If you’ve been hesitating about diving into the Instagram scene, now’s the time to take notice…and jump in. This powerful social media platform is exploding for realtors right now and, just like Facebook and Twitter, the algorithm is evolving.
Here’s what you need to know.
What Realtors on Instagram Need to Know About the New Algorithm
In the fast-moving world of social media, it seems everyone’s jumping aboard the algorithm train. First, it was Twitter who announced the “catch-up” feed and of course Facebook’s constant obsession with changing their algorithms altered the way Realtors gain exposure online for good. Now, Instagram’s day has come.
Unfortunately, similar to Facebook, there’s so much competition that it can be tough to cut through all the clutter and stand out from the competition. There’s just too much content and not enough time to see it all. These algorithms are really designed to let more of the good stuff rise to the top.
Instagram’s co-founder and chief executive, Kevin Systrom, put it this way in an interview, “On average, people miss about 70 percent of the posts in their Instagram feed. What this is about is making sure that the 30 percent you see is the best 30 percent possible.”
For realtors, that means your content must rise to the top 30% of your audience’s feed. Compared to Instagramers posting a dozen images every day, the playing field is now leveled for those who take the time to craft a couple relevant, high-quality posts. See ya later, shotgun, Instagramers.
Although it may seem like organic reach just took a belly flop, don’t panic yet. Just like on Facebook, real estate agents on Instagram must now provide a richer, more relevant user-experience that focuses on engaging with the audience to stay ahead of the game.
5 Things Realtors on Instagram Need to Know about Advertising
Moving beyond organic into paid content…it’s now on realtors to create the content worth promoting. Facebook is Instagram’s parent company; this means that realtors get to use the same demographic targeting features and campaign analytics that are available to them on Facebook. If you want your most important messages to be seen by the right audience, brands are being forced to “pay to play.”
Ready to launch your first campaign? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Keep in mind that the posts you promote on Facebook may not work the same on Instagram. Leverage your Facebook fans; test it out with that core audience first to determine which ads will perform well.
- Speaking of audience, everything you do should be done with them in mind. Deliver the wrong message to the right audience and you can kiss your future exposure adieu.
- In just over a year, IG’s video usage exploded from 9% to 65%; it’s time to embrace video advertising, too. Instagram has changed a few video features recently; upping run-time from 15 seconds to 60-seconds, offering formats in either square or landscape and allowing auto-play and loop videos to run with or without sound. Use these tools to your advantage.
- Don’t be afraid to bid high. You want to get your ads in front of people so Instagram’s algorithm can determine the quality of your ad. As performance metrics roll in, you can always change the bid.
- Score a perfect 10 with powerful content and creative, authentic captions to engage followers. That’s the point of Instagram, anyway. Share what you love and don’t be afraid to love and comment on your followers’ photos, too. They’ll return the favor.
Let the experts at Post Café help you get inspired with the right content to promote on your social media channels. If you’d like to get more detailed information, call us at 732-218-9377 to learn more.