Social media wasn’t created with marketing in mind, but in recent years it has grown into one of the most powerful tools companies have seen. Among the most popular is Instagram, which has proven to be an excellent tool for the real estate industry. Roughly 90 percent of users follow at least one business account, and those statistics make it easier for agents to appeal to users and ultimately generate qualified leads with Instagram.
Because of how visual the platform is, agents can make the most of their social media strategy and bring tons of results like lead generation. Other benefits include reaching and engaging with a greater audience, increased conversion, and brand recognition. If you’re curious about how it works, we can show you how to generate qualified leads with Instagram.
Below, we highlight eight ways you can use Instagram to generate qualified leads.
Use the Right Hashtags
Hashtags are huge on Instagram. New and seasoned users can find new accounts to follow by using hashtags. They can also be used to keep track of certain topics of interest. An underused tactic is for agents to generate qualified leads with Instagram. By using real estate industry hashtags, you can help those who don’t already follow you, find you. If you’re interested in attracting local buyers, add your city’s name to the hashtag. For example, #AtlantaPropertyForSale or #RealEstateAgentKC. Although simple, it can increase the number of qualified leads who cross your path.
Show and Tell
Unlike social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, Instagram is far more visual, which real estate agents can use to show and tell followers about available properties. You can leverage features like Instagram Stories or the newly added Reels to tell the story better than a simple post can. With Stories, you can use the feature’s 24-hour visibility setting to create FOMO for those who don’t follow your account. The fear of missing out on the perfect listing is more than enough motivation for them to follow.
Don’t be afraid to have fun with captions, too! Showcasing your personality is another way you can generate qualified leads with Instagram. Followers and newcomers may resonate with your approach to selling and the real estate industry and find you worth the follow. Buyers love people who get them, and if you’re able to connect with your audience through your content, you have a winning combination for real estate success.
Have Variety in Your Posts
It may be tempting to focus solely on your listings, but if you want to generate more qualified leads with Instagram, you must have variety in your posts. A few ways to add variety include posting short videos about you and your staff, notifying followers of new blog posts on your website, giving virtual tours, or sharing a few impactful testimonials you’ve received.
The possibilities are endless! What makes having variety in your posts so important is that it enables your followers to learn more about who you and your team are while solidifying you as an authority in your local real estate market. Your followers will become familiar with you, trust you, and come looking for you when they’ve spotted the perfect property.
Use Instagram Lead Generation Ads
This strategy is a no-brainer for those familiar with Instagram’s parent site, Facebook, and its ads. A Facebook account and an Instagram business profile are needed to take advantage of the platform’s lead generation ads. With the help of a wizard, you can choose your marketing objective, define your audience, choose an ad format, create a lead form, and so much more.
These ads are designed to help businesses, like real estate agents, collect customer information. The info they share includes email addresses, birthdates, phone numbers — whatever demographics you need to gather to be successful. The way lead ads help you generate qualified leads with Instagram is by helping you learn more about your buyers and improve your direct marketing campaigns.
Optimize Your Profile
Having a business profile on Instagram has its perks, namely a feature called action buttons. If you’re unfamiliar with it, they are additional buttons that can be added to your profile. Many businesses use them to link their email, phone number, and office address, but we believe that these buttons can be used for lead generation, too. For example, you can link multiple lead capture forms to your profile buttons, each corresponding to the different kinds of buyers you cater to.
Additionally, a way to further optimize your profile is by using the link space in your bio to promote your agency. Though limited, it is prime real estate (pun intended). Keep in mind that whatever link you feature should align with your current goals, whether it be to capture qualified leads, sign up for your email newsletter, or promote a survey. Captions can act as a call to action, too, by adding “link in the bio” verbiage to your posts to drive visitors to your website.
Link to Landing Pages
If there’s one thing you should know about landing pages, it’s that they must deliver. Don’t make your followers regret taking the leap of faith and clicking on your landing page. There are a few essential things that a landing page should have. First, it should be a visual experience for the reader.
Take pride in your landing page and use bold and beautiful imagery that reflects the emotion you want them to feel. Next, make the page scannable. No one wants to leave a site full of images to read a wall of text (This isn’t a terms and conditions page)! Lastly, ensure that your landing page’s content matches what you’re promoting. If you’re encouraging first-time buyers to fill out your form to schedule a call, you don’t want them to be greeted by a page highlighting a giveaway.
The “swipe up” feature on Instagram Stories is another excellent place to link to your landing pages and bring qualified leads to your website. According to Hootsuite, it’s more effective than directing followers to your bio. Best of all, you can add the story to your profile’s highlights section to continue to boost visibility long after its 24-hour shelf life has expired.
Establish a Posting Schedule
Consistency is crucial to the success of your social media strategy. Sorry to say it, but you can’t make one post a month and expect to have qualified leads flock to you (although, stranger things have happened!). Instead, opt for having a posting schedule to give you structure but also direction. Having a schedule enables you to see the big picture and how many posts come together to create a bigger picture, i.e., your role in selling the property.
Most businesses post between once a day to once a week. The best way to determine how often you should post is to gauge what schedule your followers engage most with. Be sure to use no more than ten relevant hashtags so that your posts appear on various discovery pages. However, with stories, though you can’t schedule them, you can post multiple updates and insights to share throughout the day. Plan out your stories. Know that you’re going to view a property that day? Why not record a quick sneak peek video to entice your followers?
Call Motivated Sellers
Generating leads is the bread and butter of the real estate industry. Without them, there would be no deals to close or any properties sold! Fortunately, social media is an avenue that opens many doors for businesses. We hope this blog has you inspired about the different ways you can generate qualified leads with Instagram. Once you’ve drafted your list of qualified leads, let Call Motivated Sellers assist you with vetting your list. Our team of cold calling experts can connect with each buyer and provide you with a curated list of ready-to-buy leads. And if you need someone to consult on your process, we can do that, too!
Ready to work together? If so, contact our team, and let’s chat.