Real estate companies should be making use of social media as much as possible, just like any other business. In particular s, they need to recognize the importance of Instagram for real estate agents. While many real estate professionals recognize the merits of social media, they often make the mistake of using the wrong platforms or failing to use the best ones. For a real estate company, being able to post highly visual content is vital. Networks such as Facebook and Twitter allow you to post images and videos, but they’re not completely visual platforms. Social media networks like Instagram and Snapchat, however, are much more visual. Instagram is an excellent tool for real estate companies to use if they want to make the most of their social media strategy. If you want to promote real estate on Instagram, there are a few important things to consider.
Using Instagram well involves more than simply posting images regularly. You need to be able to get the right attention, which means you need to know where to find your audience. This is where hashtags come in. Real estate industry Instagram hashtags will help people who don’t already follow you to find your posts. You also need to think about what type of content you post. Instagram allows for images, short videos (up to 15 seconds), and the newest feature, Instagram Stories. Knowing how and when to use real estate Instagram strategies effectively takes some careful thought and some strategic planning.
Benefits of Instagram for Real Estate
There is a wide range of benefits for real estate agencies on Instagram that want to get more leads through their use of social media. As a visual platform, it’s the perfect choice for a business that needs to visually exhibit their products – in this case, property. Instagram might not be the largest social network, but it’s continuing to grow quickly, beaten only by Facebook in terms of growth in 2017. If you use Instagram for real estate agents smartly, you could benefit in the following ways.
1.Reach your audience in new ways
Instagram gives real estate agents a new way to find their audience and collect leads. Each social media platform is useful in its own way. When it comes to real estate on Instagram, it’s images and videos that take the spotlight. People will see real estate Instagram images as they scroll or presented in a grid, which means you need eye-catching images to get their attention. Videos also allow you to try out a new type of content, especially as Instagram videos are a maximum of 15 seconds long. Then there’s Stories, which allow you to put together a sequence of images or videos and show them for only 24 hours.
2.Communicate with a younger demographic
There’s no questioning that some social networks are more popular with certain demographics than others. Instagram is generally favored by a younger audience, with nearly 60% of 18-29 year olds using the platform. These are the people who looking to rent or buy for the first time and who look for property in a much different way to how their parents or grandparents did it. They’re more likely to be looking at real estate on Instagram than other age groups. However, older generations are starting to use Instagram more too. Real estate agents on Instagram can reach the generation of people who are starting to look at owning homes.
3.Connect with other networks
Your real estate Instagram account can be connected to other social media platforms to automatically post content. The primary network is Facebook, due to the company having bought Instagram in 2012. You can link your Facebook and real estate Instagram accounts so real estate agents on Instagram can post images and videos directly to Facebook. Unfortunately, Instagram is no longer integrated with Twitter to display images in tweets. But you can still automatically post links to Instagram images and videos on Twitter.
4.Build both business and personal brands
Branding is essential for any business, especially where digital marketing is concerned. Instagram for real estate agents is a great choice for building your business’s brand, as well as for growing real estate agents’ personal brands. It helps to open up communication between brands and customers. Posting about real estate on Instagram, you can give your brand more personality and make it more visual. Real estate agents on Instagram can use the platform to develop their professional brand and to offer a more human side to their business dealings.
The Best Ways to Get Real Estate Instagram Leads
Mastering real estate on Instagram can take some time. Every business needs to experiment to find out what works for them. For real estate agents on Instagram, there are some smart rules you can follow if you want to make the most of the platform and collect leads.
1.Combine spontaneity and planning
Having a social media strategy is crucial if you want your marketing efforts to be successful. You need to know what your goals are for social media and how you’re going to fulfill them. You also need to specifically think about your goals for marketing real estate on Instagram. To work out your goals for social media marketing, consider your overall business goals first. You can then think about how social media, and specifically Instagram, can help you out. Set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely) goals to inform your social media strategy if you want to be successful at promoting real estate on Instagram.
Although planning is important, there is also something to be said for being spontaneous. You should make an effort to post off-the-cuff real estate content on Instagram too, especially when attending events or perhaps meeting with a client. Knowing when to be spontaneous and when to plan is essential. For example, it’s often best to plan a short script for real estate Instagram videos because you only have 15 seconds to say what you want to say. For some things, you can create a rough plan or schedule but leave the actual content to a more in-the-moment decision.
2.Make use of different content types
Instagram is very focused on visual content, but you still have a few different formats to play with. Images, videos and Stories give you several options to help you make the most of your content strategy. Posting basic images is a fantastic way to get started. Your real estate Instagram is the perfect place to show off your latest listings, sharing high-quality images of the properties on your books. You might also use your real estate Instagram to share photos of staff and clients or anything of local interest, as well as graphics and infographics. But it’s also important to look beyond photos and images and consider what you can do with videos and Stories.
An Instagram video gives you just a few seconds to say what you want to say. You need to make the most of the time you have to create interesting and shareable videos for your real estate Instagram account. Some of the ways you might use them include recording client testimonials, sharing clips of events or perhaps showing work on a development site. Remember that you can use the Hyperlapse feature to speed up a clip. Stories can be very useful too – you could use them for quick, virtual tours of properties, among other things.
3.Vary what you post about
As well as using different types of real estate Instagram content, make sure you vary the subject matter of your Instagram posts. Each type of content gives you plenty of options to post on various subjects. You have lots of scope to get creative and keep your followers interested. Of course, if you’re collecting leads, you need to think about how to encourage people to get in touch with you. Growing your followers is a start for businesses in real estate on Instagram, but you also want some of your followers to become clients. Including calls to action in your posts and using Instagram for real estate agents to show off your listings are two ways to turn followers into leads.
You have lots of things you can post about on your brand’s account, as well as personal accounts on Instagram for real estate agents. Content about your listings can take on many forms, but it’s not the only thing you can post about. Think about what you can share about industry events before, during and after the event takes place. Post about the local area or share infographics on what people are looking for in a home.
4.Use the right hashtags
Hashtags aren’t huge on every social media platform, but Instagram is one of the places where they matter most. People will find new accounts to follow through hashtags, as well as just browse content from anyone they don’t follow. There are some general real estate Instagram hashtags that you might find useful, but it’s also important to consider local hashtags that are relevant to your region.
For general real estate hashtags on Instagram, consider using the following:
#RealEstate
#RealEstateAgent
#RealEstateBroker
#RealEstateInvestor
#RealEstateInvesting
#RealEstateLife
#RealEstateForSale
#RealEstateExpert
#Realtor
#Realty
#Broker
#HomeForSale
#HouseForSale
#PropertyForSale
If you want to get more specific, it’s usually pretty easy to make a real estate Instagram hashtag more relevant to your local area. Simply add the name of your city or region to the end of one of the hashtags above. You can also add a location to the beginning of the hashtag. For example, you might use #BrooklynHomesForSale or #RealEstateNYC.
Real estate on Instagram could be your next big success in your social media strategy. Start collecting leads by making the most of the Instagram for real estate agents today.
Watch our latest video and learn how to take the most out of Instagram for your Real Estate Agency!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVtE8om9o2I&t=88s
