GETTING STARTED WITH INSTAGRAM STORIES FOR ESTATE AGENTS

There are some social media that estate agents should be taking advantage of, and Instagram stories are one of them. Here we have a step-by-step guide on how to use them –

What are Instagram stories?

Instagram stories are images and short video clips that disappear after 24 hours and that allow users to share them to their “Story” — which is visible to followers of the user’s Instagram account — and to specific users, the Story’s sender follows. They don’t appear in your profile or your main feed but instead, appear in a bar at the top of the home screen.

Why should you use Instagram Stories?

Instagram stories are a great way to improve your visibility. It can also be a great way to strengthen your brand voice by providing a more personal and interactive experience to your followers. Posting frequently on your stories ensures that you will stay present at the top of your followers’ feeds, keeping you at the forefront of their minds.

Now the question is – how do you post an Instagram story?

To create an Instagram story, tap the icon with the small blue and white cross on it, which you can find either on your profile or at the top of your feed, or simply swipe right on your home feed. This will open your Instagram camera, where you can take videos or photos to post directly to your stories. For a photo, tap the record button once, and for a video, hold the button down for up to 15 seconds. 

This is all you need to help you get started with Instagram stories but once you’re comfortable with posting basic stories, there are a lot of other features waiting for you to use them –

1.Type – you can use this to share text on a plain background without any photos or videos

2.Live – With In live mode, you can stream a live video to your followers straight from your phone

3.Boomerang – This feature helps you create a looping video by taking a burst of photos and playing them forwards then backward

4.Superzoom – Use this to instantly zoom in on something in your video

5.Rewind – Rewind does exactly what it says! This features rewinds videos and plays them backward

6.Hands-free – This feature lets you film videos without having to hold down the record button. It’s best to use a small phone tripod with this feature, but propping your phone up on any stable surface will work fine. Hands-free allows recording longer videos of up to a minute long.

7.Stickers — Instagram Stories stickers are super versatile and enable you to add extra context to your Instagram Stories content. To add stickers to your story, take a photo or video and then tap the Stickers button (a smiley face in the top right of the screen) to find customizable stickers for weather, the current time, location, and more.

Apart from these features, there are also many elements you can add to your Instagram stories to make them more interesting –

1.Drawings – The pen icon allows you to draw on your stories, great for bringing extra attention to something in your image

2.Text – The text feature allows you to add a bit more context to your story

3.Stickers – Tap the smiley face icon and you’ll find a range of stickers allowing you to tag your location, post polls, and quizzes and add GIFs to your stories.

Now the question arises – what should you post on your Instagram story?

Instagram stories are a great opportunity for you to give your followers an inside look into your business and to provide them with content that they won’t find anywhere else. Here are a few ideas as to what you can post on your story to keep your followers engaged –

Hosting Q+As with your followers by using the Question Sticker, providing valuable answers to their questions about selling and buying properties

Show sneak peeks of events from the set up through to the final product

You can share screenshots of your latest listings, sending followers to your website by directing them to a link in your bio

Share photos or videos of office events, such as birthdays or functions

Share short video tours of new properties to prompt potential buyers to book a viewing. You can even do this by going live and answer peoples’ questions as they come in.

Think of things you can post that tie in with your brand. Try sharing videos and photos of your favorite spots, landscapes, or unique features.

They may seem complicated at first, but Instagram stories are well worth including in your social media strategy. Still not sure you can do it? Contact us and we’ll teach you the way around it.

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