Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Facebook is the most popular social network (and I could quote many studies stating that.) Whether it is for personal purposes or professional ones, this is, for now at least, the first go to network to interact with people. Real estate agents can make a good use of Facebook for their professional purposes and I’ll try to include in this article the most important elements of a great social media presence for realtors.
Look at any expert you like/follow online. You do that because he has a special something. It may be his online voice (the things he says and the way he does that), it may be a special message that he posts daily (I know someone who always writes good morning and good evening messages), it may be the things he shares or the comments he leaves or even the fact that there is always something funny posted – or a funny approach to things. You have to know yourself, to know what makes you special, how you usually interact with people, what they appreciate about you and use that. Regardless of what you choose, that something unique is important. This means you should have a consistent communication. Once you choose a direction, try to stick to it. Remember that your profile is online, out there, people can see it and make a first impression based on it. What would you think of yourself if you only have your Facebook profile and activity? Would you work with you?
If you want to use the Facebook profile to promote your listings, then you should understand that it has to become a perfect mix of personal and professional content. This means that you cannot post only real estate photos or articles, nor only personal photos, status updates. You have to find the right tone and pay attention to what you write. Don’t forget that your desired image is that of a real estate professional.
Also, when it comes to the professional part, don’t publish only photos or details about your listings or company. The real estate is a very large one, and there are multiple information sources. Find out relevant real estate information about your area and publish it. Become a curator – share other people’s content, when relevant.
Theoretically you should respect the 20/80 rule: 20% “self promo” (aka about your business and listing), 80% general, about your domain. I say that maybe you won’t be able to do that constantly, nor should you always count and calculate. But try to at least have a 50%-50% ratio – and find a good balance between the personal and professional posts. I admit that I use a 30%-70% ratio for this balance between the personal content and the professional related one. But everyone should adapt it to his own requirements and, of course, there may be times when the content will vary (when you are in a vacation, for instance, or when you win an important prize.)
Yes, these are not your ordinary tips – as you can see I didn’t even mention the fact that you must pay attention to all the details in your profile: to include a business photo, details about you, relevant links (your company, blog.) These go without saying: if you talk professional and think professional then you should act professional in all circumstances, including on Facebook!
Image credit: Simon via pixabay.com
