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Every week on Trending, digital marketer Jessi Healey dives into what’s buzzing in social media and why it issues for actual property professionals. From viral tendencies to platform modifications, she’ll break all of it down so what’s value your time — and what’s not.
TikTok is popping livestreams into severe gross sales, YouTube desires creators to double down on Shorts, and Meta is — not so quietly — reshaping Fb right into a reels-first platform whereas confirming what we’ve all suspected: Hyperlinks in captions kill attain.
Add in Apple’s iOS overhaul, which modifications how your shoppers even see and kind your content material, and it may really feel overwhelming with how briskly the platforms are transferring — and never at all times in a route that helps actual property brokers.
Should you’ve been counting on the identical posting habits or content material codecs, that is your cue: It’s time to adapt. Whether or not it’s a brand new algorithm push, one other privateness misstep or a shift in video technique, one factor stays true: The platforms make the principles, and so they’ll rewrite them with out warning.
The excellent news is, it’s by no means too late to adapt; you’re simply in time for the following shift.
TikTok Store gross sales soar as livestream shopping for grows
TikTok Store is gaining severe traction within the U.S., with a 120 p.c year-over-year gross sales enhance and greater than 70 million merchandise now out there in-app. Based on TikTok, 76 p.c of customers who engaged with TikTok Store made a purchase order through livestream previously 12 months, and 83 p.c found a brand new product by this channel.
Prime classes embrace womens put on, magnificence, well being, sports activities gear and electronics. Greater than 171,000 small companies at the moment are promoting by TikTok Store, and creators have hosted over 8 million hours of reside purchasing.
To keep up momentum, TikTok is introducing new vendor instruments, together with a particular promotion and marketing campaign.
What this implies for brokers
Livestream content material is fueling discovery and conversion, not simply leisure. Actual property professionals testing TikTok ought to take note of how creators clarify worth in real-time, have interaction straight with viewers and use storytelling to drive motion.
Even should you’re not promoting merchandise, you’re promoting experience. Assume walkthroughs, market updates and Q&As — reside.
YouTube pushes deeper into short-form purchasing and model offers
YouTube is betting large on creators — and shoppable content material — with a batch of recent instruments designed to spice up engagement and model partnerships.
First up: Buying in Shorts is getting an improve. As a substitute of the small banner within the nook, tagged merchandise will now seem as outstanding stickers you’ll be able to transfer across the display. Early assessments present a 40 p.c enhance in product clicks with the brand new format, particularly when utilized in livestreams or high-interest Shorts.
In the meantime, YouTube’s Communities characteristic is rolling out to extra creators, providing a devoted area for viewers interplay past the remark part. Consider it as a built-in dialogue board with sorting choices like “Prime Posts” and “Latest,” plus visibility boosts for high quality content material.
And in an effort to make influencer-brand offers extra accessible, YouTube’s new Open Name system permits manufacturers to publish partnership briefs that creators can apply to. This shift offers creators — no matter dimension — extra alternative to pitch themselves for paid collaborations.
What this implies for brokers
Take notes on how YouTube is mixing visibility, neighborhood and monetization. Strive experimenting with short-form video that features robust visible storytelling and refined product placement (Assume: neighborhood perks, not simply listings). And don’t sleep on the ability of viewers connection — remark threads and neighborhood posts can construct belief simply as a lot as video views.
Meta’s AI missteps increase privateness issues as Fb doubles down on reels
As Meta pushes ahead with new AI instruments and video options, it’s going through severe backlash over unintentional knowledge publicity on its chatbot platforms. Customers interacting with Meta AI — pondering they’re having non-public conversations — have unintentionally shared deeply private content material to public feeds, together with medical questions, non-public journey plans and even cellphone numbers.
Regardless of Meta’s disclaimer that posts are solely public when shared, the UI and consumer confusion recommend a design subject, not simply consumer error.
On the identical time, Fb is streamlining all video uploads into its Reels format — eradicating the excellence between conventional movies and reels totally. There are not any size limits, and creators will get entry to the identical enhancing instruments throughout the board. The Video tab is being renamed to Reels, and viewers settings are being unified to assist customers higher handle who sees what.
What this implies for brokers
There’s a transparent hole between what platforms intend and what customers perceive. Make certain your content material — particularly something AI-assisted — is clearly reviewed and deliberately shared. And should you’re utilizing Fb for neighborhood constructing, the shift to all-video-as-reels could possibly be a possibility.
