Using TikTok as a marketing strategy is a debatable subject. A lot of real estate professionals still believe that the platform is populated by Gen Z’ers sharing goofy dances. And what about the controversy surrounding explicit content and legal battles with China? Like most popular things, TikTok has had its name in headlines for years. However, we can’t deny that it’s a lucrative tool for professionals to increase online reach and generate leads. TikTok is especially handy for real estate agents, as it prioritizes the content it feeds you based on your geographic location. That means your videos will make their way straight to your target audience – those who live in your market! Wanna know how to use this social media phenomenon to your advantage as an agent? Read on for 5 tips on how to generate leads with TikTok.
Hook them fast
The main thing that separates TikTok from other social media platforms is the algorithm’s attention span.
Basically, you must retain a 70% watch rate for the first three seconds of your video. That is the average time that people are willing to give your video a chance, and if you fall below that mark, TikTok will start down-ranking you, making it harder to get the views you need. This means that you need to grab peoples’ attention in those first three seconds. The trick here is to capture curiosity. Pose a question or toss out a statement that people will feel the need to know more about.
Post frequently
If you want to break out on TikTok and start amassing followers quickly, there are some rules of thumb to follow. For ideal engagement, post every day, 3 times a day, within specific time windows. This may seem excessive, but it’s what gets the TikTok algorithm to start prioritizing your videos to the right people. You don’t need to keep this up forever, but it’s important to do when getting started on the app. Pro tip: plan ahead by pre-recording plenty of content ahead of time. It’s important to consider that the times in which you post are equally as key as how often you’re posting. Never post more than one video within the same hour and keep them in these windows: 11am-1pm, 3pm-5pm and 7pm-9pm. How long should a good TikTok post be? A wise strategy is to use the recommended three daily posts to experiment with different post lengths, tracking which get the most traffic. Using your three time slots, post one video of each of these lengths: 7-15 seconds, 21-34 seconds and 1 minute-1:15.
Repurpose existing content
When it comes to creating your own content, a good place to start is the content you already have. Presuming that you already make video content for your property listings, you already have material that you could edit to suit TikTok. You could also repurpose existing content from other platforms such as Instagram or YouTube – any content that you think would make a great TikTok video can and should be leveraged. If property showcase videos exceed the maximum 3 minute TikTok limit, edit different sections down to create multiple videos, giving your audience bite-size tasters of your property listings.
Keep it real
One of the unique things about TikTok is that its users expect and enjoy authenticity over curated and edited
content. This means that you needn’t be a natural performer or speaker to do well – just be willing to let loose and have fun. If you are a little camera shy, this is the perfect platform for you. On TikTok, quirky content is not only the norm but expected and enjoyed by its users. If you’re a natural on camera, great – feel free to chat and perform away. But, if you’re a little less confident, there are many ways to create engaging content without you being under the spotlight. For example, many realtors upload content that features the key messages in text blocks as opposed to speaking directly into the camera. You can also shoot a video of you pointing to text boxes and then add them afterward when you edit the content ready for upload. As soon as you take the time to watch a variety of current content, you will see how varied it is, and the ideas will start to flow.
Leverage TikTok trends
The TikTok culture is one of constantly evolving trends in audio, humor, style, dancing and more. For example, you’ve likely come across TikTok videos featuring users miming to random audio clips – anything from movie or TV scripts to song lyrics. The app is so audio-driven that many audios go through a period of trending. When an audio clip is trending, you will likely hear it multiple times from many users on your feed. Some of these trending audios get millions of views every day, much like a trending hashtag on Instagram. So while you can upload silent content to TikTok, it’s in your best interest to get on board with audio trends. Finding a way to include whatever is trending into your real estate content is key to growing your audience further. The point of leveraging TikTok is to use the nature of the platform to broaden the way you reach and engage with potential clients, so don’t be afraid to get creative!
Are you on TikTok yet? If not, are you feeling inspired to give it a try as part of your real estate marketing strategy? Let us know your thoughts, questions and concerns in the comments below!
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