Episode Details

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"90% of people on social media are lurkers who'll never comment, so why do agents obsess over followers instead of the right ones?"

Is social media actually necessary for real estate agents to build a business — or is it, as one guest puts it, a "necessary evil"? In this roundtable episode of The Faithful Agent Podcast, Garrett Maroon and Cole Ordiway sit down again with Janet Brinck to wrestle honestly with one of the most debated topics in the real estate industry today.

The conversation dives into the real question every Christian real estate agent eventually asks: do I need to be on social media to grow my business, or can referral-based real estate and database nurturing carry me instead?

Garrett, a self-described "100% referral guy" who sold 50 homes in a single year without a website or social presence, pushes back hard against the idea that video and virality are required for real estate lead generation. Janet, who went all-in on social media branding in 2023 and saw an immediate shift in brand recognition and trust, argues the opposite: that in today's market, if you don't have a presence, you don't exist. The two work through the tension between authentic reach and vanity metrics, why "1,500 views" doesn't mean 1,500 potential clients, and how the psychology of authority bias makes a polished video more persuasive than most agents realize.

This episode is especially valuable for the "average agent" — the realtor who isn't a natural storyteller, doesn't want to be on camera, and feels behind because everyone else seems to be going viral. Garrett and Janet offer a refreshingly practical framework: pick one platform, go deep instead of wide, and understand that social media is often less about generating new clients and more about reinforcing the brand of an agent already known in their community.

The conversation also gets real about the mental and spiritual cost of content creation — the temptation to covet other agents' success, the exhaustion of being "always on," and the biblical call for believers to look different online than the world does. Garrett doesn't hold back on what frustrates him most: agents taking credit for videography they didn't shoot, and Christian agents posting content that doesn't honor the Lord in how they dress or present themselves.

Key Takeaways

1. Social media isn't required to build a successful real estate business. Garrett sold 50 homes in his second year with no website and no social presence — referral and database systems still work.
2. 90% of social media users are lurkers. Only a small fraction ever comment or engage, but views and reach still build brand awareness even among people who never interact.
3. New agents don't need to start with social media. Building a database of 200+ names and mastering referral relationships creates a more reliable foundation than chasing virality.
4. If you're going to do social media, go deep on one platform rather than spreading thin across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube at a mediocre level.
5. Social media functions more as a "database touch" than a lead-gen tool for many agents — it reinforces trust and awareness among people who already know them, rather than generating cold, new business.
6. Authority bias