The most effective social networks for a real estate agency

real estate social media: for an agency, the question is no longer “should we be on them?”, but “where should we focus our efforts to generate mandates and qualified leads?”. .

Choose the right networks rather than being everywhere

Many agencies spread themselves across every possible channel, post from time to time, then conclude that “it doesn’t work”. The problem doesn’t come from the platforms themselves, but from a poor choice of networks and poorly defined objectives.

Before diving in, it’s useful to clarify two points:

• Who do you want to talk to? (selling owners, buyers, landlords, investors, tenants…)
• What type of result are you aiming for? (local awareness, valuation appointments, filling open-house days, renting out a portfolio faster, recruiting agents, etc.)

An excellent summary of each platform’s specifics and how they’re used by profession can be found in this article dedicated to selecting the digital channels suited to an agency, which clearly illustrates that it’s better to master 2 or 3 networks than to be invisible on 7.

Facebook: the cornerstone for building local visibility

Facebook remains a remarkably effective tool for a real estate agency, especially in local and suburban markets. Most selling homeowners over 35 are still very active there, which makes it a preferred channel for finding properties to bring in.

Why Facebook still works very well for an agency

• Massive, local audience: neighborhood, city, or thematic groups (“You know you’re from…”) are perfect for sharing your content, your events, and demonstrating your on-the-ground expertise.
• Ideal format for social proof: customer reviews, before/after home staging, video testimonials… anything that reassures a homeowner can be highlighted there.
• Ultra-targeted ad campaigns: with Meta Ads, you can target a specific geographic area, interests (investment, decoration, renovations…) and age ranges aligned with your seller target.

Content to prioritize on Facebook

• Selected listings, but with context: rather than posting cold property sheets, tell the property’s story, the neighborhood lifestyle, the nearby shops.
• Short guided-tour videos: 30 to 60 seconds are enough to make people want to click through to the full listing on your website.
• Staged valuations: for example, “In your neighborhood, prices have changed by X % in 12 months: request your personalized valuation.” These campaigns combined with a well-designed form can effectively feed your pipeline.
• Educational content: explain how to optimize a financing file, prepare a sale, succeed in a first purchase, etc.

Measuring results on Facebook

The right metrics aren’t just likes: monitor the number of clicks to your website, completed valuation or viewing request forms, and private messages received. A page that regularly generates requests for a price opinion is doing its job, even if not every post gets hundreds of reactions.

Instagram: the visual ally for showcasing properties

Instagram is especially interesting as soon as your properties have visual potential: beautiful photos, renovations, exteriors, views, space… It’s a powerful network for building brand image and attracting a clientele sensitive to decor and lifestyle, especially in urban and tourist areas.

Instagram’s strengths for real estate

• The reign of imagery: the feed and Stories let you showcase your best properties, your favorites, your before/after renovations or home staging projects.
• Reels and short video formats: they are heavily promoted by the algorithm, and work very well for mini-tours, quick tips ( 3 mistakes to avoid before selling ) or behind-the-scenes at the agency.
• Local hashtags: by combining city/neighborhood hashtags, you reach people who are genuinely interested in the area (e.g.: #immobilierLille, #appartementLyon6…).

How an agency can make the most of Instagram

• Create a consistent feed: bright visuals, a recognizable graphic charter, alternating between properties, tips, behind-the-scenes, social proof.
• Use Stories daily: new showings, deed signings, team moments, quizzes on the local market, polls on buying preferences…
• Drive traffic to your site: in your bio, place a single link to a page that highlights your services, your valuations, and the key features of your online platform. In this regard, ensuring that your site offers the tools internet users expect is essential; a guide on the must-have features of a high-performing agency website can help you prioritize the improvements.

LinkedIn: the tool for B2B, professionals, and investors

LinkedIn is often underused by agencies, even though it’s formidable for:

• Targeting executives, leaders, and self-employed professionals with strong purchasing or investment power; ;
• Developing a network of partners: notaries, brokers, tradespeople, developers, architects, wealth managers; ;
• Showcasing advisory work, rental investment, real estate wealth management, or marketing of new developments.

What content should you post on LinkedIn?

• Local market analyses: price trends by property type, vacancy rates, rental yields; ;
• Client cases and feedback: how you helped an investor structure their project, an owner optimize a sale; ;
• Sharing tools and methods: organization, digital prospecting, lead automation, etc.

On this last point, the use of digital tools to improve productivity is becoming central for many agencies. If you explore these topics, taking a deeper look at the question of the implementation of automated contact management is a key step to making your actions on LinkedIn and across all your channels profitable.

YouTube and TikTok: the power of video to stand out

Video has become one of the most effective formats for capturing attention and building trust. Two networks are particularly interesting for an agency: YouTube and TikTok, with slightly different approaches.

YouTube: building a library of evergreen content

YouTube works like a search engine: good content can keep attracting prospects for months, even years. It’s the ideal place for:

• Full video tours of exceptional properties; ;
• Webinars or recorded workshops on buying, selling, investing, taxation; ;
• Comprehensive guides ( How to sell your house in X steps , How to succeed with your first rental investment ); ;
• Presentations of your team, your way of working, your tools (valuations, tracking, electronic signature…).

Embedding these videos on your site also improves the user experience and the time spent on your pages, which strengthens your credibility in visitors’ eyes.

TikTok: fast visibility and closeness with new generations

TikTok isn’t just for teens; the user base has broadened significantly. It can be very effective in dynamic urban areas, for:

• Show properties quickly via very short, fast-paced videos; ;
• Share punchy tips: 15 to 30 seconds on a specific point (notary fees, preliminary sales agreement, conditions precedent, etc.); ;
• Humanize the agency: behind-the-scenes, humor, challenges, taking part in trends, talking-head format. .

