Setting yourself apart as a Real Estate agent can be tricky. That’s why many are turning to Instagram’s most popular sharing feature…the Story. Instagram Stories allow users to post photos, videos, boomerangs and more, for a frame of 24 hours. After this time is up, the content will disappear forever. So why are Instagram Stories useful for Real Estate agents? Let’s find out!
500 million users view Instagram Stories every day. (Hootsuite)
First let’s dive into some of the capabilities of the Instagram Story. As I mentioned before, Stories will appear for briefly 24 hours. You can post content that you’ve previously created, or even appear in a live video that saves itself for the limited amount of time! Say you want to get a message across with your previously created content- Instagram offers a variety of font styles and stickers so that you can customize each post!
What if you want to save a story for client’s future reference? “Story Highlights” are your answer! These are small icons that remain part of your profile, showcasing pinned items from previous stories. What a great tool for showing off those listings!
Next, let’s talk about what types of posts you might be making as a Real Estate agent. Listings, open houses, behind the scenes, and special promotions or giveaways are just a few areas of opportunity for your Instagram Story. Stories also provide the “poll” or “ask a question” feature which will record and share with you each response that comes in. For example, if you were to post a poll asking which home style is more favorable, Ranch or Modern, you would be able to see what the majority of your follower base likes better. By prompting viewers to engage in your content, you are able to see exactly who is interested in what you have to offer.
So why is this appealing to clients of Real Estate agents? It’s simple- it feels personal. It feels authentic and helps build trust because they see exactly what they are buying into when they choose you. Real estate agents and instagram stories are not only branding your business, but yourself. You are developing the social proof that other competing agents may or may not already have.
Who knows…aside from building relationships with both new and current clients, you might even gain some referrals!
