In this must-hear strategy breakdown, real estate coach and With Heart Coaching founder @SkyeMichiels shares how most agents are leaving business on the table by using Instagram the wrong way.
You don’t need more leads. You need better conversations with the people already following you.
Instagram is NOT just for reels, aesthetics, and hashtags. If you’re a real estate agent or small business owner, Instagram should be treated as a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system — not just a content platform.
The difference? A CRM helps you build, track, and grow relationships, not just your follower count.
💥 THE STRATEGY: TURNING INSTAGRAM INTO YOUR CRM
Here’s the core of what Skye teaches:
✅ You already have hundreds (or thousands) of contacts in your Instagram followers, DMs, and people you engage with regularly.
✅ Most agents scroll, like, and occasionally post — but they never convert that activity into actual conversation.
✅ Instead of mindless browsing, you need to systematically reach out to your Instagram connections with purpose — reintroducing yourself, checking in, and providing value.
This shifts Instagram from being an endless scroll of comparison…
👉 Into a powerful, personal communication hub.
🔁 BUILD REAL RELATIONSHIPS, NOT JUST REACH
Here’s how to make the shift from passive user to proactive connector:
💬 Spend 15 minutes a day in the DMs, reconnecting with people already following or engaging with you. Ask about their family, their home search, their neighborhood.
📝 Begin tagging or categorizing followers by interest or potential:
Buyer leads
Seller leads
Past clients
Vendor relationships
Friends and family
📥 Start exporting data: Use tools or your own system to log key contacts into your main CRM with notes from your DMs.
The key isn’t to automate everything — the key is to humanize it.
📊 THE DATA: WHY THIS STRATEGY WORKS
Let’s break down the numbers:
📈 A report from @salesforce states that CRM usage can increase conversion rates by up to 300% when paired with consistent follow-up.
🔗 https://www.salesforce.com/sales/analytics/sales-conversion-rate/#:~:text=Increase%20revenue%20with%20higher%20sales,and%20increase%20their%20close%20percentage.
📲 According to @Hootsuite Instagram DMs have a 90% open rate, far exceeding email open rates, which hover between 20–25%.
🔗 https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/
🔗https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2024/02/13/direct-messaging-on-instagram-a-proven-strategy-for-businesses/
If you’re only posting and not messaging, you’re leaving deals, referrals, and relationships untouched.
🙅♂️ UNFOLLOW OTHER REALTORS (YES, REALLY)
One of the boldest (and most refreshing) things Skye advises?
🛑 Stop following other real estate agents.
Here’s why:
You start copying what others are doing instead of finding your own voice
You compare your follower count, your video quality, or your engagement — and start doubting your content
You get stuck in a “not enough” mindset that kills creativity and confidence
Social media should fuel your connection, not your comparison.
Skye’s recommendation:
👉 Clean your feed. Curate it with people who inspire you outside your industry — clients, local businesses, community leaders, artists, and mentors.
👉 Use that inspiration to spark real conversations, not competition.
🔄 SHIFT FROM CONSUMER TO CONNECTOR
Here’s the real mindset change:
Stop asking: “How do I grow my Instagram?”
Start asking: “How do I grow my relationships through Instagram?”
This approach requires:
Less pressure to be perfect
More purpose behind every message
More consistent outreach instead of occasional content drops
More connection and less performance
You’re not trying to go viral. You’re trying to go deeper with your sphere.
And if you’re intentional? Your DMs become your best deal pipeline.
✅ ACTION PLAN FROM SKYE’S COACHING
Skye coaches agents to block out 15–30 minutes a day doing what he calls “Instagram CRM time”:
Start conversations — Comment, then DM.
Follow up — Revisit conversations from last week/month.
Log it — Add new contacts into your CRM or spreadsheet.
Tag them — Inside Instagram or in your CRM, tag by category.
Repeat daily — 5–10 meaningful connections a day = 150–300 a month.
The ROI isn’t always immediate — but the compound trust you build over weeks and months? Game-changing.
🧠 REMEMBER: YOUR BEST BUSINESS TOOL ISN’T AN APP — IT’S YOUR VOICE
Instagram isn’t just a stage. It’s a conversation space.
If you treat it like a platform to build trust — not just post reels — you’ll see better engagement, better relationships, and better results.
📌 Want more insights from Skye? Connect below:
🌐 https://www.withheartcoaching.com
📸 https://www.instagram.com/skyemichiels