Social Media Trends & Tips for Real Estate Marketers

By Philip Brown, Field Marketing Specialist, Northern NJ & NY

We’re lucky to have a fantastic social media team here at Coldwell Banker that provides agents with great tools, content, and support. But I also spend a lot of time in the field, watching what’s working and what’s not across platforms. I wanted to break down some of the trends I’ve been seeing firsthand — so you can take these insights and apply them to your own social strategy.

Think of this as a boots-on-the-ground perspective to complement the resources we already have available. And remember: if you ever need help, our social team is here to support you!

What’s Catching Attention on Social

Instagram

Real Over Refined
Audiences are leaning into content that feels genuine. Videos captured on your phone — spontaneous and unfiltered — are outperforming polished, studio-style productions. It’s a great reminder that authenticity builds trust.

Quick Tip: Instagram now lets you easily reshare posts with a new feature that doesn’t require captions or edits. Just tap the icon next to the comment bubble to repost in seconds.

TikTok

Build Suspense
Short videos that tease a surprise — like a jaw-dropping price or a quirky home feature — are pulling in more views. Hooks like “Wait until you see the backyard!” or “Guess how much this home costs?” are great ways to spark curiosity and keep people watching.

Quick Tip: TikTok is limiting hashtags to five, but I’ve found that using just two or three works best. Instead of overloading your caption, weave keywords into your text and visuals to help with discoverability.

Facebook

Keep It Casual
Just like Instagram, Facebook favors content that feels natural. Videos filmed on your phone — even the same ones you post on Instagram — tend to get better engagement than highly edited clips.

Quick Tip: Link your Instagram and Facebook accounts to automatically share posts across both platforms. It’s a simple way to double your reach without doubling your workload.

Highlight the Human Side
Posts that celebrate people — team wins, personal milestones, community involvement — consistently outperform listing-focused content. LinkedIn is all about relationships, so use it to showcase the people behind the business.

Quick Tip: Scheduling tools make it easy to plan ahead. Pull from blog posts, client testimonials, or recent achievements to keep your feed active and engaging.

⚠️ Watch Out for These Common Pitfalls

Don’t Get Too Comfortable
Social media is always evolving. What works today might not work next month. Stay flexible, experiment with new formats, and keep an eye on what’s trending in your feed. Being an active consumer of content helps you stay ahead of the curve.

These insights are meant to help you fine-tune your social strategy and connect more effectively with your audience. If you ever want to brainstorm ideas, create visuals, or build out a content calendar, I’m here to help.

Let’s keep your social presence fresh, authentic, and impactful.