Are Real Estate Agents Doing Things That Don’t Work Anymore?

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One of the most interesting things about real estate is how many agents continue doing things simply because “that’s how it’s always been done.”

Every year in our office, we do something called “the auction,” where agents earn points for production-related activities like listings, closings, and open houses. But agents can also earn points for social media activity — posts, videos, engagement, and similar marketing efforts.

Right now, one of the top point-earners in the company has over 8,600 points. That’s impressive… except for one thing:

I never see this person anywhere near the top producers in the company.

And that raises a legitimate question:

If all this social media activity is working so well… where’s the business?

Activity vs. Productivity 📱

I think the real estate industry has started confusing activity with productivity.

Agents are constantly told:

“You need to post more videos.”
“You need to stay visible online.”
“You need to do reels.”
“You need to build your brand.”

And while visibility absolutely matters, there comes a point where you have to ask:

Is this actually producing business?

Because getting views and getting closings are two completely different things.

Some agents spend hours every day creating content, editing videos, posting graphics, and chasing engagement, but after years of doing it, their production numbers haven’t changed.

At some point, you have to stop measuring likes and start measuring results.

The Real Disconnect: Conversion

This is where I think the biggest disconnect happens.

Some of these social media strategies do work to an extent. You can absolutely get views, followers, and engagement.

But what happens AFTER somebody watches the video?

That’s the real question.

Many agents know how to get attention, but they don’t know how to convert that attention into actual business.

And marketing is not the same thing as sales.

Getting somebody to watch a 30-second reel is easy compared to getting them to trust you with selling their home in Windermere, Winter Garden, or Ocoee.

That takes follow-up.
That takes communication.
That takes consistency.
That takes relationship-building.

The fortune is still in the follow-up.

Attention Without Conversion Is Just Entertainment

A lot of agents today are chasing vanity metrics:

Views.
Likes.
Shares.
Followers.

But consumers don’t hire agents because they made a trendy video.

They hire agents because they trust them.

That trust is usually built through actual interaction:

Phone calls.
Emails.
Text messages.
Checking in with past clients.
Answering questions honestly.
Being available when people need help.

Ironically, I think social media has made some agents less social in real life.

They spend so much time marketing online that they neglect the relationships already sitting in their own database.

Why I Constantly Pivot My Marketing

One thing I’ve learned after decades in real estate throughout Clermont, Apopka, Orlando, and Central Florida is that you have to constantly evaluate what’s actually working.

I’ve spent money on things that worked incredibly well.
And I’ve spent money on things that completely failed.

That’s business.

But you have to be able to track results and know when it’s time to pivot.

Personally, I’ve pulled back from a lot of social media because I couldn’t directly connect it to meaningful production relative to the amount of time involved.

But blogging, SEO, newsletters, and long-form content? That’s different.

I can directly see increased visibility from that. I can see stronger search rankings, more online traffic, and more exposure through platforms like ChatGPT and Google because detailed, searchable content actually makes sense to search engines and AI systems.