INTRODUCTION
According to Pew Research, nearly 70 percent of Americans are active on Facebook. Chances are, a good number of those people will need realty services at some point in their lives, and when they do, you’ll want to be top-of-mind.
If your real estate company is not among the 80 million businesses using Facebook to strengthen your online presence, you could be missing out on opportunities to connect with customers.
Following are seven tips on how to effectively use Facebook for real estate.
1. Complete your Facebook business page. Whether you’re an independent realtor or part of a team, it is important to set up and complete your real estate business page on Facebook–do not use your personal account. Upload your logo or head shot for the profile picture and select a cover photo that best represents you or your business. These elements should help brand you as a realtor.
The About section is perhaps one of the most frequently viewed sections among people perusing Facebook business pages. Fill out your contact information (e.g. phone number, email address, website URL), include a brief description
In addition, you will want to create a username that is distinguishable, yet easy to remember so people can find you. For instance, @yournamerealtor or @yourbusinessname. Likewise, you should add a call-to-action button such as “learn more” or “contact us” that will direct Facebook users to your website or your mobile phone.
If you already have a realtor Facebook page, check to make sure all the areas are complete and up-to-date.
2. Post a variety of content. Fresh, visual content is key for keeping your Facebook followers interested and engaged. For instance, you should post photos or video tours of your featured properties, as well as updates such as upcoming open houses or pictures of clients who recently closed on a home.
In addition, you should include posts that provide value and show your expertise. For example, you could post links to topical articles and trends, coupled with your own opinion or tips for potential clients. If you write a blog or newsletter, share recent entries to your Facebook page to help extend their reach.
Other content pieces could include testimonials from past clients, infographics and amenities or events in the communities you focus on. Create a social media calendar to help manage your real estate Facebook marketing. Aim for about 3-4 posts per week to start, and be sure to monitor post insights (Facebook’s analytics) to see how your audience is responding.
3. Use Facebook Stories. The Stories feature allows you to post an image or video that expires after 24 hours. They can help you stand out on Facebook, as they are displayed outside of the traditional newsfeed–above the newsfeed on mobile or to the right of the newsfeed on a desktop.
Since Stories disappear, they should be timely, not timeliness. You could highlight new listings or open houses in your Stories, or you could share a clip of a day in the life of a realtor. Remember, Stories are highly visual, so you will need to convey your message without a lot of text.
4. Go live. Facebook Live is a great way to capture your follower’s attention in real time, and their immediate interactions with your video can help boost your page ranking in the newsfeed. Thus, you are more likely to reach more of your followers.
Use the feature when setting up for open houses to encourage attendance or host a Facebook Live Q&A session to interact with your followers. Once the live feed is finished, the video will post to your page so those who missed it can view it later.
5. Engage with other Facebook users. Social media is all about interactions and building an online community. Make sure to respond to people’s comments, recommendations and private messages to show you are actively involved.
You will receive alerts in your Facebook Inbox when these actions occur. It is important to monitor it regularly so you don’t fall behind. To ensure a timely response to private messages, you can set up Facebook autoresponders.
There are two different types. The first is an instant reply, which will automatically respond to any message your page receives. The second is an away message that you can schedule for certain days and times or activate when you step away from Facebook.
To set them up, go to your page settings and select “messaging” from the menu. Click the button next to the autoresponder you’d like to use to activate it and click “change” to draft a customized message. Just make sure to follow-up with any private messages you receive when you return to Facebook.
When relevant, tag pages for other businesses or organizations in your posts. They will receive a notification, which could inspire a response or a share. In addition, you should follow other pages and engage with their content to build a presence among a new audience.
6. Showcase services. Use the services tab within Facebook to highlight your areas of expertise. If you provide consultation on home remodeling, for instance, you should create a tab for that service.
Click “services” on your Facebook business page, followed by “add a service.” From there, you will assign a name to the service, add a description and photo (optional) and click “save.” When people visit your page, they will be able to quickly view this information within the tab.
7. Run Facebook ads. Social media advertising will help you reach people beyond your current following. A “boost” is the most simplistic type of ad available and can be used to promote your listings. Create your post as you normally would and click the blue “boost post” button to start your promotion.
From there, you can target a specific audience (e.g. people who live in the surrounding area) and select your budget and promotion duration. When you’re finished, click “boost now” to launch your ad. Once Facebook approves your ad, it will start delivering.
Facebook also has a more complex ad platform that allows for more detailed targeting and a wider variety of placements. There are several ad objectives to choose from; however, traffic ads and lead ads are likely the most beneficial Facebook ads for realtors.
Once chosen, traffic ads will take the user to a new destination, such as a landing page on your website where they can learn more, while
You can promote your listings this way as well; however, Facebook ads also should be used to brand you as a realtor. In the beginning, you’ll need to experiment with different creative (e.g. images, video, text), target audiences and budgets to establish benchmarks for success.