Of course, even experienced agents are having a hard time choosing which marketing materials to spend their hard-earned time and money on. That’s why we worked with our friends at SERHANT. to put together this definitive guide to the seven real estate marketing materials every agent needs to build a better personal brand in 2022. Whether you need Instagram Reels templates or business card advice, we have you covered.

1. Professional Pictures: One Headshot, One Lifestyle

One of the most important lessons that Ryan Serhant teaches in his Sell It Like Serhant: How to Build a Personal Brand course is that your personal brand needs to be curated and authentic. After all, people should want to work with YOU, not just “a real estate agent.” There are millions of real estate agents, but only one you. This is why headshots are by far your most important marketing material. 

  Pro Tip

For your lifestyle shot, pay particular attention to your body language. The goal is to look open and approachable, not guarded. You can see the difference in the two pictures above.

Your headshots literally put a face to your personal brand and are the only a that cannot be copied by other agents. So take the time to make sure your headshots are both curated and authentic. Ryan recommends creating two headshots to use in your real estate marketing materials: one professional headshot and one lifestyle shot. 

2. Professional Social Media Templates (Including Stories & Reels Templates)

When it comes to social media marketing materials, many agents make the mistake of assuming that bringing their authentic selves to social media means they need to create everything from scratch. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, that behind-the-scenes Reel you shot at your open house doesn’t have to look like a Hollywood movie, but it does need to look polished and professional. 

This is where professionally designed social media templates come in. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel every time you post on Instagram or Facebook, you can use templates designed for real estate agents by professional graphic designers. The difference between professional social media templates and generic templates from Canva is night and day. 

You can see examples of some of the best social media templates along with the best places to buy them here:

3. A Website That Shows Off Your Personal Brand

After your headshots and social media templates, your website is your next most important marketing material. It’s also one of the only brand assets you will truly own. After all, no matter how hard you work on them, you don’t really own any of your social media profiles, or even the shiny new website your brokerage provides for you. 

While you might be tempted to add bells and whistles to your website, like IDX listings, lead capture, landing pages, and a customer relationship manager (CRM), make sure it reflects your personal brand first. For a good example of a website that centers personal branding, check out Carlin Wright’s website above. Notice how she uses her lifestyle picture front and center? This was no accident. Her website is about her, not “real estate.” 

If you want a site like Carlin’s, you can hire her designer, Luxury Presence, to build and host your website starting at around $180 per month, plus design fees.

Visit Luxury Presence

Or, if you want more control and want to level up your own skillset, check out our guide to building a website using WordPress here:

4. Strategically Designed Business Cards

Even in the age of Realtor TikTok stars, there’s just something about a well-designed business card printed on quality paper stock that can’t be beat. Sure, popping up in someone’s social media feed once a week is great, but your business card might get pinned to a bulletin board, kept in a wallet, or sit on someone’s desk for months on end. Not bad for a 50-cent piece of paper, right?

Of course, like your website, your business cards should reflect your personal brand. So make sure to use your brand colors, fonts, and if you’re brave enough, your headshot. As far as strategy goes—whether you’re working with a designer or creating them yourself—it can be helpful to ask yourself, “Is this a business card I would keep? Why or why not?” If the answer is no, you need to go back to the drawing board.

5. A Facebook Business Page

Even though your teenage niece will probably tell you Facebook is like, SO over, you still need a business page, even if you never post on it. Why? Demographics. The average age of a Facebook user is a little over 40 years old, and a whopping 20% are over the age of 55. Sounds dull, right? Well, what if I told you that according to data from Zillow, the average age of a homeseller is 45? 

With demographics like that, a Facebook Business page is not optional for serious Realtors. It’s not all about demographics, though. If you want to advertise on Facebook or Instagram, you will need a Facebook business page. So even if you also think Facebook is like, SO over, you’re going to need to build one. 

If you don’t already have one, we have an easy step-by-step guide to building a Facebook business page here:

6. Postcards (That Look Like Instagram)

Want to get laughed at? Tell someone under 30 that you’re sending them a postcard. If they’re under 20, you might have to actually explain what a postcard is. Of course, while we have nothing against 20-year-olds, they’re not exactly the right audience for your real estate marketing materials. Not even close. 

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2021 Homebuyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, the average homebuyer is 47 years old. Take it from me, people our age like getting postcards and older people LOVE getting postcards. My mother is in her seventies, owns several homes, and sits down on her recliner every morning to go through her mail. You know where she’s not spending her mornings? TikTok!

But just because you’re sending postcards doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them—assuming your personal brand is fun, that is. For example, check out the Instagram-inspired postcard from Coffee & Contracts above. Why use Instagram-inspired design for your postcards? Simple. Television ads and even ads in newspapers are inspired by online design trends these days. 

You can check out more real estate marketing templates from Coffee & Contracts, including Instagram Reels templates and memes, from The Broke Agent here:

Visit Coffee & Contracts

7. An Email Newsletter

Like postcards, email newsletters are another crucial marketing material that will make your niece roll her eyes. It also happens to be one of the best ways to market to your sphere. Why? Simple. You don’t own your social media profiles, but you do own your email list. 

Email is also much easier to scale than social media, and much less expensive than pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. The return on investment (ROI) for your time and effort is also better. According to statistics from Campaign Monitor, the average open rate (what percentage of your list opens one of your emails) is 21.7%. So as long as you keep growing your list, the number of people you reach with your content will continue to grow without any extra work. 

If you plan a content calendar for your email newsletter, you can keep your sphere engaged for years with just an hour or two of work per week. Here are a few easy real estate newsletter ideas to get you started:

Over to You

Do you think these are the right real estate marketing materials every agent needs to build their personal brand? If not, what would you include instead? Let us know in the comments.

The post 7 Real Estate Marketing Materials That Will Help You Build a Better Personal Brand appeared first on The Close.

After each example video section, I’ll go over some tips and tricks to make your videos irresistible for your audience.

Educational Real Estate Videos (With FOMO Titles)

Educational videos with FOMO (fear of missing out) titles should be the bulk of every agent’s video content. Why? Simple. Everyone is afraid of making a mistake with a six-figure real estate transaction! The FOMO title will draw them in (since they’re afraid of making a mistake), and your educational content will put their fears to rest and show them you’re a real estate expert they can trust. Talk about a win/win. 

Here are five great examples of educational real estate videos with FOMO titles to help get you inspired: 

1. How To Spot Property Repairs & Issues BEFORE You Buy! (LeAnn Henri, Good Company Realty)

Why this video works: LeAnn’s title would increase FOMO in any buyer and the content is actually useful and actionable. 

2. AVOID These MISTAKES When SELLING a House (Jeb Smith, Coldwell Banker)

Why this video works: Who wants to make a mistake selling a home they probably sunk massive amounts of money and time into?

3. Should I Get a Home Warranty? (Peter Lorimer, Corcoran)

Why this video works: Home warranties are one of these things that most people think they understand but require some thought and explanation. 

4. How Do I Get the Seller To Pay the Buyer’s Closing Costs? (Javier Vidana, My Home Group)

Why this video works: Who doesn’t want to save money on closing costs in this market?

5. Do’s & Don’ts Before Closing Day on Your Home (Niki Luther, Palm Coast Real Estate)

Why this video works: Many newer buyers spend tons of time searching for homes and educating themselves about the buying process but are still nervous about closing. 

If you need some help writing great FOMO titles, check out our deep-dive guide to real estate copywriting below:

Tips & Tricks for Recording Educational Real Estate Videos That Get Leads

• Invest in a high-quality microphone
• Break up complicated topics into multiple videos
• Use simple graphics and charts when possible
• Write out your scripts before you start shooting

Listing Walk-through or Highlights Real Estate Videos

After educational videos with FOMO titles, the next type of videos agents should focus on making are listing walk-through videos. If there is one thing both buyers and sellers want to know, it’s how their home compares to other homes on the market. 

Sure, they can watch slick, over-produced listing videos from the listing agent on Zillow, but deep down they know listing agents are trying to sell them this home, not just a home! As a buyer’s agent, your walk-through video will seem more honest, because it will be. You can show homes warts and all, or just highlight beautiful or unusual features. If you’re the listing agent, you’re going to want to step up your production a bit to impress your homeowner. More on this later. Here are five example listing videos that include a little bit of everything: 

6. TOURING the PRETTIEST FiDi NYC Development! (SERHANT. New Development)

Why this video works: This is a super-professional tour of a new development, but the agents here manage to make it inviting and fun instead of stuffy and pretentious. 

7. 100 Hampton Walk (Glennda Baker, Glennda Baker & Associates)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Glennda BakerAtlanta REALTOR (@glenndabaker)

Why this video works: As Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.” If you have genuine wins to show off to your audience, keeping them to yourself makes no sense. 

8. 145 Central Park North (SERHANT. New Development)

Why this video works: Ryan Serhant spent the last decade building the most recognizable personal brand in real estate. Everything he puts out, including this video, highlights that personal brand.

9. Just. Wait. Until. You. See. This….. (Andrew Jevin, Compass)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andrew Jevin | REALTOR | LA (@thesnappingrealtor)

Why this video works: If you come across beautiful or interesting home features during the course of your day, sharing them with your audience is a no-brainer. Sure, they can see this bathtub in the listing photos, but they would have to scroll through 20 images to see it. 

10. Love These Retractable Backsplashes (Peter Torkan, The Agency)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Peter&Paige The Agency Toronto (@petertorkan)

Why this video works: This video works well because it highlights a very cool feature of the listing that might not necessarily make the headline of the listing description, but is still something a general audience would be interested in. 

