Social media giant Facebook has joined forces with online property portals Zoopla & OnTheMarket.
The deal means that hundreds of thousands of properties will now simultaneously be listed on Facebook and either Zoopla or OnTheMarket.
Initially, the deal only includes rental properties. Those wishing to buy or sell will have to wait a little longer.
However, the move is a sure sign that the major portals recognise there is potential to expand their reach to the estimated 40m people in the UK who access Facebook every month.
So far, there has been no news that Rightmove intends to follow suit.
“This is great news for our agent members who will now get wider distribution of their listings as well as increased brand exposure with people looking for property to rent on Facebook Marketplace,” says ZPG Property Services MD Charlie Bryant.
“This integration extends our position as the best value digital marketing partner in the UK for agents. We will continue to provide our agent partners with maximum exposure for their listings and brands along with the widest range of services to help them generate additional leads and revenues.”
The Increasing Reach Of Property Portals
Facebook estimate that around 35% of their active users visit the Marketplace which, if true, would equate to around 14m people in the UK.
The property area of the Marketplace features filters similar to those you would expect to find on a property portal, thereby making it easy for users to find properties they may be interested in.
Given the popularity of social media and the fact that 57% of people start their property search on a property portal, it perhaps shouldn’t be surprising to see the two attempt to link up.
John Millsom, OnTheMarket’s Brand Director, says: “We are excited to be working with Facebook Marketplace and to be a listing partner. We believe the quality of OnTheMarket agents’ property content integrated with the considerable scale and reach of Marketplace’s brand and service is a perfect fit.
“We look forward to working with Marketplace to create world-class value for property-seekers and value for both of our businesses.”
