Canada Housing Market

In today’s digital age, social media platforms play a vital role in connecting businesses with their target audience. For real estate professionals, Instagram has emerged as a powerful tool to showcase properties, build a brand, and attract potential buyers.

On Ontario Housing Market‘s instagram, we have shared almost 5,000 unique posts in the last 3 years, so we are immersed in the algorithm and see the changes in real time. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore effective strategies to grow your Instagram followers, engage with your audience, and stay ahead in the competitive real estate market.

Engage with Your Followers and Follow Gary V’s Rule

Engaging with your followers is key to fostering meaningful connections and increasing your reach on Instagram. As entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk advises, dedicate time each day to follow and engage with people in your target audience.

We recommend finding a relevant hashtag, example: #torontorealestate or #ontariohousingmarket, and liking/commenting/following other realtors in your niche. Most of the realtors who use the hashtag #ontariohousingmarket will like and follow back, and this will help feed into the algorithm and explode your long-term growth.

By liking, commenting, and sharing their content, you demonstrate genuine interest and build rapport with potential clients. This will slowly plant seeds and in a year your growth will be explosive from this alone.

Utilize Reel Listing Walkthrough Videos

One of the most effective strategies for showcasing properties on Instagram is through Reel listing walkthrough videos. These short, engaging videos allow you to provide a virtual tour of a property, giving viewers a glimpse of its features and ambiance.

To make your videos more compelling, including a title at the beginning of the Reel provides context and stops people from scrolling past your video. For example, if you just listed your property at $699k in Toronto, a powerful hook that immediately adds context is to add the text “This is what $699k gets you in Toronto”.

By incorporating this information upfront, viewers can quickly understand the location and price range, making them more likely to stop scrolling and engage with the video.

This is the most powerful hook we have found, and it makes a significant difference on views and engagement.

Over years of social media scrolling, consumer’s attention spans are getting smaller and smaller. And with more and more realtors posting reels on instagram, it is much more competitive than it was 2 years ago. You have 3-5 seconds max to capture you audience’s attention, and for this reason, posting intros longer than 3 seconds will instantly reduce your views.

We see many reels with long intros, introducing the realtor, the firm they work for, the long address of their new listing, etc, some even last 20+ seconds. Consumers have already scrolled past your video after 3-5 seconds, and no matter how amazing your video is, it won’t get pushed into the algorithm and will result in low views.

Give it a shot with 3-5 second max intros + listing price and city location at the start of the video and watch your views and engagement start to explode.

Leverage Targeted Advertising with Platforms like Ontario Housing Market on Instagram

Partnering with local platforms that have a significant following of individuals interested in buying homes or watching walkthrough videos can give your Instagram presence a significant boost.

For instance, consider advertising with platforms like Ontario Housing Market, which has a substantial following of 100k Ontario-based individuals interested in real estate. Collaborating with such platforms can help you reach a highly targeted audience, increasing the chances of attracting potential buyers and generating leads.

When considering advertising on other real estate pages, it is essential to be cautious about potential fake followers. Examine the engagement and views on their reels. If a page has 20k followers but receives less than 500 views on reels, it raises concerns. Requesting their monthly reach and follower demographics can provide valuable insights to assess their authenticity.

Fill out this form to work with us! We would love to help advertise your listings.

Avoid Buying Instagram Followers

While it may be tempting to buy Instagram followers to boost your follower count, this practice can have detrimental effects on your account’s performance. Purchased followers are typically fake or inactive accounts, which negatively impact your engagement rate and the algorithm’s perception of your content.

Instead, focus on authentic growth by implementing effective strategies that attract genuine followers who are genuinely interested in your real estate content.

Determine Optimal Posting Frequency for Maximum Growth

Consistency is crucial when it comes to growing your Instagram followers. However, finding the right balance is equally important. Posting too frequently can overwhelm your audience, while infrequent posting may cause you to fade into obscurity.

