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Agent Makeover - Instagram

The Instagram Advantage

If you’ve been toying with the idea of setting up an Instagram presence for your business, you’re definitely on the right track.

With over 800 million monthly active users, 40 billion photos shared to date, and 4.2 billion likes a day, the photo and video-sharing social networking service Instagram isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

It’s the perfect vehicle for reaching a captive audience of affluent prospects between the ages of 18 and 29 (59% of Instagram users) and 30 and 49 (33% of Instagram users). It’s also a great platform for sharing video, with Instagram videos receiving twice the views of others social platforms. You can also rank quicker organically than other traditional methods of online SEO.

It’s also a great lead generation, sales, and referral tool. In fact, user engagement for real estate Instagram posts is ten times higher than Facebook. You’ll reach local homeowners looking to sell, local and out of town buyers looking for homes in your area, out of town realtors looking for referral agents and/or homes in your area, past clients who follow you online, new clients who discover your profile, and referral clients who were tagged on Instagram by a mutual connection. Think of your Instagram profile as the new door-knocking, cold-calling, and mailing that costs nothing more than your time. You can easily prospect for new clients based on locations through liking and commenting on other users profiles. Remember to always tag the location of your posts as tagging a location can increase engagement by up to 79%.

It’s also a powerful branding tool. A real estate Instagram allows you to tell an impactful, visual story about who you really are and what you really do. You can visually prove that you know an area better than anyone else, work with an award winning staging expert, hold interesting and unique open houses, or have outstanding marketing materials (this is where we come in!). You can also showcase your personality and that of the team, by sharing behind the scenes pictures of team outings, birthdays, meetings, or even photo shoots.

Speaking of visual stories, here are a few content ideas to get you started:

  1. The basic listing post that includes a tasteful shot of the exterior, vital property information, your contact information and some relevant hashtags to maximize the reach of your post
  2. Behind the scenes posts/videos showing how to stage a home, the process of setting up an open house, or the joy experienced by a first time buyer getting the keys to their very first home
  3. A listing sneak peek post that piques allows the reader to envision themselves living in the home – the crystal chandelier, the sports car in the driveway, the spacious, spa-like master bedroom, the perfectly landscaped backyard
  4. Open house video walk through that points out the key features of the homes from the perspective of a buyer, from the minute they walk through the front door
  5. Neighborhood video tour that showcases the features of the neighborhood like the schools, parks, and shops
  6. A view or vista shot – If a listing has an unbeatable view of the ocean, river, mountains, lake, or the city skyline, show it off!
  7. Agent promo – Have a great new member of your team? Create a brief video showing them off!
  8. A text post that celebrates a business milestone – for example, your 1000th sale or even your 1000th Instagram follower.

Your Instagram content will of course evolve organically as you learn what your followers enjoy and respond to best.

Always remember to include your contact details in every post – whether that’s your email, phone number, or website, making it easy for potential customers to reach you. And, don’t be afraid to hashtag. It will make your posts easier to find.

Also, be sure to fill in your profile, highlighting what you, and your brand, offer. Include an on-brand, friendly bio photo that is vibrant, stylish, and friendly (call us if you need help taking one!).

Happy Instagraming!