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Instagram’s simple platform and focus on photos makes it the perfect app for real estate agents to share their listings. However, agents who aren’t familiar with the platform may not know what kinds of pictures to post. Simply posting a photo of your listing with the address and a description isn’t going to get much attention. You need to create a story around the listing and share multiple photos to tell that story.

The easiest way to start “Instagramming” your listings is to use Instagram during an open house. Below are 7 different pictures you can take to create and share your open house story.

Start with a selfie

A “selfie” is a photo that you take of yourself. Take a selfie in your car, in front of the sign or by the front door. Caption it with something like “Excited to host an open house at 12345 Main Street.”

Your favorite room

Take a photo of your favorite room in the house. In the caption, get your followers to imagine life in that room. For example, if your favorite room is the bathroom with the huge soaking tub, say something like “Can you imagine coming home from a hard day’s work and getting to soak in this tub? Glorious!”

Your favorite outdoor feature

Photograph your favorite outside space. Again, get your followers to imagine themselves living there. “Check out this built in BBQ. Would you love to host summer BBQs at this home?”

Give a shoutout to other agents

A shoutout is a social media referral. If a real estate agent you know comes by the house with clients, snap a picture with them and give them a shoutout in the caption (be sure to use their Instagram handle if they have one.) Your caption could read something like this “Look who stopped by my open house today! Thanks for bringing your buyers @realestateagent.”

Share your “to-do list.”

Write or type a list of things you need to do to prepare for the open house then post a picture. This gives people an idea of the services you provide when hosting an open house. You can also share the owners to do list to educate people on how they should prepare for an open house.

Tools of the Trade

Do you always bring a specific water bottle to open houses? Do you often bake cookies or bring a vase of flowers? Lay out your items and snap a photo. The caption can read something like “Here’s my open house survival kit!”

Get the owners in on the fun

If the homeowners are around, take a photo with them. Tag them and ask them to share the photo on their Instagram and to tag you!

Instagram is easy to use and the perfect platform for real estate agents who are unfamiliar with social media but want to use it to market their listings. With a few clicks of your smartphone camera and some witty captions, you’re next buyer could be one of your Instagram followers.

All too often I see small business owners missing the mark with their marketing. Sure, it’s easy to do when you specialize in a specific industry niche and you spend your time engulfed in industry sector jargon. However, it’s best to put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes and think your marketing through from their perspective, addressing their most important questions. Your customers want to be able to trust you, to know you are looking out for their interests and that you don’t just see them with Dollar Signs in your sunglasses.

Below is a sample page, perhaps good for a website, brochure, email, or letter. Why not look this over and consider how you might form your own message. Use your own voice, your own style and remember you are talking to your customer across the table for the first time. You know what questions they will ask. Show that you care, that you are working for them, and will go out of your way to get them the best rates, and great service. Here is the sample:

Commercial Real Estate Loans

Are you looking to purchase an income property such as an apartment building, small office building, or retail center? Would you like to put several rental properties in your real estate portfolio into one commercial mortgage? Wish to find a suitable piece of land and develop that property? Do you need a loan for acquisition and construction?

Do you want to buy a business property with a business on it; a restaurant, carwash, service station, laundry mat, hotel, etc.? Are you looking for a commercially zoned property with a warehouse or industrial building on it? Are you expanding an existing business and/or want to own the property under your business rather than paying the monthly lease?

Are you in the agricultural sector, looking for specifically zoned farming property; land for a vineyard, orchard, or crop such as berries, vegetables, or flowers? We have significant experience to make this happen. Our area in Southern CA has one of the best climates in the world, and incredible top soil for growing almost anything.

We can assist with all types of commercial real estate loans including government-guaranteed loans such as FHA, USDA, and HUD. If you are looking for an SBA 7(a) loan or a CDC/SBA 504 loan for commercial real estate we can get it done.

We can assist you with traditional commercial mortgages, commercial bridge loans, or commercial hard money loans. We also have lines on non-traditional sources for hard money commercial real estate loans, which are custom tailored to you needs for complicated projects outside the normal scope of typical commercial real estate loans and mortgage offerings.

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Why not try something like this? Just because the Federal Reserve has raised rates doesn’t mean you have to let new deals and new clients move to your competitors. I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Because of the challenges involved in today’s tough real estate market, more and more realtors are leaving the business. This exodus is causing an unprecedented opportunity for those realtors skilled at marketing to move forward in gaining large amounts of market share! The simplest way to focus your marketing efforts is to select a niche and focus on that group. Here are some niches that you may want to consider:

A Farm – This is the easiest niche for most agents to understand. A farm can be a subdivision, an area like waterfront homes on a certain street or even a county if it is small. Some great ways to start to become an expert in an area are to visit all the homes currently listed for sale in the neighborhood, visit all the FSBO’s who currently have their homes available, and offer to do open houses for agents who have current listings. Let the FSBO’s know when you are going to have your house open so you can coordinate with them to have theirs open also. Send postcards to the homeowners and also start a neighborhood newsletter giving sales information and relevant neighborhood info.

First Time Homebuyers – These are people who need the expertise and connections that a realtor can provide. To reach these buyers you can send postcards or walk apartment complexes, renters make great first time homebuyers! Offer to hold “lunch and learns” to large area employers who have younger workforces that need to find housing solutions. You can partner with the affordable housing government agencies in your area, finding out the requirements for buyers to qualify. Offer to send them “hot” listings that are in great shape and meet the pricing requirements of their programs. Make sure you preview and hold open all the houses in these price ranges that you can get your hands on so that you can know the ones that will be worth taking your clients to!

