Are you on Instagram? Today we are talking about three mistakes I see real estate professionals making when it comes to Instagram Stories.
Mistake number one is not using it at all. I hear this all the time from agents and brokers who maybe they’re on Instagram, and they’re posting in the news feed, or they’ve been active on Instagram for some time, but they’re wondering what those little bubbles are at the top and if it’s really worth it so they’re not using it at all. Those little bubbles up at the top on your Instagram news feed, that is prime real estate, and that is a great opportunity to showcase your story behind the story. The agents and brokers who are making the most out of Instagram are not just posting in the feed periodically. Even if they’re posting consistently, one of the things that will help you get more traction overall with Instagram is to use Instagram Stories.
It doesn’t mean you have to capture every moment of your life, but as you’re out and about, look at your life as content, as you are in between appointments, you’re just leaving a listing appointment, or you just left your home inspection, or you’re out on broker’s tour, use that as an opportunity to kind of showcase you’re out and about. Don’t miss out on that opportunity. This idea of storytelling is so powerful. We first saw it with Snapchat. Now we see it with Instagram Stories. It’s now on Facebook. Keep in mind, when someone clicks on your story, they’re not just passively looking at your content through the news feed. They’ve intentionally clicked on your story, which is entirely a whole different experience. Make sure you’re utilizing Instagram Stories.
Mistake number two that I see agents and brokers making all the time is not geotagging or hashtagging their content on Instagram Stories. If you want to get more traction with Instagram Stories, the biggest tip I can give you is, as you’re out and about at a listing, in your community, whatever it might be, putting in the geolocation of the city that you’re in. The reason for that is, when you’re out and about and you put in the geolocation of your city, your Instagram Story is more likely to be seen by more people who happen to be viewing what’s happening in San Francisco, or what’s happening in Manhattan, or what’s happening in your local area, because when you geotag your Instagram Story, you can actually click on that, and you can open up the larger story that’s happening for your local area.
This is especially cool not just for cities, but if you happen to check in at an event, or you check in somewhere, some sort of small business, you can see what else is happening in your local area, so geotag your Instagram Stories and use hashtags when appropriate. Now, don’t go too hashtag-crazy. Use one or two hashtags as needed. Now, one thing you can do on your Instagram Stories is shrink down those geolocations and the Instagram hashtags, and that way they don’t take up your entire story within Instagram Stories.
Mistake number three I see a lot of real estate professionals making is not including personal content in their Instagram Stories. You might be using Instagram primarily for business, and if you’re like a lot of agents, you probably have one Instagram account, and probably part is personal, part is business, which I think is perfectly fine for most agents. However, when it comes to your Instagram Story, don’t have it be all about business. Make sure you interject a little bit about who you are personally, whether it’s your family, your passions, your hobbies, your interests. People really appreciate that. That’s how they really get to know the real you. As I always say, people connect with you and refer business to you because of your experience and your expertise, but they really connect with you and refer business to you over and over again, because they relate to you.
Those are just a few things that we’re seeing when it comes to Instagram Stories. I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Are you using Instagram Stories? If so, drop your Instagram link below. I would love for you and I to connect on Instagram Stories. Each and every day I’m sharing tips, tools, and tricks on Instagram Stories that will help you do better with your business, and you can follow me over on Instagram @katielance
