How to Gain a Following on Instagram & Social for REALTORS
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On today’s quick tip, we’re diving into how to gain a following on social media, specifically, Instagram.
The content covered today is designed to be a part of a successful marketing strategy for real estate agents. These tips will not only help you increase your numbers but also (and more importantly!) empower you to form more meaningful connections.
You’ll have a social media foundation that will help fuel your overall business by implementing these strategies in your social media marketing.
Be Specific with Niche Real Estate Marketing
Before anyone will follow you on social and especially Instagram, it needs to be clear why they should follow you.
This starts with having a target audience or ideal homebuyer and seller you’d like to work with in your mind. You can’t be everything to all people, and you don’t want to be! Zero in on your niche and dominate that corner of the online real estate.
A lot of times agents are afraid to choose farming areas or to focus on a specific type of client because they’re afraid they will miss out on other opportunities.
Right? I’ve heard this many times before, “If I’m focused on the “A” area too much then I’m going to miss out on all the “Z” people!” The reality is just the opposite. Your social media marketing is most impactful when it truly speaks to the right person.
You don’t want to gain followers just for the sake of having followers. This is a vanity metric. Smart marketing is making true connections that turn into relationships and eventually happy customers.
Go look at your Instagram feed right now. Is it obvious who you are trying to connect with? You want to be super clear about who you are as an agent and the areas that you’re focused on. I should know right away not only that you’re in real estate but also the areas that you serve. I’ve seen a lot of profiles out there where I have no idea where the agent works. Don’t leave people guessing! Make sure you are standing out as the local real estate expert in your area.
From there, you can work on creating, even more, niche content. For example, you might be a luxury agent or someone who work with lots of first-time homebuyers. Make sure your social media presence represents who you aim to work with. So, the next time someone is looking to sell their luxury home, they think of you. When a first time homebuyer is ready to take the plunge, they’ve been following you and know that you are their go-to REALTOR®. When someone wants to relocate to your area, they reach out to you because your social media presence and Instagram feed highlights your passion and expertise in your area.
If you’re just generic online, it’s going to be difficult to start making genuine connections
Hashtags
Being specific ties in perfectly with your hashtag strategy.
Hashtags will create more opportunities for people to find and follow you. So, choose Instagram hashtags that give you the greatest chance of being found.
You’ll want to choose real estate hashtags that are relevant but don’t have too many posts.
For example, if you use the hashtag #openhouse, will that lead people in your area to finding you? When I looked it had over 4 million posts! That’s way too many. Your post will get lost in the mix. However, #OpenHouseOrlando had over 500 posts. That hashtag will make it more likely for you to not only be found but to be found in your area.
Make a list of potential hashtags and look for ones that are applicable to you and have a decent amount of posts. I’d recommend staying in the ten thousands or less if possible. Just don’t use the same hashtags in every post because Instagram might think that you are a bot or spam.
Instagram is also doing image analysis to know when hashtags aren’t relevant.
I’m going to stop here because it sounds like the tech is making it harder, right? No, this is good. It’s forcing people to be more authentic and improving experiences.
2. Provide Value in All You Post
By providing value to your followers, you’re giving them a reason to follow you on Instagram.
The value of your social media or Instagram marketing should come in the form of the content that you post. Which is why we start with choosing a target market. Once we’re specific about who we want to follow us, then we can start making content tailored just to them! You might be struggling with what to post on social because you’re not being specific enough.
If I know that I’m targeting homebuyers in a certain area, I can share photos of the area, tips for buying in the area, local hotspots, videos, listings, and the list goes on and on!
To help you easily provide value in your social media, I’ve created a 30-day calendar of ideas for you! Which you can download for free here. In this freebie, I also take a deeper dive into my Focused Four framework which outlines the 4 best types of content to create and post as a real estate agent.
3) Represent Your Agent Branding & Be Consistent
People are attracted to compelling images on Instagram. Keep in mind, we’re talking about managing your social media from a business perspective. It’s important that it represents your personal branding and you have a cohesive look.
I’d recommend using the same filter for your photos and planning out how everything looks ahead of time. I like the free version of the Adobe Photoshop app and use Lightroom presets on my MacBook to edit photos.
We know how important it is to be consistent - post often (once a day if possible). As your gaining followers, you want people to know that they can expect to see new content from you regularly. I use Later to schedule my Instagram and to preview how it will look ahead of time. By doing this I stay consistent and on brand.
If you use my Focused Four framework, you can stagger what you post to create that aesthetically appealing look. Get it here.
The fun part of Instagram is Stories. Stories allow you to be present but don’t require the same imagery as your feed. If this wasn’t a quick tip, I’d dive much deeper into how important Stories are for Instagram because they play a big role in my next tip, engagement.
4. Engage With a Strategy
This is the most important tip. You get out of social media what you put in to it. It’s that simple.
Find your target market on social and start building rapport with them. Don’t just like a photo. Make a meaningful comment. Start a conversation. Respond to your comments as well!
While social media has evolved to be very visual, it started out being mostly written conversations. Get back to having conversations! Dedicate much time every day to finding your target audience on Instagram and engaging with them.
Over time if you implement all of these practices, your following will not only grow but the number of relationships you have will as well. There are no get followers quick tactics that yield long term results.
Would you rather have 10,000 more followers this year or 10 more people who became customers thanks to social?
By being strategic and authentic with your social media marketing, I have no doubt that you’ll be able to increase your following as a Real Estate agent or REALTOR® and grow your business! Be sure to download my complete guide to social media ideas for REALTORS® here.
Up Next:
I’m Heather Colby, host of the “Ideas for Real Estate Podcast.”
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It's time for seasonal marketing! Fall-themed real estate content and marketing on social media is not only trending, it also works in your Instagram Reels, posts, carousels, and more. The secret is to customize this content with photos and videos of you. So, in today's episode, let's plan an easy fall content shoot for you as a REALTOR to use in your marketing strategies this season!