Emily McAllister, a North Carolina-based agent, makes half of her business from Instagram and focuses on creating local content that provides value to her ideal customer group. Jimmy Burgess met her to find out exactly how she does it.
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Success on social media is about more than views. It’s about focusing on delivering content that specific audiences want and need. Emily McAllister of Greenville, North Carolina generates more than 50% of her business by creating local content that focuses on purposefully providing value to her ideal customer group.
Over his eight-year career, McAllister has seen businesses evolve from traditional business growth strategies to more modern social media-focused marketing. She happened to find success on TikTok, but even though she was receiving a lot of engagement and building brand awareness, she had no control over the type of audience she was building, which led to her was not connected to growth. The business she wanted.
This led her to move from a TikTok strategy that drew a lot of attention to her content to a more purposeful content strategy on Instagram that focused geographically and demographically on purposeful content for her ideal customers. .
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As a result of these changes, the business is thriving and is able to share her passion for the Greenville area, always attracting more business.
Her content mix includes approximately 35 percent local real estate content and 65 percent community-focused content. Her Instagram page is one that agents can use as a model for building a local audience. Here are some specific examples of what is currently working for her.
A twist on the usual home tour video
Many agents create video walkthroughs or short-form videos that highlight their listings. McAllister added a twist to her list to unlock a specific group of potential buyers. The changes she made were not just to highlight the home, but to target move-up buyers very specifically.
“I started this video by addressing a very specific audience. I started with a close-up photo of me standing in front of a luxury ‘purchase’ home, then turned the camera behind me as I spoke. I panned over to get a full view of the house,” McAllister said. She starts every video with a few different taglines, and in this one she says after the tagline: With the equity you likely have in your current home, you can build a home like this with a mortgage payment of just under $2,000. ”
She relies on ManyChat with Reels for calls to action to receive a complete mortgage breakdown sent to her email address courtesy of the lender. She asked her lender to calculate how much her down payment would be on a home to keep her mortgage payment under $2,000. In the case of this home, that’s $115,000, and anyone who bought a starter home in her market before 2020 knows that they likely have $115,000 worth of equity. she said.
She said many locals don’t comment in the comments section because they’re worried about letting others “know their business,” but many message her directly for more information. She also said that converting Reels to Instagram Stories with links to details is the most productive way this type of content generates leads for her.
“While public engagement doesn’t seem to be as high with this type of reel, the specific targeting makes this one of the best types of videos I’ve produced to speak directly to specific prospects. TikTok My early success with it was both a blessing and a curse. From this experience, I learned to chase likes and engagement even if I didn’t have a specific, profitable audience. Now I’m more focused on how specific posts can get the attention of specific people I can help,” McAllister said.
Local restaurant special videos
Another big part of building her personal brand on Instagram is Greenville’s hyperlocal content. By sharing details about local businesses, she helps raise their profile while also distinguishing herself as a source for all things Greenville. A recent reel that did well was one that featured five specials from local restaurants on weeknights.
She began the video by saying, “Here are 5 Greenville weekday specials in 30 seconds.” She then filmed quick clips of herself enjoying the special at each location. Companies loved it, she said, and added them all as collaborators on their posts, which expanded their audience. This reel generated over 1,000 likes and over 500 shares.
Video of street performers (unique listing promotion strategy)
“People on the Street” videos are a format first popularized by late-night hosts. This format also performs at a high level on social media. This involves asking questions to random people on the street, often with prizes for correct answers.
McAllister recently used the format to promote a new listing by playing a game she called “The Listing Price is Right.” She gave away a $100 gift card to the person who guessed the closest to the list price without exceeding the price. This format is engaging, and the idea of not knowing what will happen or what someone will say makes for compelling videos and special promotions for listings.
See you at a local event
McAllister said one of the biggest aha moments she experienced was that local success on social media is not just about social media presence, it’s also about community presence. He said that he noticed that there were. One of the ways she marries social media and community presence is by promoting local events.
She highlights upcoming events and lets people know to attend them. This creates conversations with people who attended the event and found out about it through her Instagram videos. This has led event coordinators and local businesses to ask her to participate and promote their events and grand openings. These videos continue to generate engagement with her local community and future clients. She can also record videos while attending events to make her content more personal.
If you want to turn your Instagram page into a business-generating platform in 2025, focus on local and purposeful content. If you’re looking for an example of someone who does this well, check out Emily McAllister’s Instagram page.
Jimmy Burgess is a real estate agent and national team builder with Real Brokerage in Northwest Florida, serving the 30A, Destin, and Panama City Beach markets. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
