Did you hear the news? CREA has finally joined the party on Instagram. You can now follow, tag and regram CREA Instagram posts to your heart’s content!
The decision to add Instagram to our social community was a thoughtful one. Our latest Membership Survey reflects that usage of social media tools by our members has been steadily increasing since 2011 with 79 per cent of members using social networking sites at least once a week. And while Facebook dominates as the top network, Instagram use among our members has also made a significant leap over the past couple of years.
For those of you already on Instagram, you know its ability to waste hours in mere minutes. But, aside from a collection of beautiful pictures, it can also be a useful business tool. We look forward to taking advantage of Instagram to connect with our members and celebrate the value of REALTORS®!
To get started, we reached out to a few Instagram-savvy members to find out how they use – or recommend using – this social media giant to help promote their business and engage with potential and existing clients.
Richard Silver (@torontoismteam): “On any social media page, think about what you’re sharing. Some things to consider: share humor and make the photos interesting; share things you do and that your clients can relate to; and be mindful that if too many pictures are of you travelling and relaxing, you may create a perception that you’re not working. Finally, a good rule of thumb is: no photos after nine or with a glass of wine!”
[bctt tweet=”“No photos after nine or with a glass of wine!” – @RichardSilver on posting to Instagram #CREACafé” username=”CREA_ACI”]
Marie-France Vachon (@equipemfvachon): If you’re just starting out, be sure to brand yourself with an Instagram name users will easily recognize you with. I also recommend picking three or so topics to post about and build from those.
Ben Fenlon (@benfenlonrealtor): My tip for REALTORS® would be to “pepper” your feed with both business and personal pictures to help convey who you are as an individual and professional. Posting pictures of identifiable local landmarks and original, neighbourhood-related content (along with relevant tags) is also a great way to compliment your prospecting activities.
[bctt tweet=”“Show who you are as an individual & professional.” – @BenFenlon on posting to Instagram #CREACafé” username=”CREA_ACI”]
Matt Collinge (@604homes): Keep your feed interesting and at least a bit personal by making sure you’re not filling it with only listing and Open House announcements!
Our thanks to Richard, Marie-France, Ben and Matt for the great advice. Of course, there are many more creative and successful ways REALTORS® are using Instagram to help build their business. Why not let us know your key tips? Share them with us in the Comments section below.
We hope you’ll follow @CREA_ACI on Instagram now, too. Tag your photos with #ProudREALTORS (set your account to “public” if you’re hoping they’ll be shared) and help us spread the word!
