With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is a powerful platform for real estate agents looking to generate leads. Here are 10 ways you can use Instagram to reach your target audience and grow your business.
Make sure you're using a business profile, not a personal one. You can convert your personal profile to a business profile by going to Settings > Account > Switch to Business Profile. A business profile on Instagram gives you access to features like contact buttons and insights on your posts. It also allows you to promote your posts as ads. Having a business profile makes it easy for people looking at your page to get in touch with you or learn more about your business.
Hashtags are a great way to connect with people who are interested in the same things as you. When you use relevant hashtags, your posts appear in search results for those hashtags. This puts your content in front of people who might not be familiar with your brand yet but are interested in the topics you're posting about. You can use up to 30 hashtags per post, but try not to go overboard. Use a mix of popular and niche hashtags relevant to the content of your post. For example, if you're posting about an open house, you might use hashtags like #realestate #openhouse #househunting #homesforsale.
Here are effective real estate hashtag categories and a few examples:
Here are some tools to help with hashtags too.
Geotagging is another great way to connect with local leads. When you add a location tag to your posts, they appear in the location's feed and in search results for that location. For example, if someone searches for "#nycrealestate," they'll see all the latest real estate posts from New York City—including yours if you've geotagged your post accordingly. Geotagging is especially useful if you're trying to reach people in a specific city or neighborhood.
This one's a no-brainer—if you're in the business of selling or renting properties, make sure your Instagram feed reflects that! Post-high-quality images and videos of the homes you're representing inside and out. In addition to attracting potential buyers and renters, this is also a great way to show off your eye for detail and design sense to potential clients who might be interested in working with you on their own homes someday.
Instagram Stories are a great way to give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at what you're up to. You can use them to show off properties you're working on, give sneak peeks of upcoming listings, or take people on virtual open houses. With over 500 million daily active users, Instagram Stories is a great way to reach a large audience with your content.
Instagram Reels are a new way to create content on Instagram. They’re full-screen vertical videos that can be up to 90 seconds long and come with many unique editing tools like filters, captions & stickers! You also have access to audio tracks (including trending songs from other users' feeds) as well as video clips in your reel - all accessible through one scrolling feed at the bottom of iPhone screens or within stories for mobile users.
Like Instagram Stories, going live on Instagram is another great way to give your followers a behind-the-scenes look at what you're up to. You can use it to show off properties you're working on, give sneak peeks of upcoming listings, or take people on virtual open houses. Plus, live videos tend to get priority placement in the Instagram algorithm, so your followers are more likely to see them.
Instagram offers a number of different ad types that you can use to reach your target audience. For example, you can use photo ads to show off properties you're selling or renting, video ads to give a tour of a property, or story ads to promote an open house. You can also use carousel ads to show multiple photos or videos in a single ad. Instagram ads are a great way to reach people who might not be familiar with your brand yet but are interested in the topics you're posting about.
If you're unfamiliar with influencer marketing, it's a form of marketing that involves working with people with a large social media following to promote your brand. Influencers can help you reach a larger audience and generate interest in your listings. When selecting an influencer to work with, choose someone with a genuine interest in real estate and whose followers are likely to be interested in the properties you're selling or renting.
These are some of the most powerful and popular tools that Instagram influencers use:
Contests and giveaways are a great way to generate interest in your brand and get people interacting with your content. For example, you could host a contest to find the best real estate photo or video, or give away a free home inspection. Just be sure to follow the rules and regulations around contests and giveaways when you're planning your campaign.
In addition to promoting your listings, use Instagram to share your expert knowledge about the real estate industry. You can post tips for buying or selling a home, advice for first-time homebuyers, or helpful information about the home-buying process. Not only will this help you attract leads, but it will also position you as an authority in your field.
With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is a powerful platform for real estate agents looking to generate leads and grow their businesses—if it's used correctly, that is! By following these tips, you can make sure that your Instagram page is working hard for you so that you can focus on other aspects of running your business. Happy posting!