TikTok Tips from the Realtor With Over 1.2 Million Followers
Aaron Grushow’s Instagram stories featuring videos of property walk-throughs were such a hit with his followers that he thought: Why not use the wildly popular video-sharing app TikTok to post those same videos in a creative way?
“I had little knowledge of the platform, but I thought I could experiment with my real estate content to reach more people,” says the sales associate with Compass in Los Angeles.
His hunch was right. He posted two videos one night and woke up to tens of thousands of views. “I thought, ‘Oh, wow, I’ve really got something here,’” he says, adding that he posted two or three videos daily for the next 30 days and acquired 100,000 new followers.
Now, several months later, Grushow’s @aarongrushowhomes profile has amassed 1.2 million TikTok followers, more than 20 million likes and 110 million-plus total views.
“I never dreamed that would be possible,” he says. “Today, with less than a year in the business, I’m regarded as one of the most-followed Realtors ever across social media platforms.”
TikTok is all the rage with millennials and Gen Z, but the platform is much more than an app for creating lip-syncing videos and live-action memes, says Grushow.
In fact, TikTok has more than a billion users worldwide—74% are over the age of 25—and the average user spends about 52 minutes a day on the platform, according to TikTok’s stats.
“It’s in its early stages and the audience might not yet be optimal for real estate, but people said the same about Facebook and Instagram. I foresee TikTok becoming just as influential for marketing, building brands and generating leads.”
Here’s how he got started:
1. Get a feel for it
It’s easy and free to promote your business on TikTok, but there’s a technique to it. Grushow says he started scrolling and searching hashtags before posting his own videos.
“It’s important to know the proper use of hashtags and how to create engaging content, so people like, comment on and share your posts. It takes 10 seconds to film a property, another 10 seconds to open up the app and attach a song to it, and the results can be incredible.”
How Realtors Can Engage with Their TikTok Audience
2. Make it fun
The upside to TikTok, Grushow says, is that you don’t need professional-looking videos. The more down to earth and entertaining they are, the better. His videos typically feature his company’s luxury listings, but he occasionally posts a parody video. In one video set to rap music, his outfit gradually changes from a business suit and tie to shorts as the words “How Realtors look when … showing a property … writing an offer … offer accepted!” flash across the screen.
3. Cross-promote
Grushow says you’ll get the most out of TikTok by sharing the videos to your other social media accounts.
“I’ve gotten hundreds of YouTube subscribers by linking the accounts and posting snippets of my YouTube videos to TikTok, and people are coming to my LinkedIn all day long from TikTok.”
The platform’s algorithm is aimed at introducing users to new content every day, so it’s easier to reach a new audience of prospects with each post you make.
Grushow says it’s difficult to quantify how many TikTok leads actually turn into transactions.
“There’s no way to have serious conversations on the platform. You have to send them to your email, other social media accounts or your website. I’ve acquired contact info for more than 50 people, but the majority aren’t in my market—20% of my audience is in India and 15% is in the U.K. I post a lot of luxury content and have potential investment opportunities. I also helped two people from Germany secure a short-term lease and another from the U.K. secure a yearlong lease. They commented on my TikTok that they were coming to L.A. for work and looking for a rental, so I directed them to my Instagram, and we communicated via direct messaging.”
“If you’re not on TikTok, you’re missing out on potential leads,” Grushow says. “Kids and young adults will be buying homes in the coming years, and it’s cool to have something like this generating leads for me.”
Leslie C. Stone is a Vero Beach-based freelance writer.