything perfectly. So don’t be afraid to be yourself.
A new source of referrals
The age demographic of those using TikTok is broadening, with people of all ages following and interacting with content.
You may not think parents would use their kids as a real estate agent when they get 30 other agents sending them letters, but they do.
Personal branding
TikTok adds another layer to ensure you get the most eyes on your listings, as well as being able to build your personal brand. This doesn’t mean you can do away with other forms of marketing, but TikTok is a valuable tool that can help you reach a wider audience and create a more personal connection with potential customers.
Don’t be afraid of trying TikTok and to go into it with the mindset that it will take time to see results.
