Does my firm’s name need to appear in my posts when I advertise on social media?
QUESTION: I know that I am permitted to post information about my listings on my Facebook page and in other social media. Do I have to notify my BIC and get their consent before I post that information? Am I required to include the name of my firm in my posts, or does the “one-click rule” apply? In other words, is it permissible to have the name of my firm displayed after someone clicks on a link in my post?
ANSWER: Social media posts are a form of advertising. As such, they must comply with the North Carolina Real Commission’s advertising rule, which is 21 NCAC 58A .0105. Paragraph (a)(1) of that rule states that a broker shall not advertise any brokerage service, or the sale, purchase, exchange, rent or lease of real estate for another, without the consent of his or her broker-in-charge. The Commission has written that a BIC does not have to give permission every single time an affiliated broker creates an advertisement. It is sufficient if the BIC consents by implementing and following the firm’s policies and procedures for review.
Paragraph (a)(1) of Rule .0105 includes an additional requirement that all advertisements for brokerage services, or the sale, purchase, exchange, rent or lease of real estate for another, must include the name of the firm or sole proprietorship with which the broker is affiliated.
In their course materials for the 2023-2024 General Update Course, available here, the Commission weighed in on whether it would be permissible for the name of a broker’s firm to be displayed only after a consumer clicks on a social media post. The Commission made clear that it does not have a “one-click rule.” Instead, the Commission mandates that whenever a broker uses social media to advertise property, they must include the name of their firm somewhere in the post itself. The Commission expects that when a post is viewed on social media, a consumer must be able to identify the name of the firm with which the broker is affiliated without clicking a link.
Release Date: 9/11/2025
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