HAVE YOU HEARD…

…Instagram is the new Google. Ok maybe I’m exaggerating just a little. But Instagram’s new search and explore features and 80% of Instagram users voluntarily connecting with brands, it is more important than ever to make sure that your profile is optimized.

If you take Instagram seriously (and I highly suggest that you do) then your Instagram real estate profile will quickly become your new home page – like website home page. Think about it, the goal of your website is to convert visitors into customers before the exit your website or at the very least get their email address in your database.

Well the goal of your real estate Instagram profile should be to attract visitors into followers and convert followers into clients. So basically, same same. But what that means for you is that you need to make sure your real estate Instagram bio is top-notch so you totally kill the first impression – which by the way, you only have about 7 seconds to do (yikes!).

SO WHY ARE INSTAGRAM BIOS SO ESSENTIAL?

Research shows that most people decide whether or not they like you within the first seven seconds of meeting you. The same goes for browsing social profiles. Yet some would argue that us humans have even lower attention spans online.

Your real estate Instagram bio is not just a couple lines below your name, it is the first impression that you will make with your ideal client and you want it to be a positive one. Think about it this way, you have seven seconds to get your future client to follow you. You gots to make sure you use your time wisely.

Instagram bios can successfully create a killer first impression that will open the doors to more follows, engagement, and future clients. So let’s jump right in with the five must-know secrets to writing a killer real estate instagram bio!

5 SECRETS TO WRITING A KILLER BIO THAT CONVERTS

SECRET 1: REAL NAMES ATTRACT REAL PEOPLE

Social platforms are built for relationship building and connection. People are coming to your page to learn more about YOU not what you SELL. If your ideal client lands on your page and your real estate Instagram bio is only about business and marketing messages, they are more likely to exit off of your page without so much of a like and certainly not a follow.

Plus lets be real…your ideal client isn’t out there searching for real estate pros to follow. But they are looking for other real people to connect with.

By default Instagram fills in your name but what I want you to do is resist the temptation to change to your business or brand name! Here is where you want to reinforce that you are in fact a real person and not a business just trying to fill your followers’ feed with sales pitches.

You want your followers to know exactly who they are engaging with to strengthen the connection. I highly recommend using your real full name. Now this doesn’t has to be what your mother calls you but you do want it to be your personal name and not the name of your business. Unless, you are Nike then I highly recommend you put your business name.

 

SECRET 2: IT’S ABOUT THEM NOT YOU

Before you can even think about getting your ideal client to drop in your DMs asking you to be their real estate agent or their interior designer you need to first get them to follow you (go figure).

The best way to get a stranger interested in being friends with you is to show them the value you will bring to their life – this goes for both online and offline. People want to know what role you will play in their life.Just like any other piece of great marketing, your real estate Instagram bio should speak directly to your target audience without overtly selling anything. You want to focus on the value that you bring to your ideal client. Here is where you want to prove that you are worth following.

How are you going to help, inspire, educate or overall serve your followers? Just repeat to yourself “serve not sell” and you will be just fine. But if you need a little help here are a few questions you can considering answers:

• What do you do? What is your official or unofficial title?
• Where are you located? What cities do you serve?
• What is your area of expertise? What is your speciality?
• What can you help me with? What emotional benefit do I receive?
• What type of content can I expect from following you?

SECRET 3: GETTING PERSONAL MAKES YOU MORE RELATABLE

You want to be known for more than what you do for work. Because if not, the only chance you have for being top of mind with your ideal client is if they are willing and ready to hire you. Developing a brand story that includes personal tidbits will not only help your real estate audience relate to you, but it will also help you take up more share of mind – basically making you the first person they think of across multiple topics.

Remember, your followers want to engage with a real person not a business. Share something personal about yourself in your bio that can serve as a way for your followers to not only get to know you but to hopefully better relate to you. The more your audience feels like they have in common with you, the more likely they are to be highly engaged with your Instagram posts.

Hey, don’t over complicate this! The small personal tidbit in your real estate Instagram bio should be something that is true to you. It can be your favorite food, show, or hobby; your love for animals, reading, or history; or maybe just an interesting fun fact about yourself.

 

SECRET 4: YOU DON’T OWN YOUR FOLLOWERS

Unless you are Mark Zuckerberg you don’t own your social media followers. Not only that but thanks to the regularly updated algorithm, it has become increasingly difficult to even get your followers to even see your posts. Only a small fraction of your followers are actually seeing your Instagram posts.

So what in the world do you do about it? Well think about a website for a moment. The best way of converting a visitor to a subscriber is to include a call-to-action. A call-to-action is a statement designed to get an immediate response from someone. When it comes to your real estate Instagram call-to-action, it can be in the form of a helpful guide, recent blog posts, educational video, or free webinar just to name a few.

The point is that you are providing your audience with a way to interact with you outside of Instagram. This allows you more opportunities to a build a meaningful relationship with your ideal client. This call-to-action helps you make the most of the time your audience actually is seeing and engaging with your real estate Instagram profile.

SECRET 5: FOLLOWERS DON’T WANT TO CLICK YOUR LINK

Ok that was harsh. What I mean to say is…your followers just don’t care that much about your website. Ok…that didn’t come across any nicer. But it’s the truth. You can’t just throw up your website in the link field and consider that a call-to-action. You have to provide something of value to your audience in order to entice them to click your link.

Email addresses are just as valuable as currency, if not more so, because when you have an email address you can stay in touch with your target audience and create referral business.

But if email addresses are as valuable as we say, then how in the world do you persuade a follower to give up the goods?  By offering them something of value in exchange – free information! Generating free content for your audience aka ‘lead magnets’ shows off your company’s knowledge, assets, and skills. Consider yourself a fisherman and your audience your fish…this offer my friends is your yummy bait.

But it can’t just be any free information. You have to sit back and think about what you believe your specific target audience would find most valuable. And crazy thought…you could also just ask. Find someone who best fits your ideal client and run a few ideas past them to o So what amazing free information will your offer to your audience? You could consider housing alerts, newsletters, webinars, guides, ebooks, checklist, course?

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:

• Secret 1: Real names attract real people
• Secret 2: It’s about them not you
• Secret 3: Getting personal makes you more relatable
• Secret 4: You don’t own your followers
• Secret 5: Followers don’t want to click your link

 

>> HEY, I HAVE QUESTION FOR YOU!

What personal tidbit do you have or plan on using in your Instagram bio? Leave your comment section below.