For example, aim to post 1-3x per week initially. As you become more comfortable and efficient, gradually increase your posting frequency to four or five times per week. Consistency is crucial for building trust and familiarity with your audience, which can lead to increased engagement and follower growth over time.

Experiment with different posting frequencies and analyze engagement metrics to identify the optimal posting frequency that resonates with your audience and helps you maximize follower growth.

Include a Strong Call to Action in Your Educational Videos/Reels

A compelling call to action (CTA) can significantly impact your audience’s response to your content. At the end of your educational videos or Reels, add a CTA that prompts viewers to take specific actions, such as following your account, liking the post, leaving a comment, or visiting your website.

For example, you can say, “Follow us for more real estate insights and exclusive content.” This direct invitation encourages viewers to become long-term followers and actively engage with your future content.

Harness the Power of Hashtags

Hashtags are a valuable tool to expand your content’s reach on Instagram. Select relevant hashtags that align with your real estate niche and your target audience’s interests.

Use a combination of popular hashtags with high search volumes and niche-specific hashtags to attract users who are interested in real estate in your specific location. For example, if you are a realtor in Toronto, we would recommend using the hashtags #toronto #torontorealestate #ontariohousingmarket.

By using hashtags strategically, you increase the visibility of your posts and attract more followers who share your interests. Don’t put too much thought into them, we have seen hundreds of videos go viral with 0 hashtags, but a few hashtags of your location would be helpful.

Engage with Your Community and Respond to Comments

Engagement is a two-way street on Instagram. Actively engage with your community by responding to comments on your posts. Answer questions, provide additional information, and show appreciation for the comments you receive. By fostering dialogue and building relationships with your audience, you create a sense of community and loyalty, which encourages followers to stay engaged and share your content with others.

Consider Posting Controversial Content to Spark Engagement

Controversial content can be a double-edged sword, but when handled thoughtfully, it can boost your engagement and attract new followers.

By addressing trending topics or sharing different viewpoints on real estate-related matters, you encourage discussion and debate among your followers. Controversial content can generate a buzz, increase comments, and stimulate the algorithm to prioritize your content, resulting in greater visibility and potential follower growth.

Find Top Performing Reels in Your Niche and Add Your Unique Twist

Analyzing successful Reels within your real estate niche can provide valuable insights into the type of content that resonates with your audience. Identify the top-performing Reels, assess their storytelling techniques, editing styles, and overall appeal.

While taking inspiration from these successful Reels, add your unique twist to the content. For example, recreate a top-performing Reel with a twist that aligns with your branding, personality, and target audience’s preferences.

Never plagiarize content or steal exact ideas – but this is a great way to see what type of content is performing well in your niche.

What no longer matters

Audio on instagram currently has 0 effect on video performance. We have experimented with this, and based on the new algorithm it does not matter at all.

Anyone who says “you need to use trending audios to perform well on reels” is using information from years ago, when reels first came out. The algorithm has changed a lot then, and even in the last few months. 99% of the content we post isn’t utilizing instagram’s music and when we have compared the two directly there was zero difference in outcomes.

We have many clients who are still being taught that this is super important, so we are here to debunk the myth. As of 2024 and even before that, using trending music from instagram does not matter.

But yes, music did matter 2+ years ago.

Mastering Instagram for real estate success requires a strategic approach and a deep understanding of effective engagement strategies. By actively engaging with your followers, utilizing Reel listing walkthrough videos, leveraging targeted advertising, avoiding fake followers, determining optimal posting frequency, incorporating strong CTAs, using hashtags strategically, engaging with your community, posting controversial content, and adding your unique twist to top-performing Reels, you can grow your followers and expand your reach on Instagram. Remember, building a genuine and engaged following takes time and consistent effort, so stay committed to providing valuable content and fostering meaningful connections with your audience.

If you enjoyed this guide or learned something new, stay tuned for a comprehensive guide we are working on with a talented and successful realtor in Ontario. This guide will include posting schedules, check lists, and everything you need to take your social media to new levels, gain new clients and get more leads.

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