13 Tips To Create The Perfect Real Estate Instagram Post
Every realtor should know how to create a great real estate Instagram post.
This is because Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms for businesses.
With an estimated one billion monthly users, it’s the perfect social media platform for companies to get noticed by potential clients.
However, research from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows that there are more than 1.5 million realtors in the U.S.
Studies have also shown that 52% of real estate agents use their Instagram account to promote their real estate brokerages.
So there’s a lot of competition brokers need to outsmart to get noticed online.
When used effectively, Instagram can help you reach more customers, build your brokerage’s brand, and promote your listings.
In this article, we provide 13 tips to help you do exactly that. We also outline why real estate businesses should use Instagram and show you how to get the most out of the platform.
Why Should Your Business Use Real Estate Instagram Posts?
As a photo and video-based platform, Instagram is one of the most well-suited social media sites for the real estate industry.
From promoting a new listing to expanding your brokerage’s network, there are many ways that Instagram can help you grow your real estate agency.
In the section below, we take a closer look at some of the benefits Instagram has to offer.
Reach millions of potential customers
Instagram has 500 million daily active users across the globe.
Research shows that the majority of these users are aged between 25 and 34 — a common range for first-time home buyers.
Not only is it likely that your next buyer is on Instagram right now, but it also means that there’s a huge demographic of people searching for your services.
All your brokerage needs to do is create content that your target audience will find engaging and make sure it reaches them.
We provide some ideas on how your real estate brokerage can achieve this later in the article.
Visual content is more effective
One of the biggest challenges in the real estate industry is finding ways to advertise a property so that it catches the eye of a potential buyer.
Instagram makes it far easier for real estate professionals to do this.
Brokerages that post striking, visual content on the platform receive more engagement and leads than those that don’t.
In fact, research shows that real estate listings with a video get 403% more inquiries than those without one.
Later in this article, we’ll show you a few examples of top real estate brokerages and agents who are using visual content to take their Instagram feeds to the next level.
Instagram helps you expand your network
The real estate industry is all about building relationships and networks — it’s about who you know.
Luckily, Instagram’s messaging and commenting features make it easy to connect and build relationships with potential customers.
When you prioritize responding to direct messages and comments, it shows your followers that you care about what they have to say.
This also ensures that you are top of mind when your followers need a brokerage or real estate agent.
Easily Gain Insights Into Your Target Market
Instagram Insights is a great built-in analytics tool that shows you what kind of content resonates most with your followers.
Not only does this data help your brokerage better understand how followers engage with your account, but it also allows you to see which content they have interacted with the most.
Instagram’s analytics can also track:
- How many people view your real estate Instagram posts and stories.
- How many people interact with your content, for example, through swipe up links, question stickers, and more.
- The type of content your audience engages with, which may include clicking on your links, liking your posts, or using question stickers.
- People that click through your content and don’t engage with it.
- Which accounts are being reached and how many of them already follow you.
- How viewers find your content (e.g. via the Explore page, relevant hashtags, Instagram stories, etc.).
These insights are valuable because they help you to adapt your real estate marketing strategy according to what is driving your audience’s engagement.
This will save you time and money by ensuring that you create and post content clients will enjoy.
13 Tips for Making the Most Out of Your Real Estate Instagram Account
Although there are many benefits to using Instagram, none of them will matter if you don’t know how to use your account’s features to your advantage.
There are many ways to optimize your Instagram account and its content, especially if you are running a business profile. In the section below, we take a closer look at how.
1. Switch to a Professional Account
Once you’ve created an Instagram profile for your real estate brokerage, make sure that you switch from a personal profile to a professional account.
Here’s a step-by-step guide that shows you how to do this:
A professional account gives you access to some of Instagram’s best marketing tools that can help you grow your page and direct traffic to your real estate brokerage’s website.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these Instagram marketing features below.
2. Use swipe up links and stickers
Adding hyperlinks to your Instagram stories gives your followers direct access to important content, instead of having to click through different pages to find a website.
When your account reaches 10,000 followers, you’ll also have access to swipe up links.
If one of your real estate agents posts a picture of a new listing on their story, they will be able to add a swipe up link to the image.
This means that when followers view the story, they will be able to swipe upwards and be directed to a website to book a viewing or contact an agent.
You can also access the swipe up feature by clicking on the hyperlink button pictured below.
Instagram has recently added a similar feature for professional accounts that have fewer than 10,000 followers.
Similar to the feature above, you can add hyperlink stickers to your stories to direct traffic to your website.
