Running your business in 2018 is an exciting yet challenging venture. And when it comes to running a realty business, it’s additionally challenging because it can be hard to know how to best market houses to millennials and Gen Zers. The generations that often prefer renting to buying are now getting to the age where you want them to buy houses. That’s where using Instagram makes such a difference. It’s a popular app among these groups, and already property-sharing companies like Instagram and tutoring companies are using it to get these younger clients.
If you want to get some new clients and get them to take your realty business seriously enough that they’ll buy a house through your company, follow these steps to improve your mastery of Instagram.
Get an Instagram for business account
The first thing any business needs to do the moment they start being active on Instagram is to set up an Instagram for business account. One automatic benefit? You’ll immediately up the engagement you get, showing up on more feeds. Additionally, you have the options of including extra info for your customers, such as your address, email address, a direct link to your website and Facebook page, and other kinds of contact info. Best of all, you can get statistical information about who’s following your account and engaging with it--which means you can improve your posts over time. According to SproutSocial,
“If you’re currently using a personal account, you likely don’t have much data on how well your Instagram posts or Stories are performing. At best, you’re probably just manually monitoring the number of likes and comments your content receives. When you switch over to a business profile, however, you get access to Instagram Insights. This is Instagram’s native analytics platform that gives you data on engagement, impressions, audience demographics and more.”
Considering that 59 percent of Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 use Instagram, and 33 percent of Internet users between 30 and 49 use it, this is a key way of getting information about potential customers.
Use the best hashtags
When it comes to being successful on social media, hashtags rule the world. But nowhere is this truer than with Instagram. Considering that 80 percent of users on Instagram are following a business, it’s no surprise that fans of businesses love to use hashtags with their favorite brand names in them. And if you get creative and fun with hashtags, your customers will enjoy engaging with you. You need to create a memorable hashtag with your business name in it first. Then, find out what hashtags are trending among your most important consumer bases. Additionally, hashtag the neighborhoods where you’re showing homes to clients so you’ll show up when they look those places up.
Generally, it’s smart to use 35 hashtags or so in every post. By copy/pasting these hashtags in your phone, you can post quickly without too much stress. In the same vein, don’t forget to add locations to your images! Because you’re running a realty business, clients looking for homes in your area will inevitably run into your business if you’ve tagged the locations of where they’re looking.
Considering that an average of 2 hours and 15 minutes a day is spent on social networks, using the right hashtags will quickly up your engagement.
Engage as much as you can
Speaking of engagement...you need to engage as much as you can once you’re already posting. Too many businesses will pick a great filter, and work hard to create amazing content under the pictures, and then forget to engage with their customers. Simply posting isn’t enough--you need to check back constantly for comments and likes and write to your customers. Once someone has written something about a post, you should reply immediately. If someone follows you, follow them back--especially if they’re a potential business partner.
Additionally, think about engaging with influencers to rave about your realty business. Instagram has more than 800 million users logging in monthly, and many of them are using it to catch up on their favorite celebrities’ and influencers’ lives. Paying other Instagram accounts to advertise your business with them can make a huge difference, too, especially if you’re a new business.
These are some of the best ways your business can use Instagram to get more clients. Working in social media is a job in itself for any business, whether it’s a tutoring company or a startup, and you’ll benefit from taking the time to use these strategies. What other strategies do you think would work for your business?
