Real Estate Social Media Strategy: A Comprehensive Guide & Template

In today’s competitive property market, over 95% of homebuyers begin their journey online. With social media platforms becoming one of the first places buyers and sellers turn to, the question is: Are you showing up where it counts?

Whether you're an independent estate agent or managing multiple agents across different locations, your social media presence is more than just marketing — it's your digital shopfront, brand voice, and lead generation engine.

But with so many platforms, content formats, and shifting algorithms, managing social media effectively requires a well-thought-out strategy.

That’s where this guide comes in.

We’ll walk you through how to create a high-impact real estate social media strategy, with expert tips, real-world examples, and access to our free Real Estate Social Media Marketing Plan Template to help you plan smarter, post more effectively, and grow your business online.

What's in the guide:

• Real estate social media audit: Evaluating your current performance
• Identifying your ideal client: Building real estate audience profiles
• SMART goals for realtors: Setting social media objectives that drive results
• Best social media platforms for real estate: A realtor's guide
• Real estate social media content pillars: Creating a strategic content framework
• How to create a real estate content calendar: Plan your posts for success
• Measuring real estate social media success: Using KPI decision tree
• Your one-page real estate social media plan: The strategy snapshot

Real estate social media audit: Evaluating your current performance

Before building your strategy, take stock of where you currently stand. A self-audit helps identify your strengths, spot gaps, and determine which parts of your social media approach need the most attention.

How strong is your real estate social strategy?

Our included "Quiz" sheet acts as a real estate-specific social media self-assessment tool. It includes 10 critical areas, each rated from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree), helping you gauge your performance in:

• Content consistency
• Personal brand visibility
• Lead generation from posts
• Engagement and responsiveness
• Legal compliance with advertising standards

Sample Statement:

• "I have a clear and recognisable personal brand across all platforms."
• "I use a tool to schedule posts consistently in advance."

Based on your total score, you’ll fall into one of three categories:

• 10–20: Needs work
• 21–35: Getting there
• 36–50: Strategy superstar

If your score is low in areas like engagement or branding, that signals a need for improvement. For instance, if you struggle with interaction, try running more interactive content like polls, AMAs, or video Q&As.

💡Pro tip: Repeat this quiz quarterly to monitor progress and refine your focus areas.

Identifying your ideal client: Building real estate audience profiles

You can't create effective content without knowing who you're speaking to. A strong real estate social media strategy starts with clearly defined social media target audience segments, each with their own goals, challenges, and preferences.

Use the "Target audience profile" sheet in our template to map out your ideal clients. You’ll define key attributes such as:

• Demographics: Age, income, family size, location
• Goals: Buying first home, downsizing, relocating, investing
• Pain points: Financing, time constraints, confusion about the process
• Online behaviour: Platforms used, content consumed, engagement habits

Example audience profile:

• First-time homebuyers aged 28–35, living in urban areas, active on Instagram and TikTok. Interested in educational content about financing, the buying process, and property walkthroughs.

By completing profiles like this, you can tailor your content to resonate deeply with each segment. Content for investors, for example, might focus on market updates and ROI projections, while content for families may highlight schools and neighbourhood amenities.

💡Pro tip: Create content formats that match your audience’s habits. Instagram Reels work well for younger buyers; Facebook Groups may be better for community-focused sellers.

SMART goals for realtors: Setting social media objectives that drive results

Without clear goals, it’s easy to fall into the trap of posting without purpose. SMART goals keep your strategy aligned with broader business outcomes and allow you to measure success.

SMART stands for:

• Specific: What exactly do you want to achieve?
• Measurable: Can you track progress?
• Achievable: Is the goal realistic given your time and resources?
• Relevant: Does this support your business objectives?
• Time-bound: When will this goal be achieved?

Example 1:

• Grow your agency’s Instagram following by 200 in 90 days by posting 4x per week, with a mix of video tours and testimonials.

Example 2:

• Increase click-throughs from Facebook to property listings by 15% by running 1 carousel ad and 2 local market spotlight posts per week.

Mistakes to Avoid:

• Being too vague ("get more followers")
• Setting unrealistic numbers without resources
• Skipping the "time-bound" element

💡Action step: Create 1–2 SMART goals for each platform, aligned to your business KPIs (leads, inquiries, brand awareness).

