How to use Instagram for Real Estate

In this article:

• Set your real estate marketing goals
• Create a separate real estate Instagram account
• Understand your target audience
• Invest in Instagram ads
• Share content that’s engaging and diverse
• Incorporate video
• Use real estate hashtags
• Tag your location
• Upload high-quality images
• Reply to comments
• Follow the top real estate Instagram accounts
• Track your performance

While it might have started off as a place for sharing selfies, Instagram has become the next “it” social media platform for marketing your real estate business. Instagram is easy to use, and its visual nature is perfect for:

• Showcasing listing photos and videos
• Building trust and recognition within the community
• Making a personal connection with past, present and future clients
• Getting referrals
• Increasing your discoverability

With 1 billion monthly active users, you have the chance to get your name and business in front of one of the biggest social media audiences out there — without the pushy sales pitch. Here are 12 Instagram best practices from real estate agents Robynn Kershisnik-Eccles and Jason Cassity, along with Zillow’s director of industry outreach, Bret Calltharp.

1. Set your real estate marketing goals

It’s important to set goals before you start. Do you want your real estate Instagram account to generate leads? Establish you as a local real estate expert? Create a real estate marketing plan to help set up a road map to accomplishing your goals.

For Jason, Instagram is his go-to social network. “I use it to connect with other agents across the U.S. and grow my referral network,” he says. “I also showcase listings that I’m getting ready for the market.”

2. Create a separate real estate Instagram account

If you’re already on Instagram with a personal account, it’s probably a good idea to set up a separate account for your business.  That way, you can focus on marketing with your business account and sharing your personal life with the other. You can easily sign up for a business account using your business’ Facebook page. Here are some things to keep in mind when setting up your real estate Instagram account:

• Use the email address associated with your real estate business.
• Select a username that relates to your brand or your business.
• Add a professional profile photo or branded logo that’s consistent with your other digital marketing materials.
• Invite friends and family from your sphere of influence to follow you.
• Write a personable bio.

What should you put in your real estate Instagram bio?

Bret recommends creating a bio that’s a mix of who you are as a salesperson and as a human being. A basic outline might look like:

• Your team/brokerage name
• Personal details like your favorite sports team or your alma mater
• An award or achievement
• A link to your website or blog

Keep your bio concise and informative. The biggest goal is to establish trust and show your real estate expertise. We found that 81% of buyers and 86% of sellers say an initial impression of trustworthiness is very or extremely important — and your bio is the first thing many people will see.

3. Understand your target audience

Sharing content becomes easier — and more effective — once you understand your target audience. According to Sprout Social, 64% of Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 29. According to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2019, 63% of all first-time home buyers are millennials, so Instagram is a great place to target a young audience.

Robynn has a time-proven strategy for her real estate Instagram posts: “Once you’ve identified your target audience, build a sample group of people who match that and follow them. Watch what posts they interact with, what accounts and hashtags they follow, and then adjust your presentation to match.”

4. Invest in Instagram ads

You can target specific types of users with your sponsored real estate Instagram posts, which means you can tailor ads to your target audience based on:

Location: Zip code, city or state

Interests: Users who actively browse real estate investing and home improvement content

Behaviors: Homeowners and those who are likely to move, based on their recent purchases

Demographics: First-time home buyers, homeowners or renters

Jason’s favorite strategy is running sponsored Instagram Stories with “swipe up” ads to promote new listings and entice homeowners to schedule a free home valuation. Robynn has found success by focusing on the story of the property or service she’s promoting. “Advertising real estate on Instagram shouldn’t be a mini version of your MLS listing — it should be its own unique entity that allows the viewer to imagine or dream a bit,” she says.

5. Share content that’s engaging and diverse

One of Bret’s most important pieces of advice is to never be all business. “Agents should strive for a mix of real estate, local market area spotlight and at least a limited look at their non-real estate life,” he says. “That builds trust.”

Robynn agrees, saying, “Instagram allows them to see other aspects of my life: working out with my trainer, making dinner for my family, cleaning up after our chickens and playing with my kids. People like to do business with people they like.”

Take a look at these examples of engaging and diverse content from Robynn and Jason:

Content ideas for your real estate Instagram posts

Here are some ways to blend the personal and the professional:

• Share a post about décor and ask people to comment with their favorite interior designs.
• Share a picture of where you like to eat in your neighborhood.
• Share pictures of thank-you notes from clients.
• Share or repost photos of your clients in front of their new homes.
• Share before and after photos of your clients’ properties.
• Share a panoramic deck view of the neighborhood.

Showcasing listings is one of the most effective uses of Instagram for real estate agents and, according to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2019, 69% of sellers value an agent who promotes listings on social networking sites.

