Instagram is one of the best platforms for showcasing stunning photography, videos, and connecting with other members of the real estate community. Additionally, Instagram has added many new features designed for businesses and real estate agents to reach new customers and grow their businesses.
But using Instagram for real estate purposes can be difficult if you’re just getting started and don’t know how to grow a following. Luckily, we’ve seen incredible success growing Instagram accounts and advertising on the platform, and we want to share that information with you.
This guide will cover everything you need to know about using Instagram to grow your business, including building a following, how to use Instagram Reels, and many other useful tips on finding success on Instagram.
Why Use Instagram for Real Estate?
If you’re reading this article, you know that being active on Instagram is important for real estate professionals. Here are some of the top reasons why you should be using Instagram:
It’s a Visual Showcase
Real estate is a visual industry, and Instagram is a platform that thrives on visual content. You can use Instagram to showcase high-quality photos and videos of your properties so potential buyers can get a better sense of the homes you’re selling.
You’ll also be able to highlight the key features and selling points that make your property stand out that you can’t find through a written property description.
You’ll Receive High Engagement
Instagram is known for having a highly engaged user base. Posting appealing content regularly and interacting with your audience allows you to build a community of followers who are interested in real estate and your listings.
Engaging with comments, direct messages, and hashtags can build a personal connection with others on the platform and lead to new business relationships down the line.
Hashtags
Using real estate hashtags on Instagram can increase the discoverability of your posts on the platform and reach a larger audience. Popular hashtags like #LuxuryRealEstate, #HomeForSale, and location-specific hashtags can help potential buyers find your content.
Access to Targeted Advertising
Instagram offers advanced advertising options for real estate professionals of all specializations. Agents, wholesalers, property managers, and investors can use Instagram to target specific audiences who are most likely to be interested in your services.
Instagram’s parent company, Meta, has built an entire backend advertising suite so you can see detailed analytics and audience insights to help optimize your advertising on Instagram.
Start Building a Local Community
Instagram can also help you build a strong presence in your local community. Showcasing real estate listings, local events, businesses, and attractions allows you to position yourself as a local expert and a trusted resource for buyers and sellers in the area.
Partnering and Networking
Instagram is a great platform for networking and building partnerships within the real estate industry. You can connect with other real estate professionals to expand your reach and collaborate on marketing campaigns.
Additionally, partnering with other agents and industry experts can lead to collaboration on social media projects to reach a larger audience than just your own.
Cons of Instagram in Real Estate
While Instagram is an essential channel for anyone involved in real estate, there are also some downsides to keep in mind before getting started:
- Competition: Real estate is a competitive industry on Instagram and has lots of agents and agencies competing for attention. Standing out in a crowded space on Instagram can be challenging and may require lots of time and effort to see success.
- Time Commitment: Maintaining an active and engaging Instagram presence can be time-consuming. Consistently posting high-quality content, engaging with followers, and staying up-to-date with trends and algorithms can be too much for some real estate professionals who already have busy schedules.
- Inconsistent Results: The effectiveness of Instagram for real estate professionals can vary depending on your location, target audience, and the quality of your content. Some real estate professionals may find that Instagram produces great results, while others may struggle to see a return on investment.
- Algorithm Changes: Instagram periodically updates its algorithms behind the scenes, which can impact your reach and engagement in some cases. These factors are out of your control and you’ll need to adjust your Instagram strategy accordingly.
Creating Your Real Estate Profile on Instagram
Creating an attractive Instagram profile is the first step to Instagram success. Depending on your specialization in the real estate industry, you’ll want to tailor your profile to the people you want to do business with in the future.
However, nearly all real estate professionals should list their office address or some type of information that displays the area they serve.
It’s also important to clearly show the market and types of properties you deal with. This could be residential, commercial, or industrial properties as well as further specializations like multi-family or properties in rural areas.
An Instagram bio reading something like “Miami’s Top Luxury Real Estate Agent” or “Premier Las Vegas Residential Realty” will do the trick. You can also add a link to your website or other landing page you’d like your audience to visit for more information.
