I spend too much time on real estate Instagram accounts and I have some unhappy news. Some of the accounts are dull. Like, really dull. But don’t worry, I won’t say who they are. If you’re not getting engagement, you’re not gaining followers, and you’re not having fun, I’m probably talking about you.
This is your intervention. I want you to succeed this year, so I’m going to give you some tough love and tell you the five ways to be the most boring realtor on Instagram. Then I’ll show you how to stop being boring while still posting real estate content that will make your phone ring.
Instagram Video Ideas For Realtors
If you want to grow your real estate brand and reach a wider audience, you need to start posting video content. Video content has twice the engagement of regular posts on Instagram, so it will help you reach your goals more quickly.
Videos are a more effective means of showcase properties and giving viewers a sense of your personality than other methods.
Here are 10 video ideas you can use for your real estate business.
1. Share Market Updates
Both sellers and buyers are looking for information to help them understand the housing market. This is where market updates and analysis can be useful.
You can become a trusted expert by posting updates on housing prices, the number of homes sold, and the average price each unit was sold at. You can also give your opinion on the next steps that buyers and sellers should take.
The value addition from being active on Instagram will help you get leads, as your name will be at the top of your prospects’ minds when they decide to buy or sell a house. You can make yourself even more memorable on Instagram by adding a little bit of your personality to your content, like realtor Ian Grossman does with his hilarious and informative reel.
How to Tell a Story With Your Listing Posts
As a real estate agent, it is your job to not only sell a house, but to also tell the story about the property. This helps potential buyers to not only connect with the house, but also to understand the seller’s situation. It is important to get the seller’s permission before telling their story, as it is their personal information. However, once you have their permission, be sure to mention anything interesting about the deal, such as the sellers, what they did to the house, why they sold it, the history, or the offer situation.
Although selling a home “over ask” has become common in today’s market, this particular home sold for ____ more than the asking price. This was due to the ____ amenities the home provided. Buyers were ____ to see the potential in the home and were willing to ____ to make it their own.
This post from Taya Dicarlo provides inspiration for more interesting ways to post on Instagram than just a graphic. Shoutout to social media savant and friend, Tessa Bella, for teaching us these strategies on how agents can make their Instagram (IG) feeds more entertaining.
2. You Only Post Real Estate Content
If you only post about real estate, people may start to think that you are one-dimensional and only care about selling.
How to Be Less Boring in 2022: Show Your Authentic Self
Also post about it. Being your authentic self is a great way to connect with others. You can show your true self on Instagram by posting things that you are passionate about, even if they are not popular. This will help you connect with others who share your interests and create meaningful relationships. Here are a few realtors you can take inspiration from:
If you follow Sarah Desamours on social media, you’ll get a good sense of her interests, which include family, real estate, skiing, and music festivals.
Matt Lionetti, who is the co-host of my podcast, is a music lover. He once wore a Ramones shirt in one of his IG stories and someone reached out to him about it. He ended up getting a $50,000 commission because of that T-shirt. I made up that number to emphasize my point, but the story is true. Pretty cool.
The editor notes that the person in the picture is wearing a Ramones shirt which makes them look good. They also mention that the person is standing next to a famous real estate agent which may have helped them get a client.
3. You Only Post Your Wins
Ealy on, real estate Instagram was full of people bragging about their successes, wearing suits, closing deals, driving nice cars, going to clubs with bottle service, posting motivational quotes, and taking nauseatingly perfect photos. It seemed like everyone was playing a character of a realtor and that character lived the perfect life.
It is necessary to show your success, but if that is all you show, it is boring and people won’t be able to relate to you.
How to Be Less Boring in 2022: Be More Relatable
It’s okay to show your losses in real estate and in life. You’re not perfect and that’s okay. Let people know what happened when you lost out on a deal. Be vulnerable and show them that you’re human.
I believe that this content will be more successful than a traditional “victory” post. By displaying what went wrong in a deal and what can be done differently next time, you can be educational and provide the same amount of value. Be relatable.
Step 4. Conduct Live Q&A Sessions
If you go live, you can connect directly with your potential customers, answer their questions, and provide more insight into their real estate problems. This added value can help increase brand awareness and get more people interested in your services.
A large majority of people prefer watching live streams over reading blogs or social media posts. Additionally, the trend of “Instagram Live” is here to stay according to Hootsuite. As a result, incorporating live streams into your Instagram strategy is strongly advised.
This live session from Mark Salerno covers the latest listings and market updates.
The most appealing aspect of this IG Live is that it feels like a genuine exchange rather than a virtual one, since Mark comments on every Live message and carries on friendly conversations – something that encourages more people to reach out to him.
