The Dos And Don'ts Of Using Real Estate Pictures For Instagram
Instagram is an underrated tool for connecting real estate sellers with buyers, but it is growing in popularity. The social media app allows users to share photographs publicly with friends and strangers. Potential buyers of new homes can easily find photographs of local houses for sale by clicking on hashtags that are popular or following real estate accounts that may re-post popular Instagram images. Consider these dos and don'ts of taking and using real estate photos for Instagram.
Do Use a Professional Photographer When Possible
If you can hire a professional photographer for taking your real estate pictures for social media, do it. You can use one photographer for all your real estate photos needs. However, when hiring the photographer, be sure that you have the photographer's permission to use the photos on social media and explain all the other ways you may want to use the pictures.
When you hire a professional photographer, you don't have to worry about all the things that go wrong with amateur photography, and it can ultimately save you a lot of money. Terrific photos inspire shares and word of mouth buzz that can help your social media post get noticed. That, in turn, can get your house sold more quickly.
Don't Choose Irrelevant Hashtags
On of the worst mistakes that newbies make on Instagram is choosing the wrong hashtags. Yes, it's important to use hashtags on your real estate posts. They are a good way to instantly connect you with people who are actively searching for a home on Instagram.
However, be careful to select only hashtags that are relevant to the image you are posting. If you simply copy and paste a bunch of local real estate hashtags, you could inspire ire instead of sales. If potential buyers click on a hashtag that was created for townhouses in your city and see a photo you posted of apartment homes, they may get angry that you wasted their time. They may be even less likely to consider future posts you make on local real estate.
Do Create Fun, Attention-Grabbing Prose
Humor and the ability to write succinctly will get you nearly everywhere on social media. Take the time to create a fun caption with any photo you post on Instagram. If humor isn't your thing, tell a very short but interesting story to accompany the photo or otherwise engage your audience. People who are looking for a home will probably spark to stories about your home's history or posts that show exactly what you love about the house.
Finally, real estate photography for social media isn't so different than it is for real estate ads. While there is a bit less pressure, there are still high standards you need to meet to attract buyers and show your home in its best light. When you follow these dos and don'ts, you increase the odds of finding just the right buyer for your home on social media sites like Instagram.