Best social media platforms for real estate: A realtor's guide

Not all platforms serve the same purpose — and trying to master all of them is a common mistake in real estate marketing. Instead, focus your efforts on the platforms that align best with your target audience, content style, and business goals.

Use the "Platform focus" sheet in our strategy template to analyse each platform based on:

• Audience demographics
• Strengths and limitations
• Content formats and performance potential

Platform breakdown for realtors

Instagram

• Great for visual storytelling
• Perfect for showcasing listings, property tours, lifestyle posts
• Strong engagement with Millennials and younger Gen X
• Leverage Stories, Reels, and Carousels for reach and engagement

Facebook

• Ideal for local community engagement and groups
• Versatile content options: video, long-form posts, live streams
• Effective for targeting a broad demographic and running paid ads

LinkedIn

• Useful for personal branding and professional credibility
• Great place to share market insights, testimonials, team highlights
• B2B relationships and investor networking

YouTube Shorts / TikTok

• Best for engaging short-form video content
• Showcase behind-the-scenes, home tours, "day in the life" content
• Engage a younger, mobile-first audience

Threads

• Emerging platform ideal for quick insights, local events, casual updates
• Great for community engagement and thought leadership

Bluesky

• New and decentralised platform gaining early traction with tech-savvy and privacy-conscious users
• Great for building thought leadership, sharing insights, and joining niche real estate discussions
• Ideal for establishing an early presence and testing short-form, text-first content
• Use to post updates, share blog links, and connect with trendsetters in digital real estate spaces

Google Business

• Essential for local SEO and appearing in “near me” searches
• Excellent for realtors targeting local visibility and driving traffic to their website or listings
• Post updates, open house events, reviews, and listings to improve rankings and attract leads
• Helps boost credibility and trust by maintaining a strong presence in Google Maps and search results

X (formerly Twitter)

• Fast-paced platform best for sharing market news, local updates, and quick tips
• Good for real-time engagement, especially during events, open houses, or news cycles
• Effective for establishing personal brand voice and networking with local businesses and media
• Use threads to expand on homebuying tips or share client stories with a narrative hook

Real estate social media content pillars: Creating a strategic content framework

A successful real estate social media strategy is built on strong content themes—these are your content pillars. They provide structure, ensure consistency, and help position your brand effectively across platforms.

Use the "Content pillars" sheet in the template to define your key themes. These are examples proven to work well in real estate:

1. Educational tips

• Purpose: Build trust and establish expertise
• Content ideas: How-to guides, mortgage tips, buying/selling timelines, FAQs
• Example post: *"5 mistakes to avoid when buying your first home"

2. Property spotlights

• Purpose: Promote listings and generate leads
• Content ideas: Video tours, just listed posts, open house announcements
• Example post: *"Tour this stunning 3-bed home with a garden in South London — link in bio."

3. Client testimonials

• Purpose: Build credibility and reinforce trust
• Content ideas: Quote graphics, before-and-after stories, video testimonials
• Example post: *"'We found our dream home thanks to [Agent Name]' — Sarah & Tom"

4. Community highlights

• Purpose: Connect with your audience on a local level
• Content ideas: Local events, business spotlights, neighbourhood guides
• Example post: *"Looking for the best brunch spot in [Neighbourhood]? We’ve got you covered."

These pillars align with content ratios such as:

• 50/30/20: 50% value-driven, 30% curated/community-based, 20% promotional
• 70/20/10: 70% known content types, 20% experimental, 10% direct sales content

How to create a real estate content calendar: Plan your posts for success

A strategy is only as effective as its execution — and that’s where a monthly social media content calendar comes in. It helps you maintain consistency, reduce last-minute stress, and keep your social media aligned with your goals and content pillars.

The "Monthly content calendar" sheet in our template is designed specifically for real estate professionals. It allows you to plan content across multiple platforms with fields for:

• Month & date: Know what’s going out when
• Platform: Identify where each post will appear (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
• Post type: Format of the content (Reel, Carousel, Story, Video)
• Pillar: Which of your core content themes it falls under
• KPI: What the content is trying to achieve (e.g. engagement, inquiries)
• Content type: Value-driven, curated, or promotional
• Content focus: Known, experimental, or promotional
• Content idea: A brief description of what the post will be about

Example Entry:

• Date: 9 May | Platform: Instagram Reels | Post Type: Video | Pillar: Property Spotlight | KPI: Inquiries | Content Type: Promotional | Content Focus: Promotional | Content Idea: Video walkthrough of new 2-bed flat in Shoreditch.