Promote your upcoming live session and start talking to your prospective customers beforehand to get some solid topics to discuss during your live session. You can then use this template to create a promotional video for your live session and add it to your stories to remind people and generate some excitement.
Before you start a Live, be sure you have a strong internet connection and you are sitting in a place with good lighting. A phone with decent specs will work for an Instagram Live, but if you want to deliver clear audio and look more professional, it might be worth investing in a ring light and some microphones.
Step 5. Post A Video Tour Of The Listed Property
Home tours are a great way for potential buyers to explore every corner of the house and get a good idea of what it would look like. This can lead to some highly qualified leads as potential buyers already have a good idea of what they are looking for.
For example, watch realtor Jon Baker’s house tour video. Although he isn’t present in the video to guide the viewer through the house, the camera makes it appear as if the viewer is moving through the house. The aerial views also help people get a better idea of the surroundings.
To make an effective house tour video, hire professional videographers to shoot a clear video that shows prospects every part of the house. Include the most appealing features of the property and a strong call to action in your caption.
Although you may be tempted to hire professionals to make a house tour video for you, you can also use your phone to capture live footage and edit it with InVideo’s real estate video maker. You can also use this template to add your footage and replace the music, to create a house tour video that is perfect for Instagram.
Step 6. Promote Your Events
Networking and sharing valuable information at events is a great way to boost brand awareness, build trust, and increase the number of prospective buyers. Creating real estate videos for Instagram and promoting them can help increase attendance at your next event.
Keller Williams is an example of a company that is promoting their Family Reunion event to other realtors.
The teams put a lot of effort into making sure everything is ready and making sure attendees have a good time. They’re dedicated to providing value to attendees.
You can take some tips from the Keller Williams team to help promote your event. This can be done by interviewing the team heads to show your dedication. If your team is not keen on being in front of the camera, you can use a template to add the number of guests who have signed up, the names of any special guests attending, and footage from any previous events. This will give potential attendees a sneak peek and increase curiosity, encouraging more people to come to your event.
Step 7. Create A Texting Story Video
You don’t have to bore your followers with real estate Instagram posts. You can get creative with texting story videos. These videos have become immensely popular as they showcase conversations that everyone can relate to through mock text messages and notifications on the lock screen.
Even though these videos might not lead to many sales right away, they will help your prospects become more interested in your business and eventually result in them doing business with you.
A video from REMAX real estate showing congratulatory messages from loved ones for buying a new house.
In just a few seconds, this video perfectly communicates what it’s like to have a dream home and how REMAX can help people achieve that goal.
Use this template to create a texting video like REMAX. Edit the text messages to create a narrative focused on the real estate problems you solve as a realtor.
You could create a conversation on social media about common real estate problems and how you solve them, using a story and CTA in your caption, like REMAX does.
Step 8: Make An Agent Introduction Video
People love to learn more about the brands they interact with online as it helps them connect better with the content. Creating an agent introduction video that showcases your story and gives prospects a compelling reason to hire you for their real estate needs will help you connect with more prospects.
For example, consider the intro video by Jenna Roberts from Century 21 Real Estate.
Jenna immediately tells her prospects that she serves people who are looking to buy or sell a home and what sets her apart from other realtors is her dedication to her clients. She speaks from her prospects’ perspective, empathizes with their situation, and repeatedly tells her prospects that she consistently puts in the effort to get to know them personally to serve them in the best way possible.
She comes across as a relatable and compassionate realtor who understands her prospects and is committed to delivering the best results for them.
A good introduction video should be captivating, like Jenna’s. Use this InVideo template to tell your potential customers who you are, who your target audience is, and why they should consider you to solve their real estate problems.
In addition, emphasize your unique qualities and how your services make a difference for your customers, so that potential clients can understand how you are different and are more likely to reach out to you when they need real estate assistance.
Step 9. Showcase The Neighborhood
Since people want to move to a neighborhood that best suits their lifestyle and personality, real estate agents should promote the neighborhood and local attractions to the right people.
Example: Compass has identified the following benefits for 3 neighborhoods: Park Row, Prospect, and Milton. Residents in Park Row will be able to access the following places: -The restaurant and bar scene in Lower Manhattan -The pedestrian plaza and park at One Liberty Plaza -The Whole Foods on Chambers Street Prospect residents will be able to enjoy: -The farmers market and greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza -The variety of shops along Vanderbilt Avenue -The Brooklyn Museum Lastly, those in Milton will be able to take advantage of: -The Brooklyn Botanic Garden -The Brooklyn Public Library -The great selection of restaurants on Wythe Avenue