Tips & Tricks for Recording Listing Walk-throughs & Highlights That Get Leads

• Hire a pro (even if only for the editing)
• Have a game plan
• Invest in a stabilizer for your phone
• Invest in a high-quality microphone
• Write a script
• Shoot some practice walk-throughs
• Schedule your video for a sunny day

Agent Introduction Videos: Make a Memorable 1st (or 2nd, or 3rd) Impression

Even though you may try your best to answer every new lead with a personal phone call, reality can sometimes get in the way. You could be driving, at a closing, sleeping, or making your daughter breakfast. This is why a personal agent introduction video is another video every Realtor should have in their arsenal. 

One way to give your agent introduction video a little more oomph is to include testimonials from happy former clients. Check out Kate Terrigno’s video for an example of how to do this right. If you want to make your introduction video a little more relaxed, have your broker or another agent interview you like Sean Moudry did in his testimonial video. 

11. Kate Terrigno (Corcoran HM Properties)

Why this video works: Kate mixes personal and professional details to give prospective clients a better introduction. 

12. The Kristina Kremidas Team (Douglas Elliman)

Why this video works: Kristina starts off the video by explaining why she LOVES working in real estate. That energy is infectious. Who doesn’t want to work with someone who loves what they do?

13. Meet Cherise Wynn (Compass)

Why this video works: Cherise starts the video talking about the one thing every buyer wants to know more about—her farm area! 

14. A KW Homecoming: Mega Agent Sean Moudry Returns To Leave a Legacy

Why this video works: The interview format feels very informal and allows Sean to brag about his many successes over his 27-year career without sounding like a showoff.

15. Brenda DiBari (Brown Harris Stevens)

Why this video works: The professional video editing and soothing music are the perfect match for the luxury properties Brenda sells. 

Tips & Tricks for Recording Agent Introduction Videos That Get Leads

• Invest in a professional editor
• Don’t just recite your agent bio
• Talk about your family or personal life
• Add music
• Invest in a high-quality microphone
• Don’t improvise, write a script
• Have a friend or fellow agent preview your video before you post it
• Smile!

Client Testimonial Videos

Let’s face it, most people take anonymous, written reviews on sites like Zillow or Yelp with a grain of salt. After all, faking reviews is easy when you just need to write a few glowing sentences. In order to cut through the noise online and provide more direct social proof, try and record client testimonial videos whenever possible. 

16. Post & Company Real Estate Client Testimonial Video

Why this video works: This video has great music, starts off with their brokerage branding, and the testimonial itself is set up as a conversation between the couple instead of just one person talking at the camera. This comes across as more genuine. 

17. The Hawkins – A Testimonial Video | Mandy Saldana, REALTOR®

Why this video works: Like the Post video, this starts with the brokerage branding, has great music, and presents the testimonial as a conversation. They also start out telling their story rather than just praising the agent. Way more relatable. 

18. Client Testimonial – Realtor Megan Jones – LCT Team- Parks

Why this video works: While this video only features one person talking, the editor spliced in footage of the agent bringing them flowers and the home itself. This is a great way to show off your personality and listing marketing skills.

19. Real Estate Agent Client Testimonial Video | Scott Pridemore

Why this video works: This video seems to have it all. A couple telling their story, great music, footage of the agent at work, and pictures of the actual home she sold. 

20. Seattle Real Estate Agent Client Testimonial #22 | McDonald Real Estate Group

Why this video works: This former client is clearly very excited about his purchase and it shows. He also goes through how the agent helped solve his problem. 

21. Greg Guinto // Real Estate Agent Testimonial // Commercial // ALAS Media

Why this video works: Like the other testimonial videos on our list, this video features a couple telling their house-hunting story and how the agent helped solve their problems. Footage of the agent in action and pictures of the actual home round out the video.

Tips & Tricks for Recording Client Testimonial Videos That Get Leads

• Approach clients for a video testimonial a week or so after closing
• Consider combining your introduction video with some client testimonials
• Try to shoot all your testimonials in the same place
• Give them a script to follow when writing and reading their testimonials
• Combine three or four short testimonial videos into one

Over to You

What kind of real estate videos are you using to generate and nurture leads in 2022? Let us know in the comments.

The post 21 Real Estate Videos Top Agents Use To Generate & Nurture Leads appeared first on The Close.

Get Free Infographic Template

97 Infographics Designed for Buyers, Sellers & Real Estate Agents in 2022

Our collection of infographics is designed to inspire you, giving you examples of how shared with clients can position you as a subject matter expert (especially if you use graphics customized for your market). They’re ideal for sharing with clients to explain the various processes involved in buying or selling a home. 

Have a client who’s starting the buying process? Send one about the mortgage process. Have clients who are thinking about selling? Check out the infographics on staging a house. We even have some humorous real estate infographics that only agents will appreciate.

14 Infographics for Buying Real Estate

6 Infographics for the Mortgage Process

10 Infographics for Selling Real Estate

4 Infographics for Closing

5 Infographics for Moving

14 Infographics for Homeowners

9 Infographics for Real Estate Marketing

10 Infographics Just for Agents

25 Non-Real-Estate Infographics for Inspiration

Why Real Estate Infographics Work Well for Realtors & Brokers

Are you not entirely sold on real estate infographics yet? Do you think your plain Jane emails and blog posts are going to work better? Well, here are a few extremely persuasive reasons you should be using infographics as part of your marketing arsenal.

Colorful Visuals Are More Engaging to Readers

Picture this. You’ve just spent a long day plowing through emails and sitting through endless meetings when you get an email from your real estate agent.

You like her, but you’re still not quite 100% sold yet. Curious, you open the email and are presented with a wall of text. Do you read it or quickly close the tab and jump back on Instagram?

If you’re anything like the rest of us, that text looked like homework. More to the point, it looked like totally optional homework.

Infographics Can Inform, Teach, Entertain, or Persuade

Here’s a helpful analogy to understand the power of real estate infographics: if your email is a book and your video is a movie, infographics are comic books. They’re handy instructions with useful diagrams: easy to follow and remember, and useful enough to save for later.

Infographics Can Go Viral & Help Build Your Brand

Savvy real estate agents are always looking for content to share—and what better than a colorful, helpful infographic. Here’s the thing, though. Most agents have no clue how to make one. 

How to Create Real Estate Infographics for Real Estate Quickly & Easily

Now that you’ve got dozens of sweet infographics you can share with your sphere, you probably think you’re all set, right? Not so fast.

While these real estate infographics are pretty amazing, they’re not helping your brand, are they? Many of them are promoting someone else’s brand. 

Well, as promised, here is our quick rundown for creating your own eye-catching infographics that you can brand as your own.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1. A good topic for an infographic. What common questions do you get that would make a compelling infographic? Think about what pain points your buyer and seller leads have and create something to help them.
2. A free account or subscription―around $10 per month―to an online design service like Canva. A subscription allows you to access more templates, images, fonts, and more. It’s a small price to pay for professional-looking infographics.
3. An outline of what big ideas you want to share and the background information you think your audience needs to know. 
4. About 20 minutes.

Canva is generally considered the easiest to use and is our pick when it comes to design options. However, all the sites listed here offer templates, tools, and other bells and whistles you might prefer.

• Visual.ly
• Canva
• Piktochart
• Infogram
• Visme (can embed videos)
• Snappa
• Venngage
• Animaker (can make animated infographics)
• Easel.ly
• Picmonkey

Once you have an account set up, choose a template, and start designing your infographic. Remember to keep your text small, but not too small. Otherwise, it will be tough to read on smaller monitors and phones.

Keep images and colors bright and eye-catching. You want your audience to read your infographic, but also save it and send it on to their friends.

Once you have a design you’re happy with that is in keeping with your branding (font, colors, etc.), add your logo and contact information to the bottom, and save your infographic as a PNG.

Remember to save a copy in Canva or whatever application you use so you can edit and update it later if your information changes.

6 Customizable Infographic Templates

You can also use these Canva templates to create your own custom shareable infographics. They are perfect for social media and even listing presentations. Clients will learn some real estate basics and you’ll look super creative and tech savvy. 

List with Me

Contract-to-Closing

Mortgage Pre-Approval Checklist

Staging Advice

Local Housing Market

Information on Your Brokerage 

7 Tips for Making Great Infographics

While the applications you need to make real estate infographics are relatively easy to use, making an infographic that will go viral and capture the world’s attention isn’t. Here are a few tips to make sure your designs not only look great but actually do their job.

1. Don’t Crowd Too Much Text in a Small Space

One of the biggest mistakes people make when creating infographics is to jam tons of information into too small an area. Unless you think your audience will have magnifying glasses handy, make sure you don’t use too much text.

2. Learn the Basics of Color Theory

Some colors just look terrible with other colors, so take the time to learn about complementary colors and the basics of color theory before you start designing.

3. Use Illustrations Instead of Photos

Illustrations generally work better than photos. First, because photos are rectangular and hard to place, and also because illustrations are easier to “read” at a glance.

4. Understand Sizing for Social Media Posts

Infographics will shrink to fit your social media feed which means they may not be legible when downsized, especially on mobile phones. There’s not much you can do about it, so just try to make them look sharp so people will want to click to make them bigger.

