10 Facebook Marketing Tips and 5 Instagram Marketing Tips for Real Estate Agents

Did you know that more than two-thirds North Americans are on Facebook? Or that Instagram has more than one billion users worldwide, with that number increasing by 20% per year? Obviously, both are a goldmine of potential referrals for real estate agents. Simply joining Facebook and Instagram, however, is not enough to grow your real estate business. Here are ten tips for Facebook marketing and 5 tips for Instagram marketing.

10 Facebook Tips for Real Estate Agents

1. Post often and consistently. Post interesting updates, such as testimonials, inspirational quotes, blog articles (your own and others) with homebuying and selling tips, on a regular basis. If that seems like a lot of work, you can easily automate much of your content, including writing, using a Morris’s Real Estate Marketing Success System.
2. Share event announcements. Facebook has a great feature that allows you to easily invite people to your events. Even better, your friends and followers can also easily share those events to people they believe will be interested in attending. So, make sure to post all your open houses, community/neighborhood events you’re hosting, etc. If you’re sponsoring an event, you can also ask the host to add you as co-host so the event will appear in your events section as well as theirs.
3. Post a lot of imagery. Studies have proven that adding imagery to your social media posts will increase views and interactions, including likes and shares which has a snowball effect. As Cindy King of the Social Media Examiner, points out “When people comment on or like photos, they can show up in the newsfeed of their friends and are more noticeable than a link or plain text status update.”
4. Take Videos.  You no longer need a pile of money and a team of production experts to help you create a video. You can use your laptop or cellphone! If you’d like you can download free or next to free video editing software, and spend a few minutes polishing your video. Research shows that more and more people are not just watching videos online but also making purchasing decisions.
5. Find the right hashtags. Hashtags are an important tool to use but don’t go overboard. Find the hashtags that are used by your audience and suit your content. Place them at the bottom of your post, not within the copy.
6. Interact with commenters. It’s important to respond to comments on your posts, photos and videos. Even if you don’t feel like you have anything relevant to add to the conversation, a like and a simple “thank you for commenting” goes a long way when building relationships with prospects.
7. Be proactive. It’s not only important to interact with people on your posts and pages, it’ also important to look for external content. Like and comment on complimentary services and prospective buyer’s postings, events and announcements.
8. Community Pages. Virtually every neighborhood has at least one community page that gives residents a forum to discuss local issues, happenings and important news. If, however, your chosen geographic farming area does not yet have one, this is a perfect opportunity to organize one and set your own community rules & guidelines! So, join and/or sponsor the community pages that you can and start one, if there’s an opportunity.
9. Look for appropriate groups. Don’t join groups indiscriminately or you will have trouble keeping up with all of them and making real connections. Instead look for large groups that fit your target market. This includes location, interests, and demographics.
10. Make it easy for people to reach you. Make sure your about/contact section is up to date with a link to your website, phone number and email. Also, let people know when you’re available on messenger, via the toggle. Consider adding an auto message so your response is immediate, which Facebook records and rewards.

Now let’s turn our attention towards Instagram.

5 Instagram Tips for Real Estate Agents

1. Consistently post useful tidbits. Think about what content will help your potential buyers and sellers make informed decisions – what information are they looking for? Provide them this information in a visually pleasing way (since Instagram is all about imagery) and don’t be afraid to tell them to visit your website for more info. A Real Estate Marketing Success System that includes written blog and social media post content will help you post consistently and keep your information current.
2. Add videos. The first thing that you think of when someone mentions Instagram is beautiful photos. Videos, however, called IGTV, are also great tools for capturing the attention of your audience, and all you need is a mobile device! Once you’ve recorded a short video, click the IGTV logo on the upper-right of the screen.
3. Use hashtags appropriately. Just as in Facebook or Twitter, hashtags are important and strategic. Don’t flood your post with hashtags. Instead, choose wisely based on what is pertinent to the conversation and to your target audience. Keep your hashtags at the bottom of your post, not in the content, itself.
4. Make use of minimal profile space. There is not a lot of room for fluff in your Instagram profile so make sure to get right to the point and include these three things: A professional profile picture, the real estate services you offer and where, and a link to your real estate agent website so people may contact you.
5. Be strategic about who you follow. Yes, you want to follow potential homebuyers and sellers, and past clients. But don’t forget referral sources. Follow the accounts of other business owners in the area – particularly one’s who have opportunities to refer you often. And it’s not simply a matter of following them. Make sure to interact with those you follow and those who follow you.

BONUS TIP: Mind your image. Perhaps you’re one of the rare people who don’t have an on/off switch for your personal and professional persona. But most people have a professional image to maintain and, as such, a professional Facebook page and/or Instagram account. Some even set up two profiles – one for personal use and one for professional postings and news. Make sure to choose your settings – private for personal sharing and public for your professional posts.

Try as many of the above Facebook and Instagram tips as possible to get more followers, leads, repeat clients and referrals! And don’t forget to make use of your Real Estate Marketing Success System to ensure that you can easily generate content, keep track of your leads and clients, and boost your real estate career.