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10 Social Media Statistics for Real Estate Marketers 2018
The latest social media statistics show growth of Instagram, social messaging bots, and video content.
We joke around here that one thing that will always stay the same is that social media will always be changing. 2018 has been a remarkable example of that thus far, particularly in regards to platforms like Facebook.
Every so often, we like to take a step back and look at what the data is telling us about where social media is heading and what that might mean for real estate marketers.
Social Media Examiner’s 10th annual study, 2018 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, surveyed more than 5,700 marketers from across the world in a variety of industries — including real estate. It offers a really comprehensive view of what’s going on in social media in our industry and beyond.
I’ve pulled out 10 social media statistics from this report that I want to talk about in more depth. I think they say a lot about where social media is headed and what real estate marketers should be paying attention to.
10 social media statistics for real estate marketers
1) For 64% of marketers, social media management is just one of their job responsibilities.
This one blows me away, knowing how much time and effort it takes to run a company’s social media program. Only about one-third (36%) of marketers manage social media full time. The other two-thirds have to do that on top of their other responsibilities. That’s crazy!
Developers, property managers, and real estate marketers: it’s time to recognize how important social media is for marketing your property and dedicate the appropriate resources to social media management. If you can’t afford to hire someone to do it full time, consider outsourcing this task.
2) Only 44% of marketers agree they can measure their social media ROI.
Only 10% of survey respondents “strongly agree” and 34% “agree” with the statement, “I am able to measure the return on investment (ROI) for my social media activities.”
Again, I’m kind of blown away. As a firm that relies on data and analytics to inform our processes and strategies, including social, it seems irresponsible to not know if your efforts are effective.
Ok, on one hand, it’s actually really difficult to measure social media ROI. That’s in large part because so many of the benefits are intangible. You should really be thinking of social media investment in terms of potential, not dollars.
BUT there are some ways to calculate ROI for all your content marketing and social media efforts. Here are a few resources:
- What Metrics Should You Track in Real Estate Marketing?
- The Metrics You Should Be Measuring in Real Estate Marketing (Hint: Not Vanity Metrics)
- How to Measure Brand Awareness: A Guide for Real Estate Marketers
3) 75% of marketers have seen a decline in organic Facebook reach over the last year or don’t know if they have.
A significant 52% of marketers surveyed said they saw their Facebook reach decline in the last year. Plus, 23% of marketers surveyed were unsure if it had or not — probably not a good sign. Yet 97% of B2C marketers are using Facebook. Something’s not adding up for me here.
As we’ve written about a lot recently, businesses need to be keeping a close eye on Facebook in light of all the recent changes. While we at Fronetics Real Estate are not ready to write off Facebook for business (especially real estate companies) completely yet, it’s time to start doing things a little differently.
Here are a few things you should do immediately to ensure you’re still reaching your target audience:
- Focus on newsworthy content that drives engagement. You need to start thinking of Facebook as a place to post and discuss active news items, hot-button issues, and highly shareable content (content that is educational or entertaining, for example).
- Tell your community to access the See First feature. Users who still want to see posts from certain Pages they follow can choose “See First” in News Feed Preferences. So, quite simply, we suggest asking your followers to choose to see your content.
- Consider your ad budget. Especially for new properties or those who rely heavily on referral traffic, you might want to consider reallocating budget to sponsored ads.
Stay tuned to the Fronetics blog as we continue to gather information and offer suggestions.
4) 87% of marketers rank more exposure for their businesses as the primary benefit of their social media efforts.
Building brand awareness is a key benefit of social media use for real estate. The Social Media Examiner survey respondents said that increased traffic was the second major benefit, with 78% reporting positive results. These top two benefits have remained virtually unchanged for 4 years.
5) 78% of marketers who have used social media for 2 years or more report increased traffic to their websites.
Also to note, 83% of those who have used social media for 5 or more years “strongly agree” or “agree” that traffic has increased to their websites because of social media activity.
