The photo-sharing app Instagram is one of the most widely used apps across the world. Over 1 billion people use it every month. However, it’s not just a platform that people use to share their friend's and family’s pictures. Even businesses see the potential in using it to reach their target audience, create brand awareness, and generate leads! 60% of users have discovered new products on Instagram.
Instagram is a perfect platform for real estate companies to promote their properties to users. It allows you to take your buyers on a virtual tour of your property through pictures and videos.
However, using Instagram as a channel does not mean just uploading pictures of the property and adding hashtags in the caption. If your objective is to generate leads through the platform, you need to devise a strong Instagram strategy. Let’s look at how to use Instagram for the real estate business.
Unlike the spray method of conventional marketing, digital marketing gives you the power to choose the audience you want to target and show them relevant content to draw their attention. So, use this to your advantage. Create a buyer persona of your target buyer. This exercise will help you to determine who your ideal audience is and what kind of content will interest them. This will set the tone for your Instagram marketing strategy.
Remember, Instagram is a photo-sharing app. Visual impact is highly crucial in garnering attention and generating leads for your business. Make the most of this platform by uploading high-resolution images and a 30-second video of your property. You can check Instagram accounts such as realestateus to get ideas on how to make property photographs look aspirational.
Hire professional photographers and videographers to shoot the interior and exterior of the property in the most attractive way. If you have the budget, you can also do drone videos to give a 360-degree view of your property. The more aspirational your photographs and videos are, the better the chances of getting leads.
Do you know an Instagram post with at least a hashtag has 12.6% more engagement than those without a hashtag? Hashtags help marketers to categorize their content under specific main topics. It’s the easiest way to grab the attention of your target audience. For example, if your property is in Florida, you can use hashtags such as #FloridaApartments in your caption. So, anyone looking for an apartment in Florida will easily be able to track you.
Tip: Instagram shows how many times has a hashtag been used. Use the ones that are used more frequently, as those are the ones that are viewed more by the users.
Source: Instagram
You can also create unique hashtags for your brand to get more focused attention.
Instagram allows you to post micro-moments on your profile. These are called stories. Stories will be visible on your profile for 24 hours. Contrary to popular belief, even real estate companies can use stories to promote their brand. In fact, 1/3rd of most-viewed stories are of businesses. 62% of people have expressed interest in buying a product after seeing it in stories. So if you have a special limited offer or any time-sensitive content to post, leverage upon Instagram stories.
Another feature that you should use is IGTV. Instagram allows you to post videos of a 1-minute duration. However, if you want to upload a long-form video such as an interview with your CEO or a detailed tour of your property, then you can use IGTV to do it.
Like Facebook advertising, Instagram allows you to advertise your property cost-effectively. From setting a budget for advertising to narrowing your target audience based on demography, location, interests, etc., there is a lot that you can do with Instagram. You can also determine the goals for your ads - are you looking to create awareness or do you want them to contact you for a tour? Think about how you want your audience to engage with your brand and create an ad accordingly.
Instagram is already crowded with real estate companies vying for buyers’ attention. So, be smart with your strategy. Study your audience, understand what interests them, and accordingly create relevant content for them. The more relevant your content is, the better your chances of being seen.
If you need help with implementing digital marketing strategies for your business, contact us. We will be happy to help.