A PropTech supplier is warning lettings agents that they risk being outpaced by competitors if they neglect social media.

Craig Vile, director of The ValPal Network, says the Covid-19 pandemic saw an explosion of social media usage and platforms including TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

He suggests that agents who joined social media early on have grown a firm following and become adept at navigating these platforms to grow business, build reputations, share content, and appear authoritative.

Vile comments: “Although it is difficult to predict which social media platforms will be present in five years, agents mustn’t shy away from them.

“Historically, those who have adapted to changes early on have been able to reap the most benefits. Meanwhile, those who are afraid of change and solely focus on old methods are the ones likely to get left behind.”

He adds: “Social media can be used to help drive leads, draw interest to agencies by increasing brand awareness and allow for instant engagement. It’s also a fantastic way to paint yourself as an authority on a subject by linking to well-researched blogs and tweeting top tips.”

Vile argues that social media platforms allow agents to tap into a new market of prospective clients, especially from the younger generations.

He cites a number of successful case studies.

One is James Property (@jamesproperty_), a successful TikTok and Instagram property investment content creator with over 300,000 TikTok followers and videos wining 7.1 million views. Meanwhile, That Property Guy has nearly 500,000 followers on TikTok and 6.6 million likes.

There’s also video creator Aaron Vankampen who has 200,000 followers on Instagram, 5.7m TikTok followers, 1.2m Snapchat followers and more than 130,000 YouTube subscribers, for videos where he interviews and tours the homes of successful people.

Vile continues: “Making an account and churning out the same old content is simply not enough when it comes to generating leads and creating a real impact. Instead, social media requires consistency, innovation and invention, as well as a solid, thought-through strategy.”

“Agents should always use social media to offer value to prospective clients and, like with everything you do, it should be value first, brand second.”

*The ValPal Network is a product of Angels Media, publisher of Letting Agent Today and other Today titles