Ever thought of buying your house on Facebook?

Social media has become one of the most relevant tools for communication in the lives of Nigerians. There are currently over 65 million internet users in the country and more than 11.2 million of these are Facebook users.

These figures have given businesses, including those in the real estate sector robust, a reason to use social media as a way to promote and create awareness about their brand, properties and services.

According to research by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University in Katsina State, social media is playing an important role for sellers and buyers. With the help of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, real estate agents as well as property developers now have the opportunity to advertise and exhibit their properties to a wider audience. The researchers also found that social media platforms have a large influence on customers’ buying decisions.

By leveraging features such as hashtags and geo-targeting, agents and developers are able to target specific audiences more effectively based on their interests, location and age. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn have even given them the opportunity to advertise their properties to a specific target audience at lower costs than traditional “offline” channels.

According to Obi Ejimofo, Managing Director of leading property platform Lamudi: “The real estate business has historically been based on personal relationships between real estate agents and property seekers. The industry needs to see social media as nothing more than an extension of their traditional ways of networking, to create better relationships with their potential customers as well as an opportunity to generate more leads.”

Blogs and forums have also been a huge success for real estate agents and developers. Both platforms give those working in the real estate sector the opportunity to advertise, discuss and inform their customers about the properties they have to offer as well as established trust in their expertise.

“Within 6 months of launch, the Lamudi.com.ng blog became the most read real estate blog in Nigeria, simply because we showcased opinions and insights from across the sector.” said Obi Ejimofo.

Other than marketing brand and properties, real estate agents and property developers also have the opportunity to create and develop a meaningful relationship with their customers. With chat and message applications on social media platforms like Facebook chat, direct message on Twitter and Instamessage, real estate agents have the opportunity to communicate and receive instant feedback, complaints and reviews from their customers.