Are you ready to get started using Instagram? If you are brand new to Instagram or you’ve been thinking about dabbling with Instagram, today I’m going to share with you a few key tips for getting started when it comes to Instagram.
Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media platforms. It’s owned by Facebook, was acquired by Facebook for more than a billion dollars. It is a great place to really build your social presence. It’s also a great place to generate business when done correctly. So, I’m going to share with you a few tips for getting started.
Tip number one, download the app. Download the app if you are in iTunes or if you are an android user. Either way, it’s a free app. Go to the App Store. Download the app. Most of what you do on Instagram is going to be from your mobile device. There is a desktop version of Instagram, but it’s very limited. So, most of what you’re going to do on Instagram is free, and it’s done through the app. That’s number one, download the app.
Number two, create your username. You want to create a username that hopefully is similar to other usernames you have. My username on Instagram is just Katie Lance because that’s what it is on Facebook. That’s what my website is. Ideally, especially for those of you in real estate, you want to keep it to your name. Or if you’ve got a brokerage, you’re going to keep it to your brokerage name. Whatever name you are known for in real estate or with your business, use that name. Keep it simple, but create your username. That’s the second thing that you’re going to do once you download the app.
Tip number three, add your photo and bio. I like to have the same photo on Instagram as I do on Facebook and my other social media platforms. Have a photo. That’s really important. Then, make sure you add to your bio. You only have 150 characters, so you want to take that time to really write something about yourself. I like to have my profile be a little personal, a little business.
If you look over at my profile, I also have my bio listed out in list format with emojis, which is kind of fun. So, you can do that as well. Use some fun, different emojis. I would recommend mentioning the area that you work in. Perhaps you mention the brokerage that you work for. And again, a little bit about yourself personally as well as professionally. But, have a bio. That first impression with your bio is really important.
Tip number four is check your settings. Inside Instagram, there are settings, just like any other social media network. So, you’re going to want to check your privacy settings and you’re going to want to make a decision if you want your account to be private or public. Now, if you’re using Instagram for business, I highly recommend that you have a public account. Having a private account is kind of like having a store, but the store is never open. Right? So, you might have just a private account just for your friends and family, and that’s fine. But for most of you listening to this, you’re probably thinking about how to use Instagram for business. And if you want to use Instagram for business, I highly recommend you have a public account. So, that’s first and foremost. There’s some other privacy settings that you’re going to want to scroll through and just make sure that you’re comfortable with all those settings. This is also the place where you’re going to determine if you’re going to have a personal account or business account.
Now, if you want to just have one account, which I highly recommend because managing multiple accounts can be a little challenging sometimes, if you want to have just one account and you feel like part of your account will be personal and maybe part business, then have a business Instagram account. That’s my advice. If you have a business Instagram account, it will allow you to do things like run Instagram ads. It will allow you to look at your Instagram insights. It will allow people to call or email you quickly and easily right from the Instagram app. It’s a great way to generate leads that way. So, you can easily click either personal or business. And if you choose one and decide to switch over later, you can always do that as well. Now, just note, to have a business Instagram account, you do need to have a business Facebook account or a business Facebook page. That’s all done through your settings.
Tip number five for getting started is start creating content. So you downloaded the app, you’ve added your photo, you’ve added your bio, you’ve looked through your settings, and now it’s really time to start creating content. So before you really connect with anyone, I recommend posting a little bit of content, and there’s different types of content for Instagram. The first and foremost piece of content is just a regular Instagram newsfeed, which is just photos and video. I recommend posting three to six, maybe even up to 10 pieces of content on your Instagram account before you start really connecting with other people. Because once you start connecting with other people, people are going to look at your account. And if there’s nothing there, then you’re not going to get a whole lot of engagement. So, post anywhere between three to six, maybe even up to nine, images or videos in your Instagram newsfeed.
Now, what should you post? I always say look at your life as content. So, it could be a beautiful sunset. It could be something that you’re really passionate about personally, maybe your garden or a great glass of wine. But, also insert a little bit of business, right? Maybe do a quick video about who you are. Maybe you’ve got a quick video of a current listing. Maybe you do a couple of great community videos or community photos to showcase your local area. You know, pictures of beautiful views or architecture always are great things to post as well. So, you’re going to post some content in that newsfeed.
Now, there’s other types of content on Instagram as well. There’s Instagram Stories, Instagram TV, Instagram Live, and all of that are things that you can play around with the more you get comfortable with the app. But, start creating content inside your newsfeed.
Then, once you’ve started creating that content, now it’s time to connect with people. So, you can go back into your settings. You can connect with your Facebook friends on Instagram. You can connect with the contacts in your phone on Instagram, and you want to start connecting with people. Now, as I always say, don’t just like a post and run. So after you start creating content, I would recommend on a daily basis, just take two or three minutes, scroll through your Instagram newsfeed, like, comment, engage with people, and then start posting content at least a few times a week to really get consistent. If you want to take it to that next level, that’s where you can start creating Instagram Stories, which only lasts 24 hours, so they’re a little bit different than the regular Instagram newsfeed. But, Instagram stories are a great way to kind of take people behind the scenes into actually what you do.
So, those are a few basic, simple tips, my little Instagram 101 if you’re just getting started with Instagram. I highly recommend you check it out. It is an awesome platform. We have a ton of videos that we’ve done on Instagram. We actually have a whole course on Instagram as well. You can check out our Instagram Course for Real Estate here >>
I’d love to hear from you! Are you on Instagram? If so, drop your Instagram link in the comments below. And if you have any questions about Instagram, feel free to put those questions in the comments below as well.