I wanted to pull these social media statistics out because they reinforce the time-honored truth that content marketing (including social media management) is a long-term solution — not an overnight fix. The benefits, especially in terms of metrics like traffic, grow exponentially over time.
You have to allow time for prospects to find you and for your audience to grow organically. Use your social media platforms as a means to distribute meaningful information to your target audience and to communicate with prospects and residents, and it will pay off.
6) 66% of marketers are now using Instagram.
In 2016 and 2017, we answered a lot of questions about Snapchat. Founder of the Content Marketing Institute Joe Pulizzi named Snapchat one of the next big trends in content marketing for 2017. Everyone thought this platform was going to be our new social media darling.
Instead, Instagram has surpassed Twitter and LinkedIn to be the second-most-used social media platform. (It was fourth in 2017.) Use is up dramatically from 54% in 2017. Those are numbers worth paying attention to.
Most of our real estate clients use Instagram with great success. If you’re not on this platform, it’s time to join.
7) 63% of marketers use video content in their social media marketing.
One real estate marketing trend everyone got right? The growing prevalence of video.
Not only do nearly two-thirds of marketers use video content in their social media marketing, 23% use live video. What’s more, 77% plan to increase video content and 63% plan to increase live video in the next year.
The real estate industry is embracing the power of video marketing. And the good news is, you don’t need expensive camera, lighting, or a production studio — your smartphone can be just as effective for creating video content for your social media outlets.
8) 70% of marketers want to learn more about messenger bots.
Here’s a big takeaway from the survey: Everyone’s talking about messenger bots/social messenger apps. While adoption is still pretty low (only 15% are using Facebook messenger bots now), 51% of survey respondents plan to include them in future marketing.
It’s time to start reading up on marketing automation tools like chatbots and social messenger apps. We’ve got a lot of information about these things scheduled on our blog in the next few months, so keep coming back for more information on how these tools apply to real estate marketing.
9) 39% of marketers are working with influencers.
Influencer marketing is another trend we’ve been talking about lately. It makes sense: Buyers value the opinions of peers and colleagues. In fact, 82% of Americans seek recommendations when making a purchase of any kind. Such a major purchase like real estate can be greatly influenced by what buyers’ peers think of the neighborhood, community or building, etc.
In real estate, it’s important to consider other people who might influence buyers and renters. Aside from family and friends, financial advisors, brokers, interior designers, and celebrities (be they local professional athletes or social media celebrities) can have an impact on buyers’ opinions of a property.
10) 76% of B2C marketers use Facebook ads.
Interesting that more than three-fourths of B2C brands advertise on Facebook. On one hand, if you’re not doing it, do you lose your seat at the table? But on the other, are there opportunities on other advertising platforms that aren’t so crowded?
The survey also found that 72% of B2C marketers are interested in learning about Instagram ads. This is likely because of the platform’s phenomenal growth and, no doubt, brands’ success with it thus far. It’s something to think about when planning your social advertising.
If you’re interested, I recommend reading the whole 44-page report from Social Media Examiner. There are a ton of really interesting social media statistics that offer great insight into how marketers are using social media and how it’s changing — both over the the last few years and in the short-term.
What social media statistics are most interesting to you?
Related posts:
- A Visual Guide to Social Media Posting Frequency for Real Estate
- How to Use Social Media Hashtags in Real Estate Marketing
- Social Media Can Be a Strategic Weapon in Real Estate Marketing
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6 Simple Tools for Creating Animated Real Estate Marketing Videos
When it comes to real estate marketing, video is not just the future — it’s now. These 6 tools will give you a leg up on creating animated images, GIFs, and videos that will elevate your marketing presence.
Highlights:
- Savvy real estate marketers are making video a central part of their strategy.
- Animated videos can be surprisingly easy and affordable to create, with the right tools.
- These are our 6 favorite tools for creating GIFs, animated images, and videos
We’ve written a lot about video marketing as a trend that isn’t going anywhere and how it’s a natural fit for real estate marketers. It can be one of the best and most cost-effective ways to grow your social media audience and generate leads. And the numbers are backing us up — research from Social Media Examiner has shown that nearly two-thirds (63%) of marketers use video content in their social media marketing.
