When many of us think about the classic responsibilities and tasks that estate agents are associated with – ranging from marketing properties to arranging viewings and negotiating deals – it might seem that so much about this sector is inherently “face-to-face” in nature. This raises the question in 2025: to what extent is the typical estate agency still a “brick-and-mortar” business that first greets property owners, buyers, or tenants when they walk through the door, and to what degree do estate agencies need to immerse themselves in digital marketing? Online vs Offline: The Importance of Doing Both for Estate Agents The above question is, in various respects, a false premise. While a strong online presence, for example, is important for an estate agency in its efforts to attract and educate all the right people, its offline touchpoints – such as a high-street branch – can still be crucial for reinforcing the legitimacy of the brand, as well as its roots in the local area. This is literally the business of brick-and-mortar property, after all. However, even in the world of estate agents, it is difficult to deny that a gradual shift has occurred in recent years, away from traditional methods. When this is considered alongside technological advances and the continuing evolutions in consumer habits and preferences, it becomes clear that estate agents need to be highly engaged with digital marketing. 3 Key Changes in Digital Marketing That Are Impacting on Estate Agents It was reported as long ago as 2017 that 93% of UK homebuyers used online channels to search for properties – as well as that some 51% of recent home purchasers first reached out to an estate agent online, instead of in person. In light of findings like these, the importance of embracing the latest digital and online-based marketing solutions should have long been obvious enough to many estate agencies. Recent years, however, have seen further shifts in digital marketing that are highly relevant to estate agent businesses. These have included, but have not been limited to: The leading estate agents today are increasingly making the most of the evolutions in social media-ready video content over recent years. These have encompassed, for example, the sharing of 15-to-30-second vertical videos on platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok to show off properties, and even the introduction of augmented reality (AR) tours and live-streamed video walkthroughs. Search engine optimisation (SEO), of course, will likely retain its critical importance for estate agencies for as long as “search engines” (as we might recognise them today) still exist. Any responsible estate agent, for instance, needs to be optimising for “near me” search terms – such as “estate agents near me” – to help capture clients who may well be using their mobile device to seek out local property firms. However, when it comes to ensuring the best possible online visibility for property businesses, it is fair to say that both voice search and visual search are also increasingly entering the conversation. Visual search might have particularly obvious relevance to property searches. So, it has been intriguing in recent times to see platforms like Pinterest and Google Lens giving users the ability to upload images and then be presented with similar-looking properties. It is tricky these days to write any article charting the latest shifts in digital marketing, without addressing how artificial intelligence (AI) has upended… well, almost everything. As far as the digital marketing of estate agencies is concerned, the rapid rise of AI has manifested in such developments as AI-powered chatbots that can guide prospective clients through queries, as well as intelligent data analysis with the ability to predict buyer intent. The insights that an estate agent gains from such analysis can help with the tailoring of its marketing messages. Plus, AI simply makes it so much easier for estate agencies to personalise how they reach out to and engage potential clients. By taking these digital marketing shifts into account, and tailoring them to their own circumstances, needs, and aspirations, property businesses can help to ensure they engage their target audiences more effectively, thereby making improved business outcomes possible.