Real estate agents, as well as homebuyers or sellers all, have one thing in common - they all use a social media site - Facebook. They use the site to forge business relationship; however, maintaining this relationship is real hard work. Here is a list of 10 tips for Real Estate Agents to Marketing on Facebook that helps to find new followers, build relationships as well as the market by one of Central Florida real estate top agents Fred Franks of Local Realty Service and Ocala Real Estate Agent Katrina Barone of Housesforsaleinocalafl.com.
Tip#1 Business Page - Real estate agents must not only set up a personal profile page, but must set up a Business Page to market their business. There are two reasons to do this, one it is more professional and two it has some features that are not available on the personal page.
Tip#2 Setup - Real estate agents must change the cover photo frequently, as these images can be used to highlight homes for sale. Set the page with helpful tabs like ‘Featured listings’. Utilise the apps on Facebook to create a lead capture system like ‘Book now’ or ’Contact us’ that allows the visitors to sign up without leaving the page, other helpful apps are Woobox, Heyo, Pagemodo.
Tip#3 Share compelling content - Add a video, a blog or a post that creates a ‘bang’. You can use this space to add some good photos with captions as people love visuals.
The images can be of homes for sale and the captions can include specific details about listings like — asking price, square footage, room totals, and noteworthy features along with neighborhood information that directs genuine buyers. Realtors can advertise using Facebook’s ‘Like’ ad as they are not only inexpensive but also generate a lot of likes. This helps your business page get more exposure.
Post some content related to real estate that will arouse interest in prospective clients. This could include tips on finding the right property or lender. Realtors can share some interesting or informative facts and some rare tips and advice, which stimulate a lot of likes, comments and encourage interaction.
Realtors can choose to post content at the best time of the day or only on certain days. Google analytics and Facebook insights can help with accurate information about the posts that were read the most and the least. They can indicate at what time the posts have a tendency to get more footing. This is based on trial and error method along with some analytics.
Tip#4 Respond to comments - Realtors must respond to comments posted on the page as they create a conversation with followers. This leads to building better relationships. Encourage and invite everyone, including friends, family, neighbors and other contacts to ‘Like’ and recommend your page. Use all your email contacts to build your network on Facebook. Social media platforms function the same way as ‘word of mouth’ advertisement.
Tip#5 Personalize images – Real estate agents must use images to initiate interesting conversation or initiate humor when appropriate. Post images of clients and you, your office space, so that potential buyers know they are dealing with someone real. Post images of your first sale on your personal page as well as the Business page or a happy customer, this reassures buyers that you are successful in helping people buy homes.
Tip#6 Analytics - Realtors must use the ‘Facebook insights’ which is an analytic component that shows valuable data about followers like age, gender, location. This data can be used by realtors to understand their target market demographics.
Tip#7 Realtors can run contests or Sweepstakes - Realtors can get help from some companies like Wishpond to generate leads and promote their business page. Create a promotion or offer hassle-free loan approval or consultation or stage a room for sale.
Tip#8 Linking Social media platforms - Realtors can link their Facebook page to other Social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn broadens the reach to potential clients. This way all the articles, posts, images get more exposure when the social media sites are linked to each other.
Tip#9 Canvassing – A viable way to ask followers what they want to see on your real estate page is by canvassing just like politicians. Asking generalized questions like – ‘Do you like reading written content or visual content like videos or Infographics?’ or ‘What kind of buying and selling information do they search?’
Realtors can use online survey forms, questionnaires and polls to gather responses or testimonials. This exercise will give realtors an indication of the changes that they can make to their Facebook marketing strategy. Ask these questions with some personalization by explaining your intent.
Tip#10 Personally recommend the best - Real estate agents can provide recommendations to the most qualified prospects with information or suggestions on general contractors, electricians, plumbers, dentists or dry cleaners. Be part of the community by sharing knowledge and events.
Real estate agents must integrate Facebook into their everyday business, including their ads and business cards or add a Facebook page link in your email signature.
