Snapchat and Instagram are popular topics of discussion. Personally, I don’t spend much time on Snapchat (re: any) so I thought I’d ask a very smart man I met this year, Jason Frazier, who’s had success with the platform to share his thoughts on Snapchat vs Instagram for real estate!

Unless you have been living under a rock, I am sure you have heard about both Snapchat and Instagram Stories. Being in Real Estate, you have probably been told by multiple thought leaders and “gurus” that you should be on one of these channels. So what is the right answer?

The answer is Both.

If you could go back in time, and build an audience on Twitter or Facebook before it blew up, would you? Of course you would!  Because you have seen the attention and popularity of these Social channels explode. Facebook is now the largest ad platform in the world, and millions of dollars have been made by first movers/early adopters. Twitter is loud and fragmented, but still a popular source for news.

You have the same opportunity right now with Snapchat and Instagram. I know agents who are killing it on these storytelling apps.  They are taking advantage of the popularity and capitalizing on the attention. Because so many of you are deciding to opt out for whatever reason, this means less competition.  Don’t…opt…out. Take advantage and work to grow an audience. Right now there isn’t a lot of real estate pros on there, so it is fertile ground. But that is changing quickly.

Now the elephant in the room is that Snapchat is going the way of the dodo. And I am not going to lie, and there is a few reasons to believe that. However, it is here now and still has 150ish million active daily users. It also has an awesome ad feature called Geofilters that is still undervalued. I have used the feature a lot and it has resulted in actual tangible ROI.

How many of you went to a “Lunch and Learn” or Social media conference and were told to start using Snapchat or Instagram? I am sure you went home and downloaded the apps, and then said, “What the hell do I do now??” Don’t fret, read below on some simple tips on how to use it to grow a following.

Tip #1: Be HYPER-LOCAL

What this means is use these apps to talk and show the coolest spots in your market. Where to eat, best shops, best parks, best clubs, etc… If you are serious about being an expert in your market, being Hyper-Local is a MUST. Use the geo-location features to reach local audiences that you aren’t even connected to!

Tip #2: Be authentic 

Don’t worry about being polished. Polished is white noise in marketing, especially in this industry. Be you. Polished is not unique and being you is. That is how you stand out.

Tip #3: Be patient 

Just like with all social media, it is a marathon, not a sprint. Do not expect immediate ROI from this.  Sure, you may stumble upon some quick hits, but for the most part, this takes time. However, if you do put in the work, you will see results.

Tip #4: Engage and connect.

This is how you will grow your following. You can use the built-in discover and search features to build a network. Just like any other social interaction, you need to get out there to make friends.

Tip #5:

This is Snapchat specific, but use the Geofilter option to digitally fence off an area. Like a tailgate section of a sporting event. Now every Snapchatter in that area can see your branding when they use the app.

Tip #6: Be a storyteller.

Your day and what you do will be interesting to someone. Believe it.  That is why reality TV gained popularity so quick. People can identify you living your daily life as opposed to Tom Cruise hanging on to a 747 as it takes off. Trust me, every one has value showing what they do.

Full disclosure, I am using Instagram more than Snapchat as of this month. This is based off my engagement. I know others who still have a locked-in audience on Snapchat, so it shouldn’t be abandoned…yet. The cool thing is that you can download stories from one channel and upload to the other without having to do the double work.

I hope this helps as a starting off point for using these storytelling platforms. If you would like me to come back with a more in-depth look at either Snapchat or Instagram, let Andrew know and I will happy to share my experience.

Bonus: If you are like me, you need a visual. So, I put the usernames of some great Real Estate examples and just generally great people you should follow on these channels.

Snapchat:

Snapchat Guru: thecarlosgil

Real Estate Agent: steelesdhomes

Real Estate Agent: rvahometeam

Real Estate Agent: dustinbrohm

Real Estate Marketing: chelsea.peitz

Commercial Real Estate: buckybeeman

Real Estate Broker/Owner: michaelmeiernyc

Social Media and Business Expert: garyvee

Guy who wrote this great blog article :-): realestatecio

Instagram:

Story Teller: @carlosgil83

RE Social Maven: @katielance

Real Estate Superstar: @kenny_fast

Real Estate Queen: @soniafigueroare

Real Estate Marketing: @chelsea.peitz

Real Estate Broker/Owner: @michaelmeiernyc

Real Estate Speaker/Broker/Owner: @kalalaos

Social Media and Business Expert: @garyvee

Me again! :-): @realestatecio

Jason Frazier has more than 18 years of expertise in technology startups and venture capital, having previously held senior-level technology positions. He is currently the CIO & Chief Strategist for Mason-McDuffie Mortgage. Frazier is also the founder of The Real Estate CIO Media Agency, speaking on topics such as Technology, Marketing, Social, and Consumer Experience for the Real Estate industry. He was chosen as HousingWire’s Young Rising Star in 2016 and their Vanguard Award Winner in 2017. He was also honored as one of the Top 50 Connected Mortgage Professionals in 2016 & 2017, by National Mortgage Professionals Magazine