Luxury Home Buyers and Sellers – This one can feel like a farm but it is a little different. Targeting high end buyers and sellers will result in larger commissions AND larger expenses! Make sure your marketing materials are professionally designed to appeal to people in a top tier demographic. Target international buyers by displaying high end properties on your website and blog (if you do not have your own listings “borrow” some from the other agents in your office after asking for permission). Make sure you list information about marinas, yacht clubs, tennis clubs, country clubs and golf courses on your website. If there are high end retail areas in your market list those shops and also any five star restaurants that may be nearby. Join the local country club and support the regional arts councils.

Baby Boomers – If you live in a warm climate this group is for you! Find out all the retirement and 55+ communities in your area and list them on your website or blog. Become familiar with the restrictions of the different communities (some allow pets, some don’t, some allow one person to be under 55, some require everyone to be over 62). Advertise in the senior magazines in your area, focusing on your expertise as a benefit to finding the perfect retirement home. Have a group of vendors that you can recommend if they need property management services while they go north for the summer or visit family for extended periods of time.

Those are just four of thousands of different niches you could choose! Whether you like boating or golfing, like working with buyers or sellers, love children or dogs, there is a niche for someone like you. Pick something today and focus on it with all your energy and you will be able to capture more of the market than you ever thought possible!

Most of us, have lived through, a variety of real estate markets, from a buyers, to a sellers market, to, what many consider, a normal, balanced market. Sometimes, this occurs, over an extended period of time, and often, we witness, changes occur, without much notice. For example, in the last year, or two, we have gone through, a strong, sellers market, where there were more qualified, potential buyers, than, homes, for sale, on the market. After, over a year, of ever – escalating, home prices, combined with little available inventory, we, then, observed, a little cooling, and more of a balanced situation. Many factors are involved, including: perceptions (buyer and seller); local area; overall economy, local economy; interest rates and availability of mortgage monies, etc. With that in mind, this article will attempt to briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, some recommended, marketing strategies, for a variety of circumstances and conditions.

1. Sellers Market: When inventory of houses, for sale, is extremely limited, and conditions, are such, where many qualified buyers, are seeking a home, there are two possible strategies, which might be most effective. One, which, we see, most often, is pricing the house’s price, in the highest range, believing that the number of buyers, will bring, a higher price. Another possibility, especially for a homeowner, who wishes to market/ sell his home, in the shortest, possible, period, is to price, the house, on the lower end of the real estate market. When this strategy is used, it often, brings, far more views, and action, and we often witness a bidding war. I did this with a client of mine, during this past, recent market, and received 22 over – asking price, offers, in the first weekend, and the house sold, for more than fifteen percent, over the listing price. Sellers should interview potential agents, and discuss, marketing strategies, and which might work, best, for a specific property!

2. Buyers Market: When there is more inventory, than qualified buyers, we often, witness a buyers market. Obviously, in these circumstances, the best approach, is to conservatively, use, a Competitive Market Analysis, in determining the listing price. Remember, in the vast number of instances, the best offers come, in the first few weeks, after it’s been listed, so, those who price the house, too aggressively, often suffer. Price the house, right, from the start!

3. Balanced Market: When neither side, experiences, a significant advantage, over another, we see, a balanced market. In these instances, smart pricing, and accentuating a property’s strengths, against the competition, in the local area, is a necessity, for success!

A wise homeowner, interviews potential agents, and hires, the one, who has the vision, and understanding, to use a strategy, which works, best, for the particular property. Since, for most, their house represents their single – biggest, financial asset, doesn’t that make sense?

The real estate industry in India has found out a new and effective way of marketing that is known as Real estate marketing. Today our country has more than 200 million users online and it consists of people of high net worth, lower middle class and middle class people. Real estate companies in India are paying about 25% of their marketing expenditure on digital marketing. Today each and every customer does an extensive online research before purchasing any product.

There are various ways to boost online sales with the help of digital marketing.

• Blogs are the Most Effective Way

Where any high-valued product is involved, in-depth details of the product help the customer to take better and informed decisions. Therefore, it becomes important to develop blogs on your products and FAQ’s related to the sector. Try to conduct a survey within your present customer base. Jump into the deeper questions and mention answers for all of them on your blogs. Search for the trending topics like in the past few of the banks reduced the interest rates on home loans. Such type of news should be always be presented in an effective manner.

• Develop Your Strategy and Campaign from Conversion Perspective

It is very important to do all the promotional activities from conversion perspective. There is no meaning of any campaign if it doesn’t have any call to action. You have to tell your audience, what they are supposed to do after watching any video or campaign. Hence the phrases like “call to”, “visit here”, should definitely be used. Be creative in the campaigns, but tactfully keep the customer engaged and induce him or her to contact you. Do not compromise on the creativity because it is the key to any marketing strategy.

• Engage Your Customers Wherever Possible – Email, Blog, Social Media, Forums etc.

You can track customers over internet through emails, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc. and you can create blogs, forums and groups. You have to just join all these and you would find more and more people searching for you. Engagement is the quickest and the most effective tool to find an audience and this is done by various methods like blogs, info-graphics, videos and you should start any campaign, keeping in mind the end result of the same like sales, loyalty and identity. These engagement techniques are effective and if done at the right time, would take your business to new heights.

• Second Screen Marketing for Real Estate

India is witnessing a new wave in technology and smartphones are the first ones. Today, more than 90% of the youth have smartphones and so it becomes essential for real estate companies to implement second screen marketing strategy and should have mobile responsive sites. It should make groups like Whats App etc. and social media platforms like Instagram, vines. Real Estate Developers target both desktop and mobile customers and in a very short span of time, the results would be in front of you.