Why this works

• Keeps you consistent: Posting 3–4 times per week builds brand familiarity and engagement.
• Reduces stress: No more last-minute scrambles for post ideas.
• Improves performance: You can test different formats and track results more effectively.

Content balance

Use these proven frameworks to maintain variety:

• 50/30/20 Rule: 50% value-driven, 30% curated (community/news), 20% promotional
• 70/20/10 Rule: 70% known content types, 20% experimental (new formats), 10% pure sales

Bonus tips

• Batch your content: Schedule time each month to brainstorm and draft and schedule posts in bulk.
• Repurpose content: Turn a market update video into a carousel, story, and blog.
• Use tools: Scheduling platforms like Sendible help you maintain flow and track KPIs.

Measuring real estate social media success: Using a KPI decision tree

Once your content is live, the real work begins: measuring impact. Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) helps you understand what’s working, what needs tweaking, and how your social media supports your business goals.

The "KPI Decision Tree" in your template is a guided tool to help you select the most relevant metrics based on your goals. It asks questions like:

• Are you trying to build brand awareness?
• Is lead generation your priority?
• Do you want to track conversions or customer engagement?

Sample KPI scenarios for real estate:

If your goal is brand awareness:

• Reach (how many people see your content)
• Impressions (how often it’s displayed)
• Profile visits
• Follower growth

If your goal is lead generation:

• Link clicks to listings or contact pages
• Click-through rate (CTR) on ads or posts
• Direct messages and form submissions
• Cost per lead (for paid campaigns)

If your goal is trust and engagement:

• Saves and shares
• Comments and replies
• Testimonials or UGC (user-generated content) engagement
• Video completion rates

Best practices:

• Choose 2–3 KPIs per platform that match your goals.
• Track performance over time rather than post-to-post.
• Use a reporting tool or spreadsheet to log data weekly or monthly.
• Refine your strategy based on what your KPIs reveal (e.g. double down on content formats that drive the most engagement).

Pro Tip: Don’t measure everything. Focus on metrics that directly reflect your desired outcomes—and use those insights to make smarter, more strategic decisions.

Your one-page real estate social media plan: The strategy snapshot

After crafting all the parts of your social media strategy, it's crucial to bring them together in a single, accessible summary. The "Strategy Snapshot" sheet in our template acts as your one-page cheat sheet — a quick reference to keep your team aligned and your content focused.

What it includes:

• Target audience(s): A brief overview of your key segments and their top priorities.
• Goal(s): SMART goals summarised in a concise format.
• Top platforms: Your primary channels and why you’ve chosen them.
• Content pillars: Your core themes such as Educational Tips, Property Spotlights, Testimonials, and Community Highlights.
• Posting frequency: Your ideal weekly cadence per platform.
• Tools: Any software you use for scheduling, design, analytics, etc. (e.g. Sendible, Canva, Google Sheets)
• KPIs: Your main performance metrics (as chosen via the KPI Decision Tree).

Why you need it:

• Keeps your team aligned: Especially helpful when collaborating with agents, assistants, or external marketers.
• Saves time: Refer to it before planning content to ensure alignment with goals.
• Improves consistency: Stay on-message and on-brand across platforms and contributors.

Wrapping it up

Creating a real estate social media strategy isn’t just about staying active online—it’s about building a system that consistently attracts the right clients, showcases your expertise, and grows your business.

From auditing your current efforts and defining your ideal clients to planning content and tracking the right metrics, every part of the strategy plays a role in your long-term success.

The good news? You don’t have to build this from scratch.

🎯 Download the free Real Estate Social Media Marketing Plan Template and start putting your strategy into action today.

Whether you're managing your own brand or coordinating a team of agents, this editable toolkit gives you the structure, clarity, and inspiration you need to succeed on social.

Ready to grow your real estate presence online? Get the template, follow the steps, and turn your next post into your next client.