I KNOW IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE…

…that there are real estate pros out there generating hundreds of leads, referrals and even listings and design clients from Instagram when you can barely get your friends and family to like your posts (Shoot, I can barely get Dwayne to like my posts).

It’s hard out there, I hear ya! When I first decided to get intentional about my personal account I only had 500 followers and a handful of engagement and most of it was my mom. So I totally feel your pain!

It’s easy to think that Instagram is just a place for mouth-watering food porn, your fave products, and perfectly photoshopped celebrities…but its also a place for us real estate entrepreneurs like you and me to let our personalities shine and build an audience of our ideal clients. It’s a place for us to share our passions around real estate and make some money while we’re at it.

You may be thinking, I love scrolling through my personal feed, but I don’t know if Instagram is right for pushing my real estate brand. Well my friend, I am here to boldly tell you (and hopefully convince you in the end) that Instagram is the best form of marketing for real estate pros. Period. With more than half (51%) of the platform’s active users visiting the site daily, Instagram has quickly turned into a top social media site.

Don’t believe me? Well keep on reading and I’ll make a believer out of ya because sleeping on Instagram is only hurting your business!

3 REASONS INSTAGRAM IS PRIMED FOR REAL ESTATE PROS

1. REAL ESTATE IS A RELATIONAL BUSINESS

Some clients want a friendly, meet in the morning for coffee type of relationship with their real estate agent, others want to be the best of friends with their interior designer and then there are those that just want a builder that tells ‘em like it is and gets the job done. Different strokes for different folks but the end is result still the same. No matter how you slice it real estate (and therefore you) are in the business of developing relationships with your client. A relationship that hopefully leads to happy dances, stellar reviews and more referrals than you can handle (a girl can dream).

If you are doing it right, then you know that real estate is all about building relationships. If you treat your clients like just another transaction then you are probably struggling to get a consistent flow of referrals. When it comes to anything involving real estate, it is most likely involving one of your client’s biggest decisions. Therefore, in order for a client to even consider hiring you they had to come to know, like and trust you.

2. SOCIAL MEDIA PROVIDES PLATFORMS FOR BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Social media provides us with a never before seen way of both staying in touch with family and friends and connecting with people we have never even met with similar interest. Social media is and will always be a virtual networking platform. One that allows us to build virtual communities with other people that make us feel a little less alone (or crazy) in this big world. As humans we were made be in relation with one another and social media fosters that need to be seen, heard, and connected.

Although users are engaging with businesses and brands, people ultimately want to communicate and connect with other real people, with real lives and real stories. This is exactly why you see more and more companies humanizing their content on social media and especially on Instagram. There is an element of community to social media, one that should not be overlooked.

3. INSTAGRAM IS THE BEST SOCIAL PLATFORM FOR BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Instagram is like dating.

Don’t roll your eyes at me because I am serious. Think about it…The goal is to post visually appealing photos so that someone is attracted to your profile. Attracted enough that they follow you and allow you to show up in their feed. And then its up to you to win them over with your beaming personality so that they actually want to get to know more about you and what you have to offer.

Your target audience actually wants to see you, hear your stories and get to know you better. Instagram makes it easier than any other marketing platform for its users to search, find, and connect with each other. The rest is up to you.

DRUM ROLL

So are you picking up what I am putting down?

Real estate is a relational business, social media helps you build relationships, and Instagram is the best for doing just that. As real estate pros, if we are not taking advantage of this amazing opportunity to not only get infront of our ideal clients but to help them know, like and trust us…we are basically screwing the pooch.

So to recap, the top three reasons Instagram should be your go-to secret weapon in your real estate marketing arsenal:

• Real estate is a relational business
• Social media provides platforms for building relationships
• Instagram is the best social platform for building relationships

>> HEY, I HAVE QUESTION FOR YOU!

Do you follow any real estate professionals that you think are totally killin’ it on the gram? Leave their IG handle and what you love about them in the comment section below.