Brand Storytelling in the Social Age: The Case of eXp Realty

In the rapidly changing real estate sector, where digital transformation, agent empowerment, and virtual business models are redefining home buying and selling, eXp Realty emerges as a brand crafted for the contemporary era. Established in 2009 and now active in numerous countries, eXp Realty markets itself as “the most agent-centric brokerage on the planet.” This brand promise is central to its narrative: a brokerage that empowers agents, leverages technology to enhance performance, and offers opportunities through its business model. In this post, I explore how eXp Realty conveys this story across Instagram, TikTok, and X, examining the brand story's effectiveness and whether it varies by platform.

Instagram: Visualizing Agent-Centric Empowerment

On Instagram, eXp Realty showcases a carefully curated visual feed that highlights the human aspect of real estate, agent accomplishments, lifestyle success, and community. Analysis shows eXp’s Instagram is among the “best real estate Instagram accounts” due to its focus on agents, event video snippets, and vibrant images of team culture. The narrative: “This is a brand that values its agents, celebrates their successes, provides them a platform, and enables lifestyle advancement.” For instance, an Instagram post might welcome a large team joining eXp, emphasizing their production years and the freedom to maintain their brand while using eXp’s global marketing. This content reinforces themes of agent empowerment, community, and success. The aesthetic bright, aspirational, professional aligns with luxury real estate marketing norms but shifts focus slightly from home listings to agent stories.

This Instagram narrative effectively builds brand identity among agents and potential recruits, communicating that eXp is about more than transactions—it’s about people and opportunity. It appeals to agents seeking recognition, growth, and culture. However, the emphasis on high achievers and large teams might suggest that only top producers will fit, potentially limiting its appeal to newer or smaller-scale agents.

TikTok: Authenticity, Movement, and Recruitment Narrative

On TikTok, eXp Realty's narrative is more casual, dynamic, and recruitment focused. While direct posts from the corporate eXp account may be fewer, individual eXp agents use TikTok to share day-in-the-life experiences, onboarding stories, virtual office tours, and “why I chose eXp” narratives. For example, an article profiles an eXp agent known as the “Social Media Queen” who built her Instagram and expanded her eXp business thanks to the brokerage's support for her digital presence. The horizontal video format allows the brand (and its agents) to tell their story: “I transformed my real estate business by joining eXp, which provided me with tools and freedom.”

On TikTok, the narrative focuses less on polished branding and more on authenticity and movement. The tone is conversational, often trend-driven, and appeals to younger, digital-native audiences. The core message remains agent empowerment, plus a tech-driven business model, plus opportunity. But the delivery changes: instead of curated photos, we see video, personality, and behind-the-scenes content. This approach effectively humanizes the brand, reveals the “why” behind agent decisions, and targets recruits rather than clients.

X : Authority, Innovation & Corporate Narrative

On X, eXp Realty’s story adopts a more corporate, forward-looking tone. The feed includes announcements about strategic initiatives that emphasize the brand’s innovation and scale. For instance, eXp recently announced a partnership to provide content-creation tools to agents through a blended sense, highlighting its commitment to equipping agents with production assets. Another announcement: eXp’s revenue-share and equity benefits to agents over $220 million in 2024, signaling tangible agent value. The narrative on X: “We’re a brokerage built for the future, with a global presence, tech foundation, and agent-first business model.”

This platform’s style focuses less on lifestyle visuals and more on announcements, data, and thought leadership, reinforcing credibility, scale, and strategic direction. For agents interested in business growth and strategic positioning, this narrative works well. However, it may feel less personal and disconnected from the day-to-day agent experience, potentially reducing emotional resonance compared to Instagram or TikTok.

Comparative Analysis: Consistency & Adaptation

Across all three platforms, eXp Realty’s core story remains consistent: agent-centric empowerment, technological innovation, global scale, and opportunity. The tagline “most agent-centric brokerage” anchors the narrative. However, the storytelling approach varies by platform:

·       Instagram emphasizes agent lifestyle, recognition, community wins visuals, and aspirational.

·       TikTok emphasizes authenticity, movement, recruitment narrative video, personality, and accessibility.

·       X emphasizes scale, innovation, strategic initiatives, corporate voice, data, and announcements.

This adaptation is strategic as it engages each audience where they are: Instagram for visual inspiration, TikTok for recruitment and grassroots storytelling, and X for corporate credibility and industry insiders. The story remains coherent yet adaptable.

eXp’s storytelling is highly effective, with a clear, differentiated brand identity communicated across various channels. The company’s growth in agent numbers, global reach, and public disclosures supports the narrative that their model offers opportunity. Investments in agent content creation, global expansion, and high-visibility partner programs align with the story. For example, providing agents access to quality production through the Blended Sense partnership demonstrates follow-through on promises.

However, there are limitations and tensions. While the empowerment message is strong, the storytelling often highlights large-team successes, which may inadvertently exclude solo or smaller-scale agents. On TikTok, the narrative might lean towards “join us” rather than “here’s how we support you daily,” potentially leaving gaps in authenticity. On X, the corporate tone might feel distant from the day-to-day agent experience. Additionally, clients (buyers/sellers) are less central in the storytelling; the focus is heavily on agents rather than end-customers. For a brokerage aiming to balance both agent attraction and consumer conversion, this dual focus could be further refined.

Conclusion

In the era of social media, brand storytelling needs to maintain a consistent core promise while adapting its tone and style across various platforms. eXp Realty exemplifies this strategy. Its narrative, focused on agent empowerment through innovation, global reach, and opportunity, is clearly defined, distinct, and executed across Instagram, TikTok, and X. Each platform employs different storytelling techniques but stays true to the central narrative. As a case study in graduate-level branding and communication, eXp demonstrates how modern brands must be multi-channel, versatile in tone, and aware of their audience, all while maintaining a unified message. For those in real estate leadership and communication, the takeaway is clear: a brand story is not only about what you say but also how you present it, where you present it, and why it matters to the audience. eXp Realty effectively communicates its story, but like all brands, it must continually refine its approach to ensure its story resonates with all segments of its audience, including agents, clients, and potential recruits.