Wednesday, April 17, 2013

10 Ways to post for more Facebook Fans

10 Ways to Post for More Facebook Fans

facebook for realtors 10 Ways to Post for More Facebook Fans
Facebook for Realtors: Understanding how to post to your Facebook Wall is a critical step to getting and keeping a large fan base.
If we were to compare the rules of successful Realtor Facebook wall posting to, say, the Ten Commandments, they might look something like this.

1.Thou shall not bother posting without a picture or video

You heard that right — don’t even bother posting on your wall if you don’t have a picture or a video to go with it.
Why?
What you must realize is that there is SO MUCH content for people to review that people no longer read one-post-at-a-time. Instead, they “scan” material until something catches their attention, then they’ll stop and look closer. When people are scanning, a picture will ALWAYS catch their attention before a block of text.
Once you realize your wall post is competing with hundreds of other posts in your fans’ personal news feeds in Facebook, you’ll realize if you’re not posting visual content that grabs your fans’ attention, you’re just wasting time.
When it comes to posting content on your wall, think Pinterest.
We firmly believe this #1 rule and we abide by it ourselves. Feel free to visit the Get 100 Listings fan page to see for yourself.

2.Thou shall make approximately 20% of your posts advertisements of your real estate services

In our Facebook for Realtors video training series, we often talk about how it is critical to “steer” your traffic and visitors to your lead capture pages. With that in mind, be sure to remind your readers what services you perform for real estate buyers and sellers.
We recommend approximately 1 out of every 5 wall posts be an “advertisement” of what you do.
And when you’re reminding your fans of what you do, be sure to make it easy for them to connect with you. How do you do that? Be sure to include a link in your wall post that links directly to a lead capture page with a contact form on it. Click here for an example.
One word of caution, do not bombard your followers with advertisements of what you do. You want to periodically remind them, but your PRIMARY job is to entertain them and engage them with awesome content that they will want to ‘Like’, comment on, and share with others.

3.Thou shall be short and sweet with your headlines

To successfully use Facebook for Realtors, when you’re posting a title or headline for your wall post, be succinct. Make a quick point and leave the rest to your fans’ imagination.
Why do we say this?
Remember, most people simply don’t have the attention span to read a huge block of text anymore. And quite frankly, your time is too valuable to waste precious minutes writing it.
When creating a headline for your wall post, think Twitter.

4.Thou shall ask questions to be engaging

Do you think you can do that?
If you use Facebook and follow any successful brands, you’ve probably noticed how they are always asking questions with their wall posts. Why do they do this? Here’s the answer in two words: FREE MARKETING.
That’s right. When someone ‘Likes’ your post, it tells their friends about your post. When someone answers your question by commenting on your post, it tells their friends. And when someone shares your original post, well, it obviously tells whomever they are sharing with.
What’s more, every ‘Like’, comment, or share of your post tells Facebook that your post is becoming more popular, and Facebook’s algorithms will start ranking your post higher and feeding it into more of your fan’s news feeds and rank it higher in news feed.

5.Thou shall ask others to take action

Now read this — all good marketing tells people what they should do next. Most people refer to this as “A Call to Action”.
Realize it or not, your wall posting is marketing — so be sure to remind people what you want them to do. Here are some examples:
  • ‘Like’ our post?
  • ‘Share’ this with someone who might need a good laugh
  • Fill in the blank. My favorite thing to do is___________
Remember, when someone performs the action you’ve asked, it generates free marketing for your wall post and your business.

6.Thou shall use the “Pin to Top” feature for your key real estate promotions

Facebook gives you the opportunity to feature one post in the top left position of your real estate business page for a period of 7 days. This will be the first post anyone visiting your page will see so make sure it advertises something important about your real estate business.
To appropriately use Facebook for Realtors, remember, LEADS ARE EVERYTHING — so make sure your feature post has a call-to-action and a link to a lead capture page with a contact form. Click here for an example of a powerful lead capture page using our system.

7.Thou shall NOT be boring like other Realtors

General updates about the real estate industry, latest mortgage rates, national supply of homes — what a yawner! And probably 4 out 5 Realtors do it.
People don’t want boring news from you — they can get that anywhere. If you want them to remember you and appreciate you, they’ll want 3 things from you. They want to be entertained! They want real value! They want free stuff!
If you think general real estate news is entertainment, real value, or free stuff they want, let me be your voice of reason — you’re dead wrong.
When it comes to posting boring real estate news, “don’t be that guy!”

8.Thou shall post a good home deal or best buy regularly

When it comes to Facebook for Realtors, try to realize that people are creatures of habit and so are your fans. If you want people to remember you and visit your page often, create a routine your fans will remember. Here are a few ways that work:
  • Foreclosure Friday — post an album of photos each Friday for a great local Foreclosure deal. Be sure to tell your fans to ‘share’ it with anyone who might be looking for a great deal on a home.
  • Another Flippin’ Monday! — post fix-and-flip properties for potential investors
  • Saturday Evening “Post” — Post a special home for sale each Saturday night. Remember, lots of pictures, little text, and a call to action like ‘call me to schedule a showing’
  • Monday Movers, Terrific Tuesday — you get the idea, right?

9.Thou shall steal, err, I mean, “borrow” great wall content

To have awesome wall content, you only need a few seconds if you know what you’re doing. Here’s how to get awesome instant content for your wall.
  • Develop a list of Facebook Pages that share great wall content for homeowners
  • Find a wall post that you think your fans would like
  • While logged in as your business page, click the ‘Share’ link under the wall post you want
  • Add your own flair in the “Write something…” box
  • Click the Share button to post it to your business page wall
Try sharing some awesome wall content from these real estate related pages loved and followed by homeowners:
To successfully use Facebook for Realtors, ‘content is king’ so borrow content from the leaders who do it best in the industry.

10.Thou shall NOT be negative

Facebook for Realtors is not just about content, your tone means a lot too. People can stop following you (i.e., ‘Unlike’ you) as fast as they can ‘Like’ you. Don’t give them a reason to stop following because you let negativity show through in your posts.
When it comes to tone, you may wish to consider living and posting by these rules:
  • Being helpful is always permitted — unless you’re always helping yourself
  • Being funny is good — but making fun is not
  • Tugging heart strings works — but no one wants to cry
  • Leave politics to the politicians
  • Use foul language and you’ll ‘foul out’ fast

So what’s next?

When it comes to Facebook for Realtors, wall and post management is essential. By posting great content frequently, you’ll engage your fans and they’ll give you free viral marketing while you sleep.
Do it right and you’ll see your fan base grow consistently. Do it wrong and your page could be stuck in neutral forever.
While wall posting is a critical component, it is just 1 piece of the Facebook social media formula that successful Realtors are using to grow their businesses fast.
If you want to learn about the complete Facebook for Realtors system, complete the form below for a 15-minute online demonstration.

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