Instagram has rapidly become one of the most powerful platforms for estate agents to connect with potential vendors, showcase properties, and build a strong brand presence.
With its highly visual format and active user base, Instagram offers unique opportunities to engage with your audience in meaningful ways. However, to truly stand out and maximise engagement, it’s essential to understand how the platform works and how to leverage its features effectively.
To fully harness Instagram’s potential, estate agents must not only share professional and high-quality visuals but also understand how to drive meaningful engagement with their audience.
In this blog, we’ll explore up-to-date strategies and best practices, helping you maximise engagement on Instagram. Whether you’re sharing property listings, offering market insights, or simply connecting with followers, these tips are designed to elevate your Instagram profile in 2024 and beyond.
1. Optimise your instagram profile
Your Instagram profile is the first impression potential vendors and buyers get of your agency, so it’s crucial to make it count:
- Profile picture: Use your agency’s logo as your profile picture to ensure brand consistency. The optimal size is 320 x 320 pixels. Make sure the image is clear and recognisable even when displayed at a smaller size.
- Bio: Your Instagram bio is limited to 150 characters, so make it concise and impactful. Clearly state who you are, what you offer, and include a strong call to action (CTA). For example, “Helping Londoners find and sell their dream homes. Schedule a valuation today!”
- Link in bio: Instagram allows five clickable links in your bio, so use these to direct your audience to key webpages. Consider using a tool like Auto.social to offer multiple links to your website with its built-in link builder.
- Contact information: Ensure that your business contact options are enabled so potential vendors can easily reach out via email, phone, or direct message. This can be set up under the “Contact Options” in your profile settings.
- Story highlights: Organise your content with Story Highlights. Create highlights for key categories like “New Listings,” “Vendor Testimonials,” “Market Tips,” and “Behind the Scenes.” Use custom covers for each highlight that align with your brand’s visual identity.
2. Create high-quality, engaging content
Visual content is key on Instagram, and creating appealing, engaging posts is vital to driving interaction:
- High-quality images: Instagram is a visual platform, so make sure your images are of the highest quality. Use professional photography to showcase properties, ensuring that images are well-lit, crisp, and inviting. The recommended size for images is 1080 x 1080 pixels for square posts, 1080 x 1350 pixels for portrait posts, and 1080 x 566 pixels for landscape posts.
- Videos and reels: Video content, particularly Reels, is highly favoured by Instagram’s algorithm. Create short, engaging videos that highlight property features, offer quick market insights, or share behind-the-scenes looks at your agency. Reels should be 1080 x 1920 pixels to ensure they display correctly.
- Vary your content: To keep your audience engaged, it’s important to mix up the types of posts you share. This could include new property listings, "Just Sold" updates, price reductions, and client testimonials.
Varying your content not only keeps your feed interesting but also showcases the full spectrum of your agency’s activities. Auto.social makes this process easier by providing templates for various post types, allowing you to maintain variation on your profiles with minimal effort. - Carousel posts: Carousel posts allow you to share multiple images or videos in a single post, which can be useful for property tours or sharing before-and-after photos. Users can swipe through the carousel, increasing the time they spend on your post—a factor that boosts engagement.
- Captions that connect: Write captions that resonate with your audience. Start with a hook to grab attention, then provide valuable information or a story that connects with the image or video. End with a CTA to encourage further interaction.
3. Leverage Instagram stories
Instagram Stories are a powerful tool for engaging your audience in a more casual, immediate way:
- Frequent posting: Stories disappear after 24 hours, making them perfect for sharing timely content without cluttering your main feed. Use Stories to showcase daily activities, promote new listings, share quick tips, or offer sneak peeks.
- Interactive elements: Boost engagement by incorporating interactive elements like polls, questions, and quizzes into your Stories. For example, you can ask followers what type of property they’re looking for or quiz them on market trends. These features encourage direct interaction, which Instagram’s algorithm rewards.
- Story highlights: As mentioned earlier, use Story Highlights to keep your best Stories accessible on your profile. This allows new visitors to catch up on key content like market updates or recent properties.
4. Use Instagram reels to expand reach
Instagram Reels are short, engaging videos that have become a focal point of the platform:
- Create compelling reels: Use Reels to share quick property tours, vendor testimonials, or market insights. Keep them engaging by using trending audio, adding text overlays, and keeping the pace lively. Reels should be around 15-30 seconds long to hold viewers’ attention.
- Leverage trending content: Instagram often prioritises Reels that use trending audio or hashtags. Stay updated with current trends and incorporate them into your content where relevant.
- Encourage sharing: Reels are easily shareable, and when users share your Reels, it increases your reach. Add a CTA in your Reels asking viewers to share with their followers or tag someone who might be interested in that property.
5. Engage actively with your audience
Engagement is vital on Instagram. The more you interact with your audience, the more they’ll interact with you:
- Respond to comments and dms: Always reply to comments on your posts and messages in your inbox. This not only fosters relationships but also signals to Instagram’s algorithm that your content is engaging, increasing its visibility.
- Like and comment on other posts: Engage with content from other users, especially those in your local community or industry. Commenting on relevant posts can increase your visibility and attract more followers to your profile.
- Host live sessions: Instagram Live allows you to connect with your audience in real-time. Consider hosting virtual open houses, Q&A sessions, or live market updates. Promote these sessions in advance to maximise participation.
6. Algorithm hacks to boost organic reach
Understanding Instagram’s algorithm is key to maximising your reach and engagement. Here are some tips:
- Post consistently: Regular posting signals to Instagram that you are an active user, which can improve your content’s visibility in your followers’ feeds. Aim for 3-5 posts per week.
- Engage quickly: The first hour after you post is critical. Encourage engagement by replying to comments quickly and interacting with your post from other accounts (e.g., your own account or team members’ accounts).
- Use hashtags wisely: Hashtags help categorise your content and make it discoverable to a broader audience. Use a mix of popular, niche, and location-specific hashtags (up to 30) in each post. For example, #LondonRealEstate, #FirstTimeBuyer, and #DreamHome.
- Geotag your posts: Adding a location tag to your posts can increase local visibility, as users searching for content in that area are more likely to see your posts.
- Encourage saves and shares: Posts that are saved and shared by users are favoured by Instagram’s algorithm. Create content that users want to refer back to, such as tips, data-led graphics, or beautiful property images, and encourage them to save or share it.
7. Analyse and refine your strategy
Regularly reviewing your Instagram analytics is essential to understanding what works and what doesn’t:
- Track key metrics: Focus on engagement metrics like likes, comments, shares, saves, and follower growth. Use Instagram’s built-in analytics tools to gain insights into which posts perform best and why.
- A/B testing: Experiment with different types of content, posting times, and hashtags to see what drives the most engagement. Use the results to refine your strategy and improve your performance over time.
- Adapt to trends: Instagram is constantly evolving, and what works today might not work tomorrow. Stay updated on platform trends and algorithm changes, and be ready to adapt your strategy to maintain engagement.
Maximising engagement on Instagram requires a strategic approach that combines high-quality content with active interaction and an understanding of the platform’s algorithms.
By optimising your profile, creating engaging posts and Stories, and leveraging tools like Reels and hashtags, you can build a strong, vibrant presence that attracts vendors and drives business growth.
Auto.social helps agents reduce the effort needed by automating posts, utilising branded templates and text templates. Get your free trial today!
Ready to take your Instagram strategy to the next level? Download our comprehensive guide, The Ultimate Estate Agent Social Media Handbook, to explore more in-depth strategies and tips tailored for estate agents.
