Everyone loves to get ahold of free marketing ideas, especially when they are from a regular everyday source like Facebook. A lot of real estate agents underestimate the power of Facebook as a marketing tool. We recently came across a helpful article titled 9 Facebook Marketing Tips from Top Experts by Cindy King. Real Estate agents can benefit greatly from implementing just a few of these ideas. Read below to see how these tips fit in the Real Estate world.
“#1: Leverage videos more effectively on Facebook with Open Graph” (source)
Facebook is a great place to get more exposure with intriguing videos; all you need to do is add some meta tags to Facebook Open Graph. This way, when you write an article or post a video on your website and someone “likes” it, a video will be shared on Facebook. Every video can be linked directly back to your site. This is good, because your video will pass from person to person very quickly on Facebook—passing your website link right along with it. Video ideas include testimonials, neighborhood tours, showcase of homes, home tours, etc.
“#2: Experiment with posting outside business hours” (source)
This tip speaks for itself—basically there are optimal times for posting on Facebook and posting during regular business hours is not recommended. When you post at peak viewing hours you will maximize your exposure. For further information, we recommend reading an article titled, “When’s the Best Time to Publish Blog Posts?” It is a study that discusses when the best times are to post on your blog as well as on Facebook.
“#3: Find creative ways to add more photos” (source)
This is an easy way to drive more traffic to your blog. It’s as simple as posting a “home of the week” photo on Facebook and then linking that photo to the property profile page you built on your blog. Also post a photo, brief description and link to each one of your listings on Facebook for added exposure. Think outside the box. You could post interesting images that relate to real estate or post great vacation spots in your real estate area. On a side note, if you have a Pinterest account when you pin a photo to your board you can also share it on your Facebook account. Double whammy!
“#4: Use Sponsored Posts” (source)
This tip speaks for itself. Running an ad will get you more “likes” as well as exposing your branding to more people. You can even offer something real estate related to generate interest. It can be very low cost ($10 a day) and works well if you have a limited budget.
“#5: Involve your fans in product decisions” (source)
People love to get involved in making decisions and stating their opinions. Give your fans that opportunity by asking real estate related questions such as, “Do you feel the housing market is on its way to recovery?” Allow a few days for the responses to come in and then follow up with your professional real estate feedback. Generate questions that stir the pot and get responses from your Facebook fans. The more people comment the more exposure you get.
“#6: Utilize the scheduling tool” (source)
Set up Facebook to do postings at peak hours using the scheduler feature. This means you can get your post ready during business hours, and set up Facebook to post it during those critical times while you are sleeping or just starting your day. Refer to article titled, “When’s the Best Time to Publish Blog Posts?” for insight on peak hours to post.
“#7: Use contests to get more fans” (source)
This tip might take a little trial and error before you find out the most effective contest strategy. You could do real estate related contests, such as posting a picture of a home (could be a current one for sale in your area) and asking “How much do you think this home is worth?” Another idea is to post a picture of something in your area (landmark, vacation spot, a gorgeous view, restaurant scene, etc.) and ask fans to guess where the photo was taken. Make sure to give some kind of incentive – maybe ask local businesses to participate by providing services or gift cards as a prize. Or simply run a contest on Facebook like a “A Free Dinner on Me!” for people who “Like” you. Pick one winner every month and be sure to promote your contest on your website!
“#8: Get active on your personal profile” (source)
Allow people to really get to know you by keeping an active/updated profile. You can keep it light and a little less formal than your website’s profile. The more “human” you can make yourself, the better connection you will create with your Facebook followers.
“#9: Allocate the resources needed” (source)
This tip is simply about asking yourself, “Am I willing to put in a few minutes every day to make my presence known on Facebook?” Yes, that’s right! You have to be just as “social” online as you are in your day-to-day business dealings. Once you stop thinking of Facebook as an “extra” thing you have to do, and starting considering it a regular part of your work schedule, it won’t seem like it takes that much out of you.
#10: Adding IDX to Facebook
On a side note, another great marketing tip is adding your IDX (MLS search) on your business Facebook account. This is an excellent way to drive traffic to your website via Facebook. View our quick instructional video on How to Add IDX to Facebook.
Facebook is a great platform to generate more interest in your website. All you have to do is get a little creative and you will see promising results. We encourage all real estate agents to assess their current strategies and find ways to implement some or all of these ideas. Once you get started, you will probably find that it is a fun and relaxing way to generate more clients. Get sociable and amp up your Facebook presence today!