5. Don’t Try to Use Shapes Other Than Rectangles

Infographics are rectangular, so they fit onto mobile devices, including phones and tablets. If you try using large squares or horizontal rectangles, they’ll be too hard to scroll and read on both. 

6. Hire a Pro for Listing Presentation Infographics

Canva works well for infographics, but when it really matters, hire a professional graphic designer who can take your design and ideas to the next level. Of course, if you’re going to spend the money on a pro, you probably want to create evergreen infographic content that you can use again and again.

7. Make Sure They ‘Flow’

The best real estate infographics explain complex processes in a simple, visual way. Step-by-step instructions, for example, flow from one to the next and work well as infographics.

Where to Share Your Infographics for Maximum Impact

Want to share some of the infographics in this article or infographics you’ve created on your own? Here are a few places to share them where you’ll get maximum engagement.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a massive social media site and “visual discovery engine” with more than 440 million active monthly users (and counting!). It’s also 100% visual, so your infographics will be shared like hotcakes. Even better, Pinterest has a search function, which means other users will find your infographics if you add the right description and title.

Your Email List

Include infographics in your emails, and to increase your open rates, signal to your recipient list what they’re getting if they open your email. For example, if you want to share info about closing costs, a good email subject line would be: 15 Things Every Buyer Needs to Know About Closing Costs (Infographic).

  Pro Tip

Send the right infographic to the right segment of your audience. A 65-year-old homeowner will probably not be interested in a first-time homebuyer’s guide.

Twitter

If you want lots of retweets from coworkers and industry contacts, tweet your latest (useful, usable, and easily digestible) infographic.

Instagram

Because Instagram will likely replace Facebook and Twitter to become the social media channel of choice for millennials, your infographics will be a welcome change from the boring and repetitive listing photos your competitors are posting.

Your Blog

Using bold, colorful real estate infographics in your posts will greatly increase the chance your audience will read them. Even better, it gives them an excuse to download something from your website that also has your URL and branding on it. Now, instead of being in the back of their mind, your branding will be in their download folder.

Where to Find More Real Estate Infographics

Want more compelling infographics or don’t have time to make your own? Here are a few sources for impactful real estate infographics to share. However, don’t put your logo on them, as they are copyrighted content. 

• NAR.realtor
• Keeping Current Matters
• Florida Realtors
• Pinterest (don’t forget to follow The Close on Pinterest!!)
• Theclose.com

If you love infographics, then bookmark this page. We will be updating with new and awesome infographics periodically. Stay tuned.

Over to You

If you’ve made it this far, you’re either stoked about real estate infographics or bored. Either way, there is a 100% chance you have questions, and we have answers. So, go ahead and ask us in the comments section below.

The post 97 Real Estate Infographics + How to Make Your Own & Go Viral appeared first on The Close.

That’s why I decided to share what I think are the best real estate social media templates of 2022. I’ve included templates for Facebook posts, Instagram posts, Instagram Stories, and Highlight covers. I’ll also share the best places to get real estate templates and explain why we prefer paying for high-quality ones instead of using the many free options available.

Free Template: Housing Market Infographic

Real Estate Facebook Post Templates

1. You Only List Once Facebook Post Template

Type: Promotional Facebook Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

While there are a ton of “just listed” templates on Canva, they never have catchy copy like this promotional template from LCA Marketing Center. If you’re not great at writing copy, why not use social media templates that have customized real estate copy done for you?

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

2. Modern Testimonial Facebook Post Template

Type: Testimonial Facebook Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

Facebook is the perfect place to show off your testimonials from happy former clients, and this simple template from Agent Crate will make them look great too. There are a ton of client testimonial templates out there, so just make sure you stick one that fits your personal brand. This template should work with pretty much any brand.

Customize on Agent Crate

3. Modern Price Reduced Facebook Post Template

Type: Testimonial Facebook Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

While reducing prices might be something of a rarity these days, that doesn’t mean you won’t need a “price reduced” template in the future. This attention-grabbing example from Agent Crate is a solid choice.

Customize on Agent Crate

4. Referral Request Facebook Post

Type: Referral Request Facebook post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

If you want to get more referrals, then you need to ask for them. Many people might not know just how important referrals are for your business, or might be so busy packing, moving, and settling in that they forget.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

5. Down Payment Pitch Facebook Post

Type: Down Payment Pitch Facebook Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

More snappy copy from LCA Marketing Center! This template can be deadly for the few months after April 15. This is an aggressive pitch for sure, but will work like a charm used sparingly in your feed.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

BONUS: Have Social Media Posts Created for You

Tired of coming up with ideas for social media content and want to spend more time selling houses? In 2022, smart agents are using services like Artur’In to give their social accounts a boost from the pros while they concentrate on selling houses.

For a flat monthly fee, they will create and post engaging local, branded photo and video content to your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts. They will also design and run Facebook ads for you with MLS integration, and even write your blog. It’s like having a dedicated marketing team for less than what you probably spend on lunch every day.

Visit Artur’In

6. Pastel Just Listed Facebook Post

Type: Just Listed Facebook Post
Style: Boho Chic
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

We love this trendy boho chic just-listed template from LCA Marketing Center. The colors, the design, and the crisp typography all ooze elegance and charm. If your personal brand is on the softer side, this will work perfectly for you.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

Instagram Posts Templates

7. Make It Simple Carousel Instagram Post

Type: Promotional Instagram Post (4 of 12 total slides shown here)
Style: Chic
Pricing: $54 per month 
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

This 12-slide carousel post from Coffee & Contracts is a great way to promote your real estate services to your audience. It’s subtle, helpful, and manages to be self-promotional without slamming them over the head with a hard sell.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

8. Mortgage Rate Forecasts Instagram Post Template

Type: Educational Instagram Post
Style: Luxury 
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

Educational posts are a vital tool to remind your followers of the potential value you can add to their financial future. The key is to post these on a schedule, whether it’s weekly, monthly, or quarterly, so your followers know when to expect them.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

9. New Realtor Announcement Instagram Post

Type: New Realtor Announcement Instagram Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Once you’ve built a personal brand you’re proud of, the next step is to shout it from the mountaintops so everyone in your sphere knows you’re there to help. This simple, clever template from Coffee & Contracts does just that.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

10. Modern Open House Template

Type: Open House Instagram Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

While open house announcements generally work better as stories, posting them to your feed is a great way to remind your followers just how busy you are. If they see you grinding, they will know how hard you work and over time will associate your personal brand with hard work, dedication, and success.

Customize on Agent Crate

11. The Broke Agent Valentine’s Day Meme Template

Type: Meme Instagram Post
Style: Funny
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

We love this customizable real estate meme template from our friend Eric Simon, aka The Broke Agent. If you think memes are just for kids, think again. Even the biggest brands in the world use memes to market their brands these days.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

12. Modern Just Listed Instagram Post Template

Type: Just Listed Instagram Post
Style: Modern
Pricing: By subscription at $59 per month 
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

This just listed social media template from LCA Marketing Center is clean, simple, and elegant. Perfect for promoting a new luxury listing, or lending a little class to a starter home. Great photography is key for a template like this, so make sure to hire a great photographer or read our guide if you DIY.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

13. Luxury Just Listed Template

Type: Just Listed Instagram Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

We love the muted pastel tones of this just listed template from Agent Crate. It’s perfect for waterfront listings, historic listings, or anything listing that deserves some casually luxurious design

Customize on Agent Crate

14. Officially Off the Market Instagram Post

Type: Just Sold Instagram Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $54 per month 
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Just because you “just sold” another listing doesn’t mean you need to plaster the words “just sold” all over your Instagram feed. This template from Coffee & Contracts adds a little cleverness to your just-listed posts.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

15. Track Record Instagram Post

Type: Track Record Instagram Post
Style: Luxury 
Pricing: $59 per month 
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

Always remember: If you actually did it, it’s not bragging! If you have some wins under your belt, then sharing them with your followers is a no-brainer. This elegant template from LCA Marketing Center is a great way to show off those wins.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

16. 5 Reasons to Work With Us Instagram Post Template

Type: Promotional Instagram Post
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

While getting engagement is crucial on Instagram, sometimes you need to just pitch your services directly. This simple, clean, template from LCA Marketing Center is a great way to do it. If you can’t come up with five reasons to work with you, take the time to work on your mission, vision, and values before you edit this template. Sean’s guide below is for brokerages but works for agents too.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

17. Did You Know Carousel Post

Type: Promotional Carousel Instagram Post (4 out of 7 slides total shown here)
Style: Modern
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Another direct pitch for your followers, this modern template from Coffee & Contracts has great design, great copy, and draws your followers in to read the whole series. The seven slides in this carousel post template ends with a call to action.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

Instagram Stories Templates

18. Under Contract Instagram Story (Animated)

Type: Under Contract Instagram Story (2 of 8 total slides shown here)
Style: Modern
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

This animated story template is a great way to brag about your recent success without sounding too salesly. There are eight total slides in this carousel with different styles and closers.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

19. Open House Instagram Story

Type: Open House Instagram Story
Style: Modern
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

A great open house story template that is perfect for luxury listings. If you don’t have a luxury listing for this, try asking a luxury listing agent in your brokerage if they’ll let you run one for one of theirs. Promoting luxury open houses in your stories is a great way to associate your personal brand with luxury.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

20. Real Estate Mythbusters

Type: Educational Instagram Story (3 of 9 total images shown here)
Available on: Coffee & Contracts
Pricing: $54 per month
Style: Modern

We love this quick educational carousel from Coffee & Contracts. It manages to educate your followers in a fun way. Quick hit educational or entertainment content does great on Instagram and is what Stories were designed for.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

21. Describe Your House in Emojis Template

Type: Engagement Instagram Story
Style: Fun
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

Fun prompts like this one from Agent Crate are a great way to increase engagement with your followers. If you want to build your account, increasing engagement should be job one. You can learn more engagement-building tricks from Eric Simon, aka The Broke Agent below.

