Paid Social in Real Estate: Smart Investment or Overspending?

The Landscape Has Shifted

India’s advertising market is on a growth streak. In 2025, it is projected to expand by 7.8%, crossing ?1.37 lakh crore, with digital formats now taking up half the pie. Social media advertising alone is expected to grow 16.4% this year — outpacing all other channels (Economic Times).

But here’s the catch: Are we leaning too heavily on paid social?

A study by EssenceMediacom with GroupM and Ebiquity had already cautioned marketers about overspending up to 3x on social for business outcomes. Today, with changing audience behaviors and new regulations, the warning rings louder.

Why Paid Social Alone Doesn’t Deliver

  • Engagement Plateau: Globally and in India, users are spending less time on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. WhatsApp and YouTube remain sticky, but paid impressions don’t always convert into site visits or trust.
  • High-Value Decisions Need Depth: Buying a home is a high-involvement decision. Consumers seek credibility, walkthroughs, and detailed storytelling — which short-scroll ads often fail to provide.
  • Premium Perception Lives Elsewhere: According to The Current, Indian audiences spend 52% of their digital time on open internet platforms — OTT, CTV, gaming, streaming — but only 15% of ad budgets follow them there (The Current). These users are 55% more likely to perceive brands on OTT/CTV as premium.

What’s Trending in Indian Real Estate Marketing

Leading developers — Lodha, Prestige, Shapoorji Pallonji, among others — are already shifting gears:

  • OTT for Lifestyle Storytelling: Ads on JioCinema, SonyLIV, MX Player during high-viewership events like IPL.
  • Influencer Content: YouTube walkthroughs and regional creators for hyperlocal trust.
  • Digital OOH: Programmatic billboards and airport screens synced with CRM to drive qualified footfall.

A Pune-based campaign recently cut social spend by 40% and reinvested in OTT, influencer tie-ups, and DOOH. The result? Better recall, improved site-visit ratios, and higher-quality leads.

The Compliance Wake-Up Call

From July 1, 2025, Tamil Nadu’s RERA made it mandatory for all real estate ads — digital, print, or outdoor — to include:

  • RERA registration numbers
  • QR codes for project details
  • Exact approved locations and promoter contacts
  • No vague claims like “100+ amenities”

Expect similar moves across other states. Non-compliance can lead to penalties, even for media outlets (Times of India).

How Marketers Should Respond

  • Audit & Rebalance BudgetsReduce social spend to 30–40%. Reallocate towards OTT, influencer content, regional portals, and programmatic video.
  • Test and Measure by Quality, Not Just ReachRun city-wise A/B tests across Instagram, YouTube, OTT. Measure lead quality, site visits, and conversion, not just clicks.
  • Ride the Premium PlatformsUse high-impact events and OTT platforms to build trust. Video storytelling around IPL, Bigg Boss, or regional festivals works.
  • Stay Compliant and TransparentMake RERA details a creative feature, not a footnote. Trust is the new currency.
  • Invest in LongevityLong-form videos, virtual tours, influencer walkthroughs, and CRM-linked DOOH content stay relevant longer than scroll-ads.

The Way Forward

Paid social will remain a vital tool, but in 2025, safe doesn’t mean smart. The new frontier for Indian real estate marketing is platform diversification, transparency, and premium positioning.

At Justo, we believe the winners will be those who:

  • Go where attention lives, not just where dashboards light up.
  • Balance reach with depth, speed with trust.
  • Use technology and storytelling to make every rupee work harder.

The message is clear: It’s time to stop overspending and start optimizing.

Sources: EssenceMediacom, GroupM, Ebiquity, Economic Times, The Current, Times of India, Altois Real Estate Market Report 2025–26.