Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Do real estate TikTok ads work? How do you advertise on this popular social platform to drive leads and potential sales? Let's take a look at some of the particularities that differentiate TikTok from other social media networks.
TikTok is a social media platform preferred mainly by young people - or Generation Z - this means users aged between 10 and 29. They accounted for about 47.4% of the network's overall user database in the USA in March 2021. But, of course, the percentage of users in their 20s who would buy a home is low. Still, there are enough interested in rentals, so real estate professionals in this niche can use TikTok to reach them.
The rest of TikTok's users - about 43% - are aged 30 and older, according to Statista, and they are the right demographic of real estate buyers.
If you were curious, there are one billion TikTok users globally as of September 2021 - a 45% jump since July 2020. So the TikTok trend is growing. But is it there to stay?
It's loud, annoying, repetitive, and childish. My guess is no, TikTok will not last, and I was never wrong concerning digital trends. Someone will buy it and transform it into something else in a couple of years. However, right now, not using TikTok in your digital marketing strategy is a mistake.
Also, just in case you did not know it by now, TikTok comes from China, where it is known as Douyin and is owned by Chinese conglomerate ByteDance. Note that ByteDance's headquarter is in the Cayman Islands - an offshore tax haven of sorts, currently subject to strict global reforms.
There are enough success stories to attest that TikTok has the potential to drive leads and sales for real estate agents. For example, just this April, Nourmand & Associates luxury real estate agent Rochelle Maize used TikTok to promote a $5.3 million house, and she keeps on uploading innovative clips via @rochellemaizeluxury. Here's one of the most recent ones:
@rochellemaizeluxury How’s this for a backyard! ? #RoOnRobert #rochellemaize #9021Ro #beverlyhills #fyp ♬ Originalton - Alicia Ashanti
Rochelle is not the only realtor with an innovative take on promoting real estate on TikTok. Other agents and real estate companies include:
@mnhomes Ask a question in the comments!! #realestate #realtoroftiktok #firsttimehomebuyer #experiment #minnesota #fyp ♬ Viva La Swing aka #SandoTwist by @Abiud_Sando - Mingaling 2.0
@vanvoorhis_mnrealtor Have you fallen for this Real Estate myth too? Head to the link in my bio for more info #Realestate #mnrealtor #realtortips #realestatemyths ♬ original sound - Matt Van Voorhis
@melindalynn1234 help me decide, would you choose A or B? #showercurtainart ♬ Sleep Walk - Santo and Johnny
@heider_realestate On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate this backyard at night? ? #mansion #estate #poolgoals #landscaping ♬ Praise God - Kanye West
@bridgettemhdz How to get the best deal during this time ? #dallasapartments #dallasrealestate #texasrealestate #dallaslovelist ♬ original sound - bridgettemhdz
@chernovteam Pacific Palisades new construction ???! What would you do with all this space?? Wait to check out that FULL Guest house ? #chernovteam #newconstruction #modern #pacificpalisades #propertytour #luxuryproperty #housetour #housetour #realestatetiktok #realestateagent ♬ Sweet Dreams - Trinix
The list could go on and on. But, as you see from the few examples above, TikTok works for realtors. Some use it for branding to grow their online social reputation and personas. In contrast, others are more sales-oriented and introduce outstanding properties buyers can dream about.
There are no rules set in stone on using TikTok for real estate sales, but to get views and likes, use trending sounds and #hashtags and create short, fun videos or add unexpected tips and moves. Of course, smile a lot because TikTok is all about having fun and not taking life seriously. However, provide valuable insights real estate buyers need to know. Whatever your style, there is only one rule you must remember and follow: TikTok is not a sales platform but an entertainment channel of sorts. Sales and leads are fortunate side effects.
There's no "how to set up real estate TikTok ads" article available just yet, so go with "I saw it on Realty Biz News first" to make us feel special. Joking aside, this is the kind of message that works on TikTok - because it has a sort of tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic quality the network's users seem to love.
When you set up real estate ads on any network and even Google ads, you must research first. Due diligence goes a long way, but how do you do it on an infant social network? First, you use a third-party site for research.
PiPiAds (as unfortunate as this name is - I tend to read it "peepeeads") is one of the best. A free trial search is enough to give you the data you need to start. However, the paid options are insanely pricey compared to what's available for other social networks. In all honesty, PiPiAds is not worth it for realtors unless the purpose of the ad is likes, views, or followers. However, before we dig deeper, here are some of the reasons why you could (and probably should) use real estate TikTok ads:
Once you know why you want to create an ad on TikTok and what you want to achieve, you can get started.
You must have a business profile for this to work. Set it up.
After customary fields concerning your business details (name, address, phone number, VAT), the platform will display a screen allowing you to choose from two types of ads: simplified or custom. Choose custom. You want to have some control over whatever you publish.
Then, you get to set up your advertising objectives: reach, traffic, app installs, video views, lead generation, or conversions.
Keep on setting up your real estate TikTok ads by defining the settings in the ad group: your predefined audience type or other ads based on location, gender, age limit (generally speaking, you will want to target TikTok users aged 29 or older for sales and the younger audiences for rentals), spoken languages, interests, and behavior on TikTok (like video interactions, creator interactions, device, connection type, and operating system).
Set up your budget, schedule, optimization, and bidding goals, and let the system work it all out for you when you are done. If you rock a small budget, go for "lowest cost" in building and optimization, and you are ready to roll.
They have an "ads manager" featuring all the braggy information they want you to know:
"The extent to which consumers find ads on TikTok fun and entertaining is currently the single most differentiating feature in the global media landscape. Given this, it makes sense that over 3 in 4 global marketers plan to increase their media spend on TikTok in 2022." — Duncan Southgate, Director, Media, Insights, Kantar.
There is no mystery there: "TikTok Ads Manager provides you two budgeting options: daily or lifetime." You can change your budget throughout your campaign, and the system will not spend more. To ensure that your ads have a sufficient budget, the minimum budget at the campaign level is $50, and the minimum budget at the ad group level is $20."
So, begin experimenting with real estate TikTok ads and see how they work for your business. Unfortunately, TikTok currently only supports video ads. In addition, ad placements are not available in all locations - some restrictions apply, and you can see them listed here.