Customize on Agent Crate

22. Market Update Instagram Story Template

Type: Market Update Instagram Story (2 of 3 total images show here)
Style: Light/Modern
Pricing: $54 per month 
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

This market update template from Coffee & Contracts is perfect for agents who have chic personal brands. If you want a little more contrast, try the black version.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

23. Linen Open House Instagram Story Template

Type: Open House Instagram Story
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $25 per month
Available on: Agent Crate

Simple, clean, and attractive, this template is a great way to show off your open house next Sunday.

Customize on Agent Crate

24. Yes/No Quiz Story Template

Type: Quiz Instagram Story
Style: Modern
Pricing: $25 per month 
Available on: Agent Crate

Another great template to spark engagement, this one from Agent Crate asks your followers one of the most contentious questions that people have about real estate. You might even get some fellow agents arguing in the comments.

Customize on Agent Crate

25. Open House Instagram Story Template

Type: Open House Instagram Story
Style: Modern
Pricing: $59 per month
Available on: LCA Marketing Center

Another modern, elegant open house template from LCA Marketing center. This will work perfectly for sleek modern listings like the example photo in the template.

Customize on LCA Marketing Center

26. This or That Home Design Instagram Story

Type: Home Design Instagram Story (3 of 7 total images shown here)
Style: Boho Chic
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Some say there are three ways to build an Instagram following: engagement, engagement, and engagement. That’s why posting fun quizzes like this “this or that” home design template from Coffee & Contracts will help you build your account.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

Instagram Highlights Covers

27. Black Modern Instagram Highlight Cover Templates

Type: Instagram Highlight Covers
Format: Canva 
Style: Modern, Bold
Pricing: $2.50
Available on: Etsy

Even if you have killer stories, your followers might not see them right away. This is why using highlights covers like these from Etsy on your profile highlights is important. Instead of random images, your highlights will be clearly categorized and easy for your followers to decide if they want to watch.

Download This Template on Etsy

28. Luxury Gold Instagram Highlights Cover Templates

Type: Instagram Highlight Covers
Format: Canva
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $2.99
Available on: Etsy

If your brand is a bit more elegant, then these metallic gold highlights covers are a great way to lure your followers into watching more of your stories on your profile.

Download This Template on Etsy

29. Icon Instagram Highlights Covers

Type: Instagram Highlight Covers
Style: Luxury
Pricing: $54 per month
Available on: Coffee & Contracts

Here’s another simple, clean highlights cover template from Coffee & Contracts. When choosing social media templates or highlights covers, make sure they work with your personal brand.

Customize on Coffee & Contracts

Where to Get the Best Real Estate Templates for Social Media (Free vs Paid)

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering why I didn’t include any of the hundreds of thousands of free templates on Canva in this article. Why am I telling agents to spend $50+ per month instead of $5 for a Canva Pro account? 

The quality of the free and even Pro templates on Canva doesn’t compare to the companies creating templates specifically for agents. The layouts don’t look as professional and the copy is generic and not written by agents. Sure, they might work in a pinch, but are you trying to build a lasting career or save fifty bucks a month?

The ROI for Paid Social Media Templates Is Clear: Design, Copy & Variety 

If you’re trying to build a career selling houses and think social media is the right way to do it, then high-quality templates are no longer optional. Not when you’re competing with agents who buy high-quality templates. 

The most compelling reason to always use paid templates is that the design quality is head and shoulders above free options. If you don’t believe me, go look for just listed templates on Canva, and then compare them to the templates in this article. 

The second reason why paid templates have such a good return on investment (ROI) is that they offer much more than just pretty designs. Paid template companies like Coffee & Contracts and Lab Coat Agents (LCA) include snappy copy written by top-producing agents. Coffee & Contracts even includes Reels scripts. 

Finally, the companies that sell templates with a price tag also offer templates for print materials like business cards, flyers, postcards, open house signage, one-sheets, and much more, making your branding more cohesive. Many even have fully written blog posts, CMAs, and buyer’s guides. 

4 Places to Buy the Best Real Estate Social Media Templates in 2022

If you’re in the market for high-quality real estate social media templates, here is a quick breakdown of the best places online to buy them. 

1. Coffee & Contracts

Pricing: $54 per month
Contract required? No
Best for: Instagram Stories & Reels
Drawbacks: You still need Canva to edit their templates

Coffee & Contracts templates combine great copy along with beautifully designed templates. Many of theirs come ready to go with checklists, buyer’s guides, quizzes, and more. They even offer video scripts for Instagram Reels. 

The only drawback is that Coffee & Contracts does not have an in-app editor. You will need Canva to edit their templates. That said, most agents are already familiar with Canva, and Canva is easier to use and offers more features than other in-app editors.

Visit Coffee & Contracts

2. Lab Coat Agents Marketing Center

Pricing: $59 per month
Contract required? No
Best for: Teams and Brokerages
Drawbacks: Designs are generally more masculine

LCA Marketing Center also offers beautifully designed templates with great copy. Their aesthetic is a bit more masculine than Coffee & Contracts, but they told us they are working on designing more soft-edge Pinterest aesthetic templates this year.

Visit LCA Marketing Center

3. Agent Crate

Pricing: $25 per month
Contract required? No
Best for: Affordability & variety
Drawbacks: Graphic design is not quite as nice as Coffee & Contracts and LCA Marketing Center

Agent Crate is a super-popular template platform that offers agents pretty much all the marketing materials they need. It’s also more affordable than LCA Marketing Center and Coffee & Contracts at just $25 per month. 

The only drawback for me is that the design quality on Agent Crate is not quite at the level of either LCA Marketing Center of Coffee & Contracts. Coffee & Contracts also offers more fully fledged carousel posts and Stories for Instagram.

Visit Agent Crate

4. Etsy

Pricing: $2.99+
Contract required? No
Best for: Affordability and variety
Drawbacks: Lower design and copy quality

If you don’t want to sign up for a monthly subscription, then Etsy is another great place to buy real estate social media templates. Many sellers on Etsy offer packages that include a hundred or more templates for a one-time price. 

The drawback with using Etsy is that while the designs are slightly nicer than Canva, they’re not quite on the same level as Coffee & Contracts or LCA Marketing Center. The copy is also nowhere near as good. You get pretty designs and that’s about it.

Visit Etsy

Over to You

Where are you getting your real estate social media templates from this year? Do you agree that free templates don’t offer the same ROI as paid templates? Let us know in the comments.

The post 29 Best Real Estate Social Media Templates for Facebook & Instagram appeared first on The Close.

That’s why today I am going to show you how to transform Canva into a lean, mean, real estate marketing machine. I’ll show you how to set up your account so it’s easier to use and show you an efficient three-step workflow for creating designs and sharing to social media automatically.

Get Your FREE CMA Canva Template

Why Canva Is a Real Estate Agent’s BFF in 2022

If you’re new to Canva or haven’t used it in a while, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Why do so many real estate agents rave about Canva? Simple. Canva is the easiest and cheapest way agents can create professional-looking marketing materials in 2022. Full stop. Nothing else comes close.

1. In 2022, Agents Need Custom Graphics for Everything

2. Canva Doubled-down on Real Estate Templates

3. It’s the Best Value in Real Estate Software

Setting Up Your Canva Account (the Right Way)

If you want to get the most from Canva, you need to set up your account properly. Here is how to set up your account to be more efficient:

1. Upgrade to Pro

The first thing you need to do to set up your Canva account is to upgrade to Pro. Pretty much all the good real estate templates are only available for Pro members. Also, let’s be honest, if you aren’t willing to spend a dollar per agent, per month for marketing materials, you should probably look for another career. 

You can share your Pro account with up to four other agents. If you’re on a team, great. If not, see if you can get a few coworkers together to share the account. If you’re more of a lone wolf agent, suck it up and spend the $4.50 per month. Trust me. It’s worth it.

2. Create & Customize Your Brand Kit

One of the best features a Pro account offers is the Brand Kit. The Brand Kit lets you store all of the elements you will frequently use (like your logo) in one convenient place. Once you upload all your custom elements, Canva will automatically create some custom templates for you.

Customizing Your Brand Kit

On the toolbar on the left side of the homepage, click on “Brand Kit.” Give your Brand Kit a name, then upload your logo, fonts, and brand colors.

Uploading Logos

Since you will probably be using your logo on different colored backgrounds, a JPEG with a white background won’t work. Instead, ask your broker for a print-ready “transparent” version of your logo, usually a PNG file. If you have them, you should also upload light and dark versions of your logo so you will always have a logo that can work on any background.

Choosing or Uploading Fonts

Canva also lets you choose fonts to use with your brand kit. If you already have brand fonts, click on “Add a heading style,” “Add a subheading style,” and “Add a body style” to search for them. If they are not there, click on “Upload a font” to upload them into Canva.

Adding Brand Colors

Next, add your brand colors. If you work for a franchise like Century 21, ask your broker for the hexadecimal codes for your brand colors. If not, add the hex codes for your own brand colors, or just choose an attractive color palette that works with your logo by clicking on “Add and Discover Palettes.” 