Savvy real estate marketers are jumping on the video bandwagon, but the process can still be intimidating. Creating an animated image, GIF, or video can sound impossibly difficult —particularly if you’re over the age of 15! But in reality, there are plenty of tools that make creating these items not only simple but cost effective as well.
Here are our 6 favorite tools for creating animated real estate marketing videos.
1) WhatFix
This free tool is incredibly handy for creating animated flows, such as how-to videos (“How to search for your first apartment,” for example). WhatFix allows you to create easy flows showing the steps your audience should take. All you need is WhatFix’s extension for Firefox or Chrome to build widgets that you can imbed on your website or send “live” to your audience. The website will guide you through the simple process of creating a flow.
2) Gyazo
When it comes to creating GIFs, this free tool will make it as simple as it gets. Technically, Gyazo is a screen-capture tool, which now lets you capture and save GIFs and videos. The platform is straight forward, and while it doesn’t necessarily have advanced tools, it’s ideal for taking a screen capture from a video and turning it into an eye-catching GIF.
3) Make a GIF
Make a GIF is a more extensive tool than Gyazo, which allows you to choose from multiple options to create your GIF. It lets you use screenshots, YouTube videos, uploaded videos, or pre-made GIFs. It has the added benefit of being a free image hosting site, which means that once you’ve created your GIF, you can link directly to it from the website’s gallery. Make a GIF is free, and lets you create an account to store your creations, or request that they be deleted any time.
4) PowToon
For $59 a month (or $19 a month if you buy for at least a year), PowToon lets you create animated video and presentations, and export them to YouTube. All you have to do is “pick a look you like” from one of five animation themes. Then you can put together characters, objects, layouts, backgrounds, and anything else you need to tell your story.
5) VideoScribe
VideoScribe offers a free trial, and pricing ranging from $29 a month to a one-time purchase of $665. This tool specializes in whiteboard videos, giving you the potential to create clean, engaging video animations. It’s not a web tool, but a downloadable software, that you can even take offline if you purchase the Pro plan.
6) Moovly
For $24.92 a month (though it does offer a free trial period), Moovly is a “drag, drop, and animate” tool that lets you create quick animated real estate marketing videos in your web browser. It can create explainer videos, whiteboard animations, advertisements, and more. Not only that, it gives you 750,000 free video clips to work from.
Creating videos is one of the best ways out there to boost your real estate marketing game. These 6 tools go a long way towards making the process affordable and easy. If you try one, let us know in the comments how it turned out!
Related posts:
- 3 Ways to Boost Your Real Estate Marketing with Video
- How Inbound Marketing for Real Estate Works to Improve Sales
- 4 Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018
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Infographic: 5 Tips for Using Facebook Live for Real Estate Brands
Live video marketing is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to grow brand awareness and generate leads. Here are five tips for using Facebook Live as part of your video marketing strategy.
Highlights:
- Facebook Live’s average daily views doubled year-over-year with over 2 billion users.
- Virtual tours on Facebook Live are a great way to show off your property to leads that might not be local or are juggling busy schedules.
- A live testimonial provides an opportunity for clients to talk about your property, creating customer loyalty and increased brand trust.
As a real estate marketer, you’re well aware of the popularity of video this year. Video is everywhere and the trend isn’t slowing down. Fifty-four percent of consumers actually want to see more video content from brands.
So while more real estate brands are increasing use of video in their digital marketing strategy, some are still hesitant to use live video options, like Facebook Live. I get it, going live is scary. With other video options, you can easily delete and start over. Live video gives you one shot to get it right. And not everyone will join your video when you start, so it’s key to iterate your main points several times without sounding redundant.
But don’t let your nerves stand in the way of trying Facebook Live. Initially launched in 2015, the live video streaming platform has soared in popularity by giving viewers an up-close and personal look at real estate brands. In just two years, Facebook Live’s average daily views doubled year-over-year with over 2 billion users and those who watch videos will spend three times as much time on a Live video than a produced one.
