Top 10 retail real estate Instagram accounts to follow and why - by Diana Perry

I recently did a search for the top Instagram accounts to follow in Boston. I found photos of historical landmarks, mouthwatering food shots, long exposure photos, the most creative cocktails, city views and of course, puppies. I got to thinking about how those in our industry are utilizing Instagram and took it upon myself to research the National Real Estate Investor’s (NREI) Top Owners of Retail Real Estate 2018 list (based on total size of companies U.S. portfolios) to see how many are utilizing Instagram. To my surprise, only 37% of the 107 on the list had an Instagram account. I then looked into brokerages and found some great Instagram contenders. Below are my top ten retail real estate owner and broker Instagram accounts to follow and learn from. 

Phillips Edison – @phillips.edison

A great place to learn about new up-and-coming retailers like Lemonade, Mutts, Tide stores etc. 

Tanger Outlets – @tangeroutlets 

Their account focuses heavily on apparel but they do a good job integrating video, slideshows and promotions. Boasting 98.2k total followers and likes-per-post ranging from 150-250 I’ve got to think they have quite a few bought followers but none-the-less, a great collection of posts. 

Saul Centers – @saulcentersinc 

A company out of Maryland that manages approximately 9 million s/f. Like all the genuine shots, gives them a good personality, but features lots of tenants and product.

Newbury Street – @avantagenewbury

Anything and everything Newbury Street Boston. Creative, gorgeous photography around retail, fashion, store openings. A good example of Story Highlights. 

Linear Retail – @linearretail

Incredibly high res photography. Content ranging from tenant opening videos to comics, corporate culture and marketing availability. Also a great use of hashtags and emojis in content descriptions. 

Brixmor Pop Up Shop – @brixmorpopupshop

Here, they’re not only marketing pop-up space available, but are announcing new pop-up deals here. Great if you are looking to sign on new pops ups to represent or fill your vacancies. Another similar account is UPNEXT // Retail Reimagined – @poppingupnext

The Dartmouth Company – @dartmouth_co

This is one of my favorite accounts to follow, because when a new retailer opens (even one they aren’t working with) they are on it – documenting, photographing and videoing! They are very responsive with their engagement as well. 

CBRE – @cbre

Just an all-out incredible display of unique retail imagery, mostly buildings, streetscapes and staff video. 

Graffito SP – @graffitosp

A unique shop in that they are part retail brokerage, part creative agency and urban designers. They include unique, sharp imagery and are always up on the new retail and restaurant scene in the Boston area. They also do a good job including their staff in photos with comedic updates.

NYC Brokerage Team – @ripcoretailnyc

The hottest, sharpest, most colorful brokerage Instagram showcasing retail in NYC. 

Fun Fact: Instagram has over 1 billion monthly active users according to Hootsuite.

Diana Perry is VP - marketing and social media at Linear Retail Properties, Burlington, Mass.