How TikTok For Real Estate Became a Legitimate Lead Source | An Agent’s Guide

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Every so often, a new social media platform one-ups existing platforms and drives a makes a spot for itself in the digital universe. That’s what TikTok for real estate has done.

The platform launched in 2016 and now has over 1 billion monthly active users who open the app an average of 8 times per day and spend an average of 52 minutes per day scrolling.

But what is TikTok, exactly? And how can it benefit you if you’re a real estate agent?

That’s what we’re going to talk about in this guide — we’ll give a quick-and-dirty debrief on what TikTok is and how it works, we’ll explain why you might want to consider using TikTok, we’ll give you some other agents and investors to follow (for inspiration). Then we’ll finish with 10 tips.

You’ll know how, when, and what to post about by the end of this post. Then it’s off to the races!

A TikTok for Real Estate Debrief

So, what is TikTok, and why is it so popular?

Maybe you’ve heard that TikTok is a platform that’s just jam-packed with young people dancing — but while there is a fair share of dancing (don’t say we didn’t warn you), there’s also lots of value-driven content about various topics, including real estate.

TikTok content comes in the form of short videos — anywhere from 15 seconds to three minutes. These videos could be funny, engaging, sad, or severe. The moment you get on the platform, videos start popping up, you start watching, scroll to see more, and wave goodbye to any delayed gratification you had left in the tank.

Jokes aside, or maybe not, here are a few examples of different popular TikTok videos from 2021…

@zachking

They rejected my application to Hogwarts but I still found a way to be a wizard. 🧹#illusion #magic #harrypotter

♬ Zach Kings Magic Broomstick – Zach King
@kisonkee

You guys (literally) asked for this 😂 #comedy #fyp #wtbdijw

♬ original sound – Kison Kee

But the easiest way to understand the platform is to try it out for yourself — you can get a free account over here.

Okay, so the “million-dollar” TikTok videos are pretty silly. But there’s also a substantial TikTok “market” for real estate.

Here’s Steevie Soucie talking about old homes vs. new homes to the tune of 324 “likes”.

And here’s Aaron Grushow walking through luxury listings (138,000 “likes”)…

We’ll look at a lot more examples throughout the rest of this guide, but the point right now is two-fold:

  1. TikTok is super popular
  2. TikTok is great for real estate agents

If you still need some more convincing on that 2nd point, then keep reading.

Why Should Real Estate Agents Use TikTok?

We’ve seen that TikTok is popular.

But popular doesn’t necessarily mean profitable.

The question is this: how is TikTok going to help you grow your real estate business?

Well, an article from Insider titled, Real-estate agents are finding success by turning to TikTok: ‘It doesn’t seem to matter if the place is $2,000 or $600,000’, answers that question with real-life stories.

Here are a few excerpts…

“It doesn’t seem to matter if the place is $2,000 or $600,000, somebody out there on TikTok is big enough, and YouTube is big enough that people see it and are interested,” Jordan said.

Jordan estimated using TikTok had doubled his number of clients.

Here is one of Jordan’s videos…

Similarly, Madison Sutton, who posts on TikTok as @thenycagent, has 95,700 followers and has amassed 1.5 million total likes across her videos. Sutton, who works for Highline, found herself concerned about the safety and efficiency of in-person showings. So in October of last year, she turned to TikTok. “Where else in New York City can you see ten apartments in ten minutes?” she asked.

Sutton, like Jordan, focuses primarily on rentals, and she says business is “five or six times heavier” compared to this time last year.

Here is one of Madison’s videos…

@thenycagent

Reply to @deceased I want to move to NYC, when should I look? #nyc #nycfood

♬ original sound – TheNYCAgent
What’s excellent about TikTok for real estate agents is that it’s surprisingly easy to go viral. Insider explains…

Perry also said that TikTok is unique among social media platforms for how content reaches people and potentially goes viral. Due to the site’s algorithmic “For You Page,” she explained, “You don’t need to have a massive following for your videos to go viral and to be seen by hundreds of thousands of people.” Instead, content from new accounts appears in users’ feeds automatically based on their previous interests.

In your case, virality means more views, which means more brand awareness, which means more clients organically.

Additionally, TikTok prioritizes delivering content that is local to your area. So you’ll be seeing videos from other people in your city, and state and they’ll be seeing videos from you.

That’s hugely beneficial for real estate agents.

But, of course, as powerful as TikTok is, it’s not for every real estate agent — here are some questions you should ask yourself…

  1. Are you comfortable on camera?
  2. Are you willing to be silly, charismatic, and authentic?
  3. Are you able to commit to posting consistently?

If you can say “yes” to all three of those questions, then TikTok is probably an excellent opportunity to grow your real estate business.

Now let’s get some inspiration.

Best Real Estate Investors & Agents to Follow on TikTok (For Inspiration)

If you start posting on TikTok to build brand awareness and find clients, there will be times when you sit down and think… what the heck should I post about today?

That’s why it’s a good idea to follow other popular real estate agents — you can use their posts as inspiration for your own. If they had a post perform well (lots of comments and likes), something similar might work for you.

When you’re in a rut, you can browse their videos to get ideas.

Here are 5 fantastic real estate agents to follow!

1. Steevie Soucie

tiktok for real estate agent - steevie soucie

2. Aaron Grushow

Aaron Grushow TikTok

3. Cash Jordan

Cash Jordan TikTok

4. Madison Raye Sutton

Madison Ray Sutton TikTok

5. New York City Realtor

New York City Realtor TikTok

10 TikTok Tips for Real Estate Agents

Okay — we’ve given you a debrief of how TikTok works, we’ve shown you how TikTok can be powerful for your business, and we’ve shown you tons of real-life examples.

