Until recently, finding motivated buyers was a tedious endeavor. It required browsing MLS listings and networking at events until you find someone who expresses interest. Fortunately, the internet has brought numerous opportunities that remove these tedious aspects of buying and selling homes.
One of the most powerful strategies is social media marketing. This allows you to share content and build engaged audiences, free of cost. Agents can take advantage of this by sharing posts on Instagram for real estate images, info and events, or by connecting with prospects.
In this article, we’ll explain why Instagram is so important for agents, as well as how to use it effectively to generate leads!
Why Use Instagram for Real Estate?
There are numerous platforms to share your content on, each with its own pros and cons. However, Instagram has become one of the most powerful.
Instagram’s visual-based feed allows real estate agents to thrive, easily sharing their properties and connecting directly with their audience.
Once you’ve begun sharing and engaging, you can also run ads and boost posts to drive more traffic toward your page!
But with the complex algorithm and unique strategies and content types, marketing on Instagram can sometimes be overwhelming. To help you navigate the world of real estate Instagram marketing, we’ve assembled this all-inclusive guide!
1. Creating your Business Account
77% of realtors actively use social media to find buyers for their properties, and many more are joining the movement according to the National Association of Realtors.
If you haven’t done so already, the first step in building your profile is changing your personal Instagram account to a business account. This allows you to take advantage of Instagram’s analytics, which helps you understand how unique posts perform.
These analytics include:
- Accounts reached
- Accounts engaged
- Content interactions
- Follow growth & demographics
Business accounts also allow you to share your email address and phone number on your profile, making it easier for potential buyers to reach out to you!
2. Use Relevant Tags
Hashtags are essentially keywords that allow you to rank your posts by including them in the description or comment section. Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags per post, but it’s often recommended to stick with 11 or 12.
Finding the right hashtags can be difficult but fortunately, there are numerous tools that allow you to find relevant tags! To find relevant hashtags in your area, you can begin by checking out the competition’s hashtags. This allows you to see what works, and what doesn’t.
Instagram also allows you to geotag posts. This means you can select a location from which users can find your post. In real estate, this is especially powerful because you can tell viewers directly where you’re located in the post.
3. Create Virtual Tours
With the rise of video marketing, taking interested buyers on a tour has never been easier! By creating a virtual tour, you can share your home with significantly more buyers in a fraction of the time!
There are two main approaches to creating a virtual tour. The first is your typical video walkthrough, which can easily be created using a high-quality camera and tools like iMovie.
The next approach, which is quickly rising in popularity, is 360-degree tours. For a few hundred dollars, you can purchase a 360-degree camera, which allows you to create live walkthroughs of the home! Using programs like Giraffe360 and BoxBrownie, you can compile your live walkthrough in just minutes!
4. Establish Relationships
One of the reasons Instagram is so powerful is the ease of connecting with others. For example, you can use Instagram to connect with interior designers, photographers, brokers, and other experts, free of cost!
To do this, all you need to do is comment, share, and like their posts. This allows you to build a directory of both resources and potential clients, all within the app!
5. Become a Resource
Home buyers tend to have a lot of questions. As a real estate agent, you can use this to your advantage, By sharing helpful tips, tricks and advice, your page can become a guide to home buyers!
By doing this, you’ll build an audience of homebuyers, who look to you as an expert. This also allows you to share deals from a trusted position, making it easier to find buyers!
6. Use Facebook to Promote Listings
Instagram provides numerous tools for both boosting posts and creating ad campaigns. This allows you to push your post in front of your target audience, which you can select using Facebook’s Ad Manager.
Using Facebook Ads Manager, you can also target your ads by location. This allows you to ensure you aren’t wasting ad spend on users from users outside of your area.
You can also select specific demographics, interests, or behaviors. For instance, you can choose people who recently moved in the last 6 months, started a new job or live in the top percentage of their household income. The more specific your targeting, the more relevant they will be!
7. Create engaging content
Real estate is a visual-based industry, and Instagram is a visual-based content-sharing platform. Therefore, Instagram can be an extremely powerful way to share listings and build an audience!
Incorporating video in your content strategy is crucial, especially when giving viewers virtual looks around the property. One study showed that adding video to a real estate listing resulted in 403% more inquiries than those without.
Getting Started on Instagram for Real Estate
With ever-changing trends and algorithms, creating and executing your content strategy can be quite difficult. However, with these 6 real estate Instagram marketing tips, you’ve been equipped with the tools to succeed on the platform.
To get started, head over to Instagram, and create your free account today. Next, create a content plan. This may include home photos, home-buying advice or virtual tours. In this article, we share our content strategy and how to create an engaging social media presence!
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