Should Real Estate Agents Be on Instagram? The Pros, Cons and How to Get Started

Even if you're active on social media for marketing, you might still wonder if real estate agents can use Instagram to help promote their business. On one hand, Instagram seems like a perfect fit considering that it's image-based--and what better way to show off your latest listing than photos?

But Instagram isn't quite like the other social media marketing platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, and it can take real estate agents a little getting used to before they get the hang of putting it to work for their marketing.

The Pros of Instagram for Real Estate Marketing

In addition to having more active monthly users than Twitter, Instagram offers several features and advantages that make it uniquely suited to real estate marketing.

1. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words – And that's all it takes to post to Instagram. Unlike Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, you don't need to create or curate any more content than photos. Whether it's a photo of your listing or the nearby amenities, you get 1,000 words worth by just snapping a shot.
2. It's a More Personal Platform – This is one that makes Instagram ideal for real estate agents. You can use Instagram to give your followers a more down-to-earth, in-the-moment look into your work. And you can get closer to them, too.
3. You Have Several Options to Make Your Posts More Interesting – If there's one concern real estate agents have about Instagram it is that their posts won't be 'creative' enough for the platform. But Instagram options like Boomerang, Superzoom and Stories give you ways of making even an image of walking in the front door more visually appealing.

The Cons of Instagram for Real Estate Marketing

Like we said, Instagram is a little different. In addition to the need for creating interest in your images, there are a couple other platform idiosyncrasies that you'll have to get accustomed to.

1. You Can Only Upload to Instagram through a Mobile Device – Instagram began as a mobile app and then developed its desktop website, but it remains a mobile-first The good news is you can market your services from anywhere with your smartphone.
2. The Home Buyers and Seller Demographic Might not be as Well Represented on Instagram – There's no denying that Instagram's users are younger on average than those on the other major social platforms. But there's been a noted uptick in average ages as older users explore the platform. And younger followers will one day become home buyers and sellers!
3. Linking to Your Other Web Properties and Content Isn't Easy – While Instagram posts can't include hyperlinks, your followers can copy and paste URLs that you add to your posts; you can also update the URL in your profile bio as often as you like and direct viewers to it in the caption.

How to Get Started with Instagram

This is the easy part. There are only a few basic steps to setting up your Instagram account and posting images.

Set Up Your Account

1. Download the Instagram app to your mobile device of choice.
2. Open the app and follow the sign-up. Instagram is owned by Facebook, so you have the option of using your Facebook account for Instagram too.
3. Choose a username that isn't too long and lets followers associate the account with your real estate.
4. When you've completed the sign-up, you'll get an email with an activation link that you'll need to use before you're ready to.
5. Complete your profile page by adding a profile picture of yourself. Add your 'Bio' to let people know what you do, the locations you serve and any other info that helps set you apart like "Top Seller."

Post Content

Of course, you can post anything you like, but remember to stay on message; you're using your account to market your business and what you do. The quality of your Instagram content is as important as any other social media content. If you would like to get accustomed to using Instagram, and you want to see what others in real estate post to their accounts, start searching for some of the big real estate companies or for any agents you know who use Instagram.

Here, directly from the Instagram site, are instructions for posting content. Be sure to check the optional links at the bottom of the instructions to see other content options you have for posting to Instagram.

Remember to #Hashtag

There's another other big difference with Instagram. Hashtags are used far more often on Instagram versus other platforms to help quickly identify and label content. If nothing else, try to add a few pertinent hashtags to every post.

You should add copy describing your post, and while you can use as much detail as you like (up to 2200 characters), only the first four lines of your copy are visible on the post without users having to hit the 'More' link. To maximize the visibility of your copy, add it first and your hashtags below.

It might take a little getting used to, but Instagram can become one of the most fun and interactive parts of your real estate digital marketing program.

Once you are using Instagram to generate new leads, a great way to keep in touch with them is with a dedicated real estate marketing CRM.

To view the original article, visit the IXACT Contact blog.