Wondering why you’re not getting any engagement on social media? Here are 10 mistakes agents make on Instagram.
#1—Introducing yourself at the beginning of your video
“Hi, I’m Sebastian Howley with the Sebastian Howley team at Keller Williams in Long Beach, and I’m standing in front of my brand new listing at 1834 Nobody Cares.”
By the time you’ve said your name, every single person whose algorithm was cursed enough to show them your video has already scrolled by and probably unfollowed you.
If you don’t capture someone’s attention within the first two seconds with an epic hook, they’re gone. Nobody cares that your name is Sebastian.
#2—You only post your just solds or your just listeds
This has probably been the number one social media faux pas by agents since the beginning of time. And if you’re still doing this, you’re insane. You clearly haven’t been consuming content or listening to anyone for years.
Obviously, it’s important to promote your success in your actual listings, but if that’s all you do, you will never grow on the platform.
#3—You never post just listeds or your just solds
You’ve morphed into a TikTok trend-jacking, lip-synching, audio-sucking degenerate. You’ve become obsessed with hopping on trends to appease the algorithm and gain followers.
Sure, maybe you’ve gained some followers, but your clients are starting to wonder if you actually sell real estate or if you’re just trying to get famous.
It’s still important to show that you’re a competent realtor.
#4—You’re playing trending music with the volume set too high.
Savvy agents have realized that putting trending audio on your Reels can help its performance and spice it up. Then they blast it in the background, and you can’t hear a word they’re saying.
Do you know how ridiculous it sounds when you are looking for a market update, but all you can hear is that “My money don’t jiggle jiggle” song?
Search the instrumentals of audios so the lyrics don’t interfere with what you’re saying. And put the volume down to like two or three.
#5—You don’t have your occupation or your location in your bio.
If it doesn’t say you’re a realtor and what city you do business in, you may as well just delete your account.
Forty percent of Gen Z and Millennials search more on Instagram and TikTok than they do on Google. Your bio matters for searchability and SEO, for converting actual business if one of your Reels actually does go viral.
Also, make it easy for people to contact you with your phone and your email.
#6—You post the same style of content every single time.
Right now, it seems that every realtor has adopted the style of sitting in a chair, high def camera, talking to the camera, with text popping out. Either they’re telling a story or they’re educating.
It’s great content, don’t get me wrong. It’s perfect for the algorithm, it’s engaging, and it’s informative. Do not stop doing that. But don’t only do that. Mix it up a little, change locations, do some slideshows, memes, text, you know… Variety is nice.
#7 — You’re not using your Stories to build your email list
Another huge mistake is not utilizing your Stories to build your email list. This is kind of a boring one, but it has to be mentioned.
Back in the day, only accounts with 10,000 followers had a swipe-up figure to drive an audience to a direct link. Now, anyone with a pulse can post a link to their Stories.
How simple is it to say something like, “Hey, every week, I send out a newsletter with my thoughts on the market, what’s going on in the community, and I even have some discounts from some restaurants or something. Drop your email, now.”
Or even better, offer a downloadable PDF or ebook of a market snapshot as an email capture.
#8 – You aren’t looking at Instagram like it’s part of your job…
Which means you’re just not being consistent with it.
You go to the Tom Ferry conference, get all excited, jump up and down to Zombie Nation, and start posting every day. Then three months go by, and you’ve got nothing. Or you’re just not going viral, so now you’ve stopped posting.
Instagram is a grind, and you have to treat it like every other aspect of your business. Make a plan for your social media content—you know, five feed posts per week, two Stories per day, one Live, etc.
Inconsistency on the platform gets absolutely punished. They’ll stop showing your content. And if you’re not posting, some other agent in your market is.
#9 – You’re trying to be too funny
When I started The Broke Agent in 2015, nobody was creating funny content back then.
In fact, my content was literally starting to get shunned by some heavy-hitters and some Facebook groups by people who thought it was toxic to the real estate industry.
Now, it seems like everybody is trying to be funny. But if you’re not naturally funny, don’t force it.
People can feel it in their bones when they watch content that’s trying to be funny. You can still be entertaining and educational. Do the style that works for you. We don’t all have to become clowns, here.
#10 – You aren’t using captions in your videos.
Seventy percent of audio is watched without sound, so you’re missing 70% of your audience when you don’t add captions. You could literally just add captions in your Reel, it’s simple.
