5 Instagram Growth Strategies for Real Estate Agents

Many real estate professionals are pushing to expand their digital marketing strategies, and for a good reason. People are using the Internet more than ever to find their dream homes in their area. While there is no shortage of ways to market your properties online, Instagram has lately become one of the more popular methods. Here are five tips to use Instagram real estate marketing to get leads, sales, and referrals.

1.Find & Add Relevant Hashtags

Finding relevant hashtags for your Instagram posts is more intricate than you might think. It requires you to do some research to identify hashtags that your target market is following.  To know if a hashtag is relevant, you will need to view the posts under the specified hashtags and peruse the types of engagements they garner. If still unsure, check out the profiles of the users who engage with the content to determine whether or not they fall under potential prospective customers.

While adding hashtags to posts, only insert those that are relevant to the location of the homes for sale and are pertinent to some of the features of the homes in your posts. As well, make sure to tag the location of your photos when you submit them as Instagram users can browse media on the platform via map. This is a perfect way to connect with people in your geographic area who may be looking for homes or who know someone else who is.

2.“Share the Love” - Cross-Promote Your Posts

Integrating your Instagram account with other social media platforms is another best practice in real estate social media marketing. This strategy has been shown to be extremely effective, as it allows more users to see your posts, and it builds up your social media followership across the board. Cross-posting also makes it easier to remain active on all social media channels. Platforms that are active tend to be more popular because users enjoy receiving a regular stream of updates from companies they follow or like.

Another way to cross-promote your real estate company is to partner with other brands or corporations (e.g., mortgage companies, banks, influencers, local businesses etc.) that don’t directly compete with you. When you find such companies, you can partner with them to cross promote each other’s social media posts to respective followers. When doing so, both you and your partner should craft the post in a way that relates to your target audience.

3. Keep Videos Short, Sweet and To the Point

Our attention span is on the decline and unless someone is already in love with a home, they almost certainly are not lengthy, boring videos, slideshow or panoramic tour. Instagram gives you up to 15 seconds of video to record by simply pressing and holding the record button, then lifting your finger to stop. You also have the ability to add previously recorded video from your mobile device. Why not use this opportunity to create a virtual tour of the property listing with a 2 second shot of each room? If you feel the video is going too fast, do not worry because users have the option of stopping and rewinding if needed.

4.Do Not Use Stock Photos of Properties

Many Instagram users think they can cheat Instagram by using stock images that they have customized with their own text to promote their property listings and their business. This practice is frowned upon. Professionally-done and original real estate photography that clearly describes the actual listing is the only way to get more followers and have them contact you for a real tour.  Avoid hand-holding the camera when creating your photographs because it will cause your imagery to become blurred every time. Equipping yourself with a tripod and a remote shutter release will eliminate the risk of camera shake when taking a shot and will keep your photography looking professional.

5. Create Video Testimonials from Past Clients

Home buyers are psychologically drawn to the experiences of others, especially when they can relate to them. And this is why testimonials confirming your service and product play a significant role in convincing prospective customers. Testimonials and reviews should go hand-in-hand with your Instagram marketing strategy. You may just upload a video or photo of your customer who is satisfied with your service, along with the endorsement they have given. Potential clients seeing this endorsement will thereby want you over the one without video testimonials.

In conclusion, Instagram is a fantastic way to promote your real estate marketing business fast. Find out from us how.