Ralph Mantica President at Ohio REALTORS | Official website
Ralph Mantica President at Ohio REALTORS | Official website
TikTok's potential ban by the U.S. government has caused concern among content creators and marketers, including those in the real estate sector. Glennda Baker, a real estate professional with over 870,000 followers on TikTok, expressed her anxiety about losing the platform she has used since 2020 to grow her visibility and business. "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," said Baker.
The U.S. government has raised national security concerns about TikTok, accusing its Chinese parent company ByteDance of misusing user data. While President Trump has temporarily kept TikTok operational, there are ongoing demands for ByteDance to sell to a U.S. firm.
Despite these challenges, only 15% of real estate agents use TikTok according to the National Association of REALTORS’ 2024 Technology Survey. More popular platforms include Facebook (87%), Instagram (62%), LinkedIn (48%), and YouTube (25%).
Baker shared that one significant lesson from the TikTok situation is the importance of capturing followers' email addresses. “My biggest regret was not understanding sooner to get the followers’ email addresses,” she said. She emphasized that social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok could be unreliable, highlighting the need for an independent means of communication with followers.
In response, Baker now offers special real estate guides through her social media platforms in exchange for email addresses from her followers. Additionally, she uses a universal hashtag "#GoogleGlennda" to maintain connectivity across various social media channels.
The uncertain future of TikTok underscores the need for exploring alternative video-sharing platforms. Cynthia Seifert from KeyLeads suggested that alternatives such as Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Snapchat Spotlight, and Facebook Reels can help real estate professionals diversify their audience reach while continuing to engage with short-form videos.
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