Remember to ask permission before sharing any pictures of clients or their property. Oftentimes, they will be excited about the exposure and may even share your post, which in turn gives you more exposure.

6. Incorporate videos into your posts

Video posts receive 38% more engagement than image posts, so use them to your advantage. Videos can be used as an Instagram real estate marketing tactic in a few different ways, including:

• Instagram stories for short, action-inspiring content that is deleted after 24 hours
• Instagram TV (IGTV) for long-form videos
• Instagram Live for streaming live videos
• Within regular posts

Jason likes sharing professional footage with a fun twist to keep it engaging:

“There is no science to my cadence of posts,” says Jason. “But looking back through my feed, it’s about 50% photo and 50% video.”

7. Use real estate hashtags

Hashtags are the “#” symbols before a keyword or phrase that gives a message context and makes it searchable so other users can discover your content. Some examples of real estate hashtags on Instagram are:

• #realestate
• #homeforsale

Robynn does an excellent job of incorporating real estate hashtags on Instagram that promote her brand and highlight a home’s best features:

“For me, hashtags serve two purposes: indexing and building engagement,” says Robynn. “For indexing, I’ll use #ecclesgroup #robynn as they make it easy for me to pull posts to show clients while we’re discussing social media strategy. For building engagement, it’s important that the hashtags are relevant to the post and a mix of popularity.”

How many hashtags should you use?

Your real estate Instagram posts can have up to 30 hashtags, but sticking to 10 or fewer will keep your posts from seeming too cluttered. You can also add hashtags by commenting on your post so the main image caption looks clean. Jason does this on many of his posts, and it allows him to use a large number of hashtags. “I use the same 20 hashtags, ranging from the broad ones like #realestate down to personalized tags like #jasoncassity and #CassityTeam,” says Jason.

8. Tag your location

As a real estate agent on Instagram, you should use all the tools available to help your discoverability. When you create an Instagram post, tag your location so others can discover your account. Tagging a location can be a great way to target leads in your farming area or to find new leads outside your network. 

This post from Robynn is a good example of how to use location to help your discoverability:

9. Upload high-quality images

Even if your photography skills are lacking, Instagram tools and filters can make your images look like part of a gallery showing. You can correct basic issues by adjusting contrast and brightness, or by rotating the orientation if the image is askew. Experiment with Instagram filters to apply different effects and get optimal color results for your photos — the most popular and clicked photos are the most vivid ones.

Just remember to keep your images and filters consistent and in line with your brand. For example, you can quickly recognize Jason’s images when browsing luxury homes on Instagram:

10. Reply to comments

It’s important to engage with those who take the time to comment on your real estate agent Instagram posts. Things as simple as saying ”thank you” when someone comments about an image can go a long way toward showing that you care about building trust with potential leads. It also shows that you’re responsive — a trait that’s extremely or very important to 81% of sellers and 80% of buyers.

When you notice someone is consistently engaging with your posts, or they post a well-thought-out message, consider looking up their account and commenting on a picture or two. You never know where that next lead will come from!

11. Follow the top real estate Instagram accounts

From getting inspiration to growing your network of agents, following the top real estate Instagram accounts is a great way to build your brand and your business.

Here are some of the best real estate Instagram accounts (in our opinion):

Jason Cassity

“I currently have a $4 million listing from an Instagram Stories “swipe-up” ad, and am approaching my 10th transaction from a referral that I obtained from someone I only know on Instagram,” says Jason.

Follow: @jason_cassity

Robynn Kershisnik-Eccles

“Through Instagram, I have secured new clients, received referrals from agents, scheduled showings and recruited team members,” says Robynn. That said, Instagram’s most powerful use for me is managing and maintaining my sphere of influence.”

Follow: @robynneccles

Zillow

Zillow’s Instagram feed focuses on high-quality images and videos of homes throughout the U.S. and Canada. With 312,000 followers, it’s a great source for inspiration and an example of consistent branding.

Follow: @Zillow

12. Track your performance

By using a business account, you’ll have access to Instagram Insights, a tool that helps you learn more about your followers and the accounts that interact with you. With Insights, you’ll be able to track Instagram real estate marketing data like:

Profile traffic: You can view important interactions like profile visits and website clicks, along with data on how many people see your content and how they find it.

Performance of your content: See how your stories and promotions perform to help figure out what’s working and when you might need a course correction.

Your audience: You’ll be able to learn more about your followers and your total audience, which will help you make sure that your content is resonating with your target audience.

Looking to track more than just your Instagram activity? With the Zillow Premier Agent CRM, you’ll have access to personalized reporting tools to track your performance and the performance of your on- and offline marketing investments.