As a Realtor who has a decent grasp of social media marketing, I am constantly looking for ways to drive traffic to the various sites I have including my website. In fact my website is my most important marketing vehicle because I OWN IT!
There are many great sites online that I have a very good online presence at including Active Rain but what if one day you woke up and Active Rain was no longer around? The thought of this happening is just terrible but don't think for a moment that it is not possible.
There are many Realtors and others in the Real Estate industry that get so wrapped up in blogging and other social media marketing that they neglect their website. I can tell you that this is a huge mistake!
I will get back to this point shortly but for those who do not have a Facebook fan page here is an easy to understand video that shows you how to go about creating a fan page.
Once you have created your fan page you can then easily create a page at Point2 and have a stand alone page that has your Facebook fan page on it!
A visitor would then be able to become a fan right from your website.
Once you have your fan page up and running and have invited a few friends, notice the box on the left column that says promote with a fan box. If you click that link you will be taken to a page where you can get the code that you will need to add to your point2 site. You will want to click the button that says "other" and not "blogger". It will give you the code that will allow you to generate your Facebook fan box.
To see what this will look like view Bill Gassett's Website Facebook Fan Page. Having a Facebook fan page is a great way to draw traffic to website or blog. You can add almost anything you like to your page.
The advantage to having a Fan page as opposed to strictly a profile page is that it is indexed by the search engines! Although I had created a fan page a long time ago, I never did anything with it. I have just started to use it as a means of communication.
By creating a fan page on your website a visitor can become a fan right from your site!
Hopefully if you have a Point2 site you know how to create a page! If not I would encourage you to learn everything you can about doing it (Maybe a blog for another time). Trust me it is very easy to do.
If you do not have a Point2 site but another platform that allows you to work with HTML you should be able to add a fan page there as well.
Hi Bill, what a great idea. And yet is is ... One more thing...
Laugh if you will, Realbird set my Facebook page up for me for real estate. I was busy, they did it for a very small fee, and it was just easier at that moment in time. So here is the thing... I can never find it. I have a few fans, all from AR. What I have to do is to sit down post all my posts from AR to my real estate page. My head is reeling. I can build a computer, I can do many things, but for some unknown reason I am at a loss with the Facebook thing. It is like a huge mental block, something that is driving me right over the edge.
I have used Facebook for my own entertainment with my silly little farm, but in all honesty I need to get cracking with this. Guess I better spend a few hours checking this all out. :(
Bill, I have linked my Activerain outside blog and localism blob to my facebook page *thanks for following my blog by the way)...but haven't done a separate fan page, or a point2 connection. Thanks for the advice once again. Steve
Bill: I appreciated that video which spells out each step. Visual tools work for me. Thanks for your post. I'm going to create my first Facebook business page with your inspiration.
Hi Bill! Thanks for reminding me about the fan box. I think when I first tried to set that up it said I needed more fans. And now thanks to your fabulous teaching abilities it should be easier! I think if you ever slow down or retire from real estate you should consider teaching!
One of the reasons I love my fan page is that it allows me to promote my real estate on Facebook without taking away from my personal "social" profile. So most (not all) real estate related links or posts I do through there. At least once a week I try to promote real estate on my personal page to keep "my face" tied to real estate. My fan page is also a partner page which works out well.
Debbie I think you have it down pat! I had made a fan page a long time ago but never did anything with it. I am now using it strictly for business and the profile page for both as well.
Bill, I am going to call you for help setting up my facebook fan page becasue so many people blog about how difficult it is to do. When is a good time to call? I'm available right now;)
Hi Barb - call me this afternoon if you can't figure it out. That video is real easy to follow and if you watch it I am sure you will be able to do it. If not let me know:)
And timely this is. I find Facebook ridiculous user unfriendly, especially when it comes to the fan page and keeping things separate. I will look at the video later, and hopefully a light bulb will go off. Thanks, Bill.
Very useful information for people who have the point2agent sites. If I had one I would be doing this. Very easy guide for people to read, well done! :)
Bill, I think I have a fan page, but I know I've done nothing with it. I keep thinking that when I get caught up I'll get over there and work on it. I guess it's time to just be caught up. :)
Hi Bill! This is good stuff! I do have Point2 and did add my FB to the top of the page! I think my leads doubled when I did that and I don't know WHY! This is my business page and there is nothing personal on this one--perhaps that's why!! LOL
And, where did you find that cool graphic? I love it!
I'll get back to you about the FB thing--I have to head out to show a couple of properties (now that it's almost dark!) and will explain my dilemma when I return.
Bookmarked to come back to. I'll be adding a few more listings on Point2 soon. Will do that at the same time. Thanks for sharing your vast knowledge. What would we do without you, Bill.
Thank you for this post, leave it to you to take ADVANTAGE, of different media outlets. I do have a point2site, but it is not the one I push the most in my marketing.
