As one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world, Instagram has become an essential place for businesses across all different industries to focus their marketing efforts. Brands can showcase their voice and tell a story in a visual, interactive and engaging way, all while connecting with their target audience.

In the world of real estate, Instagram is a tool that every agent and broker should have in their marketing arsenal. With over 500 million daily Instagram users, this platform can quickly become a gold mine for generating leads and building your brand.

Whether you already have an Instagram account for your real estate business, or you plan to create one to add to your current social media marketing strategy, here are some helpful tips to help you maximize this platform.

Know Your Audience 
One of the most important pieces of any marketing strategy is to know who your audience is and the content they are looking to consume from you. Instagram Insights helps you to understand your followers, providing data related to your content, activity and how your audience responds to your brand.

Discover when they engage with your content the most, who likes and saves your content and even statistics on your individual posts, including who clicked through to your profile. Not only will this allow you to view specific audience demographics, but it can also help you determine how and when to tailor your content for this platform. After all, you want to give your audience content that will keep them coming back for more.

Bonus tip! Be sure you set up or switch to a “Creator” or “Business” account to take advantage of Instagram Insights.

Share Educational Content
The job of a real estate agent doesn’t simply start or end with a transaction. In fact, it takes much more than just knowledge of your market and a good listing description to create a successful business. Yes, you are there to help buyers and sellers buy and sell homes, but you should strive to become a resource that your audience can depend on.

Not sure where to start? Check out RISMedia’s ACESocial, a service that provides curated consumer real estate and lifestyle content directly to your social sphere that helps you stay top of mind. The new Instagram feature allows agents to post videos, infographics and even links to articles specifically designed to showcase your expertise. This feature is free for Executive and Premium accounts.

By sharing educational content, you are providing another wealth of service not only to your current clients, but to a wider audience filled with potential clients. This is especially true for agents who focus on a specific niche, such as luxury properties, home staging or home renovation. When you can share valuable and educational information about a specific topic, location or other niche in the industry, you will stand out and quickly become a go-to source.

Engage and Entertain
Just like any other social media platform, you are there to connect with prospects and leads. But without conversation, you don’t have a chance. Staying engaged on Instagram can come in many forms, from responding to comments to sending direct messages to hosting Instagram Live Q&A sessions.

Stories and IGTV offer real estate agents a chance to share videos, such as virtual walk-throughs, home-buying tips and other educational content. These features also allow for face-to-face conversations, which are a great way to build trust and maintain your reputation as a hands-on resource. You can also use stories to host polls, giving your audience the chance to interact with your profile while showcasing your interest in what these potential clients will expect from an agent.

Because Instagram is such a visual-heavy app, you also want to make sure that what you do post on your stories, IGTV, and the photos and videos you post are eye-catching and entertaining. Of course, you want your audience to know what you do and eventually come to you for your services, but you also don’t want to bombard them with boring sales pitches.

Highlight Your Business
You are on Instagram to sell yourself and your services, as well as make connections that have the potential to turn into dollars. Utilize this platform to highlight your business, whether that be your latest listing, a walk-through of a for sale home or even a link to your website where prospects can learn more about you and your business.

You can add links to your Instagram bio with special tools, such as LinkTr.ee, to guide prospects to your website, listings, market and community information—or even other social platforms. Be sure to let your followers know these links exist through captions on posts, stories or direct messages.

To promote listings, choose a few of your best, eye-catching listing photos to post. Add some information from your listing description and be sure to include any unique or “sellable” features in the home, such as an updated kitchen, a large backyard or a pool. Take this a step further and host live virtual home tours on IGTV or pre-record them to share on your stories later. This will offer your audience a chance to see into the home in a casual and fun way. While live, you can also answer questions in real-time, increasing your engagement.

Be Genuine and Authentic
When you constantly boast about your business and services, you may come off as disingenuous. At the end of the day, you are human, and that is what your audience, especially the Instagram demographic, wants to see. As you develop your content strategy, be sure to share relatable and personable stories, such as client highlights, things going on in your community and even a few selfies or personal triumphs. Be sure to keep it professional, but don’t be afraid to have some fun and show off your personality!

If you are looking to join Instagram for your real estate business, or you are looking to change up your strategy to gain more leads and increase your engagement, these tips can help you maximize this platform and experience the full potential of one of the most popular social networks today. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to grow your business, increase your online engagement and gain more leads!

Paige Brown is RISMedia’s content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas to pbrown@rismedia.com.