In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, social media has revolutionized the way businesses engage with their target audiences, paving the way for new and innovative marketing strategies. Among these platforms, TikTok has seen a massive boom thanks to its entertaining, creative, and often short-form content (though longer videos are becoming more common, too!).
It may come as a surprise that TikTok has also emerged as a valuable platform for real estate agents to connect with hyper-local audiences and generate high-quality leads.
In this article, we delve into the world of TikTok and share some effective strategies that you can employ to leverage it as a powerful lead-generation tool.
How is TikTok Relevant in Real Estate?
TikTok boasts a massive user base – it currently has over 1 billion active monthly users worldwide. Users spend an average of 95 minutes per day on the app, presenting an incredible opportunity for real estate agents to capture their attention, share market knowledge, and showcase their properties. Plus, around 60% of TikTok’s users fall within the age range of 16 to 24, making it an ideal platform to target younger demographics who are increasingly entering the real estate market as potential buyers or renters.
While that may seem young, it’s important to note that homeowners often keep the same agent throughout their life – every time they need to buy and sell, they call the first agent they used. So making an impression early is crucial.
Real estate professionals have always relied on visuals to captivate prospects, so TikTok’s video-centric nature seems like an obvious fit. Whether it’s a virtual tour of a new listing, a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the construction process, or valuable tips and insights on the home-buying process, TikTok gives you a dynamic canvas to exhibit your expertise and offerings.
Hyperlocal Lead Targeting on TikTok
The platform’s algorithm analyzes user preferences to recommend personalized content, which gives you the ability to reach users who have a genuine interest in the housing market. By using the right hashtags and geolocation filters, you can maximize your visibility and increase your chances of connecting with potential buyers or sellers.
Plus, TikTok offers targeted advertising options to reach specific demographics, locations, or interests – giving you the perfect opportunity to show off your brand, knowledge, and properties to buyers in your geographic area.
By incorporating TikTok into your digital marketing strategies, you can effectively engage with a wider audience, establish your reputation and brand, and ultimately generate leads in an increasingly competitive market. So, here are 7 steps to generate leads with TikTok
Create Engaging Content:
- Create short, attention-grabbing videos that showcase the best aspects of the properties you’re selling or the services you offer.
- Utilize trending challenges or dances to leverage the platform’s viral nature and increase your reach – try to put a unique spin on trends, so they’re specific to you and your audience.
- Incorporate storytelling techniques to engage viewers emotionally and create a memorable experience. First-time buying or renting can be overwhelming, so think about your first time, and share your experience, things you wish you’d known, or stories of clients who you’ve helped.
- Highlight unique selling points, such as property amenities, neighborhood attractions, or expert real estate tips.
- Remember to create a TON of local content – buyers and sellers want an agent who knows the area and cares about the community, so use TikTok to position yourself as that agent!
Use the Right Hashtags:
- As with any other social platform, you’ll want to use relevant real estate and location-based hashtags to increase the discoverability of your content. Focusing on a specific geographic area can be especially helpful to build your brand there, rather than trying to attract everyone and anyone to your content (after all, you want leads in your own area, not across the globe!).
- Use popular TikTok hashtags related to real estate trends, home improvement, or interior design to tap into wider conversations. There’s a HUGE home improvement audience on TikTok just waiting for you to tap in – you can use these videos to show off your listings, give home staging tips, and more.
Collaborate with Local Leaders and Businesses:
- Identify leaders in your community and reach out to them for collaborations. Think about those in the real estate or lifestyle niche who align with your brand values and target audience and start there.
- You can also do spotlights on local restaurants, shops, events, etc. This will help widen your reach while also keeping you in tune with a local audience. And if you’re doing videos promoting restaurants or shops, you’ll also gain goodwill will the business owners, who may refer business to you in the future, or link to your videos and expand your reach even further!
Provide Valuable Information:
- The market is so volatile these days, you can make frequent videos sharing updates and tips. Educate your audience about the real estate market by breaking down trends and sharing expert advice through short, informative videos.
- People want to know that they can trust that their agent is knowledgeable, so use these videos to showcase your industry knowledge and position yourself as a trusted authority. You can also prompt them to ask questions in the comment section so you can reply and create a deeper bond.
Encourage Engagement:
- This is standard for any social media platform: ask viewers to like, comment, and share your videos to increase engagement and visibility.
- Respond frequently to comments and direct messages to build meaningful connections and address inquiries. This is a great way to develop bonds with potential buyers and sellers and stay top-of-mind when they need an agent!
- Put on contests or giveaways to incentivize user participation and generate buzz around your brand. This can also be done by collaborating with other local brands.
Use CTAs:
- Include clear and compelling calls to action in your videos, such as asking viewers to visit your website, sign up for a newsletter, or schedule a consultation. Once you have a viewer hooked, it’s all about getting them to take the next step.
- Utilize TikTok’s “link in bio” feature to send users to relevant landing pages or contact information.
Track and Analyze Performance:
- Monitor your TikTok analytics to gain insights into video performance, audience demographics, and engagement metrics.
- Identify which content resonates the most with your target audience and adapt your strategy accordingly – it will take a while to test and see what’s working, but if something is constantly failing, just pivot and try something new.
- Experiment with different approaches, such as video length, content themes, or filming styles, to refine your TikTok lead generation strategy.
TikTok’s popularity and engagement levels make it an ideal platform for real estate professionals to generate leads and connect with potential clients – as long as you’re using the right strategies and techniques. By leveraging the platform’s range of features and using the ideas we shared in this blog, you can effectively build brand awareness and establish yourself as an authority in the industry. As with any marketing channel, consistency, creativity, and data analysis are crucial to success.