Someone recently asked about mixing personal and business content, which really got me thinking. Instagram is basically a big, never-ending virtual networking event.
You’re on this platform building a community of locals in your area, business owners, real estate agents, etc. These are real people—who probably want to connect with other real people, like yourself. If the social aspect didn’t matter to them, they’d just Google their questions or use a chatbot.
So, when you post, remember that you’re initiating a conversation with your community.
Stop the scroll and engage your audience
Don’t just sit there and sell or talk about real estate all day long because people are going to scroll right past, looking for someone who’s more personable, relatable, and fun.
That’s not to say you can’t be those things and be a knowledgeable real estate agent. And if you know some of your audience has questions about serious real estate topics, don’t shy away from creating content that answers those questions.
But do those in a way they’ll find instantly relatable—from one human being to another. As much as I love ChatGPT (let me count the ways), it doesn’t make the best conversation partner. Focus on creating content that jumpstarts conversations in your comment section and your DMs. From there, continue to build connections with the people you meet on social.
Picture it this way
Imagine you’re having a conversation with someone at a networking event. All they want to talk about is real estate, promoting their new listings, properties they just sold…
What would you do? Would you stick around to be this person’s sounding board, since they’re clearly not interested in a two-way conversation (meaning not once have they asked you anything about yourself or your perspective), or would you walk away?
At some point, you’d probably politely excuse yourself and look for someone who knows their stuff but who also knows how to engage people in a mutually enjoyable conversation.
You could listen to this person for hours. And even when you have to leave for other commitments, you want to make sure you’ll get to have another conversation with them.
That’s where, in social media terms, you follow their account. You might even go right to their page the next time you’re checking Instagram to see if they posted something new.
Because you already know it’ll be worth your time.
Final takeaway
So, when you’re posting on Instagram, focus on being that person—the fun, relatable, interested (and interesting) real estate professional who engages others by asking questions and responding to comments.
By being genuine and helpful, you’ll build stronger connections with your followers and establish yourself as a trusted resource in your industry.
To my Coffee & Contracts members, we’re adding some great personal ad-lib style captions to our monthly content so you can start connecting with your audience more.
And for those of you who have yet to sign up and learn what we can do to help you grow your business, check us out and sign up for our free newsletter.