It’s easy to see with numbers like that how Facebook Live can help grow brand awareness and start generating leads. Here are 5 tips to get you using Facebook Live for your real estate brand.
Infographic: 5 tips for using Facebook Live for real estate brands
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Provide helpful information
We talk a lot about the importance of high quality, valuable content and the same holds true for live video. Try to focus on topics that will provide valuable information for your viewers. Tips about your property’s neighborhood (think restaurant, shops, fitness centers), unique amenities, and local events let you ease into live video by covering topics that you’re comfortable with and knowledgeable about. And viewers will find them useful, too.
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Virtual tours
They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so imagine what live video can do! Don’t just talk about the key features of your property — show your viewers. Virtual tours on Facebook Live are a great way to show off your property to leads that might not be local or are juggling busy schedules. Seeing your property in real time will give viewers the illusion of a private tour from their own computer.
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Host a Q&A
Hosting a question and answer session is one of the easiest ways to get your feet wet with live video. Think about the most frequently asked questions about your property, your location, even your real estate brand and take those questions to Facebook Live. Don’t be afraid to start a Q&A–series where you address questions on a regular basis. Encourage viewers to send in their questions for easy content ideas.
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Day in the life
Use live video to show the human side of your real estate brand. Introduce your staff with little interviews and stream office meetings that introduce new projects or concepts. This inside look shows who you are and what your brand stands for, which helps build trust in your company and your properties.
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Tell your success stories
People love a good success story and if a recent buyer (or leasee) is willing to go on camera to rave about your property, you should jump at the opportunity. As a marketer, you know that customer testimonials serve to increase trust, so why not showcase your satisfied clients? A live testimonial provides an opportunity for clients to talk about your property, creating customer loyalty, and increased brand trust.
Final thoughts
Live video is an ideal way to establish your credentials and generate leads. With Facebook Live, real estate brands ca boost brand awareness, build trust, and increase engagement. Use these tips to make live video work for you. Need help getting started? You know where to find us.
Related posts:
- 3 Ways to Boost Your Real Estate Marketing with Video
- Infographic: Best Video Distribution Channels for Real Estate Marketing
- 6 Simple Tools for Creating Animated Real Estate Marketing Videos
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Top 5 Real Estate Marketing Tactics
Here are 5 real estate marketing tactics to increase website traffic, user engagement and leads.
As a real estate marketer, you’re always looking for ways to find more clients and grow your business. You already understand the need for a marketing strategy. But sometimes it’s challenging to identify the most effective marketing tactics to reach your audience.
The following are 5 real estate marketing tactics that are especially useful for engaging with prospects for luxury development projects.
1. Use AR and VR
Images are central to all types of digital marketing but they’re absolutely crucial when it comes to real estate. If you want to showcase the best of your luxury properties, it’s essential to display compelling, high-quality photos. You can make your imagery stand out even more by using the latest technology such as AR and VR.
It’s now possible to give prospects a virtual tour of your properties using virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR). VentureBeat asks if such technology will mean the end of open houses. There’s still a lot to be said for giving people live tours of properties, of course. But VR and AR can give non-local prospects (or busy nearby ones) a great introduction to your luxury properties. Unless you’re experienced with photography, hiring a skilled real estate photographer can be a worthwhile investment.
2. Add Distinctive Features to Your Properties
Customers in the luxury real estate market like to see unique amenities that set a property apart from others. Quality photos are, for obvious reasons, the foundation of real estate marketing. As already noted, you can increase engagement by using creative and high-tech methods such as VR and AR. It also helps to have interesting and unique items to display in your photos (as well as videos).
Images of eye-catching details, decor, and amenities make your property memorable. Wellness amenities, for example, are quite popular in any type of luxury development. This includes yoga studios, meditation areas, tranquility-inducing artwork, and comfortable seating areas, off of which can be featured in your marketing. You can add many such elements without going to great trouble or expense. Repurpose existing spaces for a quick shot at little cost.
