Check out the previous article about posting photos on Instagram: Instagram for Real Estate Agents – Photos

Instagram has evolved to become much more than just a social media app for users to share images. It has become a platform to showcase your work, meet (and interact with) new people, and advertise products and services. That, of course, includes real estate. In this article, we’ll take a look at how you can use videos on Instagram for your real estate marketing, as well as some other features found inside the app that can help you connect with your followers.

Videos

Rejoice! Instagram has increased its initial 15-second limit for videos to a whopping 60 seconds, which lets you share more information in your Instagram videos. If you plan to post videos on your Instagram, you need to prepare your videos and photos ahead of time. It would be best to explore your phone’s features and download some video editing apps into your smartphone so that you can trim, stitch, and add effects and music to your videos. There are also apps that allow you to create slideshow videos using photos from your phone.

Highlight Video
Imagine you’re shooting a teaser trailer for a movie, except in this case, it’s a teaser trailer for the property you’re selling. Make the video short and snappy by showing highlights, special feature or unique selling points of the property. For extra oomph, add background music to your video. Viewers nowadays have short attention spans, so it is recommended that your videos be as short as possible. Remember, K.I.S.S. (keep it short and simple).

Property Tour
Remember when MTV Cribs was popular? (Gosh, I feel old already.) While not all of us are lucky enough to showcase luxurious homes like that, the same concept applies for posting a video tour of your property. For a small apartment or condominium unit, you might be able to cover the entire unit in one whole take within 60 seconds; if it’s a large unit with lots of rooms and outdoor space, you can take videos in stages – press and hold the record button for a few seconds to show each location, which will be automatically stitched into a single video.

Testimonials
Not many Malaysia real estate agents do this, but it’s a really good idea to get short testimonials from your clients and post them on your Instagram. At the same time, you can also repost testimonials or recommendations from mentors, peers, industry experts, and satisfied clients to build your reputation and credibility. That way, you can show approval for your services as well as evidence of what buyers and sellers can achieve by working with you.

Multiple Videos
Just like photos, you can now select multiple videos to be posted in a single update. The “short-videos-for-short-attention-span” theory applies here as well. If you post multiple videos in one post, make sure they are not draggy; again, K.I.S.S. (keep it short and simple). Unless, of course, your video is as entertaining as a Guardians of the Galaxy trailer, then by all means, the longer the better. 😛

However, unlike single video clips that can be shown in full (horizontal or vertical), the videos in a multi-posting will be cropped square, so do take note of what will and won’t be shown in a square video (unless you resize them in a separate video editor first). This following is a great example to show how multi-video posts can be put to good use and tell a story:

Others

Instagram has also rolled out several other new features, which aim to increase interaction between account and their followers. It’s also a great way to feature photos and videos about stuff that’s currently happening, but perhaps not “Instagram-worthy” enough to be posted permanently enough on your profile. 😉

Stories
Stories are basically snippets of life that will disappear from your Instagram after 24 hours. They aren’t posted on your Instagram profile, but can be viewed from the top your Instagram feed (where you’ll see users’ display pictures circled in purple). Share photos or a short video clips of a property you just visited, clients you met for the day, real estate errands you’re running, agency outings and activities, etc… something like a behind-the-scenes look of what goes on in the life of a real estate agent.

① Tap the camera icon to add a photo/video Story or go LIVE on Instagram. ② View your own and others’ Instagram Stories.

Instagram Live
Attending a property investment seminar? At the launch of a new project? Now’s the time to go Live on Instagram to share the latest real-time updates with your followers. Take walk around the development or show house for a tour of the place, voice out your opinions as you walk around, conduct short interviews with the developer, and answer questions from your audience during the live session. It’s a great way to attract attention to your profile and interact with your followers.

You can go “LIVE” on Instagram by swiping to the corresponding tab at the Add Stories icon.

Sponsored Posts
Similar to Facebook, Instagram now has an advertising option where users pay to promote their business or services via Sponsored posts. If you have a budget allocated for social media spending, you can consider promoting your property listings on Instagram to reach a wider, tech-savvy audience i.e. millennials and young investors.

Example of a sponsored post on Instagram. Note the “Sponsored” wording indicating it is an advertisement.

Keep in mind that like every other social media platform, Instagram is constantly changing and updating its app to cater to new trends, user demands, and more. You don’t have to post every single day (if you can, that’s great), but be consistent in your postings e.g. three or four times a week. Experiment with what works for you, and who knows, your next lead might come from a DM (direct message) on Instagram!

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