RPR Releases Its Social Media and Digital Marketing Survey

Realtors Property Resource (RPR) announced the results of its December 2021 Social Media and Digital Marketing Survey. The report includes survey responses from over 1,200 REALTORS who use social and digital media in their marketing efforts.

This bi-annual measuring stick, with results in 2017 and 2019 to use as a comparison, provides a snapshot of how social media is utilized and implemented by independent real estate marketers. The goal is to provide REALTORS® with insight on trends and shifts when it comes to how agents are using social media in their marketing mix.

One of the most revealing facts taken from the study is the change in usage of social media websites and digital applications. For example:

• While still the most used, Facebook has gone from 93.60% usage in 2017 to 78.47% in 2021
• Instagram has grown the most, from the No. 5 spot in 2017, 29.06%, to No. 2 in 2021 with 49.84%
• LinkedIn usage has dropped dramatically, from the No. 2 spot, 57.14% in 2017, to third with 26.43%
• YouTube has held steady: 21.69% in 2017, 21.69% in 2019, and 19.33% in 2021
• Twitter has been almost fully marginalized out of the social media world, with 30.05% usage in 2017, compared with 6.12% in 2021
• TikTok, the emerging new kid on the block, makes it debut with 6.53% usage in 2021, compared to zero percent in the previous years

Another interesting statistic is that video is becoming steadily more popular as a format with social media marketing. 21.18% of respondents used video in 2017, while 23.15% did in 2019. The number has jumped to 30.34% with the current survey. This correlation adds up when you consider that YouTube has held its ground, while Instagram and TikTok have grown. Video posts are simply more interesting, more engaging and more entertaining than static photos or graphics, and these three platforms were made for video content and sharing.

"As housing markets change, so does marketing, including social and digital media. Some become stale and overused, while others such as Instagram and TikTok, and video in general, gain more popularity and footing," said Reggie Nicolay, RPR® vice president of marketing. "This survey is a perfect example of how agents need to stay current on social media trends so they can get their message in front of the right targets."

An additional key finding is that social media outcomes (numbers) for awareness, referrals and leads (buyer and seller) were strong in 2017 and 2019, but all three took a dramatic drop in 2021. There could be many reasons for this, including social media blindness/wear out, and the changes in privacy causing ad targeting not to be as effective. However, the most likely explanation falls squarely on the pandemic. In the beginning of 2020, numbers fell off the table for a while due to lockdowns and safety measures. Then, when the pandemic housing rebound occurred (and still is to some degree), inventory dropped to extremely low levels, which explains how referrals and leads declined so much.

View the full survey results here.