3. Use Postcards for Website Traffic
Real estate professionals generally focus on digital marketing today — and for good reason. Digital ads, your website, social media, and email are the most direct and economical ways to reach your audience. This doesn’t mean you should completely ignore traditional, offline methods. Direct mail, especially postcards, can be an effective tool to supplement your digital efforts. Postcards are highly visible and relatively cheap to send. You can use them to send prospects to your website.
4. Create Stories on Instagram or Facebook
The Stories feature on Instagram and Facebook lets you create targeted content for your luxury development prospects. This is spontaneous, short-lived content that your followers can see for 24 hours. You can use Stories to provide quick tours of properties, to discuss real estate trends, or to give advice to potential buyers or sellers. You can also create engaging polls and contests on Instagram and Facebook, and use Stories to promote them. If you want to amplify your reach, leverage paid advertising.
5. Tap Into the Power of Video Marketing
Videos are one of the best ways to reach your real estate prospects. People are consuming more and more videos, on YouTube, other video sharing sites such as Vimeo websites, and on social media. You can use videos to give tours of your properties or to discuss the real estate industry in general. There are several key benefits to video marketing for real estate. You can showcase properties, establish your credibility as an expert, and drive traffic to your website. Once you create a video, you can use it in multiple ways: upload it to YouTube, post it on your website, share it on social media, etc.
These are some of the best tactics to grow your luxury real estate business. And they all work even better in unison. A variety of methods build traffic and send prospects to the most appropriate place. Digital marketing is always evolving so it’s important to stay current with the very latest trends and tactics.
Related posts:
- Top 5 Real Estate Marketing Influencers
- The Role of Social Media in Luxury Real Estate Marketing
- 4 Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018
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Infographic: Real Estate Marketing Trends 2018
Placester’s 2018 Real Estate Marketing Survey reveals these real estate marketing trends: lead generation, challenges, the rise of video content, and social media.
Earlier this year, digital marketing platform Placester published the results of its 2018 Real Estate Marketing Survey. The survey collected data from hundreds of real estate professionals nationwide and contains valuable information for benchmarking your marketing efforts, in “an industry ready to invest more time, money, and energy toward online marketing and generating more leads.”
When we looked at the survey results, we found that there were four big takeaways for real estate marketing professionals: goals, challenges, the rise of video content, and social media. Our infographic below delves into each of these four key areas.
Why are these results significant for me?
First off, you can learn a lot from looking at the aggregate goals for the real estate industry. Understanding what peers are working toward can help you tailor your own efforts, prune unnecessary practices, and optimize your marketing efforts. Knowing, for example, that 40.3% of survey respondents cited lead generation as a top objective helps you get to the bottom line: Regardless of experience, skill level, or niche, real estate professionals are focused on attracting valuable clients, and you should be, too.
Likewise, having an understanding of industry-wide challenges can offer valuable insight. Placester’s survey reveals that just as lead generation is a top priority for the majority of respondents, it’s also the top concern for real estate professionals.
As far as techniques go, one of the most popular marketing tactics for greater exposure in 2018 is emerging as video. The survey reveals that the real estate industry is embracing the power of video marketing. And the good news is, you don’t need an expensive camera, lighting, or a production studio. Your smartphone can be just as effective for creating video content for your social media outlets.
Which brings us to social media. A whopping 84.6% of respondents pointed to Facebook as the social media network they will use the most in 2018. And for good reason. Facebook is ideal for real estate marketing in many ways. Its large user base makes it a go-to network, as well as its robust mobile presence, with location-specific advertising and sophisticated algorithms to help you reach your target audience.
Check out our infographic below for a summary of the rest of Placester’s data.
Real estate marketing trends 2018 infographic
Related posts:
- A Visual Guide to Social Media Posting Frequency for Real Estate
- 10 Social Media Statistics for Real Estate Marketers 2018
- 5 TED Talks for Real Estate Marketers
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