How many times have you posted what you thought was an amazing photo or viral-worthy piece of content on Instagram, only to get a few likes or comments from friends or previous clients?
The reality is that “going viral” is rare — and isn’t always a good thing. You don’t need thousands of followers or viral posts to have a successful Instagram strategy. Many of my most effective posts only have about 200 likes with 20 shares and saves.
What is most important, is that my posts are targeted toward a specific audience. Remember it only takes one person to connect and work exclusively with you for a post to be successful.
When I started on Instagram a few years back, it began as something fun, but it quickly became my top lead generator. Receiving referrals from my previous sphere was not a great source of business (I was focusing on short sales), and I wanted to increase my average price point and evolve my client base.
I quickly found out Instagram was the way to do it. I landed my first $600,000 relocation client from a photo I shared of a model home in a brand new community.
Instagram is a platform that your prospects are currently using every day to be inspired and educated. Many of the calls and messages I receive from my posts are requests for information, which I can then turn into prospects or new business connections.
Are your Instagram posts generating business? As you begin planning for 2022, take a moment to review and assess their impact by conducting an Instagram audit.
Step 1: Review your account
1. Who are you reaching?
Review who looked at, liked and commented on your previous posts. Are you reaching your ideal clients? Are you attracting the potential clients in the areas you would most like to work in?
2. What posts are working (or not working)?
Which of your posts are garnering the best responses for your target audience? Or, did your most popular posts reach a different audience? Compare your photos with other agents in your market or price point for inspiration and ideas.
http://www.instagram.com/p/CS1c0UjrhXq/
3. What are your insights?
Which posts yielded the best or highest number of prospects/clients and were they the clients you wanted? It’s not just about the likes and comments — it’s about the likes and comments that generated business!
The above post about a townhouse created great insights (shown below). It led to a client who hired me and the property went under contract within two weeks of posting:
Step 2: Review your bio
Update your bio to reflect who you are and how you can help prospective clients. You must include your name, location and contact information – for example: Nicole Mickle, Orlando, nicole@nicolemickle.com
- Give your history (20-plus years in real estate or 10 years of providing excellent customer service)
- Share what you specialize in — or want to specialize in (New home guru)
- Tell them what you do (Buyer-seller-relocation)
- Include a website or a link that shares multiple links and ways to provide your prospects with answers to the information they’re looking for.
- A picture of you that is updated and consistent with your other social media and online accounts. Most prospects will look for additional information about you, so you need to be consistent across all platforms.
Step 3: Identify your ideal client and audience
This is critical. Once you identify your ideal client, you can target your posts accordingly. What do they like? What posts are they looking at? What information are they seeking?
Don’t be afraid to “go deep.” Where do they shop? What books do they read? What are their hobbies?
Pro tip: Follow and engage on pages your ideal clients love.
Courtesy of Nicole Mickle
Step 4: Create a posting strategy
Sales and conversions happen when you are solving problems, answering questions or providing information. On Instagram, you’ll need to do this visually.
- Introduce yourself. Share photos that showcase you and your story, what you love and what clients can expect from you.
- Include photos showing what you do and how you can help them.
- Share a “just sold” story versus a traditional “just sold” photo. You can see a sample of two “just sold” posts that I did above.
- Create a posting schedule so that your followers know what to expect. Showcase a new development on Monday, testimonials on Tuesday, upcoming open houses on Thursday — do what works for you, but do it consistently.
Additional topics to post about that can help you focus and target the audience you want to work with include:
- Share details about the neighborhoods you farm
- Post your “wins” — don’t be afraid to brag about how you went above and beyond for a client or won a multiple-offer deal
- Testimonials from happy clients
- Question/answer of the week
- Fun facts about you
- Highlight new features of your listings that standout
- Discuss current client pain points (many others have the same problems)
- Highlight market data in a fun and interesting way
- Incorporate highlights and quotes from articles, community pages or local blogs
- Highlight a small business in your community
Good luck and happy posting in 2022!
Nicole Mickle is a real estate agent with Momentum Luxury Real Estate in Orlando, Florida. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
