Simple Instagram Story Ideas for Real Estate Agents
Instagram stories have come a loooong way since they were first introduced in 2016.
The feature that initially threw businesses for a loop now offers a very powerful and personal addition to your social media marketing strategy.
With over 500 million daily viewers, stories are a unique way to showcase your real estate brand and enhance your marketing efforts while showing your audience the real you. Plus, they’re available on Facebook now, too!
Here are some simple, yet creative ways to start using them to grow your real estate business on social media today.
Community Spotlight
When people hire a real estate agent, they not only want someone who can navigate the buying and selling process, they also want a local expert. Stories are a great way to show off how well you know your community while also building relationships with businesses in your area.
Snap a photo of that coffee you got at your neighborhood coffee shop, the takeout you ordered from a restaurant or the plants you picked up at your local nursery. If you’re lucky, tagging the business may spark a re-share, which also gets your post in front of their followers.
This is an easy way to show a behind-the-scenes look into your life while also highlighting your community involvement.
Polls
One of the best ways to create engagement and interact with your followers is by using polls. This feature allows you to have fun, show off your personality and get an idea of what your followers like.
So, what can a real estate agent create story polls about? The opportunities are endless.
An easy option would be to use two different images and ask your audience to vote which one they like best.
Here are some options:
- Which landscaping do you like better? Modern or Classic
- Which kitchen do you like better? White Cabinets or Blue Cabinets
- Which bathroom would you want? Option 1 or Option 2
- Roses or hydrangeas?
- Who wants this kitchen? Yes or No.
You get the idea. This can also be a great way to show off your listings without it seeming like you’re selling. If you have a property with an amazing kitchen, beautiful landscaping, amazing backyard, you can use polls to highlight it and let your followers know that it’s now available to buy.
See how we did it below:
Market Updates
Now more than ever, people have a lot of questions about what’s happening with the real estate market. Instagram stories offer a great way to control the narrative and keep your followers informed.
An easy way to do this is to show a weekly snapshot of what’s occurring in your local market. Is buyer traffic picking up? Are home prices holding steady? Where are mortgages rates? These are all great topics you can cover to move hesitant buyers and sellers off the fence.
This is also a great place to share relevant real estate news. If there’s an article talking about how the real estate market is positioned to strengthen the economy or what experts are predicting about home values this year, create a story about it. You can do this easily by filming a quick video covering the biggest article takeaways or breaking it down using text, quotes and visuals like graphs and charts.
This allows you to build a reputation as a real estate agent that knows what’s going on and earns the trust of your followers.
Social Graphics from KCM are an easy, yet powerful way to do this with great-looking posts that come with pre-written captions.
Listing Behind-the-Scenes
Instagram stories offer a unique opportunity to create your own virtual tour without time spent editing videos, fancy drone shots or complicated software.
To pull it off, start by letting your followers know that you’re doing a run-through of a new property to build hype a couple of days in advance and then create videos walking through each room. You can talk through your favorite features and further emphasize this by adding in text that breaks them down.
You can see a breakdown of how we did it here:
This is a great raw and real way to showcase your listings without the extra stress. Have fun with it. Try new things and see what works. The sky is the limit!
Bottom Line
Instagram stories offer the ability to connect with your audience in a more authentic way. It’s a great way to not only show off your properties but also your personality.
Today’s consumer wants to see the human behind the brand, and this platform allows you to flex your marketing muscles in a more genuine and candid way.
Start small, be patient and don’t be discouraged from trying new things. In time, you’ll find what works and what your followers respond to and can build your strategy from there.
If you’re looking for an easy way to jumpstart your Instagram stories with thumb-stopping graphics that show you’re a trusted advisor, check out Social Graphics from KCM. Each week, you’ll get a new batch of ready-to-share posts that cover that week’s most important real estate insights.