instagram marketing for real estate, The Real Estate Agent’s Instagram Marketing Survival Guide

Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels

Let's face it, when it comes to real estate, it's all about the photos. The best images increase your listing exposure and ultimately lead to more leads and higher property values. Facebook, once the end all be all for millennials, has been eclipsed by Instagram. Many millennials (AKA first-time homebuyers) are now using Instagram more than any other social media platform – with 69% of all millennials on Instagram and over a third of them not using Facebook!

Profile

Set up your profile. This is no place to be vague. Post your elevator speech, unique selling proposition, and most importantly (I think) value proposition for how you can help your ideal client buy, sell, save time and money. Make sure you add your website to your profile, where consumers can easily click to learn more about you. One of the things I noticed about my ideal client is they liked how I listened carefully, asked questions that showed I took an interest in them and their situation, and had lots of ideas about how we could help develop the best course of action. And they liked that we worked with them on a payment schedule that fits their budget.

Share Experiences

These days, when your audience thinks of real estate, they think of real estate agent hashtags on Instagram. They think of open houses, listing tours, and more. According to a Realtor Magazine study, “57% of survey respondents indicated that they used social media to help find their most recent home.”

Showing and sharing your daily experiences sends a subtle yet powerful message to your clients and friends – that you're on top of it all. You can handle anything because you do.

Be Strategic

Facebook purchased Instagram for over $1 BILLION in April of 2012. That's a lot of loot, and Facebook LOVES Instagram. I've noticed images I post to Facebook disappear rather quickly from the newsfeed, but those same images posted on Instagram and syndicated to Facebook last a lot longer. So don't just post your pictures on Instagram and neglect Facebook.

Instagram is not going anywhere anytime soon. Instagram is a rapidly growing social media channel, but if you're only posting your images to your Instagram account, you're missing a huge opportunity.

Syndicate

There are two main reasons why you want to syndicate your Instagram feed to other popular social networks. First, it increases exposure for your brand or business. When someone sees an image on Instagram, it's shared in a small square box with a handle they can click on to see the complete picture. However, when that same image is shared on Twitter and Facebook, it is larger and is displayed without being square. This larger display draws the eye and gives the full image more impact than just seeing a cropped version.

Syndication also lets you further engage your audience. Here's an example: If someone likes one of your pictures on Instagram, Facebook might only tell that person about it. By syndicating to Facebook, that person will now see that you liked the post and comment on it.

Photo Maps

PhotoMaps allow consumers to browse your photos by geographic location. They are designed to show your audience your local expertise and help them better connect with your content.

PhotoMaps are created using your Google Latitude photos and the locations where you've tagged your photos on Panoramio. For example, if you uploaded a picture of the Empire State Building, it would be indexed by Panoramio. The next time an individual is browsing through photos on Panoramio to come across an image of that same building, a “map” icon will appear beside the Empire State Building thumbnail, indicating that it can be viewed on a map. Users can see all of the other photos in NY taken by people they know by clicking on the icon or thumbnail.

Follow

If you are in a sales role, your ability to connect with an individual prospect is the most critical key to success. This doesn't mean you should be giving them the hard sell every time you meet them. It implies relationship building and gaining trust. And if you are in sales, you know following on social media is the best way to do this.

One of the best ways to understand your audience is to try and listen in on their conversations. Head over to Twitter or Facebook and search for relevant keywords. By following who engages with these posts, you'll get a true sense of how consumers feel about your business. This can lead to potential new brand advocates and influencers that could help spread the word about your business.

Post Videos

Instagram has been at the forefront of photo sharing for a few years. But with Facebook buying them out, it looks like their attention is turning towards video. Instagram announced that they are now allowing video posting with up to 60 seconds of video. This means brands can create meaningful content and engage their consumers.

As the trendiness of posting videos increases, Instagram users are posting more videos rather than photos. Video is a much richer way to convey ideas and feelings than a picture can. This is why Facebook changed its platform to allow for longer videos; they saw the rise in popularity and wanted a part of it.

Be Authentic

Being authentic is not a strategy to be applied; it is a way of being present in relationships with everyone you meet. It's about knowing who you are and what you believe in. It's acknowledging your vulnerabilities and shedding light on them to help others.


Need more local marketing tips? Check out our entire Guide to Local Marketing for Real Estate Professionals