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Hot: These tips are meant for marketing experts.
Bottom Line: Instagram ads might seem intimidating or complex. But if you're already running ads on Facebook, it's super simple to make the leap into running ads on Instagram.
Do This: Use your Instagram profile to put your best foot forward among millennial social media users. Then, piggyback off of your existing Facebook ads for easy cross-platform advertising.
Most real estate agents and brokers have mastered the fundamentals of using Facebook. Whether you're posting organically, boosting posts, or running ads on the platform, you might be looking ahead to see what's next.
Fewer real estate professionals have taken advantage of Instagram. In 2020, the percentage of US adults who use Instagram rose from 35% to 37% and the active reported users have held steady around 1 billion people. With much of the active audience in the millennial category, you might find your home buyer audience using this platform.
Instagram can serve two purposes: a portfolio and a lead-gen system. Here are a few ways to get the most out of your professional Instagram presence, including generating leads.
Instagram is a visual platform, making it the perfect place to show off your listing photography. Instagram has two posting options: the feed and Stories. In your feed, you can post individual photos or albums with multiple images. Images from your feed stick around forever, so anyone who is researching you can see your whole portfolio as proof of your work.
Stories only last for 24 hours, but tend to get in front of more eyes. Instagram's usage has shifted so that users spend more time scrolling through stories than their timeline, so you'll reach more people quickly with a Story. Stories can be photos or videos, and you can enhance them with polls, captions, q&a boxes, stickers and more.
Your followers don't need to see all houses, all the time. Instead, enhance your content with tips and tricks, local knowledge, and insight into the world of real estate.
Because Facebook owns Instagram, you can run ads across both platforms. That's one of the advantages of using Facebook's Ads Manager instead of boosting posts.
Facebook and Instagram offer a variety of ad formats. One of the easiest for realtors to get leads from is a direct link to their website. Simply generate an ad that links to a well-formatted website and boom - that user has a chance to become a lead. Ok ok, it's not quite that easy. But with a little practice (or with the help of a marketing professional) your Instagram ads will become a well-oiled machine.
Real estate is a personal business. Use video posts and stories to introduce yourself and help your clients get to know you as a person. Hearing you speak passionately and intelligently about your industry will help your followers learn that there's more to you than your listings.
Facebook steals the spotlight... but don't overlook the 'Gram. Whether you use it organically or for advertising, you might find that Instagram lends itself perfectly to accomplishing your goals.
Kate's current work with ListingManager bridges the gap between her advertising agency experience and a lifelong passion for HGTV. When she's not skimming the web for new marketing stats, Kate enjoys cooking, crossfit, and dance classes.How did you like this article?
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