It’s easy to get lost in the digital noise of real estate agents on Zillow, Trulia, or Realtor.com.How do you differentiate yourself? Why would a prospective seller choose you to list their home?Instagram is a free platform that lets you showcase your listings, expertise, and results unlike any other. It’s also regularly frequented by prospective home buyers, homeowners looking to sell, and even investors from out of town.Above all else, Instagram is highly visual - and I’m sure you can appreciate how important photography or video walkthroughs are when selling a house.But to make the most of this social network, you need to go beyond just your listings and recently sold. Here are 6 tips to master real estate marketing on Instagram combined with first-class examples.BONUS: You can use ShortStack to find new leads, feature happy customers, and show off your listings in a unique way. Find out how here.
1. Stunning Photography
One thing that selling property and Instagram have in common is the need for stunning photos.A perfectly executed gallery of well-lit, appropriately staged property photos could be the difference between a thriving open house or a total flop.The best real estate marketers on Instagram are utilizing the platform to showcase their listings.[caption id="attachment_48321" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Use high-quality photos and carousels.[/caption]ELIKA, a New York real estate company, takes a very simple approach to its Instagram strategy - but it works wonders. They focus on high-quality property photos and carousels to deliver a consistent theme throughout their feed.The takeaway? You don’t necessarily need to recreate the wheel with your Instagram strategy. Seeing you’re already taking beautiful photographs of your listings, why not show them off?
2. Videos
Photos are a great starting point to catch a potential buyer’s attention and draw them into a property. Videos and walkthroughs take the buyer-property connection to the next level. They’re the best alternative to an open house or personal viewing.Las Vegas real estate agents, Huntington & Ellis, use Instagram’s video features to the full extent by sharing both video posts and Reels for all their listings. You’ll see that some of their Reels are getting thousands of views - that’s excellent free exposure.[caption id="attachment_48324" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Use Instagram's video features.[/caption]Look to add a mix of video content with your photos to increase your reach on Instagram and strengthen the attraction of your properties with buyers.
3. Realtor Spotlights
Eye-catching photos and engaging videos might get buyers through the door, but it’s the realtors who close the deal. That human-to-human relationship is so vital in real estate marketing.So don’t leave your realtors in the background. Whether it’s just you or you have a team of agents selling listings, put them front and center on your Instagram feed.The Agency Texas, for example, regularly does “Agent Shoutouts” to put a face to the name of their relators:[caption id="attachment_48318" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Put your realtors front and center. [/caption]Or you could take a leaf out of John and Melissa Steele’s book - a large portion of their Instagram content highlights them and personalizes the experience for followers. It’s jam-packed with personality. Granted they renovate and flip houses, so it’s not your typical realtor setup, but you can still take inspiration from their content.[caption id="attachment_48325" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Pack your profile with your personality.[/caption]In summary, don’t be a faceless brand. People buy (and want to sell) from people, so show off your human side.
4. Happy Clients
Your listings are one thing, but buying and selling property is about more than just a transaction. For many clients, especially if they are buying or selling their first home, the process is highly emotional. That’s why a personal connection with a realtor is important.If you can capture that feeling in a photo or video, right at the moment when a client is most elated, it makes for compelling content. For example, other prospective sellers will see themselves in the shoes of your former clients and visualize what it’d be like to hold that “Sold” sign.John and Melissa Steele, who I mentioned above, regularly share photos and stories from happy clients, just like this one:[caption id="attachment_48322" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Share photos and stories from happy clients.[/caption]Once you close the sale, don’t be afraid to capture the moment. It’s powerful stuff!You could even ask your clients to share these milestone moments with the world on social media and create a branded hashtag to categorize the user-generated content. With ShortStack, you can even create a landing page on your website with a feature wall of happy customers that have used the hashtag![caption id="attachment_48323" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Create a branded hashtag wall on your landing page. [/caption]
5. Property Market Insights
If you’re looking to even further diversify your Instagram content, you may like to share quote images or property market insights. Your clients, whether they are buyers or sellers, will likely appreciate up-to-date information about the areas they own (or would like to own) property.Clarke & Humel, for example, share stunning on-brand market insight images with industry data:[caption id="attachment_48319" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Use on-brand market insights.[/caption]It may seem small in the scheme of things, but a statistic like this could be the tipping point that encourages one of your followers to get back in the market. Of course, your agency is the first place they’ll go when they do.
6. Instagram Best Practices
Beyond the real estate-specific tips I’ve provided above, you should also aim to adopt Instagram best practices in general. Diversify your content, tap into trending Instagram features, use hashtags, optimize your bio, and develop a consistent theme for your brand.Clarke & Humel do an excellent job of delivering a consistent experience throughout their Instagram profile. They are a boutique real estate agency that sells beachside properties, and the light pastel blue color of their logo aims to capture that ocean vibe. You’ll see the same color tones used in all of their photos, stories, videos, and highlights.[caption id="attachment_48320" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Create a consistent experience.[/caption]The consistent use of color and tone reinforces their brand and makes it memorable. They have also been strategic about the color they use and how it portrays a calm feeling associated with the ocean. Don’t underestimate how influential your brand colors, tone, and consistent delivery can be for increasing the memorability of your agency.
Conclusion
The truth is, Instagram is no longer a nice-to-have for real estate marketers - it’s an expectation. If you aren’t publishing regular high-quality content on this social network then your competitors most certainly are and you are missing out on opportunities to connect with potential clients.Instagram users are “browsers” by nature, and properties are some of the best eye candy available. Everyone is hunting for that dream home or investment! Be sure to put your best foot forward and apply the tips in this article.Want more ideas on how you can use ShortStack to show off your inventory and gather prospective leads? Learn how to increase discoverability using ShortStack for real estate agents.
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