Facebook business pages work for realtors
Today, many realtors still see Facebook as a place to post pictures of their family and to read about someone else’s really good or really bad day. They do not realize how powerful Facebook can be as a business tool. As with many people, a realtor may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of learning their way around a new platform. They may feel that their current marketing strategy is simpler than trying to learn how to use a Facebook business page. Worse yet, they may not realize how easy Facebook marketing can be.
Social Media for Realtors
Social media are websites and applications that encourage or allow its users to share information with one another. Picture social media as a huge cocktail party, with everyone talking and sharing information at the same time; to anyone who wants to listen. In today’s ever-connected world
The Pew Research Center list Facebook as having the largest number of social media users. Facebook makes up 68% of all social media use. Look at these other interesting statistics about Facebook users:
71% live in urban (city), 69% live in suburban (residential neighborhood), and 60% live in rural (countryside)
78% of Facebook users earn over 75,000 per year
Men and women are about equal in their use of Facebook
Most of the users are under the age of 65 years old
77% of users have some college or have completed graduate school)
76% of the users visit the platform daily
Some of the other social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and YouTube sometimes overlap into Facebook. You may see people sharing posts,, pictures or videos from these other platforms. Yes, you could run out and create accounts on all the social media platforms, but it is better to focus your efforts where you will see the most return on investment. Because Facebook has the largest following, it is the logical first place for you to start.
Facebook Business Pages for Realtors
The best use of Facebook by a realtor is to build a Facebook Business Page. Business pages allow a realtor to promote themselves and their listings, connect with current and prospective clients, and grow their client base. An important thing to remember is that you must devote time to tending your business page. Just like a website, or a 3-year old toddler, a Facebook business page needs continuing attention. If a page shows information that is old, it can be worse than not having any information at all.
Facebook and Other Social Media Management Tools
There are plenty of tools nowadays that will help you not only manage your Facebook account but also some other social media platforms. These tools make it easy to monitor the activity on your Facebook business page, find articles to share and schedule posts.
We are only going to briefly cover a few of the top.
1. BuzzSummo
If you’re not sure about what to write on your social media then BuzzSummo may become your best friend. All you have to do is type in a topic and BuzzSummo will find related articles for you to share. This is a paid service so be looking for something free move on. Pricing starts at $79 per month.
2. Post Planner
This is another content finding tool. You can search for specific topic, person, keyword, hashtag and more. They also had a really cool algorithm that helps determine whether or not a post is worth sharing.
3. HootSuite
Now we are getting into a program that allows you to connect, schedule, post, and monitor 35 different social networks. HootSuite is packed with many tools and is very customizable for your needs. Best of all there is a free version if you’re only looking to manage 3 social profiles.
4. Buffer
Buffer is the last one we’re going to talk about but may be the best. Buffer is one of the most popular and well-known social media tools. You can easily schedule posts and share content to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram with one click. Buffer is hard to beat when offering three pricing tiers that are: free, $10 for $99 monthly.
Other Things to Consider
It does take time to keep your page active. This time includes the time it will take you to find material and write your posts. Even with using some of the tools mentioned above it still takes precious time. Not everyone wants to deal with it. It depends on your ability to write and your access to the information you think your customers will find helpful. Writing may not be your favorite pastime you may want to consider using a service that will help write content for your page.
What information is most important for you to include on your page?
What topics do you think would entertain or inform your customers?
What is your target audience?
Can you post on a regular basis
Using a Facebook realtor business page as a marketing tool is pretty straight-forward. You can link the business page it to your website. On your website, you should also be sure to link your Facebook Icon to the new business page. Realtors may also like to check out these other tips for making your website work for you.
Separate Business and Personal
You may be thinking, “Great, I already have a Facebook personal page I use with family and friends. I can use that!” Hold on there, cowboy, you should rarely use your personal Facebook page to support your realtor services. Here are a few of the reasons why:
Facebook advertising is available with business pages
Using your personal page for business may appear unprofessional
Business don’t have birthdays, gender, and marital statuses
It is harder to control content feeds that post to your personal page
The use of a personal page to promote business is against Facebook terms of service, meaning the page could be shut down
Business pages include tools (analytics) that help you track your visitors
Business pages have customizable tabs
You can designate your viewing audience by age, gender, and location
Clients can post reviews and star ratings about your services
You can have more fans (friends), personal pages are limited to 5000
Someone can be assigned to handle specialized roles on your page
I hope you are beginning to see the advantages of using a business page instead of your personal page to promote your realtor services. Next, we will work on building your Facebook business page.
Let’s Build Your Realtor Facebook Page
You will need to pull together a few pieces of information before you begin.
The name of your page. It can be your business name or the name that people would use when they do an internet search for your business.
Select a profile photo that conveys your personality. The photo can be a professional headshot or full body photo. Use an sRGB or JPG photo that will display as 170×170 pixels on laptops and desktops. When you make a post or place an advertisement, your picture will appear in a circle so be sure you are in the center of the frame.
These little Lego men are ready to build your realtor Facebook page. Are you?
Choose a cover photo that represents your business. It is a good place to get creative. The picture is not limited to your Real Estate brokerage company logo. It can be a landscape, smiling customers, your office building, or anything you think represents you and your business style. This photo is the large one shown at the top, middle of your page. You may want to think about having this designed professionally. That way your business name, phone number and any other information can be put onto this picture. The size should be 851×315 pixels. Use an sRGB or JPG photo.
