Even before the pandemic, some successful real estate agents reported they were getting 30% or more of their online leads from social media. Now, a handful of platforms have emerged as especially helpful in real estate. Of these, Instagram has the most potential for the largest number of agents and brokers.

One reason why Homesale Realty excels in 2022 is our ability to use social media to the utmost!

Instagram works for real estate because it is optimized to be a highly visual platform. It is one of the best places online to showcase your most captivating property photography. If you're familiar with Facebook, you can easily get a running start with Instagram since they have a similar interface.

Instagram shines as a place where influencers can rocket to the top of their field in a short time—and as the expert in everything about your local area, you can benefit from the star power this network offers. Extremely high engagement means more follows and comments you can develop into real relationships.

The question is: How can you really make the most of Instagram?

There are a million and a half articles out there about doing basic setup on your social media profiles. Once you are set up, however, what's next? That's what we're here to answer today—with Instagram best practices that allow you to optimize your time on the site and achieve a greater impact.

Here's how to make the most of Instagram:

• Post Consistently
  Consistency is the key to getting noticed on any social platform. All networks have their own rhythm, consisting of how quickly people tend to post as well as when they are most active. Aspire to post at least three times a week to start—as you ramp up your photography, aim to post daily.
  
  
• Use Images in Every Post
  The biggest draw of Instagram for real estate agents—and your future customers—is the ability to highlight breathtaking photos. This is the content buyers are looking at when they imagine aspirational purchase activity. Plus, posts with images will be distributed more widely by the site's algorithm.
  
  
• Use Instagram CTAs
  Every post has a purpose, and they should use Instagram's call to action feature whenever possible. Remember, people won't take the next step unless you spell it out, even when they know what it is. "Call" and "Text" are the two Instagram CTA buttons most effective in real estate.
  
  
• Plan Out Your Visual Branding
  Whenever your post appears on someone's feed, you want them to recognize your style right away. It starts by ensuring you have a branded, yet unobtrusive, watermark or logo on your photos. But you should also think seriously about your color scheme, fonts, and filters, and stick with what you choose.
  
  
• Use Lots and Lots of Hashtags
  Hashtags and location tagging are "musts" for real estate posts. Location tags are obvious. Hashtags are used to make your content more discoverable by ensuring it shows up in relevant searches. Instagram is the platform that encourages the most hashtags—it's not unusual to use dozens per post.
  
  
• Vary Your Post Types
  Listings are only the beginning. Visual neighborhood guides, video storytelling, and infographics on big market trends are also valuable on Instagram. It's also wise to share success stories with visual or video testimonials from your most satisfied customers. On Instagram, word can really get around!

Instagram is one piece of a winning lead generation strategy for real estate. Contact BHHS Homesale Realty to learn more directly from the experts.