So… how do you do it?

That’s up next!

Here are 10 tips for creating an engaging TikTok presence that’ll build brand awareness and deliver clients to your digital doorstep.

1. Start With a High-Converting Website

We’re talking about creating content on TikTok and getting engagement, but let’s not lose sight of what matters: generating leads and getting clients.

We’ve got to ask how people will become a lead — how they will learn about us and get ahold of us — if they like what they see on TikTok.

Well, assuming that our content is good and our profile is optimized (see the next tip), the person will probably click through to our website to learn more about us. And if our website is built to convert visitors into leads (by either getting them to call or snagging their contact information), then it all will have been worth it.

But how do you build a high-converting website?

We’ve done it for you — go here to get a 30-day risk-free trial.

2. Optimize Your Profile

If someone likes your content and wants to learn more about you, they’re going to click through to your profile — they’ll then read your bio, look at your profile pic, and maybe even visit your website.

Then, your website needs to be optimized to build trust and rapport.

Look at what Madison Raye Sutton does…

Madison Ray Sutton TikTok for real estate

She has a professional profile pic and a bio that promotes her services — “Ready to find your next place?” — with a link to her website.

That’s ground-zero for what you need in your profile.

This part is easy. Don’t overthink it.

3. Pay Attention to Trends

In some ways, the content on TikTok is collaborative amongst users; the primary way this crops up is in the form of various trends.

A trend is what it sounds like. A video goes viral on TikTok and people copy the content in their way and use the same hashtag.

What’s cool about trends is that A) it’ll give you ideas for what to post about and B) you have a higher chance of going viral by posting about recent trends.

You can see a ton of examples of trends over here.

Here are 5 real estate TikTok trends that you might consider joining in on — make sure to put your spin on it and use the right hashtag!

Oh — and don’t be afraid to try and start a trend on TikTok!

4. Use Hashtags

Much like Instagram, hashtags are a huge part of posting popular content on TikTok.

You can use hashtags to define what your post is about for the TikTok algorithm so that interested parties see it. And, as mentioned in the last tip, you can also use hashtags to associate your post with specific trends.

5. Do Home Tours

There are many different types of content you can post on TikTok, but since you’re a real estate agent, perhaps the lowest hanging fruit is doing tours of your house listings.

You can make these videos informative, sexy, luxurious, etc.

However you do it, get in the habit of posting home tours on TikTok whenever you get a new listing or want to draw extra attention to an existing listing. You never know where a client is going to come from!

6. Offer Expert Advice

When it comes to offering advice on TikTok, some content creators might not know what to talk about because they’re not an expert in anything specific.

But you, dear reader, are an expert at real estate.

And it would help if you showed that expertise on TikTok. Whether it’s…

  • Sharing homebuying tips
  • Explaining rehab costs
  • Discussing the state of the market
  • Sharing case studies of actual clients

… and so on.

In an article from Outfront, one real estate agent explains their strategy for coming up with TikTok content ideas…

“If you were educating a homebuyers’ seminar that would typically take you an hour and a half, how could you break that down into 15 seconds each? Now you have a ton of content to share.”

7. Show Your Personality

“Our other social media is professional, and we can show more of our personality through our TikToks,” Palma says. “We make it entertaining, but also educational.”

“I think it’s the new wave of experiential marketing,” Brush says. “I’m not that traditional broker who posts things online and waits for the buyer to come. The biggest thing that I bring to the table is just my energy. The best way to articulate that is through video so everyone can see and get to know me.”

8. Track Engagement

If your goal is to build brand awareness and get more clients by using TikTok, then the first step is to post videos that get engagement — specifically, we’re talking about likes, comments, and shares.

And it’s essential to learn as you go.

Track the engagement of your TikTok posts (you might even create a spreadsheet) and pay attention to what works and what doesn’t work.

Then try to do more of what’s receiving engagement and do less of what isn’t.

9. Create a Content Calendar

If it’s not scheduled, it probably won’t happen.

So if you’re serious about building out your TikTok presence, then create a content calendar. It should indicate how often you’re going to post and what you’re going to post about.

Then stick to it.

TikTok recommends posting 1-4 times per day, but if you’re new, you can do a little bit less than that.

Challenge yourself to post once every other day for a month and see how it goes — you might be surprised by how much progress you make.

10. Engage With Comments

Our final tip is to engage with the comments you get. Since some of the people you’re interacting with might become clients down the road, it’s essential to start on the right foot.

Final Thoughts

TikTok is a popular social media platform with over 1 billion monthly active users. The platform also offers tons of potential for small business owners to build brand awareness, establish their expertise, and find clients — real estate agents included.

We’ve discussed how TikTok for real estate works, why it’s powerful for real estate agents, and we even shared 10 tips for creating engaging content.

But at the end of the day, you can’t know if it’ll work for you unless you try.

So off you go! And good luck!

Mike Blankenship

Michael is a freelance copywriter who helps startups build bigger, more sustainable businesses. He’s been mentioned on Forbes and Entrepreneur for his expertise as a writer, and he's written articles for SUCCESS, SmartBlogger, GetResponse, AdWeek, Jeff Bullas, and a whole slew of other publications. You can learn more about him at mikeblankenship.org or connect with him on Facebook.

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