Social media is increasingly a vital part of a real estate professional’s marketing strategy. Seventy-four percent of REALTORS® recently surveyed cited awareness as the main outcome of their social media efforts. Sixty-four percent of 265 REALTORS® recently surveyed say they plan to commit more time to social media, and 60 percent plan to commit more money to it too.

The survey results, released Monday, come from the 2017 REALTOR® Social and Digital Media report conducted by the REALTORS® Property Resource, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Association of REALTORS®.

“Social media has become the new norm for reaching out and staying connected with friends, family, clients, and prospects," says Reggie Nicolay, RPR vice president of marketing. "Not only do sites like Facebook and LinkedIn provide REALTORS® with an easy way to stay top of mind, but they now offer highly targeted advertising options with tremendous reach and analytical tracking.”

The most popular social media platforms used by REALTORS® are Facebook (94 percent of respondents say they use it) and LinkedIn, at 57 percent.

The most common type of content that REALTORS® say they post to social media are listings, followed closely by buying and home improvement tips. School information, on the other hand, they say sees the least amount of engagement on social media.

Nearly half of REALTORS® surveyed, or 48 percent, say they achieve measurable results from their use of social media within their marketing. Respondents said that market activity receives the highest engagement on social media.

Source: “2017 REALTOR® Social and Digital Media Report,” REALTORS® Property Resource (Aug. 14, 2017)