Social media marketing for small business . . .

Facebook post ideas for small business . . .

Real estate post ideas for Facebook

Facebook lead generation for REALTORS^® . . .

Facebook story ideas . . .

You search and search, and you still haven’t found the best answer to your most burning question:

What Facebook content will get me the greatest engagement and the best leads?

Rest easy.

Your search is over.

Below are 9 Facebook marketing ideas for REALTORS^® divided into 2 categories. The first category includes several types of the best content for Facebook (plus examples) to engage your audience, have them share your posts, and keep you top of mind. I’ve even got a solution that will save you tons of time, but more on that later.

The second category will blow you away. It’s about types of Facebook ads and includes a single type of ad we tested, and—no lying—it produced 1,542 leads and a 464% ROI. I’ll explain exactly what we did and how you can do the same to generate amazing results.

A word about engagement

Let’s start with posts that will improve your Facebook engagement, by which I mean more likes, comments, and shares.

Engagement of these sorts with your business page and your posts is a compelling and powerful form of social proof. But it probably comes as no surprise to you that they aren’t as relevant to your business’s success as they once were.

At one time, the more likes your page or a post attracted, the greater the number of people who would see it.

For example, Mary would Like your post. Anyone who had friended Mary would then see her Like and your post in their News Feeds. These additional people would, in turn, also Like your post since friends tend to have similar interests and enjoy similar content.

Thus, the engine of social likes would keep turning, giving you more and more exposure.

But Facebook doesn’t work that way anymore.

Facebook’s most recent changes to its News Feed algorithm allows it to evaluate every post, score it, and then rank it based on the interests of the individual user. The less interest someone is likely to have in your post, the lower it will appear (if at all) in their News Feed.

As one writer advises, “Keep in mind that Facebook has been designed for friends and family purposes above anything else. That means that the algorithm values your communication with friends more than celebrities or business pages.” So what’s a real estate agent to do? It’s simple . . .

You need to become friends with your Facebook audience of potential clients and referrals.

Creating engaging Facebook posts

The first thing to do is to connect with everyone in your sphere. The best-case scenario is to have everyone in your database also be in your list of Facebook contacts and vice versa. Even if you have a robust list of Facebook contacts, you’ve likely missed someone. Make an effort to connect with your:

• Family members. Check that you have connected with ALL the people in your family. This would include your parents, in-laws, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
• Leads and satisfied clients. These folks are your best source of referrals.
• Social circle. Don’t be afraid to cast a wide net. Include your friends, gym buddies, church group, close neighbors, members of your poker club, fellow board members, school alumni, and your spouse’s or partner’s colleagues. Keep thinking—I promise there’s more.
• Service providers. Service providers include your mail carrier, trash and recycling collectors, dog walker, housekeeper, landscaper, babysitter, maintenance person, caretaker, barista, children’s teachers, financial advisor, accountant, auto mechanic, and dentist. Check the names on all the business cards you’ve collected, and reach out to each of them.
• Business associates. Agents typically have a long list of people they use when their clients need help. I bet you’ve got mortgage brokers, insurance agents, lawyers, interior designers, lawn and garden professionals, painters, plumbers, and electricians in your phone. I’m also willing to bet you have some local business owners in there too. Invite them to connect with you.

The “rules of engagement” (so to speak) for creating Facebook posts that will draw attention and encourage activity include:

• Post content your sphere enjoys. It can be content that is useful, educational, entertaining, or endearing. And since John may not enjoy the same things as Jane, be sure to mix it up.
• Post frequently and consistently. The more you post, the better, but don’t commit to a schedule you can’t keep. Once you have your schedule, stick to it because your audience will learn to anticipate hearing from you.
• Post images with text-based explanations. While posts that include virtual emotions (i.e., emojis) receive more comments and shares than those without, images that include text-based explanations receive even more. One article reports that the latter receive 53% more likes, 104% more comments, and 84% more clicks than posts without images.
• Respond to comments. If you want your audience to engage with you, then it’s only fair that you engage with your clients. The simplest way to respond and encourage engagement is to ask questions. Content that includes “should,” “how,” “why,” “what,” and “which” will get you more responses. (If you’d like advice for dealing with haters and negative reviews, click here.)
• Do not, under any circumstances, post a sales pitch. Social media is still about being social, and people log on to escape from the day’s demands. Including a sales pitch would be self-serving, and friends don’t use friends for their own gain.

What follows are only a few of the many ways you can use Facebook to engage an audience, promote brand recognition, and draw the attention of potential new clients.

1. Publish video testimonials

You’ve likely posted pictures of happy clients to your Facebook page, but have you thought about capturing the joy of a smooth closing, the passing of the keys, or the removal of a For Sale sign on video? Authentic emotion will always make an impression, and video is an excellent way to capture words from the heart and promote your business.

Before recording, prep your clients by asking them to hit on a few specific points, such as how easy the process was, what it was like to work with you, or how amazed they were that you got them a buyer as fast as you did. (They’ll appreciate not having to think on their feet.)

2. Offer neighborhood tours

If you’re an agent who is taking advantage of hyperlocal marketing, then you know that, while buyers appreciate a thorough tour of a home, they’re also keen on details about the neighborhood where it’s located.

A walking tour captured in pictures, video, or on Facebook Live will give prospective buyers information that many agents never think to share in a visual medium. You might also consider using a drone, but I don’t recommend you rely on flyovers. It’s best to give interested parties as real and accurate a feel for the surrounding area as possible, and real people don’t fly.

