Since launching in 2010, Instagram has become one of the leading social media platforms and has transformed the way people do business. It’s no secret why businesses have spent hours developing and creating a strategy to grow and promote their business on Instagram. But as a real estate agent, do you know how to get the most out of the popular platform to help generate leads, market yourself, and engage with your sphere? Whether you are new to Instagram or a seasoned pro, we want to help!
Why You Should Use Links on Instagram
Instagram has seen an impressive rise since it first launched in 2010. This has naturally made it a desirable outlet for marketers, and anyone else who wants to spread the word about their brand or website.
The problem is that, up until recently, Instagram has been extremely hesitant when it comes to enabling links. Even now, it’s not possible to add links directly to your posts through comments or post descriptions, even though this is something that has been possible on other social networks for a long time (Note: Stories can have links, however, you must have 10,000 followers to incorporate them).
However, there are still ways to incorporate links into your Instagram profile, and they’re well worth looking into. The key is knowing how to encourage those users to check out your key marketing links.
How to Use Links Effectively on Instagram
- Add a Link to Your User Profile
The simplest way to get a link on Instagram is to simply add it to your profile. The link will then appear right underneath your user bio, enabling visitors to click through. This is a perfect way to send people to your website’s home page, or to a special landing page.
However, you can also use this feature to get around the fact that you can’t add links to your post descriptions. All you need to do is include a link in your profile that is relevant to your most recent post. Then, add a message to the post itself, along the lines of: “Link in bio!” This is a common tactic, and it offers the added benefit of driving users to your profile.
Since you only get 1 link with Instagram (in your bio), we suggest that you check out one of these services. They each have free services, as well as pro services. The nice thing about them is that you can track each link to see how well they are performing in terms of engagement, page views & click through percentage rates. Even better news – You can send followers to all your favorite sites including your real estate lead generation sites (see our example below using Linktr.ee):
- Use a URL shortening service
The second method we recommend that you use are shortened and trackable links in your posts. You can easily create these using a URL shortening service and a link management platform (Bitly). That way, you’ll be able to track your links and see how well they perform on Instagram, which can help you optimize your efforts even further.
At first glance, it might seem it’s impossible to use links on Instagram. However, while the platform is unusually restrictive with linking, it does offer numerous creative ways to implement links into your posts and profile.