Longer itemizing movies, walkthroughs and shopper testimonials can now get the identical algorithmic push as short-form clips, so don’t be afraid to experiment throughout video lengths.
Meta confirms what entrepreneurs suspected: Hyperlinks in captions harm attain
Social media managers have lengthy debated one of the best place to place a hyperlink on Fb — within the caption or the primary remark. Now, Meta is quietly confirming what most already suspected: Hyperlinks within the publish physique can harm efficiency. New post-level insights in Fb’s Skilled Dashboard recommend that inserting your hyperlink within the first remark would possibly assist maximize attain.
It’s a refined however essential shift for brokers who depend on Fb to drive site visitors to listings, blogs and lead types. Based on Meta’s personal “Extensively Considered Content material Report,” 97.3 p.c of U.S. publish views go to updates that don’t embrace a hyperlink to an outdoor website. Should you’re nonetheless dropping hyperlinks in your caption, you might be limiting your publicity.
What this implies for brokers
Rethink the way you share listings and lead-gen hyperlinks. Skip the default hyperlink drop and lean into visuals, captions that drive curiosity and first-comment hyperlinks. Check the efficiency of those approaches — small modifications may end in considerably extra views from potential consumers and sellers.
Professional tip: Let Fb generate the hyperlink preview, then delete the URL out of your caption. Or strive posting a high-quality picture and dropping the hyperlink within the first remark — a tactic utilized by top-performing Pages. It requires extra handbook effort, however may result in extra eyeballs in your content material. Brokers ought to check each strategies to see which will get essentially the most traction.
iOS 26 redesign and AI options will change how shoppers expertise your content material
Apple’s latest iPhone replace isn’t nearly aesthetics — it’s a serious shift in how your shoppers work together with content material, communication and even your listings. With iOS 26, Apple introduces a placing new design, AI-powered options and seamless app integrations that may influence how brokers present up in shoppers’ digital lives.
The largest shift: Apple Intelligence — a set of AI instruments constructed into the iPhone — allows smarter message translation, reside summaries, and real-time solutions that improve communication. Which means your itemizing updates, shopper check-ins and displaying reminders could possibly be filtered or flagged in another way primarily based on what the AI prioritizes.
Apple’s new design additionally locations extra give attention to visible content material by dynamic widgets and full-screen net flows, that means your mobile-optimized website, photos and movies have to be sharper and extra partaking than ever.
Messages and Cellphone apps now display unknown contacts by default, and new structure modifications would possibly bury much less related interactions. In case your follow-ups aren’t clearly personalised, they might get misplaced. Apple Maps now affords encrypted “Visited Locations,” which could possibly be a gold mine for retargeting — or a problem, relying on privateness settings.
And with video now much more immersive throughout Safari and CarPlay, actual property brokers must assume that consumers are watching itemizing movies, walkthroughs and branding content material on the go.
What this implies for brokers
The best way your shoppers work together together with your model on iPhone simply modified. Don’t let their first impression be your final — it’s time to audit your cellular presence, messaging technique and visible property for the brand new Apple normal.
TL;DR (Too Lengthy, Didn’t Learn)
- TikTok Store is booming with livestream gross sales up 120 p.c. Watch how creators use real-time engagement to transform — it’s a mannequin for value-driven, interactive content material.
- YouTube doubles down on Shorts and creator instruments. New purchasing stickers, open model offers and expanded neighborhood options level to deeper engagement alternatives.
- Meta’s AI raises privateness purple flags as consumer confusion results in unintentional public posts. In the meantime, all Fb video is now Reels — a serious shift with algorithmic upside.
- Fb confirms it: Hyperlinks harm attain. Transfer your hyperlinks to the primary remark, or delete them after preview era to enhance visibility.
- Apple’s iOS 26 redesign means shoppers will see your content material in another way. AI filters, enhanced video and mobile-first design demand sharper, extra strategic communication.
Options come and go, algorithms shift, and what labored final month would possibly tank tomorrow. However right here’s what doesn’t change: The best way you present up in your shoppers.
You don’t must chase each replace or hop on each development. You simply want to know what instruments are on the market, how individuals are really utilizing them, and the way that traces up with the best way you do enterprise.
Maintain displaying up with readability, keep nimble together with your technique, and keep in mind — the true energy isn’t within the platform. It’s in how you utilize it.
Jessi Healey is a contract author and social media supervisor specializing in actual property. Discover her on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, or Bluesky.
