What the Recent Drama Over TikTok Can Teach You
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, Guest Contributor
TikTok has faced a ban from the U.S. government that is still playing out. Its left content creators and marketers—including those in real estate—scrambling.
Real estate pro Glennda Baker has more than 870,000 followers on TikTok. So as TikTok finds itself a target of the U.S. government—and still facing a possible ban—Baker was nervous of losing the following she’s been building on the popular social media platform since 2020.
“People had never heard of ‘Glennda Baker’ and may have never thought of following real estate advice—but TikTok gave me visibility and allowed me to give them value,” says Baker, an associate broker with Glennda Baker + Associates, Inc., in Atlanta. Baker’s tell-it-like-it-is real estate videos helped her expand her outreach and real estate business. (One of her recent videos about homeowners associations garnered more than 2,000 comments alone.) In the past, she’s attributed her TikTok fandom as helping her to earn six-figures in gross commission income in one year.
But TikTok is under threat. U.S. officials have claimed it poses a national security threat, accusing the Chinese parent company, ByteDance, of misappropriating user and advertiser data. President Trump has intervened to bring TikTok back online—at least for now—while it continues to get sorted out and calls for ByteDance to sell to a U.S. firm continues.
Only about 15% of real estate agents nationwide say they use TikTok in their real estate business, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2024 Technology Survey. That’s a smaller portion than those who use Facebook (87%), Instagram (62%), LinkedIn (48%) and YouTube (25%).
But regardless of which channel you use, Baker says the TikTok drama has taught her an important lesson moving forward: Always be sure to capture email addresses of your social media followers.
“My biggest regret was not understanding sooner to get the followers’ email addresses,” Baker says. “That way, if your Instagram account ever gets hijacked or suspended or TikTok ends, it doesn’t matter.” You’ll still have your followers’ emails to move forward. “You don’t own Facebook, X, Instagram or TikTok,” she adds. “There is so much value in being able to contact [your followers] from a source of your own.”
That has emerged as a big focus for her now. Across her social media platforms, she’ll offer her followers special real estate guides filled with homebuying and selling tips to help them in their journey. Followers share their email address—and she sends them the complimentary guides.
Baker also has embraced using a universal hashtag across her social media profiles—“#GoogleGlennda.” The hashtag can help her followers find her on other platforms—and wherever their preferred platform is.
Short-Form Video Alternatives
The power of video in marketing has been well-documented. Cynthia Seifert, founder of KeyLeads, a lead generation tool for real estate professionals, says TikTok may have helped real estate pros engage younger audiences, while also building their personal brand, showcasing property tours and offering up localized marketing. Regardless of what happens to TikTok, “exploring alternative platforms will allow agents to continue creating engaging video continue while diversifying their audience reach,” Seifert says.
Whether it’s delivering short-form videos that offer quick tips on mortgages and home inspections, housing market trends or localized neighborhood information, here are some social media alternatives you might explore in widening your reach:
- Instagram Reels:Short-form videos that can be shared on Instagram. Reels can be 15 to 90 seconds in length. Public account users can make their Reels available to a wider Instagram audience in Explore.
- YouTube Shorts:Short-form videos can be up to 60 seconds in length and shared on YouTube.
- Snapchat Spotlight:Short-form videos can be shared among Snapchat users. Videos are typically between five and 60 seconds long.
- Facebook Reels:A short-form video platform, similar to Instagram Reels, but videos are usually 60 seconds long. Users can customize who can see their content.
Melissa Dittmann Tracey
ABOUT ME:
Melissa Dittmann Tracey is an award-winning journalist who covers the latest real estate news and trends. You can hear her weekly on the syndicated radio show and podcast, Real Estate Today, in her housing trends segment, “Hot or Not?” She is the creator of the Styled, Staged & Sold blog and a frequent contributor to Houselogic.com and REALTOR Magazine. She’s also the host of The Housing Muse podcast at http://www.housingmuse.com. Follow her on Instagram or X @housingmuse.