Once you have everything uploaded, Canva will offer to create a few custom templates for you using your brand elements. You can choose between “Playful, Minimal, or Modern” templates.

[Related article: Real Estate Branding 2022: How to Build Your Brand (+ Case Studies)]

3. Upload Your Headshot & Remove the Background

If you want to use your headshot in Canva, it can be helpful to create a few different versions you can use for different templates. You will probably want at least one version that is rectangular and one with the background removed. Here’s how to do it: 

Click on “Create a Design” from the Canva homepage. Next, click on “Custom Size” and enter the dimensions of your headshot. The click on “create new design.” Next, click on “Uploads,” then “upload media,” and upload your headshot. 

Your headshot will now show up in the “Uploads” section. Click on it to add it to the design you just created. Now click on “edit image.”

Now click on “Background remover.” If you’re happy with the results, click on “Apply.”

Next, click on “Download,” make sure the file type is set to PNG, and check the “transparent background” box. Finally, click “download.” 

Now go back to the “Uploads” section and click “Upload media.” Select your transparent headshot to upload it to Canva. Voila! You now have a transparent headshot to use in your Canva designs! 

To use it in a design, open a design you want to use it in, then click on “uploads,” select the image, and drag it into your design. 

As you create more designs in Canva, remember to save and upload any elements like your transparent headshot that you think you will use more than once. This way, whenever you start a new design, they will show up at the top of your “Uploads” section and you can easily drop them into your design. 

Since we added our logo to the Brand Kit, we can easily drop our logo into this design. Click on “Logos” in the left toolbar, then just drag the logo onto your design and resize it. Now we have a post that looks ready for Instagram.

4. Create Folders for Visual Assets

One of the secrets of good design is that staying organized will help you be more creative. Think about it: if you’re constantly wasting time hunting for pictures or logos or colors, you will spend less time actually being creative. The best way to stay organized in Canva is to use folders. 

To set up folders for your account, click on the “folders” button in the toolbar:

Now create folders that will be useful for your design work. For example, you might want a folder for listing images, backgrounds, provider logos, or headshots. You can always create more folders as you discover cool stuff in Canva, so don’t worry about creating every single folder now. Just create a few you think will help you stay organized. 

Once you have your folders created, you can start uploading visual assets and then saving them into your new folders. To start uploading, click on the “Uploads” button in the sidebar and upload your assets. 

Once you have your assets uploaded, you can start putting them away in folders. To select multiple assets to move to folders, click on the upper left corner of each asset. Then click on the small folder icon at the bottom and choose a folder to store them in. 

Let’s save the transparent headshot we made to a folder. Go to the Canva homepage and click on “All Your Designs.” Then find the transparent headshot you made and click on the three dots on the top right corner. Next click on “Move to Folder.”

Now you can access your visual assets quickly and easily by clicking on the “Folders” button in the toolbar. Then click on “add a folder” and name the folder something like “headshots,” then click save.

3-Step Workflow for Editing Canva’s Real Estate Templates

Now that you have your brand kit uploaded and some visual assets in folders, it’s time for the fun part—editing all the real estate templates in Canva. Here is a basic rundown of a good workflow you can use to be more productive.

1. Explore Canva & Save Templates & Elements to Folders

Since Canva has over six hundred thousand templates, hunting for a new template every time you start a new design can be overwhelming. Instead, take a few hours to explore Canva and save templates you like into folders. 

If you’re creating a lot of content for social media, it will probably make sense to search templates by which social media channel you want to design for first, then create folders for that social media channel and save the templates you like to that folder. 

For example, let’s say you use Instagram. To start saving templates for Instagram, go to the Canva homepage, click on “social media,” and start looking for templates you like and save them to your folders.

2. Start Editing & Saving Your Work & Elements to Folders

Now it’s time to actually create some designs. Start by going to your homepage, clicking on “folders,” and selecting a template to edit. Next, start editing the template by dragging over your logo, headshot, and other visual elements you have saved. 

Editing templates in Canva is easy. You can drag elements over from your Brand Kit or folders, or search for new photos, backgrounds, or other elements from the toolbar. Just remember to save elements to your folders when you find something you like so you can use it again. 

Editing Templates & Saving to Folders

To start editing a template, either click on the “folders” button in the toolbar and select one to edit, or select a template from the categories on the homepage. 

Editing templates is easy. You can drag elements from your folders into the template, or just click on elements already in the template to edit them. You can change the size or elements, edit text, change colors, move them around, and much more. There are too many ways to edit templates to cover in this article, but the process is pretty intuitive. If you’ve edited PowerPoint presentations, you should feel right at home. 

If you get stuck editing a template, try right-clicking on the element you want to edit. This will bring up a useful context menu that will allow you to move an element forward or backward among other things.

Once you’re finished editing the template, click on the three dots on the top right corner of Canva to save it. You can save your finished design to a folder, download it, and more.

Pro Tip: Save Useful Elements to Folders as You Design

As you edit your templates, you will inevitably find elements you want to save to folders to use in other designs. Once you find an element you like and want to use again, click on the upper right-hand corner of the element in the search results in the toolbar until a context menu appears. Then click on “Star.”

Now head back to the toolbar and click on the “starred” button. Click on the upper right corner of the element you want to save to a folder again. Now click on “add to folder” to save the element to one of your folders.

3. Use the Content Planner to Schedule Content for Social Media

Another amazing feature that is only available on the Pro plan is the Content Planner. The Content Planner allows you to automatically post your completed designs to your social media channels. This can be incredibly useful as you can create designs in bulk, then schedule them to automatically post to your channels when you want them to. 

For example, if you have a few hours free on a Tuesday, you could create 20 inspirational quote posts for Instagram and then schedule them to post to your Instagram account every Friday at 3:00. Here’s how to do it:

On the Canva homepage, click on the “Content Planner” link in the toolbar.

Select a date you want to schedule a post for, click the “+” icon in the top right corner, and choose a finished design to schedule or click on a template to create a new one. 

Next, select which social media platform you want to schedule the post for, the time and date you want to schedule it for, and write your captions for the post.

Then click on “select a channel” to log in to your social media account and connect it to Canva. Then click on “Schedule Post” to schedule your post.

Over to You

Are you an agent using Canva for real estate and have a great tip to share? Let us know in the comments.

The post Canva for Real Estate Agents: The Ultimate Guide for 2022 appeared first on The Close.

In this article, we’ll review the most significant takeaways from our reader survey and provide recommendations about how to level up your business this year. Finally, we’ll share our comprehensive infographic to give you a handy overview of all of these exclusive findings and stats from The Close.

Social Media Reigns Supreme

Social media is the #1 channel that agents say they plan to use when growing their business this year; 80% of agents said they planned on doing so. Email marketing was a close second, and emerging in the top 3 was video marketing (which, to be fair, is often a component of social media thanks to Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube.)

Note: Agents were allowed to pick more than one channel when responding.

The #1 reason agents want to maintain a presence on social media is to stay top of mind amongst their sphere of influence. Generating leads and referrals were the 2nd and 3rd most popular reasons for engaging in social media marketing efforts. 

While I initially scratched my head as to why social media ranked above email (despite email having a 30-40x ROI), our readers’ choice makes sense when viewed under the lens of wanting to stay top of mind. As The Broke Agent recently tweeted, agents sometimes email leads for superfluous reasons. However, on social media, these topics can actually be fair game. 

In terms of what social networks are important to agents’ marketing, Facebook is at the top of the list. And yes, there has been a lot of sentiment that sounds like this: “Facebook is dead!”. However, Hootsuite recently released The Global State of Digital 2022 report, and they too hit home that “Facebook is still the most popular social network—by a long shot.”

Hootsuite also reported that 2.91 billion people on Planet Earth are on Facebook. With ​​4.66 billion people having access to the internet, well over 60% of internet users worldwide are on Facebook. So, yeah, Facebook is most certainly not dead. And Instagram, now owned by Facebook, is the second most popular social network for agents.

Suffice it to say that agents seem pretty sold that they need social media marketing to grow their businesses. Two-thirds of agent respondents said that posting great content on social media is more important than having a blog. Organic posting on social media was the second most popular way agents got clients in 2021.

Our survey revealed a couple of roadblocks from agents who struggle to maintain a solid social media presence. First, many agents get distracted with other core business duties and, therefore, post inconsistently and without a solid strategy. Also, according to our survey data, only about 47% of agents feel confident with their social media skills.

That’s why one of the most popular real estate marketing tools amongst our community of agents is Artur’in. They take the heavy lifting out of maintaining a social media presence. So if you want to do more social media marketing but know that you won’t have the capacity or skill set to do so consistently, then Artur’in is worth checking out.

Try Artur’in

Are Agents Backing Up their Marketing Confidence with Results?

The oddest result we got from this survey (in my opinion) spoke to how confident agents felt. More than half of agents (53%) said they felt confident with their marketing skills. However, less than half (45%) said they got leads from their marketing. That had me scratching my head a bit because one of the main marketing goals many agents have is getting high-quality leads.

Similarly, while almost three quarters of agents (74%) feel confident that they can turn leads into clients, only 53% felt confident with their ability to get motivated leads.

And I get it—many agents are relatable, experienced, and legitimate subject-matter experts in their community. So, OF COURSE, they feel like they could convert leads… if only they could get leads. However, data has shown that agents are generating more leads than ever. And yet, many agents are still closing the same number of deals.

