Growing a following on social media isn’t the same as being a good advisor, and opinions don’t always translate into effective expression, writes Jen Barbas.
I’m not at an age where social media was always around. My generation was early adopters of Facebook, and my first career was in finance, so I was on LinkedIn. That was all until I started thinking I might be missing something. Was this something that would exponentially grow our business?
what we tried
In January 2024, I took the plunge and enrolled in an Instagram class offered by a local agent. We learned how to include links in Reels, batch recording sessions, and even how to add captions and narration, all of which seem second nature to all 20-somethings these days.
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But what followed on my Instagram probably looked like a manic episode to anyone who didn’t know what I was up to. I went from rarely posting to sharing something every day, poring over giant spreadsheets of topics and ideas to come up with the next big thing.
After noticing how great my friend’s LinkedIn content was, I signed up for a 6-week program with her writing coach. As a result, we achieved some successes in the process and were able to rapidly expand into the framework we currently use.
One of our content pillars was “talking head” educational content. I knew I wanted more than just my iPhone, so I hired a professional videographer and editor. My hair and makeup was done, and I spray tanned myself with orange spray (what can I say? I made some mistakes).
All topics were pre-curated around issues such as data, process, due diligence, executive-level services, and economic events. This has provided us with some really polished content that we’re proud of, filling in the gaps between “normal” educational posts. Then I just started posting.
After all, just talking to consumers about what you’re passionate about won’t give you thousands of followers overnight…surprise!
Accidental Viral From Australia + Cat People
Nothing groundbreaking happened for 10 months, but we kept going, testing different ideas and recognizing how much time social media consumes.
We then photographed Lockhart’s remodeling project in December 2024. That night, without thinking too much, I posted a reel of me discussing the dining room wall with my brother (a builder) while we were removing wallpaper from the shiplap walls.
The next morning I was surprised. It recorded 800,000 views on the first day. This post has currently been viewed 3.1 million times. Interestingly, the nighttime timeline grew the most. So I went back the next week while the carpenter was here and took some more photos.
Finding a cupboard behind a mysterious cavity in the wall, repairing a pocket door, and finding an old chimney behind a ship’s wrap earned millions more views. We were definitely gaining momentum. Well, what is it?
The number of followers has increased a little, so I decided to check out those accounts. I quickly realized that there weren’t that many potential customers. No Austinites, no Chicagoans, no New Yorkers. But gaining huge support from cat-loving Australians explains its overnight growth. Those people didn’t align with our business goals unless I was opening a cat cafe in Sydney.
The difference between influence and expertise
For better or worse, I’m not going to be the kind of agent who walks around a pool of $10 million properties in a ballgown and posts it on social media. If that’s the agent people want, I’m happy to say they can look elsewhere.
In fact, some of the real estate agent influencers you see aren’t actually real estate agents. All they have to do is generate leads and provide them to their prospects.
I just hope that consumers understand that growing a following on social media is not the same as being a good advisor. These are two completely different skill sets, and viral content is not a competent representation when making the biggest financial decisions of your life.
What was our biggest lesson?
Growth for the sake of growth doesn’t make much sense. We happened to win the social media lottery, but it didn’t allow us to reach a new customer base. Efficiency is key. I spent my 2024 winter break in the Northwoods of Minnesota and wrote all of my 2025 content. AI was just coming into the masses and there were no problems. But the process we created that winter paid off in a big way. Using frameworks from organizational platforms (such as Notion), we can now easily create a year’s worth of content for LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok in just two highly focused weeks. Save your photos, B-roll, and text and always have them at your fingertips. Embrace the process. Our framework allows us to organize, write and collaborate effectively. By building on that framework, 2026 went smoothly. Everything in Q1 has already been created and scheduled without the help of AI. Write in large units of time. Write in chunks of time during the off-season. Once you start, it will flow easily. Don’t be afraid to reuse topics. If you have a topic you’re passionate about, create three or four posts and schedule them quarterly. No need to customize your messages for different platforms. The videos you create can be used across platforms. There is no need to create new content for each.
So for the rest of us who run thriving businesses but don’t have the desire to become social media influencers, how can we use these tools to support our businesses without ruining our lives?For us, the biggest and best use of social media is to show who we are and how we think while getting our message out while keeping us top of mind.
All of our accounts serve our current (and future) customers where they are. If you are authentic, people will remember you and understand the value you add as a real estate agent.
January is Social Media Month at Inman. Start the year with a deep dive into the most important platforms, the latest algorithm changes, the smartest strategies to stand out, and more. Additionally, we are rolling out the coveted Inman Power Player Award and the New York Power Brokers and MLS Innovators of the Year class.
Jen Barbas is a team leader at Barbas Group in Austin, Texas. Connect with her on Instagram and Linkedin.
