Despite highly publicised court proceedings over data breaches resulting in the start of a wave against social media in general, the tech giant is currently dominating the UK social media sphere, closely followed by Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram ranking as the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th most used networks.
Facebook has by far the largest user base, with over 30 million people in the UK actively using the site and 45% using it several times a day. Flint reports that a higher percentage of the UK’s online females use Facebook compared to males (84% vs 73%) and it’s slightly more popular in urban areas than rural (80% vs 75%).
The platform is most favoured by 23-37 year olds, with a recent IPSOS Mori survey finding that 80% of respondents within the age bracket use the platform regularly.
Ben Davis, CEO of PropertyHeads.com comments: “Estate agents have been relatively slow to embrace Facebook, but other location centric property related businesses have jumped in with both feet. Search any local group on Facebook and we estimate a very significant posts are property-related, tradesmen in particular are engaging with these groups to win new business.
Social media is so important for agents, particularly when it comes to attracting vendors and landlords. It’s true that the traditional portals do a very solid job in terms of delivering buyer and tenant enquiries, but they don’t facilitate the level of engagement between agents and vendors/landlords that would allow agents to put themselves front and centre, when these guys decide to come to market. This is where Facebook and indeed other social networks including PropertyHeads – come in. Posting informative local property market content on their feeds and engaging with local home movers in social network groups, has a very powerful effect on the public’s perception of an estate agent at the branch level.
Facebook’s recent partnership with Zoopla and OnTheMarket to list rental properties in their MarketPlace will grow their influence on the UK home mover market. Those agents embracing social media now will find it easier to establish relatively broader contact networks and in doing so, will create a lasting asset for their business.
However a word of caution for those agents planning their next blockbuster Facebook ad campaign. The enormous breadth of Facebook’s audience can also be an issue. Agents can waste thousands of pounds on adverts that are seen by people either with no interest in their service, or those that will certainly not appreciate their post popping up in between photos from their recent Saturday night out and the latest, must-view cat video.
Also Facebook and other very large social networks use algorithms to severely restrict the number of your contacts that get to view your content, so it can be a time drain, as well as a money pit.
PropertyHeads.com is the only social network dedicated to property matters. We empower estate agents to win new instructions and sell more homes, by enabling them to maintain control of their brand by networking with their clients directly, posting content and managing buyer and vendor enquiries. And because we’re The Property Social Network, we value agents’ content, if you post on our social network, you can guarantee all of your contacts have the opportunity to engage with your post.”