So while agents might think the problem is getting motivated leads, perhaps the issue is that agents aren’t nurturing the leads that they’re getting properly. Just because a lead isn’t ready right now doesn’t mean they won’t be prepared to buy or sell in a few months (or even years).

If you’re interested in converting more leads, step 1 is making the work you put into your CRM’s data and nurturing programs a labor of love. And if you don’t have a CRM, we highly recommend LionDesk (which we ranked best overall real estate CRM in our 2022 guide). LionDesk is low-cost, easy to use, and you can even try it for free.

Try LionDesk for Free

As we already discussed, social media is an important channel for agents. So much so that almost half (48%) of agents say that social media ads are their most effective form of advertising.

And as a graph I included earlier in this article pointed out, Facebook Ads were a more popular channel for agents in 2021 than “old school” approaches like cold calling, door knocking, and print ads.

I anticipate Facebook Ads will only increase in popularity among agents as a lead gen channel in the year ahead, and we expect that number to increase when we send out our annual agent survey in early 2023.

The Support & Help Agents Get and Need

The good news is that most agents set goals and an action plan for 2022 and get adequate support from their brokerage.

However, despite understanding the importance of video marketing, our reader survey revealed that it’s an area where agents feel significantly less confident. Only 32% feel confident with using video marketing in their business.

Yet marketing videos ranked as the third most popular way agents plan to get clients in 2022. Plus, 37% of agents said YouTube was important for their marketing, and another 18% pointed to TikTok as being important to their efforts.

As we recently discussed with Eric Simon on our Close Weekly podcast, video is essential for agents. Simon, who has 350,000+ Instagram followers with his Instagram account, The Broke Agent, even went so far as to encourage agents to appear on camera.

If that feels daunting to you, we hear you. That’s why we often recommend Parkbench. They help agents create a video-rich online presence. And they offer excellent support for agents who are just getting started with video.

Check out Parkbench

Key Takeaways + Full Infographic

Overall, it’s clear that social media continues to gain momentum as an essential marketing channel. However, while agents feel confident with their marketing skills overall, they need to make sure they have clear, measurable goals they can tie to these efforts—whether those are lead generation goals, growing their SOI or online presence, or simply gaining referrals.

Based on this data, it’s clear that Facebook isn’t going anywhere for Realtors. I anticipate the data will show that Facebook Ads will grow in importance as a marketing channel. Here’s why: Agents already got more clients from Facebook Ads in 2021 than they did from more traditional types of prospecting and outreach (i.e., door knocking, cold calling). As agents become more sophisticated with Facebook Ads, their ROI will only improve.

Email marketing was ranked the second most popular way agents will grow their business in 2022. With the ROI on email marketing being as high as it is (around 30-40x that of social meidia), agents have a lot to gain by putting their energy into their CRM.

Lastly, agents are great at setting goals and seem to feel supported by their brokerages for the most part. However, video is still a sore spot for agents. Agents might have to get out of their comfort zone and get in front of the camera to chase their marketing goals in 2022.

The post Real Estate Agents Rank Social Media As #1 Marketing Channel in 2022 (+ Infographics) appeared first on The Close.

To find out, we worked with some of the best agents and coaches in the country to find out how they are blending old-school and new-school real estate marketing ideas to build their brands this year. So turn off your phone, grab a cup of coffee, and dig into these 36 clever real estate marketing ideas for 2022.

Your Turn

Have any killer real estate marketing ideas that you think our readers need to know about? Let us know in the comments.

The post 36 Clever Real Estate Marketing Ideas for 2022 appeared first on The Close.

But since I actually want to see you all succeed this year, I thought some tough love might be in order. Consider this your intervention. I’m going to rip the Band-Aid off and talk about five ways to be the most boring realtor on Instagram. Then I’ll show you how to stop being boring while still posting real estate content that will make your phone ring.

Want more Instagram tips I used to grow my account to over 350,000 followers? Get my FREE e-book, 11 Secret Instagram Tips, here:

Get My Secret Instagram Tips

1. You Only Post ‘Just Solds’ & ‘Just Listeds’

If you want to have the most boring Instagram in the game, flood your feed with repetitive announcement graphics every time you sell a house, list a house, or put a house under contract. These types of posts guarantee a quick “scroll by” and little to no engagement. They aren’t interesting, they don’t provide value, they aren’t funny, and they invoke zero emotion.

To be clear, I’m not saying to NEVER post them. Of course you should advertise your properties and let people know you’re an active, successful real estate agent. Just don’t dedicate your entire feed to these types of posts.

How to Be Less Boring in 2022: Tell a Story With Your Listing Posts

Instead of posting the announcements as individual posts, do a weekly or monthly “round-up” where you bunch all of your Solds or Just Listed(s) in one post. You can do this as a slideshow style-post, a single template with multiple pictures, or as a video Reel.

Title it “Monthly Round-up” or “Inventory Check” and flash some photos or videos of the properties. This way you are still showing what you have going on without being boring over and over again.

How to Tell a Story With Your Listing Posts

Instead of just mentioning the price a house sold at, tell the story about the property. Talk about the sellers (with their permission, of course), what they did to the house, what it meant to them, why they sold it, the history, the offer situation, or anything else you found interesting about the deal.

Maybe mention something crazy that happened during the transaction or comment on why people fell in love with the house. Was there a particular selling point or something that made the house unique? Just saying it sold “over ask” isn’t cool anymore because everyone sells everything over ask in this market. Talk about how many offers there were and what the buyer had to do to secure the property.

Check out this post from Taya Dicarlo for inspiration. See how much more interesting that is than JUST a graphic? Shoutout to social media savant and friend, Tessa Bella, for teaching us these strategies on an episode of our Over Ask Podcast on how agents can make their Instagram (IG) feeds more entertaining.

2. You Only Post Real Estate Content

All real estate all the time is overwhelming for you AND your IG followers. You don’t want people to think, “We get it, you’re in real estate.” Posting only real estate content can make you seem like a one-dimensional, salesy, work robot.

How to Be Less Boring in 2022: Show Your Authentic Self

Show the authentic version of yourself. A great way to do this is on Instagram Stories, where you don’t have to worry about engagement. You like the Yankees? Post about it. You hated the new Matrix film? Post about it. You like eating upside down like a bat? Post about it. Here are a few realtors you can take inspiration from:

Editor’s note: Here’s the picture from Matt’s IG. I thought it would be silly to not point out that while his Ramones shirt is admirably broken in and looks pretty great under a blazer, he was also standing next to the most famous real estate agent on planet Earth. So maybe the Ramones shirt wasn’t doing all the heavy lifting here … but he DID get the client.

Katie Day, an agent in Houston, treats her IG story like a vlog. Following her is entertaining because she posts her entire day from start to finish, showing her audience real estate content and everything in between. We see her workouts, her favorite restaurants, her dogs, and her family + friends. Like Sara, you feel like you really know Katie from following her on Instagram.

Looking for meme templates to post on Instagram to spice things up? You can get all my funniest, most viral meme templates along with hundreds of other Instagram templates on Coffee & Contracts.

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3. You Only Post Your Wins

When I first started The Broke Agent, real estate Instagram was infested with grind culture: success after success, fitted suits, closings, nice cars, bottle service, motivational quotes, nauseating photo shoots, and so on. It was win after win, suited, and booted professionals. It was like everyone was playing a character of a realtor and that character lived the perfect life.

Showing your success is necessary, but only showing your success is unrelatable and boring.

How to Be Less Boring in 2022: Be More Relatable

Show your losses in real estate AND in life. You’re hungover and look awful? Show people. You lost out on a deal? Film a video and tell your audience what happened. Can’t think of what to say in a property description? Got a bad Zillow review? A buyer’s dad just ruined the deal? Pull out your phone and post about it.

I bet this content will perform better than a more traditional “win” post. You can be educational and provide just as much value by showcasing what went wrong in a deal and what can be done differently next time. Be relatable.

4. You Only Show Off a Luxury Lifestyle

A lot of agents when they first start out make the mistake of thinking their IG feed should look like a highlight reel from “Million Dollar Listing” or “Selling Sunset.” They go to broker opens and film other agent’s listings and act like they are doing deals north of $20 million when they barely know how to put a property in the MLS.

If your brand is luxury and you actually are doing that type of business, do you and absolutely show that lifestyle. But, if your clientele is looking at $150,000 fixers, this might not be the best strategy. It can also be boring for your audience to see the same pristine, unaffordable houses over and over.

How to Be Less Boring in 2022: Show the Lifestyle Your Clients Will Actually Get if They Buy

Show a variety of homes and lifestyles. Better yet, show the lifestyle and market that YOUR clients will likely be selling or purchasing. I know agents who have lost business because their followers think they only do luxury, and think that the agent wouldn’t want to represent them at a lower price range.

Another thing you can do to make your feed more interesting is to show the BAD real estate pics you come across on showings, open houses, and so on. Show shoddy contracting, awful paint jobs, wacky staging, and strange floor plans, for example. Sometimes the housing flaws are more interesting and engaging than the beautiful, perfect houses.

5. You Never Vary Your Posting Style

A feed using the same style of post over and over again gets boring. Unless you’re doing something like podcast clips or news, you should probably mix it up. Having the perfect-looking, uniform IG feed may be aesthetically pleasing, but I can assure you that your audience doesn’t care. They just want to be entertained.

