Instagram once started as a photosharing app with its cool square photo frames and filters. It encouraged people to discover their talent in photography and use the app’s features to create their own art. However, over the years and in response to online users’ needs, the app has gone through massive changes which have made it a completely different tool, although the app might look the same. In this article, we will review some of the Instagram changes and will discuss what they mean for REALTORS®.
Instagram Changes in 2021
Let’s see what these changes are:
Not a Photo-sharing App Anymore
As the internet speed increased globally, it became possible to share bigger files with other users. Videos are now more popular since very high-quality videos are easily uploaded and streamed on different platforms. Instagram was no exception in this trend and videos gained popularity. The purpose of the app was not to share photos anymore and videos made it possible for people to share videos.
Real estate is a visual business. Although photos have done a great deal for the business, now videos dominate the market. It is much easier for users to watch videos of properties. REALTORS® now share videos walkthroughs, video tours, virtual open houses, Instagram live videos, and many more on Instagram to promote both their real estate business and their listings.
Messaging
Some might consider the messaging feature of Instagram far inferior to that of Whatsapp or other messengers. But Instagram and similar platforms offer a significant and convenient feature that makes their messaging option quite valuable.
On Instagram users can talk about the content which is shared on the platform.
If we consider your Instagram account as the showroom of your business, the messaging section is where users can come in ask questions about your products and services. That is why many people have conversations on Instagram messaging section.
People reply to stories, talk about photos and videos they share. In fact, the content shared on Instagram is what triggers these conversations.
For REALTORS® that is a great place to spark conversations and get those prospects talking. Anyone who leaves messages and replies to your stories is a prospect and a potential lead. Work on your content and get your audience to approach you, ask questions and talk.
Recommendation
What social media platforms seek to achieve is to increase the amount of content their users see. in order to achieve this, they try to find out what you are interested in and then show you that type of content as much as possible. This is to increase the number of ads they can sell.
Now Instagram recommends content in the explore section of the app. That means users see recommended content based on the content they like (likes, saves, shares, comments, etc). Those who are interested in real estate will see content related to real estate in their explore section.
How REALTORS® can benefit from this? By appearing in the explore section. Now that is not easy to do. To get recommended, REALTORS® needs to produce quality content that gets likes, shares and saves.
The more interaction with your content, the more your content is assessed as valuable for real estate, and the more you are featured in the explore section.
IGTV and Auto-Caption
Instagram is making videos more important in its functionality. Formerly limited to one minute, videos now can be much longer on IGTV which can be considered as Instagram’s YouTube. There is also a new feature that automatically captions videos on IGTV. Since many people watch videos on silent mode, the auto-captions mode helps people learn what the people are talking about in the videos. You can read our real estate Instagram guide to know more about Instagram,m for real estate.
REALTORS® can and should make the most out of the IGTV section to upload their videos to:
- Promote their business by sharing how-to, tips and tricks, FAQ videos, etc
- Promote their listings by sharing walkthroughs, videos tours, etc.
Now all these videos can have captions to further increase their reach and exposure.
Instagram Changes in 2021 for Real Estate
Instagram is making it easier for businesses to promote their business. Changes made by 2021 will also help real estate agents to share content easier and reach their audience effectively. Share quality content and increase your exposure. Instagram and other social media platforms practice inbound marketing where you don’t chase leads. You attract them. Increase your attraction by becoming a more interesting, informative, and educational source of real estate content.