Mark Zuckerberg said on his Instagram story, “We’re introducing a new searchable map on IG today. You can now discover popular local businesses near you and filter by category.”
The new feature will allow IG users to search popular local businesses in several different ways. As explained by Search Engine Land, users can:
- Tap location tags in Feed posts, Stories, or Guides.
- Search for a city name, neighborhood, or place on the Explore page.
- Search hashtags (e.g., #boston).
Doing so will open up a Google Maps-style page on Instagram and display several local businesses and relevant locations. The locations shown are chosen based on the search query and popularity of the locations (i.e., number of page likes, tagged posts, guides written, etc.)
Instagram stated via Social Media Today, “The dynamic, searchable map allows users to have a more personalized and immersive experience when discovering popular locations and businesses and to see what’s nearby, via tagged posts, stories, and guides shared by the Instagram community. Users can also find relevant locations on the map when searching certain hashtags.”
While one could say that a real estate brokerage is not a business that a user would likely search for on Instagram, having yours in an authoritative position for your city or town would act as a digital billboard, keeping your company front of mind. Here are some ways to increase your brokerage’s authority on Instagram.
- Increase your follower count
- Ask agents and clients to tag your business location in posts relevant to your business.
- Ask agents or clients to write a guide about your business.
Do you like the addition of this feature? Do you see it as a valuable tool for growing your real estate business on Instagram?
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