Since Instagram’s creation, it has become one of the most used social media platforms for sharing photos.
Instagram has over 800 million monthly users. Each day, there are over 60 million photos shared and over 1.6 billion daily “likes”.
As a real estate agent, Instagram gives you the ability to establish a unique brand, generate new leads, and create a free visual portfolio. Buyers, sellers, and other real estate agents can view your listings, learn what areas of real estate you specialize in, and stay informed about your upcoming events.
Here are 5 tips to help real estate agents market on Instagram.
1. Switch to a Business Account
Before you start thinking about marketing on Instagram, make sure that you have an Instagram Professional Account.
It’s free and easy to switch from a Personal Account to a Professional ‘Business’ Account.
- First, click on your profile in the bottom right.
- Then, click the three-line ‘hamburger’ menu in the top right.
- Navigate to ‘Settings’, then to ‘Account’.
- Finally, select ‘Switch to a Professional Account’.
A business account allows you to create and publish Instagram ads without needing to use Facebook’s ad tools. You will also have access to Instagram’s free analytics tools called Insights. Here, you will be able to monitor impressions and engagement with your posts.
2. Use Instagram’s Free Analytics Tools
With Instagram’s Analytics or Insights, you can view important data like post impressions and engagement statistics. You can even view a demographics report of your followers, including information on their age, gender, location, and the hours they are most active on Instagram.
These free analytics tools are invaluable as they allow you to understand your followers and how and when they are interacting with your content.
Using this information effectively will help you in effectively promoting you as a real estate licensee and will provide information on how to keep your demographic engaging with your content.
3. Optimize Your Profile
Write an Inviting Bio
Think of your Instagram bio as the first impression you’ll make on other agents and home buyers and sellers. This is where you’ll want to be brief but describe:
- What You Do
- Your Location
- Your Niche (beach-front property, commercial real estate, etc.)
- A Call-to-Action
Add a Professional Photo
Just like your bio, a professional photo is a great way to show trustworthiness to people who have never met you before. Use your photo gallery to leave a positive impression on potential leads.
Add Your Website or Blog and Phone Number
Adding your website or blog, and your phone number allows people who are interested in your real estate services to contact you or learn more about you. Just like any form of advertising, you want people to be able to take the next step in getting in touch.
3. Post Branded, Visually-Appealing Content
Just like your business card, logo, brand fonts, and website, you’ll want to make sure your Instagram posts reflect your brand. Remaining consistent with your content will help establish a sense of trust, knowledge, and experience in real estate.
If you don’t have experience taking high-quality photos of your listings, consider having a photographer take a few photos for you. If this is not an option, try and take photos where there is adequate lighting and use the same filter on each photo to give your Instagram a consistent look and feel.
Image Size
Crop your post photos to a 4×5 aspect ratio or 1080×1350. That is 1080 pixels wide and 1350 pixels tall. This will allow your photos to take up the maximum vertical space when users are scrolling through their feed.
4. Use Hashtags
Hashtags are not only used to get more engagements, but they can be a great way to show people content you’re already sharing.
Top Real Estate Hashtags for Instagram
According to Zillow, these are the top real estate hashtags.
5. Consider Targeted Ads
Instagram ads are common nowadays. You can control how much you want to spend on them by setting an ad budget. You can also showcase your sponsored ad as a single image or with multiple images in a carousel.
Before sponsored posts, only users following your account could see your photos, but now, you can reach users who you specifically target.
When creating a sponsored ad, use content that users can engage with while also appealing to the target demographic you want to show the ad to. Always use a clear call-to-action to get users to contact you, visit your website, or give you a call.
Interested in Becoming a Better Real Estate Marketer on Instagram?
View our Real Estate Continuing Education Courses to learn more about social media marketing and how to build your brand. If you are too busy to manage your professional social media accounts, consider outsourcing to a digital marketing agency.
Written and Published by: VanEd