To find this tool, click the sticker icon after making a new Instagram story. This will direct you to a page like the one below:
Once you’ve reached this menu, click “Link” on the bottom-right and add the website you want users to visit when they click through your stories.
3. Always boost posts
Instagram also allows you to boost your real estate posts through paid advertising.
This means that you can pay to have your real estate Instagram post appear on other users’ feeds, their Explore pages, and among their Instagram stories.
Once you’ve chosen which real estate Instagram posts to boost based on your Instagram Insights data, the process works in a similar way to a sponsored advert.
This feature helps your account get noticed faster and also allows you to promote listings, industry news, or open house events to more Instagram users.
Boosting posts has proven to be effective, with 50% of users reporting visiting a website to make a purchase after seeing it on their Instagram stories.
The image below shows you how to boost a real estate Instagram post:
4. Add your brokerage’s contact details
A business account also allows you to add contact information to the top of your page.
This is particularly useful because it can put potential customers in contact with your brokerage’s real estate agents and administrative staff.
Instagram allows you to add four different contact methods to your profile:
Once you’ve added your real estate brokerage’s contact details, it will be displayed at the top of your profile in the following format:
5. Optimize your bio to reflect your real estate business
It’s important to think of your Instagram bio as the first impression your real estate brokerage makes on potential followers.
This is because it’s often the first thing that people see when they click on your profile.
Use your bio to tell potential clients about your business and be sure to add your address, as well as a link to your website to generate leads directly from Instagram.
You should also use your bio to stand out from your competitors and to show potential customers that you have something valuable to offer them.
We recommend using emojis and line breaks to make your bio easier to read. Below is an example for inspiration:
“We help buyers find their dream homes and homeowners sell for more Thinking of buying or selling a property in [LOCATION]? Call us today on [NUMBER] or email one of our team members at [EMAIL ADDRESS] |
6. Choose a clear and consistent brand voice
Your real estate Instagram account should reflect your brokerage. This is why you should decide on a clear and unique brand voice before you start posting.
Not only will your real estate brand voice help guide the content you create, but it will also reflect what you want to achieve with your Instagram account.
Think about what you want your followers to see and learn from your content. Once you’ve pinpointed this, make sure that it’s posted consistently across your account.
For example, if your aim is to help people find their dream home, make sure that you post things like affordable listings and tips for new homeowners.
Or, if you want to promote luxury listings, choose content that showcases your properties in the best way. This could include only posting professional photography or videos.
It’s also important to use your agency’s branding to inform the tone of your captions and how you present your content.
7. Humanize your real estate business
Both Instagram and the real estate industry are all about human engagement and storytelling. This is why your page shouldn’t be any different.
One of the best ways to humanize your real estate agency is to post testimonials from your previous clients on your stories and feed.
The more social proof you can provide on your social media feed, the more potential followers will begin to trust your brokerage’s competence and expertise.
It’s also a great idea to post photos and videos of your real estate agents on the job to show potential customers what happens behind the scenes.
Many people find this inside look into their favorite businesses fascinating and it also shows your followers how hard your agents work to provide world-class service.
8. Plan your content
To grow your real estate Instagram page, you have to create and consistently post exciting content. It often takes planning, research, and trial and error to find out what works best for your page.
Platforms like Planoly allow you to schedule and organize your Instagram feed so that you can plan ahead.
Planoly also mimics the layout of an Instagram feed so that you can see what content will look like before posting it.
This allows you to post content that is consistent with your brand voice and Instagram account’s theme.
It also helps you ensure that you don’t accidentally duplicate Instagram posts with similar content, allowing you to always deliver fresh posts that resonate with your audience.
In the sections below, we’ve outlined a few content ideas that will help kickstart your real estate Instagram account.
9. Use high-quality photos of properties
One of the biggest challenges of Instagram is finding ways for your content to stand out among the noise.
This is why using high-quality, professional photography will help you catch the eye of a potential buyer and help clients picture themselves in the homes on offer.
One real estate brokerage that does this well is the Breitenbach Advisory.
They use professional photography to showcase each property’s best features in the hope of attracting a potential buyer.
By including multiple photos of the same property, the Breitenbach Advisory is able to take their followers on a virtual tour of each home.
Not only does this create an experience for the group’s followers, but it also gives them a better idea of each property and whether or not they want to view it.
10. Post Reels and Instagram Stories That Cover a Range of Topics
An Instagram reel is a short video that you can add to your profile.
These videos are particularly useful for real estate brokerages because they allow you to post short and punchy forms of content that’s perfect for communicating messages quickly.
