Most real estate agent ads have the opposite effect of their intention.
Instead of making me want to work with them, the ad makes me want to unfollow and block them. But, I recently came across an Instagram ad that was so smart and so unique that I had to write about it.
The IG Story ad is from Shane Burgman, a Compass agent in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. Watch it, and let’s break it down.
Here’s the original post that he turned into an ad with a “message me” call to action:
The Hook
The beginning of the ad has one of the cleanest, most engaging hooks I’ve heard.
I’ve had my read receipts on for the last four years. This is why.
How great is that? Read receipts are always a polarizing topic and you either love them or hate them. It’s like In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack. Pick a side or die. (In-N-Out is the obvious answer.)
My first thought when I heard this was that Shane is insane. Shane does a TON of business, and I always thought that any realtor, especially a busy one, who kept their read receipts on, is basically torturing themselves.
If a client texts me a question, I want to find the answer before responding. I don’t want the client to know that I read it. It buys time and allows me to go on with my day. If I “read it” and don’t respond for a few hours, I look like a jackass. This, of course, is not just for clients. It’s for every person you communicate with. The pressure would break me.
But, what he says next is so simple, so true, and almost immediately convinced me to turn my read receipts on.
The Message
The first thing for me is accountability…
Shane goes on to say that leaving read receipts on allows him to respond in a timely manner because the sender sees that he read it. Also, it gives the sender “comfort” in knowing that he read it. It eliminates all their questions if the text was left unresponded, like, “Did they get the message? Are they sitting on it? Why didn’t they respond? Are they okay?”
I never thought about the comfort of the sender until this video and only selfishly thought about the comfort of myself, the receiver.
Also, what is the most common complaint from clients about their agents? Hell, what is the most common complaint from agents about other agents?
It’s that we have poor communication and don’t answer the phone. If you work with Shane, communication problems are eliminated, taking away the number one pain point right off the bat.
The Ending
He ends the ad by explaining that read receipts also allow him to have boundaries. It’s impossible to respond to every message, which is why he implements these types of systems into his business.
This is a relatable conclusion, explaining that it’s not healthy (or possible) to respond to everyone who reaches out to you immediately.
The engaging topic, professional delivery, and persuasiveness of the content make this a perfect ad. The best part is that he doesn’t mention real estate once. The call to action is to message him—and you already know he will respond.
Side Note: The production value of this ad is extremely high, and Shane is obviously great on video. Watch again, and take note of these things:
- The camera is super high def, and the lighting is top-notch.
- It’s perfectly edited with captions and light music in the background that doesn’t distract from the content.
- His beard is perfectly manicured to the point that it actually pisses me off.
My point is that as a prospect, you see this and already know Shane crushes video marketing because of the quality and thoughtfulness of this ad.
Bravo, Shane. Now, delete the ad immediately because now that I’ve watched it, I see it every time I login to Instagram. Also, respond to my text.
