Real estate agents that are working in this industry today have a lot more opportunities and different tools to help them with their marketing efforts. One that almost every agent will use in some way is the internet. Here there are many different platforms to use for marketing with one of them being Instagram.

What Are The Benefits of Realtors Using Instagram?

When used to its fullest potential it allows the realtor to:

• Have a direct connection with their target market
• Advertise their listings
• Market their brand
• Generate Leads
• Provide information

While it is a great social media platform it means taking the time to take what it has to offer and to learn how to use it for these purposes.

Getting Registered

It begins with opening a business account. Some agents have a personal account on Instagram that they have been using for their business. This can be converted to a business account. The reason for doing this is so the user can take advantage of the business tools that Instagram provides. One of these tools will be access to the analytics sector of the platform. This will allow the realtor to track various metrics from Instagram that will be important, such as;

• How many users of Instagram are interacting with posts
• How many page discoveries for the week
• The number of weekly posts
• Performance of posts

The Business Profile

The business profile should contain all the important information about the realtor including their contact information.

Using Hashtags

Instagram relies heavily on hashtags for building followers and reaching out to the audience. These are the same as keywords and as many as 30 can be used per post. Rather than use these based on the quantity it is better to go with quality. In other words, use those that are the most pertinent to the specific post. Hashtags comprised of 2 or 3 words are more effective than 1-word hashtags.

Automating Posts

One of the aspects that hold some agents back from using platforms like Instagram is the time it takes to create a post and then to remember to publish it. Instagram allows for automated posts. A few posts can be created at one time then, scheduled to go live on the platform as per schedule.

Follow The Right People

Just as the realtor is going to be intent on building a following they also have to choose other users to follow. The choices for this should be done carefully and the agent should follow those that would have some connection to the real estate industry. This allows for the building of partnerships and can enhance the business of everyone involved.

The Right Content

Whenever a business is using a social media platform for marketing they need to understand the users of that platform. Ultimately the users are socializing in some form. With Instagram this image orientated. The real estate agent has to provide value for those they want to reach. Just posting a listing isn’t going to do this. Keeping in mind that the business outreach should be education-based rather than strictly for selling will help to deliver what the visitors are interested in. Good quality content that is informative and helpful will build trust in the agent.

Images and Videos

With this being an image orientated platform it is important to use good quality images and well-prepared videos. In the story feed, the videos can be 15 seconds for the stories and 60 seconds for the feed. This is a great opportunity for real estate agents to be able to present any house they are selling. It doesn’t just have to be videos of virtual tours. A short video can be created showing the house with a voice-over that explains all the great features of the property.

Post Promotion

Some of the posts that an agent creates may be more important than others. For these, they can be promoted on Instagram through its advertising offerings.

Link To Other Social Media Platforms

Ideally, real estate agents should be making use of other platforms as well like Twitter and Facebook. Instagram can be linked to these. This means if a post is being created on Instagram it can automatically be posted on these other platforms at the same time.

Using The Story Feature

Instagram stories are short-lived. They only stay on the account for 24 hours and are comprised of a 15-minute video clip. These may be useful for creating interest in an event that is soon about to happen.

Live Posting

This is a powerful feature for realtors that are holding open houses. The post can appear in real-time and can target those in the area of the property. Invitations can be sent out for these users to drop into the open house.

Timing

There are ideal times for posting. This can be determined by looking at the analytics and doing some research on the demographics.

What Do Influencers Have To Offer?

A lot of influencers make use of Instagram and a lot can be learned from them as many have mastered the best way to use this platform. It means checking out those real estate influencers and looking at the hashtags that they use. Also looking at the types of calls to actions they create can be helpful. A careful study of what the influencers are doing will provide plenty of ideas that can be incorporated into the agent’s approach and content.