- People expect pictures or videos, and when those don't occur on a regular basis, they can and will lose interest.
- Instagram gives you anywhere from three to 15 seconds to create a video, make those seconds count.
- The use of hashtags can dramatically help get people to see the photos and videos that you’re posting.
With over 300 million people who actively use the app, Instagram has ascended to the top of the social media market. Facebook remains the reigning champion, but many agents and brokers have seen a decline in their ability to reach new clients on that platform.
However, Instagram has shown it is on track to become one of the largest advertisers in the world. Here are some ways that you can effectively use Instagram to grow your real estate clients.
1. Be consistent
People enjoy consistency. Imagine having a TV show that is supposed to air at 7 p.m. every day. You sit down to watch it at that time each day, but unfortunately, sometimes it’s on and other times it’s not.
The same thing could be be said about your followers on Instagram. People expect pictures or videos, and when those don’t occur on a regular basis, they can and will lose interest. You don’t have to post exactly the same time every day, but it does need to be regular.
2. Be creative
There are so many ways to attract people to your profile. Instagram released a feature called Hyperlapse in 2014 that could be used to create exciting videos of houses that you want people to see.
Instagram gives you anywhere from 3 to 15 seconds to create a video. Make those seconds count. Ideas include interviews of yourself, your current clients or post a interview of how happy your client is with the purchase of the home. Make it interesting.
Show your personal side on Instagram so followers know you aren’t just some robot personality that only wants business; show viewers how they can relate to you.
Other ideas would be to post pictures of nearby attractions or a beautiful landscape that is near a current listing. The ideas are endless.
3. Use hashtags
The use of hashtags can dramatically increase the number of people who see photos and videos that you’re posting.
Search keywords on Instagram such as, “housing market,” “houses for sale,” “homes for sale,” “listing,” etc., to find out which hashtags are used most frequently. Don’t just settle for the hashtags you find the first time you search. You need to constantly search for new ones over time, and you will find ones that you haven’t tried yet.
4. Utilize tools
There are more than 300 million users on Instagram. Finding the right ones to interact with and managing your account can be difficult. That’s why it’s important to utilize tools to simplify your life. There are many tools out there to help you with this and your overall Instagram strategy.
Below are a few I use:
With Social Insight you can view follower information, post performance, account stats, engagement and more. It also has a host of tools that allows you to interact easily with people in your area and field of interest.
Tagboard can be used as a one-stop shop for all your hashtag needs. Use it to find those top hashtags as well as the ones that are currently trending to always stay up to date.
Iconosquare is a Web-based management tool for Instagram. You can manage everything on Iconosquare; you can find out where people looking at your photos and figure out what types of media are the most engaging with viewers.
If you have not done so already, make a personal Instagram account and begin to familiarize yourself with the network.
Ethan Sigmon is the CEO of Opesta, a licensed real estate agent and a licensed insurance producer.
