A developer in London has revealed what is believed to be one of the first property sales in the UK to be directly traced back to a lead generated via social media picture sharing platform Instagram.

Apt Living, which has sites under development in Brentwood and Kew Bridge in London, says it has received a reservation for an apartment sourced via its @apt_living Instagram account.

The one-bedroom apartment was bought by a first time buyer at its Kew Bridge site.

Hadden White (left), who works in London’s bespoke suit industry, saw the apartment on the company’s Instagram feed last year and then visited the site on its launch day last Saturday and reserved it the day after. He expects to complete and move in this October.

“A high proportion of our buyers are social media savvy first-time buyers,” says Apt Living’s sales and marketing director Cameron Smith (right, below).

“Research has shown that on average people spend about half an hour on Instagram each day with the younger the user the more time spent on the app. Property is a visual medium so it stands to reason that Instagram is the ideal platform to showcase it.

“To resonate with our prime audience we have a number of social media accounts which we use as an extension of our branding. These are updated regularly and are also used to market our homes through organic and promoted content.”

Properties at Apt’s Kew Bridge development start at £320,000 for a one-bedroom unit and are also being marketed by more conventional means via joint agents Marsh & Parsons and Savills.