Digital Marketing is Writing the Script in Real Estate

Once upon a time (okay, maybe like five years ago), digital marketing transformed how real estate professionals attract and engage their audience. Traditional tactics have taken a backseat as brokers increasingly embrace online strategies.  Fast-forward to today and  digital marketing is the backbone for real estate marketing. Embrace it. 

If you’re not mastering social media, running targeted ads, optimizing for Google search, crafting personalized and segmented emails, and embracing video content like your business depends on it (spoiler: it does), you’re basically invisible to modern homebuyers and sellers.

Social Media Marketing

Five years ago, most real estate professionals maintained a basic presence on social media, primarily on Facebook. As platforms like Instagram gained traction in real estate, video content has become more common - including some really creative twists. Social media is now a cornerstone of real estate marketing, with brokers and agents actively using multiple platforms to build and grow their brand while generating leads.

What’s changed in the last few years in social media?

• Increased adoption: Nearly 90% of REALTORS® now use social media, up from about 77% in 2018. Your buyers and sellers are using all digital mediums to source information and learn more about you! 
• Shift towards video content, including Instagram and TikTok as the go-to platforms: More real estate pros use Instagram Reels, Stories, and TikTok videos to engage buyers and grow their brand.
• Social media as a lead generation tool: Social media is now the top digital tool for generating real estate leads. The use of Meta Ads (Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads) in real estate has become an high-ROI tactic.

Paid Advertising

Five years ago, real estate brokers still allocated a significant portion of their budgets to print advertising, but today, digital ads dominate.

Paid advertising in real estate has evolved and become an essential method for lead gen: 

• Increased ad spending: More real estate agents and brokers are spending their marketing budgets on digital advertising. Better performance, ROI tracking, online visibility, faster results, and great targeting.
• Sophisticated targeting: Real estate professionals and brokers use data-driven strategies to target the right audience, optimizing costs and conversions. Real estate professionals can use paid digital advertising in hyper-local methods including targeting by zip-code, CRM list, and behavior with Google Analytics (keep reading for this…). 
• Growth of social media ads: Facebook and Instagram ads have become crucial for property marketing growing brand awareness. The popularity and adoption of social media paid ads has increased as platforms make it easier to launch ads. Social media ads in real estate have become a must and the lead gen costs are reasonable when done right. 

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO has evolved over the years in real estate from being an unknown (ahem, ignored) to being a primary concern and focus for real estate agents and brokers. Having a strong SEO presence is relative to achieving business growth. Having a strong online presence can lead to having strong SEO, and having both of those can lead to having a strong brand in a competitive environment. Build up your online content with resourceful information about your community, your market, and how you’re a leader. Increase your share of voice. When you’re sleeping they’re looking to learn more about you and having a strong SEO strategy will ignite and continue your growth - remember, nearly all home buyers start their search online.

What are some of the key changes over the past few years with SEO in real estate?

• Increased website investment: More real estate professionals and brokers now invest in using professional SEO specialists to optimize their websites with local SEO strategies. This includes setting up a Google Analytics structure to help capture more information about how your site is performing, is being used, and linking it with a Google Ads strategy for lead gen. 
• Blogging and content marketing: Creating valuable real estate content has become a standard practice for improving how you rank on Google, but also providing resourceful content about your market and community. This is gold for families looking to relocate! 
• Committing to local SEO: Properly structuring their Google Business Profile, capturing and sharing client reviews (noting them on blogs and social content to drive traffic back to their website), and map rankings are now essential for lead gen in real estate.

Email Marketing

Email is an easy and key outreach tool, but automation and personalization is what makes campaigns more effective. Even more important is having your audience lists for emails segmented so you communicate relevant information to each group to remain trustworthy and a valuable resource.

How has email marketing evolved?

• Shift to automated drip campaigns: Emails are now sent at scheduled intervals to nurture leads and allow you to remain top of mind. 
• Segmentation for better targeting: Email lists are divided by lead type to personalize content. As I stated earlier, segmented targeting will make your efforts more effective and you’ll remain a trusted resource.
• Strong ROI: Email marketing remains a top-performing digital strategy with high conversion rates and strong return on investment for real estate professionals and brokers. The return may not be immediate, but having email marketing as part of your multi-channel marketing mix will pay off for you and your brand. 

Video Content

The biggest transformation in real estate marketing has been the rise of video. Five years ago, video was rare, but today it is a must-do to showcase and communicate your brand, your value, and to position you as a thought-leader. 

• More real estate agents are using video: Video adoption has grown significantly as has the ease to record and edit videos with mobile apps and AI tools. 
• Variety of formats: Agents are using drone footage, 360° virtual tours, Instagram Reels, and TikTok videos to showcase properties, outline their expertise, and provide quick updates about the local market or current events. 
• Increased client expectations: Buyers and sellers now expect high-quality video marketing when working with an agent. The current consumer does not want to waste time when they can gain the same information from a quick video (wait, should this be a video?). 
• YouTube: YouTube has gained popularity to help lift the brand of a real estate professional and broker online. With a YouTube channel focusing on the communities you service, this can put you in front of your core audience and showcase your knowledge!

Past vs. Present Strategies: A Comparison Table

REMEMBER, IF YOU’RE NOT DIGITAL, YOU DON’T EXIST.

Digital marketing for real estate professionals is a “you better be doing this” thing.. Social media isn’t just for scrolling anymore—it’s a lead goldmine. Digital ads are smarter. SEO? If you’re not ranking on Google, do you even exist? Email marketing needs to be thought out, segmented, and effective (goodbye, generic newsletters). Video? Let’s just say if you’re not using it, you’re basically invisible. The last few years have made ONE thing crystal clear: implement digital or risk becoming the real estate agent that time forgot. 🚀

Realty ONE Group focuses on the real estate business success of our professionals and franchisee broker-owners. With industry-leading real estate coaching, technology, and our COOLTURE we help our real estate professionals reach their potential while they earn more. Reach out to learn more about how Realty ONE Group is the only UNbrokerage to help you!