How To Use Facebook To Increase Your Business. I'm Being Serious This time.

I wrote a pretty fun article on how to increase your business by 1,000% by using Facebook.  It was pretty sarcastic.  You can read that HERE.

Today I am going to be a little more serious.  

Facebook has been a vital part of our business for years.  I would say from 2010 to today, it has brought in about 70% of our business.  

Disclaimer:  I didn't sell 5,000 houses last year.  I'm not one of the top producers in the galaxy.  But between Amanda and myself, we close a good deal of real estate.  

I am assuming that you already have your list of friends, and already know the basics of Facebook, so I'll skip all of those steps.  

Step 1.  Engage.  If you were in a group of people at a social event, you would go around and say hello to people right?  Same thing applies here.  Be genuine about it.  

Step 2.  Stand out.  Go log on to Facebook and scroll through the udates for a few minutes.  It's okay, I'll wait.  

What did you see?  I saw somebody post "Getting an early start on the day" and another friend posted some inspirational quote that I didn't read.  Somebody else just said that they got a loaf of bread for 65 cents.  Somebody else just typed in "BORED."  See a trend here?  Most of what people put on Facebook is crap.  It's boring.  Here's your chance to stand out.  

When I post something, I like to keep it light.  I tell funny stories (like how a squirrel got revenge on my beagle yesterday by hanging on it's face biting it's nose), or post a funny picture here and there.  Sometimes I'll ask questions (like what do you love most about your home or where is the best place to get wings in town), or sometimes I'll take questions.  If you aren't a friend of mine you won't understand that last part.  It's okay.  

Most of my stuff is simply to entertain, engage, and stand out.  I get people that come to my page to see what I'm up to.  Then, every once in a while, I'll drop a real estate story, put up a picture of on of our real estate signs, or talk about how the market is. 

I'm definitely much more of a soft sell.  I have never came out and asked for business, but I get real estate questions daily, and most of my friends recognize that I am the real estate expert in the group.  They send me referrals and many of them have contacted me directly asking for me to help them buy and sell their homes.  

Oh, and I never post listings.  Ever.  E.V.E.R.  Nobody cares.  They really don't.

Step 3.  Be yourself.  When I first started using Facebook for business, it was pretty lame.  I was always happy, always up, and it was pretty damn cheesy. Don't get me wrong, I like a little cheese here and there, but it was lame.  

Then it hit me.  Transparency.  I wasn't doing it.  Slowly I let me real personality come out, and BAM!  The reaction I started getting was phenomenal.  People started seeing and getting to know the real me.  I still had my privacy and there are things I won't discuss on there, but otherwise I am pretty open.  

Oh, and here's a tip.  If you are a jerk in real life, it comes through on Facebook.  I would recommend NOT using Facebook if this is the case.  You know who you are.  :)  

Step 4.  Be consistent.  Enough said.  

Step 5.  Post at peak times.  I have the most interaction when I post at 7:30 am, right after lunch, 7:30 pm, and 9:00 pm and after.  Some guru once told me that I should post more on weekends, because the competition to be seen was less.  Well, that's because most people are out enjoying the weekend and not on Facebook.  Der.  

I think that pretty much sums it up for me.  All questions and comments are welcome.  Oh, and before you comment and tell me that Facebook doesn't work for business, that probably means it doesn't work for you.  That's cool.  I get it.  It's not for everyone.  Thanks for reading!