This is why we recommend filming videos of walkthroughs, open houses, and sneak peeks of new properties on the local market.
As we mentioned earlier, videos are a great way to boost engagement on your real estate brokerage’s Instagram page.
In fact, 76% of people have indicated that videos often convince them to buy products or services because the content has educated or interested them.
11. Use key trends and real estate education to inform your followers
- Are there any noticeable trends that gain traction among homeowners in the local community?
- Do you have drool worthy design tips or decorative items that people just can’t get enough of?
- Is there one thing that every new homeowner should know?
If so, tell your followers about it. Showing users that you’re up to date with the latest industry trends helps establish your brokerage as a trusted source of information.
It can also help potential buyers to better understand the local market and refine what they are looking for.
For example, The Elmes Group uses its platform to educate its followers on what’s happening in the real estate industry.
The group posts about topics like sales figures, travel, and housing market stats.
This gives The Elmes Group an edge over its competitors because it teaches their followers something that they might not have had access to on other accounts.
12. Post at the right time
Several studies have proven that there are certain times of the day that are best-suited to posting on Instagram.
Although your followers’ habits might differ slightly, Instagram posts from the professional services industry typically tend to perform best on weekdays between 9 am and 10 pm.
Research shows that people generally tend to consume much of their content in the morning before work and in the evenings when they want to relax.
Use these times and your analytics data to plan your posting schedule accordingly. This will help ensure that you reach your followers when they are most active.
13. Don’t just talk business
People like to work with those who they know. It’s therefore nice to show some personal content or non-real estate work your staff and agents do.
This will help improve your brand by showing you care about friends, family, and your community. It will also help stimulate conversation with the locals.
Things you could post about include:
- Your personal life
- Upcoming community events
- Any community service your staff have been involved in
- A funny meme
- Recommend a local restaurant
- A recent team event
3 Brokerages That Make Instagram Work for Them
If you leverage Instagram correctly, you’ll drive huge results for your real estate brokerage.
In the section below, we’ve compiled a list of real estate Instagram accounts that are making the most out of Instagram to help inspire some ideas for your own page.
- Wall Street Journal Real Estate (@wsjrealestate)
Although The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is a media outlet, it uses Instagram to promote the publication’s luxury property listings.
By using professional photography to capture each property’s best features, the WSJ gives its followers a personalized look into the listings.
The WSJ also makes use of informative captions to share key details about each property.
This includes where the property is situated, its listing price, some of its most notable exterior and interior features, as well as where interested buyers can go to find out more.
The WSJ posts at least once or twice each day. This ensures that there is a consistent stream of content on their followers’ feeds, ensuring maximum engagement potential.
Similar properties have also been grouped into easy-to-access highlight reels at the top of the WSJ’s page. This allows potential clients to find the information they need, hassle-free.
- The Oppenheim Group (@theoppenheimgroup)
With over 400,000 followers, The Oppenheim Group has one of the top-performing real estate Instagram accounts.
The group uses its account to take potential clients on a journey through each property, with beautiful photographs and informative captions.
The Oppenheim Group also advertises its new listings alongside posts of properties it has recently sold, showing followers how successful each real estate agent is.
The group also posts press releases and shares some of the latest news in the real estate industry.
This helps keep their followers informed about the latest trends in the market, such as property prices and sales figures.
Not only does this establish the group as a trusted source of industry news, but it also helps their clients make better-informed decisions about their real estate purchases.
- Barry Cohen Homes (@barrycohenhomes)
The Barry Cohen Homes group uses high-end photography and follows a similar post format to maintain their Instagram feed.
Photos of their luxury properties usually include highlights of each listing. This ensures that potential clients can get all of the information they need at a glance.
They use relevant hashtags to ensure their content reaches people who search for it.
The group also posts testimonials from its happy customers. This shows the group’s followers that its real estate agents are successful and that customers enjoy working with them.
The Barry Cohen Homes Group has also added similar topics into highlights at the top of their page.
Here, they showcase more success stories, available listings, and industry news, ensuring that their followers have access to the latest property trends.
Start Growing Your Real Estate Brokerage Today
Ensuring that your real estate brokerage’s profile stands out on Instagram takes time and effort.
Although thousands of followers won’t appear overnight, a good social media strategy will see you post consistently on Instagram and help your account gain traction.
Following the suggestions we’ve set out in this article will help you get the most out of your Instagram account and drive traffic to your website.
Remember, creating an account for your real estate agency may be one of the best steps you can take towards expanding your reach and client base.
