5 Ways to Optimize your Real Estate Photos for Social Media
There is no denying it. As a real estate agent, you need to be on Facebook and Instagram. Because by not having a presence on these major platforms, you are literally not getting your client’s home in front of as many potential buyers as you could be.
So the next time you schedule the real estate photographer for your listing, consider a few new creative ways to utilize the photos for social media. Afterall, it’s important because each platform is different and requires different sizing and preparation in order to gain the attention you’re looking for and ultimately get people to stop, look and act. With social media, Real Estate Agents now have the ability to literally target their listings so that they will end up directly into the palm of the hand of somebody who is in the market. We think that’s a pretty powerful tool.
Here are 5 Ways to Optimize Your Real Estate Photos for Social Media
1. Collages
Taking the time to combine some of the best photos from your real estate photography session is a great way to showcase key features of the property. There are a number of great apps available to create impressive collages right from your smartphone too. To create a great real estate photo collage for your listing, just download a handful of your favourite shots and import them into a great collage making app. Save the final collage image to your camera roll once you’re done and you’ll be all set to post a stunning image to your Facebook Page or Instagram profile that gets the job done. If you want to really boost your collage design, consider adding in not only a few photos, but also a video clip from that awesome real estate walk tour video you had done.
Here are a couple of our favourite photo collage apps for real estate photos and videoPic Stich – This collage app is ideal for real estate agents who want to combine still photos into one simple image. You can modify the spacing and colour between photos and there are hundreds of layouts to choose from.Pic Play Post – This app is awesome for combining still photos and video together into one final product. Consider it a way of bringing more life to your collage
2. Video Animations
There is no denying that video is working really well right now on social. In fact, social media platforms like Facebook are favouring posts containing video over posts that only contain photos. As the saying goes, “a photo is worth 1000 words, a video is worth a million”
Using video animations are a great way to help bring your post to life. There are so many creative ways to create simple video animations to promote your real estate listing on social media and the great news is that you can create them right on your smartphone. We suggest you spend some time playing around to find a creative look and feel that works for your brand. You can use video animations to announce a listing that is coming soon, or to highlight key features of a property or even better, to announce the sale.
If you’re wondering how to create animations for real estate listings, check out these great appsSpark Post. This app is relatively new and is a brilliant app for the person stuck on creative. You can simply pick a template and hit the ‘remix’ button to create your own version. If you get to the end and decide you’d rather just save it as a photo, not a problem. You can do that too!
Ripl – Ripl is awesome. We suggest upgrading to the paid version so that you can overlay your own company branding colours and logo. You’ll get access to more designs and have the ability to come back time and again to edit a previous design.
3. Text Overlays
Sometimes all you need is a great photo with some simple words overtop to make it really stand out. After all, less is more sometimes and promoting real estate listings on social media is no different. To create powerful text overlay images, check out this powerful app. It’s our fav!
Word Swag – This app is worth the $4.99 one-time purchase price. The font designs seem as though they are unlimited and the quality of the experience is incredible. Don’t even get us started on simplicity! This app is perfect for creating a powerful real estate post on social.
4. Filters
Filters can be a simple way to create a real estate photo that really stands out from the crowd on social media. One thing to consider here is that you really want to showcase a property overall in it’s natural light. However, there is a lot of creative opportunity here to have some fun. Consider a black and white photo or a photo that uses a filter to darken the edges, or even create a digital piece of art. While we don’t suggest you do this for multiple photos, it can be a great way to make a single photo draw enough attention to get a viewer to want to look through the rest of the album. Today, there are hundreds of great filter apps that you can download for free. You can use them for direct editing from your mobile device. We do have a fav however that we’ve been using for years and can’t live without.
HelloCamera – This app is absolutely worth the $0.99 one-time investment. Use it to create cool artistic photos or apply an array of filters. They help maintain the quality of the photo without detracting from it.
5. Instagram Stories
We are absolutely loving Instagram Stories for promoting new real estate listings. With Instagram Stories, you can prepare a photo and post it to your story once you’ve worked out a few simple sizing details. Consider building a story to showcase a particular part of the listing in each story. For example, let’s say you chose to promote the kitchen. You could post a series of photos in row on Instagram Stories showcasing different elements of the kitchen. Start with a wide shot of the kitchen in it’s entirety. Next, focus on details such as the counter tops, appliances, faucet etc.. Each element can be it’s own Instagram Story photo.
Social media is evolving so fast that it can often seem hard to keep up. Many Real Estate Agents find that they just don’t have the time to properly prepare images, upload them, and promote them. We hope that these tips will help you to explode your real estate listings on social media and give you some new perspective on how you can make even greater use of the real estate photos and videos that you get for each listing.
If you want help creating powerful animations, collages and more for your listings, consider one of our social media bundles with your next photography package. If you need us to take your personal or brokerage social media to another level, let us know. We’ll be excited to discuss how we can help make it happen for you. At OTBx Air, we make real estate photography ridiculously simple.
