It's like a vanity gold medal to have a large number of followers on Instagram. That's great, but at the end of the day you still need deals to stay afloat. In order to do this, you need to be able to convert your followers into real estate leads.
Remember, you don't own any of these platforms. One day your profile could be hacked, the network could shut down altogether, or algorithms may change causing the entire social media platform to be unusable. To future-proof you from this, you need to build an email list if you haven't already started.
How to Use Instagram to Generate Real Estate Leads
1. Don't Post The Same Content on Each Channel
A big mistake many people make is posting the same content on other platforms. What you post on Facebook should be different from Instagram. If helpful real estate tips are already on Facebook, there isn't much need for a prospect to follow you on both platforms. However, if you do live walk-through videos on Instagram only - there is a more compelling reason.
2. Offer a Freebie
Not everybody will want to buy a home at this very moment. It's very likely more than 80% of your Instagram followers aren't looking to change their current living situation. For this, you'll still need to nurture those relationships. You can do this by offering free downloadable content. Easy tips to stay green. Tips on how to improve your homes value. Do this in exchange for their contact information.
3. Use Stories to Encourage Direct Messages
Instagram Stories will get you the quickest engagement, compared to your regular feed. By utilizing polls, encouraging swipe ups, and other Instagram Story hacks - you will be able to entice prospects into your inbox for some conversation. Once you can get them talking, it will be easy to ask for contact information to send them a few emails.
4. Leverage Your "Link in Bio"
The average real estate agent will have an Instagram bio that states they are an agent, and a link to their website. To effectively track and convert Instagram followers to leads, you need to have a compelling call-to-action in your bio coupled with a link to a landing page. For example, "Click the link in my bio to search for homes in San Diego" will give a better experience than sending people to the front page of your website. By using a IG-specific landing page you can also track how well your Instagram efforts are performing.