3. Share branded posts

This is a unique idea you may not have come across before now. We have a library of thousands of prewritten blogs about all sorts of popular topics, including home decor, travel, culture, recipes, holidays, seasonal tips, DIY, home and garden, and so much more. In addition to blogs, we have funny memes, inspirational quotes, eye-catching images, and other content that is useful, educational, and entertaining.

With Branded Social Posts, you can post as often as you like, and, with our Facebook scheduler, you don’t have to leave the platform to schedule posts weeks in advance. (You can also post content to your other social media accounts.) It’s a real “set it and forget it” solution.

The cool thing is we personally brand these posts to you—set up a regularly scheduled post, and you’ll stay top of mind. And, anytime a post is shared, your branding goes with it. Take a look at our free demo.

4. Post personal images and stories

Much like you do, people enjoy doing business with people they know, like, and trust. The way to encourage those feelings on social media is to be social. You don’t need to share private aspects of your life, but personal moments like birthday celebrations, a dinner at a favorite restaurant, humorous or endearing images of your pets, and similar events and images allow prospects, leads, and clients to get to know you as a human being with a life beyond being an agent.

5. Create quizzes, polls, and contests

People love to share their opinions, and using quizzes and polls is a ridiculously effective way to get people to engage with your content. These types of content allow people to express their thoughts and feelings, make them feel involved, and require them to do more than give you a Like and move on. They also tend to act like rolling stones—the more engagement a post receives, the more people feel encouraged to participate.

Another way to encourage engagement is to allow your followers to vote in contests. There are all sorts of contests you can run (personally, I love best pet photo contests), and a big pull to participate will be to offer a free prize. (“Free” is one of those words that has a powerful persuasive effect.) The prize can be a gift certificate, a free CMA, or something similar to draw your followers in.

Think about creating your quizzes, polls, and contests in a way that provides you with some valuable information about your audience. Keep them fun, but make sure you get something out of them too.

Facebook advertising for REALTORS^®

As Forbes recognizes, whereas traditional advertising functions indiscriminately by showing ads to anyone who happens to see them, advertising on social media is typically narrowed to a highly specific niche more likely to buy your product or service. In addition, social media advertising can be amazingly creative, and audiences may not realize what they are viewing is an advertisement—and will be more receptive to it.

But even as advertising through social media offers benefits unique to the channel and remains one of the most cost-effective methods for bringing attention and leads to your real estate business, cost effective does not always equate to high value.

At ReminderMedia, we routinely suggest 3 Facebook ad ideas for REALTORS® not only because you can run them at a nominal cost but also because they offer among the best value.

6. Branding ad

As mentioned earlier, a Facebook branding ad can be used to reach a large, but more targeted, audience of people interested in real estate services. While Facebook modified its advertising rules so that you cannot target by zip code, you can still select a fairly focused group of local prospects within a 15-mile radius of a city’s center and get in front of the community you serve. Be sure that your ad highlights any expertise you have—FSBOs, expired listings, first-time homebuyers, condos, etc.

7. Market-analysis ad

At the very least, someone who clicks on an ad promising a comparative market analysis or another type of market report is curious to see what’s going on in the real estate market. Of course, you’ll want to send these leads what they requested, and you’ll want to follow up with a call even if it will be another 3 or 4 months before they are ready to buy or sell. Just be sure to put them in your email drip campaign, and keep sending them value. Stay top of mind, and they’ll call you when they are ready to make a move.

8. Product ad

A Facebook ad that features an active listing or an open house will produce hot leads. Every agent knows to post an image for a listing, but not every agent knows to post a video with crawling captions. (You’ll get more clicks.) Post Open House ads far enough in advance of the event so that potential clients can plan to attend. Advance planning will also allow you to follow up with an email reminder.

Do everything in your power to be the first agent to respond to those who click on your ad because, according to NAR, 73% of home buyers will decide to work with the first agent they talk to. If they don’t pick up, keep calling! The majority of salespeople give up after one call. If you persist (and I’m talking about the possibility of 18+ follow-up calls), you’ll likely be the agent they choose.

The ad agents should be running right now

I mentioned that we ran a test program on a type of Facebook ad that, over the course of a year, produced 1,542 leads and a 464% ROI for a single agent—but that’s not entirely true.

No ad ever produced a lead . . . it’s only in following up that ads can turn into clients.

9. Listing report

The ad we tested, along with a follow-up script, was an offer for a report of listings within a price range in a specified location. We designed the ad and ran it for several of our clients. We managed the ad budget, reported results, and coached this group through their follow-up calls. The script for these calls was a mere 2 sentences:

“I noticed you were looking at homes. Did you find what you were looking for?”

Don’t let its simplicity fool you. Every lead responded either “yes” or “no,” and, from there, the conversation easily moved into one of two different directed paths.

We recorded a webinar in which we explain exactly how you can design, run, follow up, and report on your own Facebook ads. However, if you feel like you’d rather spend your valuable time with your clients, we also introduce our new Facebook Ad Services, which can do all of this for you. Those who join also receive periodic coaching and mastermind sessions at no extra charge.

Check out the webinar, and if you want to hear more, book a call with one of our marketing advisors, who’ll take the time to answer all your questions. There’s never any obligation when you ask about how we can help you close more deals and retain more business.