Instagram for Real Estate: How to Get Started

No matter where you’re located, the bread and butter of any Real Estate business is attracting qualified leads. Not just any random leads, but leads with the potential to become a paying customer.

Because in this business you want quality over quantity.

Working on a lead takes time and energy. But if that lead doesn’t have any of the criteria you’re looking for, you’ll end up wasting everyone’s time and possibly your own money!

There are many lead-generating companies and tools out there for real estate businesses, but there’s one we often overlook. And it could be the catalyst that rockets your business into the stratosphere of success.

It’s called Instagram. And if you’re a realtor, you need an incredible Instagram account.

Here’s how to start your Real Estate Instagram account

Follow each of these six steps to set up your real estate Instagram account and begin your Instagram marketing journey:

1.  Write down 1-3 goals

Identifying your goals beforehand lets you create a plan with actionable steps. And sticking to a low number of goals means you can be as focused as possible without losing sight of your target.

Think about what you want to get out of your Instagram activity:

• Do you want to attract hot leads?
• Use Instagram as a portfolio?
• Grow your audience and reach?
• Create high-engagement?

Only when you have chosen your goals can you move forward to the next stages.

2.  Identify your ideal customer

With your goals in mind, it’s time to identify your ideal customer, so you can find excellent leads. The trick here is to post content that they find interesting, useful, or shareable.

For example, if you’re targeting customers looking for student-friendly rentals, post tips on what to look for in a rental and how to understand the sometimes confusing contracts or terms. By doing so, you set yourself up as a friendly-expert. And it’s a great way to get direct leads from students looking to rent and referrals as well.

Another example: if you’re trying to attract customers looking for family-friendly homes located in the suburbs, you don’t want to post any content about expensive high-rise apartments in the city center.

Creating customer personas

It helps to create a “customer persona” so you can best tailor content to them. You’ll want to identify some specific traits such as age, marital status, income level, gender, and family dynamic.

Take it one step further and try to define your service from the customer’s point of view. Do they want a portfolio of homes? Or do they want a realtor who will sit down with them and work together to find a suitable residence?

We mentioned before the importance of identifying your customer’s location, but don’t forget to determine when your customer is a) likely to be on Instagram and b) likely to look for a realtor.

Think about when is the best time to announce house showings and which hours of the day your customer is most likely to be active on Instagram. The same goes for uploading your content. You may find that showing new houses at 5 pm yields better engagement than doing it at 9 am. Around New Year, the number of searches for real estate skyrockets, so it’s a good time to be super active on Instagram.

It all depends on who your customer’s are. 

3.  Set up Instagram for Business account

Instagram has a unique account you can use just for business, which is also handy if you have a personal Instagram account. You don’t want to mix your personal life with your business life, especially in such an open environment like Instagram!

Business accounts are better anyway as they provide Instagram Insights. This fantastic tool lets you view different sets of data about your audience. The number of visitors, the number of clicks you get, and even a demographic breakdown so you can fine-tune your activity.

You can also use the information to find out when your perfect customer is more likely to be online and active so you can post accordingly. Connecting with your audience is not just about posting great content that resonates with them but also posting at the right time, so they have the opportunity to see and engage with it.

After you’ve posted enough content, you’ll be able to identify which ones performed the best. Was it images or videos? Or helpful tips and information about the world of real estate. And what time during the day is the best time to post. 

If you don’t already have an Instagram Business account, download the Instagram app to your phone to create your account, or go to Instagram.com on your computer.

4.  Make your Bio tantalizing to others

Your Instagram bio is your identity in the world of social media, and it’s often the first impression people make of you and your company. It needs to be persuasive, charming and inspire your customers to reach out and contact you.

Your username is one of the first things people will see, so it should be short, memorable, and let people know what you do. An example of a lousy username is HappySunshine2021. It doesn’t mean anything at all. Where-as Wanda_Willow_Realtor lets people know you’re a real person and you’re a realtor!

Underneath your username, you have space to write a short description of you and your business. This is your chance to let your audience know your services, who you cater to, which areas, and how to contact you, such as an email address, website, or phone number. 

5.  A professional photo matters

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Ideally, you want your customers to take one look at your profile image and think “trustworthy.” The key, however, is using a photo that your future customers identify with. Are they expecting someone wearing a suit? Or do they want something more personal?

If you don’t have a decent photo of yourself, don’t use a fake one, don’t use someone else’s, and certainly don’t use one from stock photography as it’s an instant red flag for most people.

Use a friend whose handy with a camera, or hire a professional photographer to snap an excellent profile pic of you.

6.  Establish your branding

It’s time to talk about branding. Think of branding as your business’s personality. You want it to be approachable, reliable, memorable, and professional.

If you don’t want to use your profile picture, use a logo instead. But it had better be a fantastic logo that not only looks good but also reinforces your brand’s attributes. Check out this real estate logo inspiration article for examples of great logos. 

Another key branding element is your choice of colors. Stick to a particular set of colors, or a photographic style, so people recognize you based on your visuals alone. Think about what each color means and if your customers identify with it.

You must keep your Instagram feed free from clutter, so visitors can scroll through it and instantly recognize what type of real estate agent you are. Only keep images and content that your customers expect to see.

Check out popular real estate businesses already on Instagram for more ideas. If they’ve got loads of visitors and high engagement, then they’re doing something right.

Final word

Instagram success doesn’t happen overnight. But with these six steps, you can create a solid foundation for your real estate account, so you’ll attract new followers and generate high-quality leads in no time at all.