Write your content for the ABOUT section of your page. Be descriptive and add keywords that search engines would use for searches. If you are part of a team, introduce each team member. Tell customers what you can do for them rather than how many properties you have sold.
Once you have gathered all your information, you are ready to build your business page. Simply click the Create a Page button.
The first item you will see is the option to choose the Type of Business you have. I understand this step is a bit confusing. You’re a realtor, so logically you could choose Companies & Organizations, Local Businesses, and People (Artist, Band, Public Figure) because you fall into all three types. The main difference between the three types is the function of allowing customers to Check-In at your physical business location.
Both Companies & Organizations and Local Businesses allow Check-Ins, People does not. Also,
Companies & Organizations and Local Businesses pages are suggested to Facebook users based on the geographical area that matches the user’s profile. Don’t stress too much over your choice. You can always change your type later if needed.
Companies & Organizations and People will require you to choose a category for your business. Realtor is not an option in either of these types. Choose the category you feel best identifies you or choose the Local Business option.
Local Businesses does not require you to choose a category
You may wish to read through Facebook’s Terms of Service
Getting Started with Your Facebook Page
Type in your company information, choose your category if necessary, and click Get Started.
Your blank page will open. Add your cover photo and your profile photo. Be sure to add an Action Button that directs clients to your website or opens a contact information form. Standard button types include Booking Services, Get in Touch, Learn More, Purchase, and Download. Depending on the type of business page you are building, you may see options to connect other services, such as Home Advisor and My Time appointment scheduler listed under more options for the button.
Get in Touch – offers calling, contact form, Facebook message, website sign up, and email features
Learn More–take visitors to a video on your website or Facebook page or to another website
Next, you will want to complete your Description and About section. To complete these items, click on the line just below the blue Welcome to Your New Page block. Click See All Page Tips for other items you may like to complete. You may also want to create a unique page URL. By default, your URL is your business name followed by a line of numbers.
Once you have everything looking the way you want, it’s time to post a status update, special offer, or welcome comment and hit Publish. Your page is now live. Also, be sure to check that you have messenger turned on so that people may contact you. See, it wasn’t too painful, and now you’re all set to build your customer base.
Content is the King for Facebook Realtors
In the social media world, content is the all-important driver that will bring eyes and clients to your services. Content is the way you attract the attention of your customer by providing information, education, and entertainment. Your content can betext or data (documents and spreadsheets)
visual (images or pictures, gifs, and videos)
infographics (text and visual combination)
As a realtor, you will present content in the form of a post to your page.
You may be asking, “What should I post?” A post can also be an advertisement, a moving testimonial, an image, and a news story. Some examples of the type of posts a realtor will use include home listings, information on interest rates, typical closing cost, neighborhood and community information, and customer testimonials. I will give you a few pointers on how to create the best post for your realtor Facebook page in little further on in this article.
Posting to a Facebook Realtor Page
Posting content to a Facebook business page is free. Facebook does offer a paid advertisement program, but that is a topic for a later article. You need to be careful when boosting posts or running ads if you’re not sure what you’re doing. You can wind up wasting a lot of money if it’s done incorrectly. When Facebook ads for real estate are done properly they can bring in a ton of buyer and seller leads. It can be one of the most cost-efficient ways to get new business.
The main function of your post is to engage viewers. You engage viewers by getting them to contact you, view your website, comment on your article, and share your posts. The more people that engage with the posts, the more often Facebook will suggest it to viewers who are not in your fan (friends) list. It’s great that people “Like” your business page. To move your post up in Facebook’s computer algorithm of content that people can use, you need likes or comments on the post itself. vWhen people comment on a post make sure that you are engaging and replying. That is the purpose of social media.
Realtor Posting Tips
Be honest and truthful in promoting your services and properties
Make your post personal and pertinent
Talk about the people you helped
Talk about the merits of a neighborhood and what makes them special
Keep post professional, avoid hot-button issue that includes politics and religion
Use images and videos to catch the reader’s attention
Keep videos to 3 minutes or less in length
Respond to any comments as quickly as possible
Don’t delete negative comments unless they are vulgar or off-color, respond with kindness
Include images in your feed. Posts without images are almost completely ignored
If you have someone helping you post to your business page, make sure what they post reflect your values
Include an RSS (news) feed that your customers will find interesting
Occasional share your professional post on your personal page to remind friends what you do and get additional leads
Complete the About tab for you and your staff. Include photos and contact information
Have a tab for properties you have closed and the happy customers who bought them
Add a tab for featured properties you are listing
We all like to get something free. Consider making a contest or giveaway to encourage viewers to engage with your posts. Ask questions to solicit comments. You can use something like, “What is the best way to add color to your front yard this fall?” or “What do you like best about this kitchen?)
To keep your page active, you should have a new post about once every day. This schedule is too much for some realtors. So, many realtors will ask for help to improve their online presence.
One last thing, I promise. To log into your business page, just log in using your regular account sign-in. You can then type the name of your business into the search bar or access the page from under the pages listed in your shortcuts on the left column of your feed. Be sure to review all the settings for your fancy new business page.
Marketing your realtor services just became a whole lot easier with your new Facebook business page. You can still play candy-crush and watch silly cat videos in your free time using your personal page. But now, you will have people finding your business on Facebook as well.
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