How to Be Less Boring in 2022: Mix It Up

Mix it up. Hit your audience with slideshows, still image posts, text-based posts, videos, Reels, stories, Lives, reactions, and so forth. Look at my page for inspiration: it’s not just memes anymore. I have two to three different styles of posts every day because I know that people like to consume content in different ways.

Also, IG likes when you tap into all of its features and it’s good for their algorithm. I know Reels are IT right now (and you should definitely post as many as possible—it’s the best way to grow on the platform), but filming them and editing can get exhausting. Sometimes a text-only post can get your point across just as much as video.

Mixing up your content shows your versatility as a content creator and keeps your audience guessing. If you post the same style repeatedly, people might scroll right by because they already know what to expect. Variety will keep your audience more engaged and it makes your page way more interesting.

Over to You

How do you keep your Instagram from putting your followers to sleep? Let us know in the comments.

The post 5 Ways to Be the Most BORING Agent on Instagram (& How to Stop!) appeared first on The Close.

As agents continue to show tremendous success using Pinterest real estate marketing, we wanted to know more. We compiled the most creative Pinterest real estate marketing ideas from social media experts to help you master Pinterest for your business. Here’s what they had to say.

1. Your Pinterest Strategy Should Be About Building Community

Nicole Mickle, Realtor with almost 10 million monthly pin views

Pinterest offers a softer, more organic form of marketing. With Pinterest, you’re presenting yourself as an authority. You’re solving problems and answering questions, all in an authentic way.

We talked to real estate agent and expert Pinterest influencer, Nicole Mickle, to hear her approach Pinterest marketing:

Pinterest isn’t a punch-in-the-face kind of marketing, it’s much more of an exchange. It’s much more, ‘let’s chat, let’s exchange ideas.’ With Pinterest, I’m offering something—not selling. I’m problem-solving.

Everyone can find something to be an expert on. You like fishing? Pin that. You like to bake bread? Build community around baking.

At the end of the day, it’s about being a resource.

2. Help Buyers Make Decisions

Heather Farris, Founder, Farris & Company LLC

Most agents’ might start out by treating Pinterest like Facebook or Instagram, but Pinterest is its own thing and needs to be treated as such. People use Pinterest as a visual search engine where they save ideas to reference later, which can be of real help as real estate agents plan their marketing strategy.

Here’s social media expert, Heather Farris, to help explain:

One of the biggest myths about Pinterest is that it’s just recipes and craft projects, a social media platform for DIYers. It is far from that—Pinterest is a search engine. Pinterest’s own research shows that nearly 90% of pinners use Pinterest at some point to help with their buying decisions. Pinterest can help realtors establish an authoritative voice in the field and a reputation for knowledge and resources, all things that a homebuyer or seller would consider extremely important.

3. Create Evergreen Content

According to digital market agency The Refinery, the average life of a tweet is about 15 minutes. Facebook posts stay relevant for about six hours and Instagram lasts as long as 48 hours.

But on Pinterest, an average post gets engagement four months after it’s been posted, making it vital that the things you post today are going to be just as relevant and interesting tomorrow, next week, and next year.

We heard more about this from international marketing consultant Nicole Gustas:

It can take anywhere from several weeks to a couple of months before a pin starts getting traffic. Because of this long tail, Pinterest isn’t ideal for posting about your open house this weekend, or even about specific listings.

For example, a Los Angeles real estate agent will be more successful on Pinterest by creating pins for blog posts like ’10 Up and Coming Neighborhoods in LA You’ve Never Heard Of’ or ‘The 10 Hottest New Loft Buildings in Downtown LA,’ rather than something about a specific house in a particular neighborhood that is for sale at a particular time.

Alexa Kurtz, marketing strategist with Webtek Computer Company, agrees:

Think outside the box when it comes to marketing properties. Since Pinterest content lives for so long on the platform, creating pins about individual properties doesn’t make a ton of sense. After all, these properties are going to sell, and then that pin is worthless. However, if you create a pin that has a broader appeal, the targeted content that pin leads to can talk about your property and you can update the content as properties sell.

4. Women Are Your Audience, Plan Accordingly

Mae Karwowski, Founder & CEO, Obviously

Studies done by Statista show that upward of 77.1% of active Pinterest users are women. Mae Karwowski, Founder and CEO of the influencer marketing agency Obviously, suggests:

When crafting your content, make sure you consider who your audience is. The majority of Pinterest users are women, many of them with an average household income of over $100,000. Create your content accordingly so you are reaching the best audience with the best message every time.

5. Make Sure Your Content Gets on the Right Boards

Hamna Amjad, Digital Marketing Project Manager, 

Since Pinterest is part social media platform and part visual search engine, it’s doubly important that your content is categorized properly onto boards that are easy to find. Hamna Amjad, a social media expert with Gigworker, told us more:

Because Pinterest serves both social and search purposes, properly categorizing and cataloguing your content is very important. Create several Pinterest boards to help separate your content into categories, making it easier for people who are interested in what you have to say to find more of it. The more specific and specialized your boards are, the more likely people are to follow them.

6. Reach the Right Audience With Hashtags

Daniela Andreevska, Marketing Director, Mashvisor

Just like on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, hashtags help create conversation across the platform, across users, and across boards. Effectively using hashtags gets your content in front of a much wider audience. We spoke to Daniela Andreevska, Marketing Director and Pinterest guru with Mashvisor. Here’s what she had to say:

Similar to other social platforms, using hashtags on Pinterest is a must. Hashtags make your content easier to find and navigate to. Do the research to figure out what the most popular hashtags are for real estate and for your particular geographic area. An easy way to start this research is to look at what other real estate professionals in the area are using.

Each of your posts (pins) should have at least three hashtags that are popular in the industry and relate well to your image. Don’t go overboard though—any more than 10 hashtags and your posts will start to look like spam.

7. Make Your Branding Ultra-consistent

Bradley Shaw, Founder, SEO Expert Brad Inc.

As great as a visual search engine is, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of images, especially if everybody’s pins are starting to look the same. A strict style guide is crucial.

We talked to Bradley Shaw, an expert in search engine optimization (SEO), about the importance of consistency across your brand, and how that affects your brand visibility:

Pinterest has a famously crowded version of the news feed, so real estate agents who want to stand out need to get consistent with their visual branding. Your pins should be immediately recognizable in terms of fonts, messaging, tone, and color scheme.

One simple branding touch that works well on visual platforms like Pinterest is to add a small logo or watermark to the bottom of all your pins. Keep it discreet, keep it understated—you don’t want it to take away from your message, but you do want to remind people where this quality content is coming from.

8. Your Pinterest Strategy Needs to Be a Year Long

Amanda Behm, Founder, Real Estate Digital Assist

Because of what we know about other social media platforms, it’s tempting to take your strategy a week at a time. However, Pinterest is different. You need a long-term, structured strategy to keep your messaging consistent.

Here’s what Amanda Behm, real estate efficiency expert and founder of Real Estate Digital Assist, had to say:

Long-lasting Pinterest success depends on more than just a couple of pins here and there—it requires an overall strategy. First of all, remember all the things that make something successful on Google: is it clickable, captioned correctly, linked appropriately? Combine these with an image that draws someone in, and you have the start to your successful strategy on this visual search engine!

Set up an optimized pinning schedule and start creating your pin images—you’ll be reaping the rewards next year.

9. Pin at Peak Times

Becky Brooks, Digital Marketing Manager, The Close

Like any social media platform, there is research that shows the best time to be active and create content. For Pinterest, the same is true, so we turned to our own incredible digital marketing team to learn the times they recommend pinning.“We find that the best time to create and share pins is in the early to late evening and on weekends. This seems to be the time users are searching for ideas, either for projects, recipes, or inspiration. This is when we try to be the most engaged and active.

“However, because Pinterest often works more like a search engine than a social network, we still get traction on even older pins. Which is why there really is no wrong time to pin, so just have fun with it!”

10. Use Pinterest to Stay in Touch With Clients

Lori Ramas, Founder, Relezant

If you’re hoping to turn business into repeat business, you’ll want to stay connected to former clients and referral sources. Pinterest is an ideal tool to help. We heard more about this from Pinterest aficionado and social media expert, Lori Ramas:

Pinterest is a great place to recruit new clients, but it’s an awesome way to maintain relationships with your existing clients. Try building boards that your customers will enjoy visualizing. If you have families on your client roster, try building boards for easy family meals that you can update regularly.

Think of the things that your clients love and care about, and start pinning! Pinterest can be another touch in your communication plan with the goal of turning your former clients into repeat clients.

11. Be a Part of the Social Community

Bill Gassett, Realtor, RE/MAX Executive Realty

When we put out our call for expert advice, we figured our sources would be marketing professionals only … until Bill Gassett sent us a note. Bill is a rock star Realtor with RE/MAX, and just happens to be the most influential Realtor on Pinterest today.

Here’s what he had to say about how being social can help you grow your audience and get more leads on Pinterest:

Pinterest is a visual search engine, but it is also a social media platform. In order to be successful, you need to be social. Don’t just create content and expect others to do the work for you. Interact with other people’s content, share it, be a part of the community. If all you do is promote yourself, you will fail to grow on this site.

12. Set Up a Pinterest Business Account

Lizzie Dunn, SEO Associate, Fundera

In order to get the full power of Pinterest, real estate agents should consider a business account. They’re free, easy to set up, and they unlock all sorts of bonuses unavailable to the general public.

