Instagram for Estate Agents

 

Social media is everywhere these days and many estate agents have got caught up within it but haven’t seen a great deal of success due to incorrect usage and lack of dedication. However, that doesn’t mean you should give up on social media.

Having an online presence these days is vital to every estate agent and finding new ways to crack into a wider audience should be the main focus in your marketing efforts. These days there are quite a few major social media platforms but it may be hard to figure out which ones might actually work within your marketing efforts.

So here are some tips on how to get started on Instagram and figure out if it really is a social platform for your business.

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a mobile photo/video sharing app that enables users to take and share pictures and videos through Instagram, Facebook and even Twitter.

Instagram now has over 200 million monthly active users worldwide (14 million in the UK), 75 million daily users and more than 20 billion photos have been shared.

If you target a younger audience then Instagram may be for you as 90% of Instagram users are younger than 35!

How to use Instagram

1. Brand awareness

All social media platforms should be used to create brand awareness. Post things that people will want to see to draw them in enabling them to see who you are and what you do.

What to post:

• Unique interior design
• Beautiful buildings/houses
• Interesting homely features
• Pictures of local scenery/buildings/events
• Your team/office

2. To promote your property listings (within moderation)

Instagram isn't a platform you should solely use for promotional purposes and if this is all you are planning on doing then Instagram isn’t for you.

On occasion (remember the 5:1 rule) you can promote your property listings. Don't however flood your newsfeed with every single picture of the property, instead pick a key feature or best photo of the property and attach a link to view further.

Whatever you do, don't use Instagram solely for listing properties. Your efforts will go to waste and your Instagram will fail.

3. Be creative

Instagram requires a bit of an imagination, really think about what an Instagram audience will want to see that is relevant to you as a business.

Don’t just post dull houses back to back, think outside the box and use your more creative side to find images that will draw in more people.

4) Use hashtags

To attract more followers it is vital for you to use hashtags on Instagram. It is one of the only social platforms where lots of hashtags aren’t necessarily a bad thing. You should aim to use local and industry hashtags to grab the attention of more users to increase the chances of receiving shares and likes.

Don’t go hashtag crazy though and ensure each hashtag is relevant to the post, I’d recommend you use between 5-10 hashtags per post to get the best results.