As 2024 winds down, we’re entering the time of year when every industry expert is forecasting the next big trends. Marketing in real estate is no different. While the influx of predictions can feel overwhelming, understanding the direction of these trends can give you an edge.

But to prepare for 2025, we must first unpack 2024—why certain trends unfolded the way they did and where they might lead.

Two years ago everyone was talking about the big trend of AI. Especially how it will change the SEO game. They’re still right—AI changes the SEO game. If we’re looking ahead, anyone who gives you a specific timeline for those changes would be lying. It could completely change the game in 12 months. It could be five years until people start using ChatGPT over Google. 

It’s too early to tell. Consumer behaviour is changing but not as fast as some think.

A long-term trend is that a completely SEO-focused approach could be in trouble. Anti-trust issues in the U.S. are forcing changes in Google and their products. Consumers, especially younger ones, have realized how much search engines can be manipulated. They are turning to Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and others to get their answers. 

If I said the trend for 2025 is a move away from Google, it would be dishonest. For 2025 it’s going to be as strong as it was in 2024 for those who know how to take advantage of it. A five-year horizon? What might SEO or Google Ads look like in the next decade? It could be completely different.

There are too many people turning to ChatGPT for answers for it to go unnoticed. It’s a trend worth watching in the long term. It has not yet changed consumer behaviour as it relates to real estate. Not enough to worry about yet.

For most of you, there are more impactful trends to consider.

So let’s talk about what you should focus on for 2025 from a marketing perspective.

 

AI-powered, not AI-centred

 

If I were you, I would not market myself as the AI Realtor. People don’t trust AI businesses as much. It’s impersonal, and for real estate, the personal touch makes a huge difference.

About ten years ago, e-signatures were finally allowed on paperwork in Ontario. I was running a paperless business so I started getting asked to do training sessions. So I travelled across the province teaching Realtors about going paperless.

The most common objection I heard? It would lead to Realtors not seeing their clients anymore in person. It would detract from the human element of being a Realtor. I argued that it would give you more time with your clients.

The same arguments started popping up with AI. The truth is it gives you more time with your clients. First-drafts are faster. Polishing of content happens faster. AI can do a lot of simple admin tasks on its own.

Your business should be enhanced by AI. This way you can spend more time doing what brings you business. Spending time with clients and potential clients. That’s who’s going to win next year, not those who advertise how much they use it to impress clients. It’s those who use it so they can spend more time with their clients. 

 

Discovery feeds

 

You can thank TikTok for this one. They made discovery feeds popular. The trend was there already but they kicked it into overdrive. It was a lot harder to get results from your content when only your followers would see them. Now your content can be in the feed of non-followers. This is why you need to leverage discovery feed-friendly content.

It can mean getting in front of people who don’t know you. More people will discover you exist and you can turn those people into clients.

Right now that means short-form videos via Instagram Reels or TikTok. They drive tangible results. You can get clients from them. Without having to do some gimmicky dance or sharing every detail of your personal life. 

If you want to get clients on social, without spending on ads, you need to leverage discovery feeds.

 

Welcome to the dark side

 

The dark side of social media is gaining steam. Not like the infamous dark web you hear about.

From a marketing perspective, the dark side of social is the part of social media you can’t see. It’s not happening in news feeds. People are sharing, talking and connecting more over private messages than ever before.

People don’t want everything happening for everyone to see. They like the privacy of direct messages. You should optimize your content to be something people will share in the DMs.

Think about how your content will drive those actions. 

Like with listings for example on Instagram, if you get zero shares, there’s a good chance you’re not getting the, “Look, honey! You should check this out.” reaction. You should always be aiming for the, “Look, honey!”

If you’re not getting it, adjust your approach.

 

Community-focused

 

The world is getting smaller. People are learning all the tricks to what happens online, and how marketers have ruined it, especially with AI content. So they’re going to their communities, where they know that nine times out of ten, the person behind the screen exists.

Local Facebook groups are often buzzing with activity. Joining and contributing can lead to a lot of business. Agents are also leaning into community in-person events more than ever especially after the pandemic people want that connection.

