Josh Reese writes that if you want to generate real business from social media, you should stop treating it like a lead vending machine. Create content for people who already know you. Because that’s where conversions are most likely to occur.
It may sound backwards, but you shouldn’t create social media content to generate more real estate leads.
I know that goes against what most agents tell you. Post consistently, add hooks, run trends, go viral, and fill the top of the funnel. So did we. Not so long ago, we were creating tons of content with one goal in mind: It was about bringing in new people who had never heard of us before and pushing them into the lead generation ecosystem.
It worked fine on paper. I was able to reach it. I got a clue. We were able to have a conversation.
What we didn’t get was an easy conversion.
It was difficult to open up to them because they didn’t know who we were. They didn’t trust us. They weren’t emotionally connected to our brand, process, or reputation. So every lead felt like starting over and every follow-up felt like work.
That’s when we made the shift that changed everything.
Instead of creating content for strangers, we started creating content for people already in our database. We asked another question. Who is already there and what do they need to hear now?
Why databases are the most profitable lead source
Your territory, database, past customers, SOI, whatever you want to call it, this is the most profitable source of business in the real estate industry. Not because it’s the most exciting, but because it’s the cheapest to grow and the easiest to convert.
They already know you. They already have context. Even if they are not ready to trade today, they already have some confidence. That means you don’t need a huge pitch. Consistent relevance is required.
When you create content specifically for people who already know you, you’re not trying to gain their trust from the start. You’ll be reinforcing the trust that already exists, but that’s a whole different game.
Content changes that make this work
Here’s what changed in our process: We stopped thinking about how we could get more new leads from the internet.
We started thinking about what questions the people in our database were asking right now, what problems they were facing, and could we solve them with a simple video?
It could be a past customer who has an interest in your assets. It could be a friend who keeps repeating the hearing rating headline and gets confused. It could be a neighbor who has seen the house sitting for too long and doesn’t know what it means. It could be a buyer lead that fell silent six months ago because they felt overwhelmed.
If you create content for those people, it will become useful again. You will be top of mind again. And since they already know about you, your content will arrive faster.
How to use social media as designed
The best part is that you don’t lose the top of the funnel by doing this. Social media platforms are built to deliver content to people that resonate with them. If it finds your database useful, the algorithm will usually find strangers who also find it useful.
The difference is that you’re not trying to create content for strangers first. You create content for your users first and then let the platform do the rest.
This also fixes the biggest mistake agents make when it comes to social content. In other words, agents treat social content more like a billboard than a relationship tool. Signs are meant to attract strangers. Relationship tools aim to keep you present in the lives of people who already have a reason to choose you.
What does this look like in real life?
If you have a database of 500 people, you don’t need 1 million views. You need to repeat touchpoints with the same people over time.
Post short videos that answer frequently asked questions. Then send it directly to the 10 people in your database who want to apply it. Not as a sales pitch, but as a simple message that helps. You’re not selling, you’re providing a service, so a conversation that feels natural occurs.
Over time, it gets worse. People in your database will start associating you with lucid people. They forward your content. They answer with questions. When your colleagues mention moving, they think of you. When their cousin says they need an agent, they think of you.
That’s real lead generation, and it’s much more profitable than chasing uninterested strangers every day.
The real change is who you create for.
If you want to generate real business from social media, stop treating it like your primary vending machine.
Create content for people who already know you. Because that’s where conversions are most likely to occur. Then let the algorithm do the work and distribute it to new people who need the same clarity.
First, build the database. The lead continues.
Josh Ries is a real estate agent and lead generation consultant. You can connect with him on TikTok and Instagram.
