Is Instagram something you know you need to put effort into but whenever you try, things just don’t turn out the way you want them to, or worse you don’t even know where to start or what to post? I hear ya, I mean if you’re not posting about listings or solds or even testimonials, then what the heck are you supposed to post? Here’s the thing, as a Realtor, you are a personal brand, which means you need to show more than just what you do, you need to show who you are. There is way more to your brand than just real estate friend! It’s time to round out that feed and add a touch of the personal to the mix. If you give your audience a way to connect with you, I promise you’ll see a bump in engagement and potentially, clients! But where do you start? How do you put together a feed that invites your ideal audience into the story? I’ve summed it up in 3 easy steps. Here’s how to crush your Instagram goals for the year.
ONE | CREATE A VISUALLY STELLAR GRID
Did you know that when people land on your profile, you have about two seconds to impress them before they take off? That means that your top nine posts on Instagram, need to be stunning, engaging and tell a story of your brand. When you offer up captivating content, you invite the viewer into your story. This means that if your feed looks something like this – just listed, just sold, just listed, market stats just listed, just listed – Then you’re only attracting people who are looking to buy or sell a home NOW. Instagram is a long game, you need to invite your ideal audience in months or years before they are ready to make a move. You need to serve them regularly so that when the time comes, you’re the first person they think of when it’s time to sell their house. The first step is to invite them into your story, create a beautifully cohesive grid using similar colours, fonts and tones, and mix up your content to paint a very clear picture of what you stand for and what they can expect from you if they choose to hit follow.
TWO | ENGAGE ENGAGE ENGAGE
Here’s a news flash – the algorithm, that crazy computer running Instagram- doesn’t favour you posting and then taking off. So if you’re posting because it’s something that you’re checking off your list, you’re missing the mark. What I suggest instead is to set aside about 20 minutes a day to use Instagram for what it was made for, to connect, be social, show up and serve. Use your time to actively engage with your followers and potential followers. So, you want to post on Instagram, and then head over to the feed and start commenting on posts that resonate with you. Engage with your ideal audience, start connecting with people on a human level, instead of as a realtor. You will see so much more engagement and have more fun if you stop seeing Instagram as a chore and start seeing it as a way to connect with people. And as a bonus, the algorithm will like you more too!
THREE | TELL STORIES
One of the biggest mistakes I see realtors make on social is a lack of human connection in their posts. Property descriptions generally sound canned, and personal posts sound like a 9th grader trying to write a perfectly worded essay ( I know that sounds harsh but stay with me) As humans we connect to story. That’s why movies are such a huge money-making machine, they are the ultimate storytellers. We love to be engaged and invited into a story. Instead of saying, “sold in one week with seven offers” or “happy buyers, happy sellers.” That is not going to resonate with anyone other than people who are right now, looking to sell their home. You want to engage with the masses, tell them a story. Here’s a trick I use when writing posts for the ‘gram. I record myself as if I’m talking to a friend, and then transcribe that into my post, it always comes across as more friendly and inviting. Think of one person and tell them about this home you have for sale. What would you tell them about it? Would you say, “wonderful three-bedroom house, overlooking a pond”? No! You would say something more along the lines of, “Hey sis, there’s this amazing house that I have listed it’s literally right next to a freakin pond, Jojo would love running around in it, and kids are always playing in it at this time of year, it’s so sweet! There’s this gorgeous kitchen that looks like it’s right out of a tv-set and the master bedroom overlooks that so sweet pond…ahhhh it’s all just too much, seriously you have to see it!” Tell that story. You’ll see your engagement skyrocket. I promise.