However, I will add a page. I've done it before, fairly easy if I can remember.
Dare I admit that I was lost after just reading the title? LOL. I did create a Facebook account a few weeks ago, but I didn't enjoy getting 25 emails a day from it so I took it down.
Bill- your post is timely for me because I've been thinking for the last few weeks that while I'm pleased with my ActiveRain blog and all that I've learned here, I've been totally neglecting my website. I'm on Facebook but don't have a Fan Page, and still not sure what it is. Thanks for lighting a fire under my , well, you know.
Ken - Point2 is just the name of a Real Estate website platform. You could probably add it to your website as well as long as you can use html. The Boston Marathon is quite an event. I walk from my house every year to see it!
Loreena & Missy - Thanks:)
Eric - There are only certain approved widgets for AR outside blogs.
Bill, thanks for this, you have solved two issues for me, the first being the Facebook page and as I just signed up with Point 2, I had no idea there was a Point 2 group....Sweet!
Bill - You are such a great resource for knowing where to get the most mleage in increasing our internet presence. I've bookmarked this to come back to tomorrow. Thanks for all you do! :)
Thanks for the info. I just started a Point2 site (still have much to do to get it going) but need all the help I can get to get it going. I have always considered myself fairly tech savvy but must admit that I am easily getting overwhelmed with all these new sites and tools, but in the end - I LOVE it all!
Rick ~ I think you are making the mistake of not understanding how social media and business can work together. The creation of a Facebook fan page is very different that a Facebook profile page. A Facebook fan page is set up to talk about business. A Facebook profile page is where you can do anything including non business related activities and socialize with friends.
Bill, I enjoyed this. I am convinced about a lot of marketing outside of AR like with Twitter, but I still have a problem deciding whether to have a Facebook Fan Page. I use the friends page lots, but if I do get around to the fan page marketing, and eventually I probably will, your post is a great primer on how to market it. Over 300 million members can't be wrong.
Bill~ GREAT POST!! I need a FAN PAGE!! I've been keeping my regular fb profile page "super business like" and my friends are beating me up over it!! :) All the best this holiday season!!
Great Post! Please follow me on twitter @davidperry and @daveperryrealty and in turn I will follow you. Together we can do great things if we all work together.
Wow, thanks for the info, Bill -- I have a Fan Page and a Point 2 site, so I'll certainly add the Page to my site. What a great idea, because a lot of the things I post to my Fan Page, are things I don't put on my site (my Blog for example). I am excited!!
Bill, you have it right! Of course we must remember we are business owners and we must protect ourselves when it comes to what we have online. I of course have a web site and another blog - Just in case! I have really been utilizing my Fan page on Facebook - have had potential clients contact me from it.
Thanks Bill for the great tip. I've had a Facebook page for my office for some time and I thought to add Twitter to my Point 2 site, but never thought to add FB! Duh!
It was simple to do and now I'm up and running - again, thanks for sharing!
Good information, very helpful. Particularly since I have been considering the whole Facebook networking platform Now I know the difference between a Facebook page, and a FanPage.
Bill, I have several blog accounts that automatically post to Facebook. Are you aware of away to divert automatic posting away from the "personal page" and directly to the "business page?"
Thanks again everyone for all your comments on creating a Facebook fan page!
Daniel - Listingbook just entered our market here in the Boston area a couple of months ago. There is already a large company called MLS Property Finder that has a large part of the market share. It will be interesting to see how Listingbook fairs.
Metro Phoenix - I am sure it could be done...How about Friendfeed as a means of sending it there? What you are going to get though is just a small link. It looks a lot better when you post it yourself.
This is awesome information! I'd love it if you'd add this to the LinkedIn group I manage. It's for LinkedIn and anything related to social media. I think my group members could really benefit from this info! Keep up the good work!
Hi Bill, I'm late getting here but just saw DeAnna's reblog. I also have a Point2Agent website which I work hard to keep updated. I am going to go add the Facebook Fan page there. I will let you know if I complete the job successfully lol.
Metrowest MA Real Estate - Realtor specializing in home sales in Hopkinton, Milford, Holliston, Ashland, Southboro, Westboro, Upton, Mendon, Hopedale, Grafton, Medway, Northbridge, Franklin, Douglas, Uxbridge and Framingham MA. Includes Real Estate home sellling & buying tips , Homes for sale in and around Metrowest, Metrowest MA Market reports.
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Once you have your fan page up and running and have invited a few friends, notice the box on the left column that says promote with a fan box. If you click that link you will be taken to a page where you can get the code that you will need to add to your point2 site. You will want to click the button that says "other" and not "blogger". It will give you the code that will allow you to generate your Facebook fan box.
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Bill - you're on the ball here :) - It works on a wordpress blog too. Great Job explaining it.