Following Other Real Estate Accounts
If you want to grow a following on Instagram and get discovered by others in the industry, you’ll need to spend lots of time following new accounts in your early days. Start by searching for other real estate professionals in your area and follow them if they are someone you want to connect with.
Believe it or not, connecting with other real estate professionals (who you might actually be competing with) is the only way to grow your following and find success on the platform. Instagram’s algorithms see you’re connecting with accounts in your industry and will start recommending your posts to their followers and others that may be interested in what you have to offer.
Bonus tip! Find real estate accounts who are active on Instagram and navigate to their most recent post. Then view the people who liked the post and start following them. This is the best way to follow people who are interested in real estate and who have been active on the platform within the last few days or hours.
Posting on Instagram
Now that you’ve followed other real estate accounts and people interested in real estate, it’s time to start posting!
Here’s where you have lots of creative freedom, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution or best method of posting on Instagram. However, here are some key points to keep in mind when posting on the platform.
Posting Frequency
As Benjamin Franklin once said, the more the merrier. This is true for many things in life, and posting on Instagram is no exception.
In other words, posting frequently on Instagram will produce the best results. Instagram favors and promotes active accounts who produce valuable content on the platform, which means you should create a posting schedule that is sustainable but still consistently active.
Don’t stress out if you think you’ll need to be formatting images, typing captions, and creating hashtags all day. Social media management tools like Hootsuite and Buffer allow you to schedule your posts across all social media platforms for the coming weeks or even months!
Content Strategy
There are three main “channels” to use when posting on Instagram:
- Main Instagram feed
- Instagram Stories
- Instagram Reels
Main Instagram Feed
The main Instagram feed is what visitors see when they first open the Instagram app. This is where your photos and videos will appear to your audience and where people spend most of their time on Instagram.
Instagram Stories
The “story” is a feature Instagram added that allows users to post a photo or video on their profile (not on the main feed) for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the story disappears and users will never be able to see or access the post.
Instagram Reels
Instagram added their version of short-form videos to compete with TikTok and Snapchat. Reels are videos up to 60 seconds in length, making them ideal for showcasing properties and other engaging videos.
Instagram’s algorithm currently favors short-form videos, so using Reels is essential for success on the platform. It’s important to understand that your Reels will appear on both the main Instagram feed and the Discover page.
What Do I Post on Instagram?
The content you post on Instagram will depend on the channel you’re using. For example, the main Instagram feed is great for posting informational content and real estate listings. You may also choose to post insights into the real estate industry, such as news on current mortgage rates, local housing trends, or other developments in the real estate world.
Instagram stories are ideal for content relating to your daily life and real estate activities. Are you listing a new property on the market? Did you just have a meeting with a high-profile client? Or did you just wrap up an annual real estate conference with high-producing agents? These are examples of great content to post on your Instagram story.
Instagram Reels, however, favor videos that a wide audience will find appealing. This can be videos of luxury properties, interviews with well-known real estate figures, or general information about real estate in the area.
Think you don’t have time for video production? All you need is a smartphone, tripod, and free video editing software to put everything together. You can also film several Instagram Reels at once and post them periodically throughout the week or month (also known as “batching” your content).
Hashtags
We would be remiss if we didn’t dive further into hashtags on Instagram. Using hashtags used to be the only way to get discovered by a new audience, and you’d often see dozens of hashtags at the end of each post by Instagram users.
However, Instagram realized that listing 20 or more hashtags at the end of every post looks like spam activity and was being used to game the system, so they changed the way hashtags work on the platform.
Instead of spamming a bunch of hashtags, we recommend using a few well-placed and thoughtful hashtags in your caption. For example, if you’re showcasing a property in Miami Beach, your caption could read something like this:
“This waterfront property in downtown #MiamiBeach has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and is listed at $1,399,000. Learn more about this beautiful #FloridaHome by sending me a DM!”
In addition to the well-placed hashtags, this caption covers the main selling points of the home as well as the asking price so only serious buyers will inquire about the listing.
Final Thoughts
Using Instagram for real estate can seem difficult if you’re just getting started. While building a following on a new account can be challenging, knowing how to use Instagram effectively is the key to success on the platform.
Related: Best Real Estate Referral Networks