Like many real estate professionals, I was not that familiar with Instagram when Facebook acquired it for $1 Billion. It was mostly used by a younger demographic that lives and dies by their mobile devices. However, it’s 2012 and everyone has a cell phone with a camera. Even older real estate agents have a Facebook account now, as well as other social network accounts. Therefore, Instagram is the perfect marriage of real estate marketing and social networking.
As a real estate marketing expert and web designer, I have always told realtors to add as many good photos as possible. Home buyers love to browse and the longer you can keep them on your website, the better the chance you will capture them as a lead or better yet, they make an offer on your listing. Instagram allows you to add these photos to your agent website, single property website/virtual tour, Facebook Business Page, Twitter feed, and other online marketing sources with ease and style. The easy is part is nothing new, digital cameras and phone cameras have been around for a while, but Instagram streamlines the process and makes the presentation better.
The second benefit is perhaps the most important – style. I can’t tell you how many horrible shots of nice homes I have seen from real estate agents. Couple that with those outdated template websites that many agents still use and the listing really looks bad. Instagram allows you to add user-friendly filters and borders to your photos while cropping out the ugly parts. It can take a bland property and make it look young and fresh or retro cool. If you are planning to appeal to a younger demographic or simply a buyer with an eye for style, making that great first impression is essential.
In the example below, you see the stale, lifeless wide angle photo with the MLS watermark on it transformed into a retro postcard cropped shot with a focus on colors, palm trees, and a relaxed feeling.
You can also add the Instagram photos to a slideshow which basically give you a Virtual Tour on the go. Nothing replaces high quality photos from a professional real estate photographers, but speed often trumps time-consuming production in the today’s competitive real estate market. Agent can put a quick virtual tour that is usable and stylish, while they wait for the pro photographer to finish their work. Also, for agents that don’t have a marketing budget that affords them pro photographers or virtual tours, Instagram can offer a less expensive marketing avenue.
For agents that are already blogging, tweeting, etc, Instagram offers a ready-made and visually pleasing content source. Even if you don’t have a listing, you can upload photos of your area of expertise and give those photos a personal touch. Whether it’s a listing, a neighborhood, or a happy client, Instagram gives emotion and creativity to otherwise dull snapshots.
Check out Web Retool’s Instagram-friendly websites for Real Estate Professionals.
Trulia has come out with a list of the four Tech Trends to Watch in 2012. As expected the newest gadgets tend to stress a small thin size and portability. Gone are the days of sitting in your office and staring at a screen. Real estate professionals need to be out on the field and utilizing the new technology to get ahead. They will get the added benefit of person to person interaction with potential clients. Even though they will spend less time in their office, they can still upload content to their website and keep their “home base” fresh.
