When leveraged properly, Facebook can be a great way to market a listing. The only problem is that so often it is used incorrectly.
Today I want to give you a couple of tips on how to do it right. But before I do, it’s important that you understand that Facebook’s Terms of Service state: “You will not use your personal timeline for your own commercial gain”. So if you do post listings, then technically you are breaking Facebook rules. But I know all too well that the majority of you out there already are, so I’ll give you some direction to help ensure that you don’t alienate your network in the process.
1) Post the listing so only agents can see it
I hate to be the one to tell you, but 99.8% of your friends on Facebook do not care to see your latest listing or open house. Your colleagues, on the other hand, very well might. If you are anything like me you probably have hundreds of REALTORS® from your city on your Facebook profile; let them know about it while sparing your friends and family.
The first thing you need to do is create a list called “REALTORS®” and add all the REALTORS® on your personal profile to that list
Now when you go to post your listing on your timeline, if you click on “Public” in the bottom right corner and then select “Custom,” you can make the post visible only to the people on your “REALTOR®” list.
2) Get your clients involved
According to a National Association of Realtors survey, 6% of buyers are friends, relatives, or neighbours of the seller. So to cover all your bases, ask your client to post a photo album of the house on their Facebook profile. Or, if you have created an individual listing website, have them share the link in a status update.
You will want to make it as easy as possible for them to do this, so equip them with a smart quip to go along with the post, such as “Who wants to buy my family’s fondest memories?”
This will not only get additional exposure for the listing, but it’s also a great way for you to get exposed to their network, because you can then jump on and comment on the photo album or status update.
If anyone has other great tips on how they’re using Facebook to market listings, please share.
Brad Sage, OREA Guest Blogger
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