SEO Associate and small business finance expert Lizzie Dunn gave us the inside scoop on why realtors should take this free (but important) step:

Business profiles give you access to key features like analytics and paid advertising. With these tools, you can have better insights into your best performing content, what kind of people are consuming that content, and when. Using the business level resources will allow you to learn something from every pin, and make your plan for your next pin even better.

13. Target Your Audience by Location With Pinterest Ads

McKinzie Bean, Founder, Moms Make Cents

Pinterest has its own form of paid advertising, and it can be an effective way to get the right content in front of the right user. As we’ve learned, Pinterest isn’t just crafts and recipes—many users depend on Pinterest to help them make buying decisions. That’s why using paid advertising can be profitable down the line—and Pinterest makes it pretty easy to get started.

We talked to Pinterest blogger and influencer McKinzie Bean, of Moms Make Cents, to hear the best way to get started:

If it’s your first time running a Pinterest Ad campaign, start with the ‘traffic campaign’ option. I’ve done thousands of dollars’ worth of testing on this platform, and this type of campaign has always been the most profitable and easiest to get started on. With a traffic campaign, you only pay for the actual clicks to your website.

Narrow your audience down with a geographic location and with keywords so that you are only showing your ad to the people in your area who are searching for what you are selling.

Watch your results carefully and adjust course accordingly! Pinterest marketing is all about making sure you are understanding what is performing well and what isn’t, as the leads start coming in, leverage your successes and put a stopper in your failures.

Great Real Estate Pinterest Boards for Inspiration

We asked our in-house digital marketing team to share their favorite real estate Pinterest boards, and they came through with some great ones that are sure to inspire:

Nicole Mickle, Realtor, 9.2 Million Monthly Views

Joy Aumann, Realtor, 423,000 Monthly Views

Marni Cummings, Relocation Coach, 68,400 Monthly Views

Ladies of Real Estate, 2.9 Million Monthly Views

Bill Gassett, Realtor, 154,700 Monthly Viewers

Hilton & Hyland, Brokerage, 64,900 Monthly Views

With Millions of Views on Pinterest, Realtor Nicole Mickle Shares Her Secrets

Nicole Mickle isn’t just good at selling houses, she’s also one of the most successful Pinterest marketers in the business. This Orlando-based design and real estate expert has reached a peak of 15 million monthly Pinterest views and is crushing it with 60,000 individual followers.

We sat down with Nicole to find out how she did it—and maybe even more importantly, why.

Tell us how you got started in Pinterest marketing.

What makes Pinterest different from other social media platforms?

Can you give us an example of how a connection on Pinterest leads to business?

Are there other ways Pinterest helps you?

Your Turn

If you haven’t already, follow us on Pinterest! We’d love to interact with you there. We pin new content every week, so check back often. In the meantime, tell us about your Pinterest experience. Are you driving a lot of traffic and picking up clients? What’s working or not working for you? Tell us in the comments.

The post 13 Powerful Pinterest Real Estate Marketing Ideas From the Pros appeared first on The Close.

That’s why I decided to share some of my best strategies for agents to create engaging Instagram Stories. These strategies helped me build my Instagram account to over 325,000 followers, and I’m sure they can help you too.

1. Use Instagram’s Create Mode

Instead of posting a note, tweet, or screenshot, use Instagram’s Create Mode to post text-related stories. Instagram’s algorithm likes when you use the app as intended, so creating something organically on Instagram tends to perform better than something uploaded from your camera roll.

I like using create mode to introduce a Story like a title page or hook. I’ll say something like, “Want to see the craziest text exchange with a client that you’ve ever seen?” I might even include a little poll to boost user engagement with the story immediately.

For agents, I would say something like, “Want to see the coolest house you’ve ever seen?” Or let’s play “would you rather” and throw up a bunch of comparisons, as I mentioned above.

Add polls on each one, and boom—engagement city. Another trick is to post a long, text-based story in Create Mode. The longer the text, the longer people stay on your story. Yes, Instagram tracks how long users spend on a post. They also know when you zoom in on a post …

Having trouble making your stories stand out on Instagram? Coffee & Contracts offers gorgeous Instagram Stories, Reels, and post templates. Even better, they are designed specifically for real estate agents.

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2. Post Stories Throughout the Day, Not All at Once

My goal is to have a new story up every time someone goes on Instagram. Top of feed, top of mind. I avoid bunching stories unless the posts are connected and must appear immediately after one another to finish a thought.

By spreading out your stories, you’re more likely to hit people using the app at different times. Also, it’s important to remember that the Instagram algorithm likes when you use Instagram. Staying consistent throughout the day with stories lets Instagram know that you are a loyal user—and they might just reward you with more engagement and a crippling social media addiction!

3. Use CTAs (Calls to Action) Regularly in Your Stories

Unlike feed posts, you can basically force engagement on stories with polls, quizzes, questions, and slides. You can poll your audience on housing styles, bathroom decor, neighborhood preferences, or anything else that is popular with your audience. Adding a CTA to a Story with low engagement can sometimes give you an immediate boost.

If you’re not sure what your audience wants, you can gauge what your audience might like by posting “would you rathers?” or “this or thats?” to see what people are interested in and (more importantly) get them to click on your story.

  Pro Tip

My favorite “story hack” is to use the questions feature and respond with text or actual videos of myself answering questions. Once people see that you are responding, they will want to submit a question just to see if it gets answered.

The easiest question you can ask as an agent is “AMA about the (insert your local market here).” AMA is short for “Ask Me Anything” and is a very popular format for posts on social media. You can also create contests like “Guess the price of this house” and give away a gift card to whomever gets closest to the price.

4. Add Music

One of my favorite things to do on stories now is to provide further context to my content with music. For example, if I’m sharing a story about a creepy crawl space, I’ll add something spooky like “The Shining” theme song. Or, if I’m sharing an angry meme about a buyer backing out, I’ll throw some Skrillex on the story for extra effect.

I’m not entirely sure that adding music provides more engagement, but it certainly makes stories more entertaining. Every property tour is 10 times better with music. Just remember to add a “Sound On” sticker so people watching know there is music in your story.

5. Tell a Multi-part Story

Instagram Stories are called stories for a reason. It was literally designed for people to tell stories! Telling slightly longer stories in multiple parts is an excellent way to build engagement.

Creating teaser “slides” where people have to click to the next story to reveal what’s happening is a great strategy to keep people on your profile. You can also tell stories by physically telling a story, like with your actual mouth.

For example, “I want to tell you a quick story about the house my buyers just closed on … they wrote 15 offers on 15 different properties and thought they would never find a home … but …”

Or something like, “This restaurant has been a staple in the community for decades … I’ve gotten blackout drunk here for years.” Instagram always prefers original content that isn’t shared from another account, so the more you show your face, the better.

6. Add Hashtags & Locations

Like with feed posts, adding hashtags and locations will help expand the reach of your stories. Unlike feed posts, you can actually hide hashtags and locations by dragging them off-screen where they are not visible.

Use one to three specific hashtags on your story and tag the location if it’s relevant to what you’re posting. Definitely hide the hashtags in your story because it looks ridiculous to have them there—unless it’s an ironic hashtag like #winning when you’re clearly losing.

7. Add Captions

Adding captions to Instagram Stories is one of its newest and best features. You can find the “caption” button on the toolbar that has GIFs and stickers. The new caption sticker automatically translates what is being said in the video to text.

About 50% of Instagram users watch stories with the sound off, so captions will help provide context. It’s kind of like watching movies with subtitles on; once you do it, you will never go back.

8. Post Reels to Your Story

Reels are formatted perfectly for stories. Share your Reel or someone else’s and blow it up with your fingers to the size where it covers the entire story. It’s a sneaky way to keep people on your profile by acting like the Reel is part of your story.

If it’s a smaller size, people might click on the actual Reel and leave your profile. Of course, you should always credit the user who posted the Reel, but story views count for Reels anyway, so you are doing users a favor.

[Related article: 10 Agents & Coaches Crushing It on Instagram Reels]

9. Ask People to DM You

Instagram sees direct messages as one of the most valuable interactions on their platform. When a story gets a lot of DM responses, it gets a lot of views. Naturally funny or shocking content will get DMs, but a more straightforward approach is to post a story asking people to DM you for something in return.

Here are some examples: “DM me if you want to see how much this house is worth.” Or “DM me if you want me to send you a market breakdown of (insert area).” Or “DM me if you want to see nudes.” That one will work 100% of the time.

10. Use GIFs & Stickers

Like adding music, adding GIFs or stickers provides context to your stories. An extra surprised GIF may get someone to look at your story for a bit longer and see what the shock is all about. Also, Instagram rewards accounts that use all of its features. Always remember: Instagram wants you hooked on Instagram.

11. Tell People to Watch Your Story in Your Feed Post Caption

If your feed post relates to your story or vice versa, use this as an opportunity to plug your story in the caption. For example, if you’re posting listing photos to your feed, you can say something like “Check my story to see the backyard” or “Check my story for showing details.”

I recently did this when an FSBO accidentally uploaded pictures of his own balls to Zillow. I did a feed post on it and then said, “Check my story to see the actual pictures.” Naturally, that story did better than any story I’ve ever posted, and then I used that opportunity to plug my content platform.

12. Be Consistent

As cliché as this sounds, it is most important. Story posts are so much easier because you don’t have to worry about the number of likes, comments, and engagement seen by the public. Try to post daily to your story.

Over to You

What strategies are you using to crush it on Instagram Stories this year? Let us know in the comments.

The post Instagram Stories for Agents: 12 Easy Ways to Drive Engagement appeared first on The Close.