Do Real Estate Agents Need a Business AND a Personal Instagram Account?

I get this question from real estate agents ALL the time:

Do real estate agents need a business AND a personal Instagram account?

Deciding whether or not to have two Instagram accounts (one for personal use, one for business) is also something I’ve struggled with for a long time, too. So I know where everyone is coming from when someone asks me this question.

For the record, I don’t think there’s a “right” answer.

But if you’re trying to decide whether or not you need two separate Instagram accounts, then I have several things for you to consider. I really get into the weeds here, but I know a lot of realtors I talk to stress over this, so I hope sharing some of my thoughts on this topic will help you feel confident in whatever decision you make!

Also keep in mind that all of these ideas apply to Facebook as well. 

TL;DR Insights

Ok, first: If a real estate agent asks me if they should have separate Instagram accounts and they want a simple, straight answer, here are two of my TL;DR insights: 

Scenario #1

IF you’re committed to using social media as a marketing strategy and IF you only want to have one Instagram account, choose to have a business account. For most realtors, having two separate accounts to maintain is too overwhelming.

Scenario #2

IF you’re committed to using social media as a marketing strategy and IF you know you want to have two Instagram accounts (one for personal, one for business), then I would always prioritize posting on your business account. 

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More Things to Consider 

If you’re still on the fence, below I share many more considerations to determine what is right for you. 

If you are going with Scenario #1 and you occasionally have more personal posts that don’t feel quite right showing your whole audience, create a Close Friends list.

This allows you to share content with a curated list of specific people (your “Close Friends”). Here’s how a Close Friends list works on Instagram, and here’s how it works on Facebook. 

If you choose to go with Scenario #2, then you’ll need to decide what types of posts go where.

Let’s say you have a few photos from your recent vacation to Hawaii, and you know you want to share them on Instagram in general. Do they go on your personal account, or on your business account? 

First, consider that sharing more personal content on your business account can be a wonderful way to help your followers get to know you better. So, I would always take a look at a “personal” post and think, “Do I feel comfortable sharing this with my larger sphere?” If the answer is yes, then post on your business account. A mix of personal + business posts is ideal on your business account. 

If you look at the post and think “Ya know, I’d rather not have so many pics of my kids on my business account and these photos feel more private” then post on your personal account. You could also have a set of photos from your vacation that go on your business account, and another set for your personal account.

I would NOT post the same exact content on both accounts—you don’t want folks who follow you in both places to always be seeing duplicate content. It can get confusing and sometimes a bit annoying. (You could consider doing a collab post if it's Instagram and the right type of post, though.) 

If you have a personal account with a large following, but you are getting ready to set up a business account as well, you’ll need to be strategic about this.

You don’t want to leave people who are only following you on your personal account behind.

Before you invite anyone to follow your business page, spend about a week posting some interesting content. It could be your initial headshot + bio post, your current for sale home listing, and some pretty pics from your neighborhood, for example.

Once you have some content established, share a call to action on your personal account (in your main feed and/or in your Stories) to follow your business account. You’ll likely get at least a few people who go follow your business page.

Be sure to do this a few times over the next few weeks—it’s easy for folks to miss this kind of message. Then from your business account, you’ll want to go follow people you know as well.

This brings me to my next point:

If you have a personal + business account, be sure to occasionally share content from your business account to your personal account.

You definitely should be reminding your more personal connections that you are still indeed a real estate agent! These personal connections are likely folks who are part of your referral network, past clients, and potential clients. So you do need to have some content in there that says “I’m an active/busy/successful real estate agent!”

One way to accomplish this without being too “real estate-y” all the time is by occasionally sharing content from your business account to the Instagram Stories of your personal account. When you do this, you must add some context to what you’re sharing. Don’t just share a post without adding a note about why you’re sharing it. You could also do a more personal video about a business post. This will make it feel more thoughtful and less sales-y for your personal account.

If it’s the right type of post on your main feed, you could also make it a collaboration post between your two accounts.

People might be confused about which account to follow you on. 

If someone searches your name, or comes across both of your accounts, they might be confused about which one to follow you on, even if you’ve made it clear that one is your “realtor” account.

If someone follows your personal account (or requests to follow, if it's private), you can go follow them from your business account, and that might prompt them to follow you there as well. It can get a little tricky! 

Be intentional about the level of privacy you want, which includes how often you include kids in your content.

Everyone has a different level of what they feel comfortable sharing with their real estate sphere. In my opinion there’s not necessarily a right or wrong way—it’s a personal preference—but I do think it’s important to be intentional and consider what some of the pros and cons of getting more personal and vulnerable are for you.

Another challenge that parents may encounter is deciding whether or not to show their kids on social media—more specifically, on a business account.

My belief is that kids are not a content plan for your real estate business, but sharing your perspective as a parent can be a great connection point for some people! If you’ve weighed the potential risks of sharing photos or info about your kids on social media and are still undecided, you could always post photos where their faces are hidden but they are still in the photo (photos of the back of their head, for example). I’d say do your research on this one so you’re fully informed.

Use your business Instagram or Facebook as a “landing page.” 

If you want to have a business Instagram (or Facebook) page in case someone searches for you BUT you don’t want to invest in a consistent content plan, consider making your social media business profile function as a “landing page.”

On Instagram, this might mean you have six posts on your grid, for example. One post might be a headshot and your bio. Another post might be about the neighborhoods you work in. Another post might be a story about a buyer you helped. Etc. That way if someone lands on your Instagram, they can still learn something about you even if you’re not a regular poster. Make it clear in your bio how they CAN connect with you—you spend more time on Facebook, email is best, etc.