Social media is the new go-to medium for commercial real estate marketing ideas. But how can Instagram help your business?
Your commercial real estate marketing ideas need to engage users so that they’ll remember you when the time to buy comes along. That’s one reason smart real estate agents are using Instagram. And they’re getting a lot of eyes on their properties because of it.
Instagram currently has over 800 million monthly active users, a number that’s likely to increase as the platform gains popularity. That’s a lot of potential leads. But attracting new business through Instagram is more complicated than just posting a picture of your offering.
Remembering you doesn’t necessarily mean remembering the properties you represent; it means remembering your company. While Instagram is a great platform to showcase all of your fantastic offerings, it’s also a great platform to showcase your brand and inspire new leads.
Why Instagram?
Besides the massive number of active users, Instagram is one of the best social media platforms to launch your commercial real estate marketing ideas for two reasons. The first is that it’s picture-based, not text-based. People are attracted by a beautiful photograph.
The second is that, because of its focus on images and videos, it doesn’t require a long attention span from the user. Instagram can support a complete ad experience, and you can still link to an interactive piece in your Instagram bio.
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Commercial real estate marketing ideas that work
So how do you make Instagram work for you? There are some commercial real estate marketing ideas that can boost your followers, and hopefully leads, in a relatively short period.
Ask for followers
Ask your current and past clients to follow your Instagram account. When they do this, the Instagram algorithm may suggest your account to their followers, and so on. If enough people start following you, especially if they do it within days or weeks of one another, you’ll be exposed to hundreds more people who you might have never come into contact with.
Post great pictures
This idea should be obvious. However, bear in mind that commercial real estate marketing ideas like this one usually work better if you get creative and speak to the masses. So in addition to showing your properties, include some pictures of your agents and, if they’re willing, your clients. And don’t limit yourself to pictures. Instagram supports videos as well, including the “Stories” feature, which has become very popular.
Use direct messaging
A third idea is to reach out to other users via direct messaging. You probably won’t want to do this unless they’ve followed you first, but when you do get a notification about a new follower, if they seem like a potential audience, reach out to them directly. Again, be creative. Send them a thank you note along with a link to an available space in their locale. Direct messaging is a great way to make yourself human to your potential audience, which is one of the greatest advantages of social media marketing.
Use hashtags
One of the most effective commercial real estate ideas is to take advantage of hashtags. With well-researched, thoughtful hashtags, your posts will appear in search results and on the “Explore” tab where other users may see them at any time. You can use up to thirty hashtags in a single post. A word of caution: Even though you can use up to thirty, it’s best to use around 8 or 10 hashtags, using a mix of conventional and creative hashtags. Using your location as a hashtag is always a good idea. For instance, #SanFranciscoRealEstate or #Philadelphia #RealEstate are good examples.
Choose a creative user name
Finally, an out-of-the-box idea that’s been successful for at least one firm is to choose an Instagram handle that refers to your offering rather than your brand. Instagram user @nyc_spaces, for example, is Rice & Associates, a tenant brokerage firm in Manhattan. Not only is the handle more likely to be stumbled upon than if it had been, say, @RiceAssociates, it’s also a little more fashionable, which never hurts these days (especially if you’re a brokerage firm in Manhattan). Despite being in commercial real estate, @nyc_spaces has over 1,100 followers, in part because their handle brings in an audience.
Bonus tip
One more quick tip: Make sure to link to your company website in the bio section. Instagram doesn’t allow active links in the captions, but you can put one in the bio. Don’t go through the hard work of attracting an audience and then give them nowhere to go!
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