+

Showcasing Community & Personality on InstagramBeverly-Hanks Marketing LabSarah Giavedoni | November 2016beverly-hanks.com

+

What We’re Covering Today: The Value of Building and Online

Community

Why Instagram?

A Few Words about Branding

6 Instagram Features for Showing Community and Personality

Looking Ahead: Business Accounts

+The Value of Building Community with Clients

+Home Buyers and Sellers are Looking for Personal Connections Home Buying and Real Estate Professionals

41% of buyers used an agent that was referred to them by a friend, neighbor, or relative.

Nearly 7/10 buyers interviewed only one real estate agent during their home search.

88% of buyers would use their agent again or recommend their agent to others.

Home Selling and Real Estate Professionals 72% of recent sellers contacted only one agent before finding the right agent

they worked with to sell their home. The typical seller has recommended their agent once since selling their home.

32% percent of sellers recommended their agent 3+ times since selling their home.

84% said that they would definitely (67%) or probably (17%) recommend their agent for future services.

Source: 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (National Association of REALTORS®)

+Why Instagram?With so many social platforms available, why invest in Instagram?

+Instagram EngagementIf you’re trying to build engagement through likes and replies, Instagram is where it’s at.

Source: How Does Your Brand Stack Up On Facebook, Twitter, And Instagram? (Forrester)

+Instagram Engagement

10X 54X84XSource: 37 Instagram Statistics for 2016 (Brandwatch)

+A Few Words about Creating a Personal Brand on Instagram

+A Few Words about BrandingConsider your audience’s entire experience with your account

+A. Update Your Profile Photo. Your Account Bio to be Your Elevator Pitch.

“It takes less than 2/10 of a second for an online visitor to form a first opinion of your brand…. And it takes just another 2.6 seconds for that viewer's eyes to concentrate in a way that reinforces that first impression.”

Source: A New Study Reveals the Power of First Impressions Online (Entrepreneur)

+B. Your Bio Link is Your Only Link on Instagram. Make the Most of It.

Ideas for your link: Drive traffic back to your BH profile page or other main landing page. Link to campaign-specific landing pages or individual pieces of content. Update the link regularly to drive traffic to your latest pieces of content.

+C. Include a Location in Your Bio and within Each Post to Attract Local Searches.

+D. Consider Visual Consistency and Variation across Your Posts by Posting Images with Similar Colors, Filters, and Content.

Further Reading: Instagram for Business: 30 Tips to Grow Your Audience and Stand Out on Instagram (Buffer)

+6 Features for Showcasing Community and Personality on Instagram

+

6 Instagram Features for Showcasing Community and Personality

1. Filters2. Location 3. Hashtags! 4. Overlay Text/Captions5. Pinch and Zoom 6. Instagram Stories

+1. FiltersUse filters to define the atmosphere of your personal brand. Be consistent with filter use.

+2. LocationAdd a location to every Instagram post to target local audiences. You can also search by location.

+3. Hashtags!Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags. Best practices recommend 5–10. Don’t forget #BH!

Source: Instagram Report: How to Post Like the Fortune 500 (TrackMaven)

+4. Overlay Text and CaptionsUse your phone or third-party apps to add text to photos before importing to Instagram.

+5. Pinch and ZoomWhen you pinch to zoom, the photo or video expands in a lightbox to take over the whole screen.

NOTE: This is a new feature, so be sure not to over use. Read this Buffer article for strategy ideas.

+6. Instagram StoriesInstagram Stories is a feature that lets users post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours.

Source: Instagram Stories: Everything You Need to Know on Instagram’s Excellent New Feature (Buffer)

+

Things to Know about Stories:Content shared to stories won’t appear on your profile grid or in the main Instagram feed.

To view someone’s story, tap on their profile photo and their story will appear full-screen.

Once you’re viewing a story, you can tap to go back and forward or swipe to jump to another person’s story.

Unlike regular posts, there are no likes or public comments. Source: Instagram Stories: Everything You Need

to Know on Instagram’s Excellent New Feature (Buffer)

+

So…Why Publish Stories?1. Behind-the-Scenes Content

2. Beat the Algorithm?

3. Takeovers

4. A Rise in 1:1 Communication

5. Live, Timely Content

READ MORE: 4 Ways to Use Instagram Stories for Business (Social Media Examiner)

Source: Instagram Stories: Everything You Need to Know on Instagram’s Excellent New Feature (Buffer)

+

BONUS: 9 New Instagram Features for Active Users

1. Save Drafts

2. Filter or Disable Comments

3. Mute Instagram Stories from Specific Users

4. Automatically Save Your Stories

5. Change the Text Color on Stories

6. Interactive Ads

7. Zoom

8. New “Events” Video Channel

9. No More Instagram Photo Map

SOURCE: 9 New Instagram Features You Probably Missed (Later) [LINK]

All updates made in August and September 2016.

+Looking Ahead: Switching to an Instagram Business Account3 Benefits of Using a Business Account for your Real Estate Practice

+1. Enhanced Business Profiles

Brands with a business profile can choose how they want their clients to get in touch: call, text, or email.

Business profiles will only be open to those who already have a Facebook business page.

Source: A First Look at New Instagram Business Tools (And What They Mean for Your Business) (Buffer)

+2. Insights for Your Audience

Insights on Instagram give you actionable information about your followers and which posts resonate better than others—all from within the mobile app.

Insights will feature metrics like top posts, reach, impressions, and engagement, as well as data on your followers (gender, age, and location).

Source: A First Look at New Instagram Business Tools (And What They Mean for Your Business) (Buffer)

+3. Promotion within the App

The ability to promote lets you turn well-performing posts into ads right within the Instagram app—helping you connect with even more clients.

Select a target audience or allow Instagram to suggest targeting for you. After that, your post will be promoted as an ad for any length of time you choose.

Source: A First Look at New Instagram Business Tools (And What They Mean for Your Business) (Buffer)

+

Instagram Business Profiles: How to Set Up and Analyze Your ActivitiesSource: Social Media Examiner

Get Started with a Business Account:

+Wrapping up— Community: Engage, Interact, and Participate Instagram was founded on the idea of community and bringing people together, so let’s use it so! If you want your brand and product to grow, make sure to interact with your followers, comment on other’s posts, create Instagram stories, and follow other major industry influencers. Whenever you can, be personable and share behind the scenes. This will not only grow your close community, but spread your internal culture to your audience.

Source: The Ultimate Guide on How to Use Instagram for Business (CoSchedule) [LINK]

+Thanks for Coming!

Sarah Giavedoni Social Media and Content Development Assistant, Beverly-Hanks & Associates Downtown Asheville, Marketing Suite SGiavedoni@beverly-hanks.com (828) 258-6395