In the third part of our series on social media for Realtors, real estate marketing consultant Jennifer Snyder explains how to build relationships through Facebook
Jennifer Snyder
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Marketing on Facebook has changed a lot over the last few years. No longer can you just put up a business page and hope you will get business from it. Facebook has changed the rules when it comes to business pages, and it is now a pay-to-play model. That means you have to be strategic when it comes to getting business from Facebook.
Here are five ideas to get you started:
1. Facebook strategy
First, you must have a strategy. You can’t just write posts every once in a while on your business page. You must have a plan.
I recommend that my clients post one new thing every day on their business pages. This shows consistency and will help your followers stay engaged. Most Realtors are overwhelmed when I tell them to post that often. I get it. That’s a lot of posting!
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be all your own content. Find interesting articles that apply to your target markets and post them on Facebook. Find tools or apps that will make your followers’ lives easier. The goal with your Facebook posting strategy should be to post valuable content.
2. Connect with your clients
Another good idea is to become friends with your clients on Facebook. By “friending” your clients, you to continue to build your relationships with them. You can stay in touch with the happenings in their lives long after they close on their home. You can continue the friendship that you started when you worked together.
I like to create lists in Facebook to manage my friends, family and business associates. This makes it easier to check in on each group and see what people are up to. I recommend that you do the same with your clients. Facebook only allows people to see 300 posts a day. Keeping lists helps you see more than those 300 posts. It is also an easy way to check in and engage with your clients!
3. Engage people
Social media are all about engaging with people, and Facebook is the number-one platform for engagement. Keep that in mind when you are posting. Write posts that are engaging. Ask questions, give value and request feedback on what you write. These are great ways to strike up conversations on your posts.
Also take the time to engage with your clients on their posts. Scan your client lists and look for posts you can comment on. Your comments don’t all have to be business related. Show your personality and make comments on the personal posts. Treat your clients’ posts like you would conversations offline. Listen, comment and engage.
4. Posting ratio
Many Realtors like to post about real estate on their personal profiles. I think this is a great idea within reason. Don’t post every single listing or only post about real estate. People will get annoyed that you are only posting about business and hide your posts from their newsfeeds or “unfriend” you. They will feel like the only reason you are on Facebook is to get business.
Remember why people are on Facebook. They are there to talk to their friends and see photos of friends. They aren’t there to do business. Does that mean business isn’t happening on Facebook? No, it doesn’t. But you have to watch the balance. I recommend that clients use a 4-to-1 posting ratio. Post four personal items for every one business item. This is a healthy balance, and your Facebook friends will appreciate it!
5. Pay to play
If you are serious about getting business from Facebook, you will have to pay to play. Facebook has made it almost impossible for business page posts to show up in personal newsfeeds. Why? Because they want you to pay for ads. They are no longer giving businesses a free ride.
The good news is that it is inexpensive to buy ads on Facebook, but you have to know what you are doing. I suggest that you research how to write the best Facebook ads to bring in leads. There are many variables to Facebook ads, and you want to make sure you are doing it right!
With more than a billion users, Facebook has singlehandedly changed the way we connect with others. This is true both personally and professionally. Facebook is a great platform to connect with people and get to know them better. It is also a great place to get more real estate business. Follow the five steps above to grab your market share of the billion users on Facebook!
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