Most salespeople who use Facebook give the impression that their sole reason for being on the site is to make sales.
By focusing only on making sales, they never create a relationship with their clients and instead leave them with the impression that they are just out for the money.
Instead of being themselves, they become Joe the Realtor and this new persona lowers their impact potential on Facebook.
The good news is you can be yourself on Facebook and still make money by building relationships.
Personal account vs. business account
I suggest that you use your personal Facebook account and here are the reasons why:
- You will have more personal connections than if using a business account.
- It demonstrates your hobbies and daily activities. This will help build trust with your clients.
- It creates transactions opportunities for friends, family and acquaintances.
- It humanizes you on Facebook.
- Business accounts only highlight your real estate activity, making you seem only interested in making money.
What can I post to show that I am a normal human being?
- Choose three topics or hobbies that you’re passionate about that are not related to real estate.
- Do status updates one or two times per week on those topics to keep yourself populating in your client’s news feed. This helps to humanize your profile since these posts are not strictly about real estate, so you become John the animal lover and fitness guru who also happens to be a Realtor.
Get your friends and clients to know what you do
- Advertise your business indirectly. For example, you could take a picture of your car in the empty parking lot with the caption, “Business is booming, staying late tonight at the office.”
- Post real estate articles with your own analysis and commentary.
- Do one-minute market update live videos (Facebook prioritizes video content to show up first on news feeds).
The key is to show people you are working hard and in the know about real estate.
How do I engage clients on Facebook and build relationships without being insincere?
A touch point is when you like, comment or send a message to a friend on Facebook. These touch points are important in staying top of mind with your clients and helps to further develop your relationship with them. That way they will think of you when they are ready to make a real estate transaction. Here are some ways you can create these touch points:
- Start every day by wishing happy birthday to those celebrating their birthdays.
- “Like” 20 to 30 posts per week.
- Comment on at least two to three posts a week to start conversations with clients.
Show them you’re doing well in real estate
Now that you have humanized your profile and strengthened relationships with clients, it’s time to sell your business.
- Create a business page on Facebook.
- Post your listings, work with buyers and put all other real estate activity onto your business page.
- Share the posts you make from the business page onto your personal page, so your friends can see the business page.
- If it is an important post such as a hot listing, try boosting it.
The advantages of Facebook go beyond generating leads. It will create and deepen valuable relationships with clients and enhance your current business. It’s a big advantage over the competition that is not using Facebook the right way.
Alex Pilarski was introduced to the world of real estate in 1972. In 1985, he co-founded Re/Max Realtron with his brother Richard. Together they have been awarded many top honours within the Re/Max system, including No. 1 Re/Max in the world in 2012 (most transactions), International Broker/Owners of the Year and the Prestigious Distinguished Service Award. He is also a certified mentor with Buffini and Company and Richard Robbins International. Send him an email or phone 905-944-8800 x302.