For big teams, host big community events. These can be big fun events like Cindy & Craig Real Estate do with their movies in the park. Don’t have the big database or the budget for a big event? Host intimate dinners with a handful of clients and referral partners.

Events don’t need to be big. Build a community, get people together, and be the hub of it. It will grow your business in 2025. Share what you’re doing online, people will want to join.

 

Moneyball your marketing

 

Taylor Hack and I have talked about this a lot on our podcast, The Leads Are Sh*t. If you want to get more business you should optimize everything you’re doing to get more clients. With the market on fire, most didn’t put that much thought into it. They rode the wave.

That’s why if you’re focusing on buyers, focus on ones with a house to sell. Increase the chances of getting a listing from them. Focus on investors who want to buy more than one property, not the odd one here or there over the years. 

In Hack’s business, Realtor.ca leads are turning into appointments at a better rate than PPC leads. How many of you are trying to optimize your listings for Realtor.ca? Have you considered the parts of your presence there and which parts you can control?

People searching on Realtor.ca also are less likely to have their own agent. Most Realtors move consumers to their MLS software-based search. If you’re leveraging your listings to get more clients, work on what you can control on Realtor.ca. Not for what they’d see through an MLS search set up by another real estate agent. 

People are closing deals there, but many are also leaving money on the table.

 

Fragmentation of the internet

 

This trend has been gaining steam. There’s no better example than the post-election rise of Bluesky. With X (formerly Twitter), many on the left side of the political spectrum have left. They say they don’t like the direction the platform is heading in. 

They’ve been flocking to Bluesky in droves. Bluesky, not Threads, is looking like the biggest threat to X right now. Threads didn’t embrace political content. That style of content drives a lot of engagement. Former X users weren’t getting that on Threads.

On Facebook, a lot of people only log in for Groups. They almost never post themselves but engage in groups. WhatsApp, Instagram, and others are doing broadcast channels through DMs. In other words, people are joining cliques more than ever. Private communities through Slack, Discord, Skool and more are popping up. 

Your job in 2025 is to find where your ideal clients are spending time and meet them there. Go where your audience feels comfortable and engage authentically.

 

Be helpful, not salesy

 

You don’t have to be pushy to get sales. You don’t have to be in their face all the time with aggressive offers. Sometimes you only have to be there and have their best interest at heart. 

This isn’t even a new trend, but as content ramps up more and more it’s becoming more pronounced than ever. People want a helpful advisor. Not slimy sales tactics. They want experts who know their stuff. Ones they believe are passionate about it. 

It’s okay to show you’re passionate about topics. Passionate about protecting your clients. About getting them results and helping them. Show your passion, show how you help.

Put yourself out there.

 

Non-marketing bonus trend

 

It has been a tough 18 months. Between REM and my marketing agency, Just Sell Homes, we’ve seen two very distinct approaches from Realtors:

1. Reactive: “Well, the market is unpredictable, I’ll see where we end up and be happy if we make it through.”
2. Proactive: “Let’s analyze where every dollar is going. Where our efforts are going. Let’s double down on what’s working, and be ruthless in cutting what’s not.”

The Realtors who are left standing are the ones tracking the numbers, analyzing the data, and making informed decisions. As I like to say, “Hoping to survive without a plan is shakier than a 50-year-old deck in a hurricane.”

I know what you’re thinking, “Andrew, that’s not a real expression”

You know what? Every expression started out as someone saying something a little weird.

 

Here’s to 2025

 

Whatever you’re doing, the focus should be on quality. What I was doing back when I got into the real estate industry as an agent hasn’t changed that much. Ten years ago, it was Facebook, Twitter and blogging. My approach has always been to create content that people will like.

Then I promote it on the different platforms I’m using in the way the platforms will like. That was true then ago, it’s true today, and it will be true 10 years from now. The key is knowing what makes good content, and how platforms want you to use them.

Help them reach their goals with users, and they’ll return the favour by putting you in front of more of them.

In the new year, focus on one or two trends that resonate with your business and execute them well. A clear, focused strategy will always beat trying to do it all.

I want to thank you for a great year of supporting us here at Real Estate Magazine. Looking forward to an even better 2025, we have a lot of big plans in the works and I’m excited for you to see them.