Instagram Reels for Real Estate Marketing
This post originally aired as a podcast!
🎧 Listen to the show on Apple Podcasts | Spotify
If you're looking to connect with more buyers and sellers while growing your personal brand, then Instagram Reels could be for you! Riding the coattails of the Tik-Tok boom, Instagram Reels offers scroll-stopping videos that you just can't help but watch.
And you don't have to do any silly dances to see results in your real estate marketing. So, on this week's episode, we're diving into Instagram Reels for REALTORS®.
If you're wondering if it's worth your time? I'll skip right to the spoiler - if you're marketing on Instagram, it definitely is!
What Are Instagram Reels?
Instagram Reels are a new form of creative video on Instagram that can be up to 30 seconds long. Mimicking the style of TikTok videos, Reels are known for their visual edits or fast clips edited together. Often set to viral music, music plays a key role in these videos, and sometimes content is timed to the beat along with animated text.
Trending video styles are popular and encouraged! So, you can easily find video inspiration and recreate the video with a real estate marketing spin.
This binge-able content is attractive to viewers and leads to more video views for creators (ahem, REALTORS®!). Tap into these performance metrics for your real estate marketing and get more people to engage with you on Instagram by creating your own Reels. Click here to access my free training on ‘how to create an engaging Instagram Reel’
And if you want more help getting started with social, check out my exclusive free week of social media content - including Canva templates, short-form videos for Instagram Reels and TikTok, complete captions and more! Click here to download the Week of Social freebie!
A Creative Reels Example
Let's take a look at the first Reel I created.
I jumped on a trend where you pretend to "pop a champagne" bottle set to a catchy sound effect. While the original inspiration had nothing to do with marketing or real estate, I knew that it would be entertaining for my audience on Instagram.
And the results were astounding!
Within the first couple of hours, my video received thousands of views. I also had people personally reach out to me to let me know how much they enjoyed it. This is exactly what we are looking to do with our real estate marketing - engage people!
Use Reels as an opportunity to present your content excitingly while sparking conversations.
Why Real Estate Agents Should Try Reels
If you're focused on Instagram marketing, then Reels is for you!
It's no secret that Instagram is promoting Reels content, so leverage this popularity to attract more attention to what you create. Reels are being pushed to the search feed. So, there's a good chance that many more people than just your followers will view your content.
This extra promotion can even help you brand yourself as an agent! While silly dances and trends are popular, you can create Reels that are in line with your personality and branding. Step outside your comfort zone and let your hair down, or stay more professional while taking advantage of this trend. It all depends on how you want to come across on video, and the possibilities are endless.
In addition to their popularity, Reels are an engaging, quick way to create content. If you want to get specific about a topic, such as tips for first-time buyers, Reels gives you an approachable platform to provide value to your ideal customers.
Instagram Reels Ideas for REALTORS®
What are you focused on in your marketing? Who are you targeting?
Use Reels as another way to develop your marketing strategy further. If you're focused on farming a specific area, Reels can support this. On the other hand, if you're working towards getting more listings, Reels can be created to attract sellers.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Home Tours: Get out in front of the camera to do a guided tour or simply film multiple clips of a home. You can then add text to your different clips and set the whole video to a trending song.
Tips for Buyers: Buying a home can be an overwhelming process. Use Reels to answers some of your most frequent FAQs or tips for buying in today's market.
Tips for Sellers: Engage sellers with the content that matters most. View my 7 best ideas here.
Personal Branding: Create fun videos about yourself such as "3 things you didn't know about me" or "the day in the life of a REALTOR®."
Behind the Scenes: Give people a sneak peek into your working life with backstage views of listing photoshoots or home staging.
How to Get Started With Reels
Before you create your first Reel, it's helpful to get inspiration from others.
Dive into Instagram, and while your watching Reels, think about how you can recreate what you see for your real estate marketing. Save the videos and audio you like on the Instagram app directly.
One tip that I like to use is to create a running list of ideas with my own notes. To do this, I simply make a note on my phone and copy and paste the links to Reels I like. Under each Reel's link, I briefly brainstorm how I might do something similar.
Once you have your inspiration, you can quickly start creating your own!
If you're not sure how to use the Reels feature, here's a free training that walks you through how to create a Reel:
Next Steps & Tips for Marketing
Ready to create your next Reel for your real estate marketing? Congratulations! But first, make sure you know what you're going to do ahead of time, so you're not frustrated when you start filming.
This step will also ensure that you're filming Reels that compliment your marketing strategy (and are a time distraction for you!).
And don't forget to include captions and use hashtags.
Your Reels can be displayed on your profile feed. So, if you give five tips for sellers in your 15-second video, you can elaborate on those tips further in the caption. Hashtags are also another strategy to attract more views. Learn more about hashtag strategies here.
Overall, I highly recommend Instagram Reels for REALTORS®.
They are an engaging form of content that you can easily create on your own for free! It's a unique way to express yourself and provide value to your audience.
Whether you're looking to dive deeper into niche marketing, work on your agent branding, farm a geographic area, or even promote your listings, you can do it all with Reels!
Don't make your real estate marketing work for Reels. Make reels work for your marketing, and I think you'll have some fun along the way!
P.S. Make sure you are following me on Instagram - @IdeasForRealEstate - for more great tips & creative ideas.
Plus, if you’ve ever struggled with what to post, how to stay consistent, how to get engagement, or how to effectively grow your business through Instagram marketing, then my course IG Unlocked for Real Estate is for you! I’ll guide you each step of the way to creating your Instagram marketing plan that will work for your unique business & apply my award-winning strategies to start getting results through Instagram marketing.
And access my free training on How to Create an Instagram Reel here:
UP NEXT:
It's time for seasonal marketing! Fall-themed real estate content and marketing on social media is not only trending, it also works in your Instagram Reels, posts, carousels, and more. The secret is to customize this content with photos and videos of you. So, in today's episode, let's plan an easy fall content shoot for you as a REALTOR to use in your marketing strategies this season!