Marketing Tips : Instagram

MARKETING TIPS by: Joe Starkey

Why Instagram? Instagram is the second largest platform by number of users. Instagram's user engagement rate is 58 times that of Facebook and 120 times that of Twitter! Boosting your posts is made easy too since you can use the Facebook Ad Platform. While it is only second to Facebook in users, only 14% of agents use Instagram compared to 80% of agents using Facebook.

What to Post: Being a visually driven platform, your images should be well lit and staged. Wow your followers with jaw dropping worthy content. Doing a rehab project? Show the before and after! Focus on the key features of your listings. Also, share content that connects with and rewards your followers. Tell them stories, give them a reward for following you whether a giveaway or just information like teasing an upcoming listing. It’s never a bad idea leaving a way to contact you in the post even if it’s just telling them to DM you.

#Hashtags: Hashtags let Instagram users search for content based off of the hashtags included in the post. These can be useful for reaching broad searches (ex. #realestate, #forsale) or more specific (ex. #LNK, #Firethorn) but blending the two will help your posts show up in searches. Don’t be afraid to tag or hashtag features, neighborhoods, the brokerage, your brand, nearby locations (ex. Restaurants, coffee shops, parks, etc.).

Instagram Stories: Instagram stories are an underrated tool to use! 60% of people viewing your story have their volume on and a third of Instagram stories viewed are from brands. Stories are available at the top of the mobile platform making it easier to see and access your story rather than having to get your post organically fed with Instagram’s algorithm. Stories also give you more engagement tools such as mentions, locations, polls, questions, scales, stickers, gifs and more!

Other Notes: Videos rule. Whether posting a video or a story, videos are the most consumed content. Just make sure your video is concise and has a message. Use emojis! There is a 17% higher interaction rate when there are emojis in the text. Leverage your existing networks and followers on other platforms to help grow your Instagram following. Don’t be afraid to follow someone in hopes of them following back in return. When you start following someone, 25 to 50% will start following you back.

Takeaways: Be a storyteller. Always be building your brand. Work on being an expert in something useful to potential clients (i.e. a neighborhood, fixer-uppers, etc.). Be yourself and express your personality while remaining professional so your followers get to know you. Engage with others whether that is replying back from a comment on your post, commenting on someone else’s post, or doing polls, questions, and scales on your Instagram story.