5 Tips for Building a Successful Instagram Business Page

Instagram is an absolute must-have social media app for any business looking to grow or establish their brand. In Q4 of 2021, Instagram was the most downloaded app, ahead of Facebook and all other social media apps. There are nearly 2 billion monthly active users and of those active users, 60% log in every day of the week. 62.2% of all users fall in the 18-34 age bracket, making Instagram an ideal place for mortgage and real estate professionals to build their brand identity.

Every mortgage and real estate professional should be on Instagram, but in order to be successful, there are several best practices you will want to follow. Let’s take a look at how to best use Instagram to grow your brand and online presence.

Start With a Thorough Profile

As with every social media account or page that you create, you always want to be sure to complete your profile. Many sites allow you to create a lengthy profile to give detailed information about your business, but Instagram profiles are quite short in comparison. You have limited space to write your bio so be creative. Always ensure you are using your company logo as your profile image. Your profile should be easily recognizable by anyone who is viewing or searching for it. Make sure your account name and username are your full business name if possible. This is something that should be identical across all your social media accounts. Do not use different variations on different platforms. Also be sure to include your website or an Instagram-specific landing page. A landing page can help you track clients that are coming to your site from your Instagram page.

Determine Your Goal

Instagram can be used to build brand awareness, to sell products directly, and more. It is important to determine what your goal with Instagram will be. As a mortgage professional, you are likely looking to build brand awareness and recognition. Each post you make on your account should reflect this goal. A business Instagram page should be more than just a collection of random pictures. Some of the most successful Instagram accounts appear as if a story is being told across the many pictures and videos that are shared. There is consistency in the style of each post, as well as the message that is being delivered. Determine what message you want to deliver or how you want your company to be perceived and begin to structure your posts with that goal in mind. Maybe you want to highlight that you are someone who puts customer service above all else. Your Instagram account could focus on photo and video testimonials from new homeowners who are praising you for the outstanding service you provided them with. Not every post has to follow the same format but finding a focus will build your brand identity on Instagram.

Fine Tune Your Posting Schedule and be Consistent

Every social media platform has a window where engagement and activity are at their highest. Additionally, each of these platforms will have an ideal posting frequency based on how the site functions and how their unique algorithms treat each post.

Instagram activity is fortunately steady throughout the week. If you can post during the hours of 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday, you will be posting in an effective window. If you are looking for the most ideal times, engagement is at its highest on Wednesday and Friday between 10am and 11am. You can even post on weekends and be successful with Instagram. Remember, nearly 60% of the 2 billion monthly users are logging in every single day so posting 7 days a week is going to be beneficial. Try posting one to three times per day during these peak windows. If you are struggling to make daily posts at this frequency, an outside agency can help supplement your posts to ensure you are reaching the largest possible audience.

Experiment With Content Types

Instagram is more than just photos. You can share photos, videos, and post both formats directly to a story. Photos can be great for branded content highlighting products and services, or you could take photos of clients with their keys in front of their new homes. Videos could be a great way to capture and share client testimonials.

The Instagram algorithm will show people what they like to see. If a user likes to view photos over videos, Instagram will suggest more photos than videos to that user. For this reason, it is important to experiment with content types to see what your audience prefers to see. Start with a mix of both photos and videos and see which posts get the most interaction.

Engage! Engage! Engage!

Social media is designed for people to make connections with one another. From day one on Instagram, you should be doing your best to engage with as many people as possible. Reply to comments and like appropriate comments that are made on your posts. Follow partners and other business you interact with that are relative to your audience. Comment, like, and share their posts as well. This helps to build your organic audience and increase the number of followers you have. The larger your audience grows, the easier it will be to gain additional followers. Connect with local businesses and professionals where you can. Many may already have a large following and this could help you not only grow your following on Instagram, but on other social media platforms as well.

Instagram relies on hashtags to categorize posts and to allow people to find content they are interested in. You should take advantage of these in every post. Consider researching niche hashtags where you think you could stand out. The most popular hashtags are flooded with content and your post can easily get lost in the shuffle. Niche hashtags with less content that have a more specific focus give your posts a greater chance of being seen by your target audience.

Instagram is an absolute must-have for any mortgage or real estate professional. With billions of users visiting the app daily, Instagram is one of the best places to connect with potential clients. Follow these guidelines to see your Instagram page grow into one of your most successful marketing tools. If you are struggling with success on Instagram or other social media platforms, contact the team at 220 Marketing to see how we can help get you on the right track.