The key is to embrace the network’s codes: spontaneity, authenticity, speed. Highly polished, TV-spot-style content works less well than smartphone-shot videos, as long as we can clearly hear and see the agent.

Pinterest, WhatsApp, messaging apps: complementary networks

Beyond the major networks, certain channels can play a very specific but very effective role if you use them properly.

Pinterest: inspiration and traffic to the website

Pinterest is especially interesting for agencies that work with:

• High-end properties or ones with strong decorative potential; ;
• Home staging, renovation, interior design; ;
• Clienteles sensitive to visual inspiration (second homes, luxury real estate, construction projects).

By sharing inspiration boards and linking your pins to blog articles (renovation, showcasing a property, decor trends, etc.), you can generate qualified traffic over the long term.

WhatsApp, Messenger and other messaging apps

More than a social network, these are conversational channels. They are crucial for:

• Responding quickly to requests for viewings or valuations; ;
• Sending documents, property videos, viewing reports; ;
• Maintaining the relationship with your clients (progress updates, feedback from buyers…).

Pairing these channels with a good internal tracking tool is essential to avoid losing information: centralizing exchanges, history per contact, follow-up tasks, etc. If you are unsure which solution to adopt, exploring a comparison of Which CRM to choose for your agency will save you a lot of time.

Coordinating social networks, website and tools: a coherent ecosystem

Social networks must not operate in silos. To be truly effective, they must feed a complete ecosystem:

• Your website: it must welcome the traffic generated by your posts (property listings, service pages, valuation forms, appointment booking).
• Your marketing tools: forms, email campaigns, automations to segment prospects and track follow-ups.
• Your business tools: valuation, buyer matching, viewing tracking, electronic signature.

Moving from social audience to real prospects

A few concrete levers:

• Offer content with high perceived value in exchange for contact details: sales checklist, buying guide, mini local market study, etc., promoted on your networks.
• Use advertising to lead directly to a valuation page or an appointment-booking page, rather than to a generic homepage.
• Segment your lists (sellers, investors, tenants, first-time buyers…) so you can then send them more targeted emails or messages.

In this global investment approach, social networks are one link in a broader digital strategy. For new-build players, for example, it is relevant to align social campaigns, website, emailing and SEO visibility, as shown by a detailed reflection on the value of online marketing for property developers – a logic that can be applied to sales and property management agencies.

Tools, trends and optimization: staying up to date

Platforms evolve quickly: formats, algorithms, advertising options. Rather than testing blindly, it is useful to rely on feedback and analyses from specialists.

To keep up with new developments and emerging tools, an overview of digital solutions dedicated to real estate professionals' communication helps identify useful services: content planning, simplified graphic creation, video solutions, writing assistants, etc.

Some technological innovations also directly impact the type of content you can offer on your social networks. For example, explaining to your prospects how you use advanced methods to determine the fair price of their property can be a strong argument. Resources on the contribution of AI to estimating property values can fuel your future posts, videos or explanatory carousels.

Which networks to choose depending on the type of agency?

The ideal combination depends on your positioning, your catchment area and your internal resources.

Neighborhood agency or small town

• Essentials: Facebook (page + local groups), Instagram if your properties are photogenic.
• Optional but useful: YouTube for a few well-targeted videos, WhatsApp/Messenger for responsiveness.
• Main objective: local awareness, bringing in listings, close relationships.

Agency in a dynamic city center or a tight market

• Essentials: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn if you work with investor products.
• Recommended: TikTok to reach young buyers, YouTube for quality evergreen content.
• Main objective: differentiation, quality of experience, strong brand image.

Agency network or group with a strong investment offering

• Essentials: LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook.
• Recommended: Instagram for premium properties, TikTok if you have a team comfortable with short-form video.
• Main objective: acquisition of qualified leads (sellers and investors), recruitment, partnerships.

To help you benchmark your choices, a resource detailing a recent comparison of the main platforms for agents makes it possible to validate or adjust your strategy.

Focus on 4 priority areas

Ultimately, it’s not the networks themselves that are effective or not, but how you use them. For an agency, four areas make the difference:

1. Consistency: your identity, positioning, and messages must be recognizable, regardless of the network.
2. Regularity: it’s better to run 2 networks every week than 5 networks updated once a month.
3. The value of content: concrete advice, transparency about your methods, education about the local market, rather than purely self-promotional content.
4. Conversion: each network should point to a clear contact point (phone, messaging, form, appointment) and ideally to a website designed to turn visits into contacts.

To take a closer look at the benefits of the main channels for your business, targeted analyses like those that present the platforms that have become indispensable to the sector shed light on the trade-offs to make depending on your budget, your area and your type of clientele.

Final step: audit your digital ecosystem

Before investing more time or budget in your social networks, it is relevant to check that your website and tools are capable of turning attention into appointments and mandates:

• Are the forms simple and mobile-friendly?
• Are the estimation, sales, management, investment pages clear and reassuring?
• Is technical performance (speed, mobile compatibility) at the level expected by your visitors?
• Is the data collected on prospects properly centralized and used?

An outside perspective can reveal obstacles that are invisible in day-to-day operations. If you want to know where to focus your efforts to improve your visibility and your conversion, you can for example request a complete analysis of your current digital setup, then adapt your social media strategy accordingly.

By intelligently combining the right social networks, a site designed to convert, and high-performance tracking tools, a real estate agency can turn its online presence into a true growth engine, sustainable and measurable.