instagram

Instagram for Real Estate – The Basics For Newbies

July 9, 2012 By Megan E. Barber

In a space where images are becoming the most important items on social networks, Instagram is InstaGod. You may have heard of this app frequently in recent months. You know, they’re the ones that back in April, were bought by Facebook for $1 BILLION. And like all things tech and social, Instagram is another thing that I am a huge fan of. It’s fun to use and makes my smartphone photos look fabulous. Never used it and want to know more? Here are some basics.

What is Instagram?

Instagram is is a free photo sharing program where users can take a photo, edit and make it beautiful by adding filters and then instantly sharing on their social networks. Instagram photos have a signature square shape similar to that of the Intamatic and Polaroid photos. It was started back in 2010 and widly used by iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch owners. Then in April 2012, Instagram released thier Andriod version and popularity has only soared from there.

What is the big deal?

150x102 Instagram for Real Estate The Basics For Newbies

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 09: In this photo illustration, the photo-sharing app Instagram fan page is seen on the Facebook website on the Apple Safari web browser on April 9, 2012 in New York City. Facebook Inc. is acquiring photo-sharing app Instagram for approx. $1 billion. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Aside from the billion dollar acquisition by Facebook, Instagram is immensely popular in the smartphone world. The day that it was released on the Android market, it has 1 million downloads in the first 12 hours! The user experience is fun, and many people enjoy the fact that they can take really great pictures with their smartphone devices and then broadcast them to their Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr with the click of a button.

What else makes it important?

Like I mentioned in a previous post, photos are the kings of content now. Images get more engagement on Facebook (likes and comments), especially if they are well done and visually interesting. So Instagram can make you almost look like a pro by helping you take really good photos, improving them with filters and then sharing them easily.

How do I get started on Instagram?

Step 1 - Go to the App Store/iTunes for iPhone, or Google Play for Android and download and install the free app to your smartphone

Step 2 - Launch the app and tap on Sign Up, then set up your username, password and add your profile photo.

Step 3 - Import contacts or find friends from your various social networks, or look at your recommended people to follow

Step 4 - Take your first photo, apply a filter (optional) and upload to Instagram and your chosen social networks.

Instagram is a growing network and a very useful app. It can make the most amateur photographer look like a pro. And it’s just plain fun to use. Are there ways to use it for you real estate business? Absolutely. In a follow-up post, I will outline some ideas you can utilize in your business with Instagram.

What are your thoughts Instagram? What kind of photos do you like to take with it? Leave a comment below!

Instagram’s rapid user growth visualized(techi.com)

Instagram for Real Estate The Basics For Newbies

Megan Barber is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and owner of Barber Virtual Assisting Solutions. With over 12 years of experience working within the real estate industry, Megan provides top notch real estate support services such as marketing, lead follow-up, social media, WordPress websites, and more. She is also author of VA Mommy and Co-Founder of REVA Academy, a Real Estate VA Training program.

Filed Under: Getting Down To Basics, Instagram, Photos, Real Estate Technology, Social Networking Tagged With: Android, Facebook, image sharing, instagram, iPhone, marketing tools, Photo sharing, photos, pictures, Real Estate Marketing, Real Estate Technology, Smartphone, social engagement, Social network, tech tools, Technology, twitter

Photo Content is King Now

July 5, 2012 By Megan E. Barber

Photos are the kings of web content now. I’m not just talking about the importance of having photos on your listings. I am talking about the skyrocketing popularity of visual based social networks like Pinterest and Instagram and how much more attention getting and engaging images are.

There has been an explosion of photo sharing on the web. You may have heard , “Facebook is the Photo Economy“. More than 90 billion photos have been uploaded since Facebook launched. 6 billion pictures are being uploaded monthly. I am sure that you have noticed in your news feeds that a large chunk of the content you see are images now. So it may come to you as no surprise that photos tend to grab more attention in your news feeds. The engagement rate on photos versus status updates is about 2:1. What does that mean? People are more likely to “like” and comment on photos as opposed to status updates.

But it is not just Facebook where images are important. The visually based social network, Pinterest (which I’ve talked a lot about recently) continues to soar in popularity. People are using it to curate information they like, that inspire them, and brands have found a way connect with customers in an authentic way. In the first quarter of 2012, Pinterest had 11.7 unique visitors. This image reliant social network is a force not to be ignored. And of course, there are some great ways to make good use of it and apply to your business.

Now is a good time to seriously consider infusing your marketing with more visual content. This is especially great if you struggle with coming up with new thing to write about for your real estate blog. These images can then be easily be shared across social networks and can be a potential traffic driver.

Images have a way of communicating ideas, emotions and more, in ways that words sometimes cannot. They capture more attention and have a higher engagement factor on your social networks. Examine ways to improve your use of images on your website and social media. Then get involved with visually based social networks like Pinterest and Instagram. This “photo economy” is about more than just your listing photos.

What are your favorite ways to use images in your marketing? Are you an avid Pinterest or Instagram user? Let us know in the comments below! We would love to hear about it.