Gaining a significant Facebook following from people in your local community can seem like a daunting task. It takes constant improvements and updates to your page to stay relevant. In doing so, you’ll find yourself with a loyal bunch of neighbors who rely on you to stay informed.
It’s important to remember that no matter what post you are making, always consider the value you are demonstrating to your followers. By keeping their best interest in mind at all times, you’ll find yourself quickly gaining ground in terms of following and interaction on your Facebook page.
Use zip-code-based ad targeting
Due to the limited capabilities of organic reach on Facebook, it’s increasingly harder to get exposure for free. This means that in order for anyone to know about you through Facebook, they’re going to need to see some ads first. Conveniently, Facebook allows you to target the exact zip codes you’d like people to see your ads in. This way you won’t waste ad spending on people who won’t benefit from your services. Facebook also allows you to target your ads by age, income, and home ownership status. Facebook’s custom audiences and lookalike audiences even let you target ads toward people with similar interests to those who already follow you.
Attend local government meetings
The beauty of Facebook and the internet is the speed and scale at which information can be shared. Take advantage of this by keeping your followers in the loop on local real estate trends and news. Town hall events and school board meetings will impact you and your followers directly. Make a point to get to these meetings and be sure to share a photo with your thoughts.
Feature giveaways from local businesses
Get more interactions on Facebook by giving away gift cards to local restaurants and stores. This will make your posts something people keep an eye out for regularly, and it’s a great way to quickly expand your following. Encouraging feedback with response-worthy posts is a great way to increase engagement.
Be a reliable news source
Keep your audience engaged with relevant national stories as well as local ones. If you see an article about a national real estate trend that pertains to your town, share it. If you see something from a local paper that will affect your clients and followers, share that, too. This will help you continue to build a reputation as a reliable, dedicated voice in your community.
Make DIY suggestions
People following you will love the occasional DIY suggestion to keep things fresh in their home. Help your followers with an idea for a new paint job or a way to liven up a light fixture. Try to make these seasonally appropriate so your followers can start working on them ASAP. Even if you don’t get tons of feedback, people will love flipping through your ideas just to take a look. Try to keep a neatly organized photo album on your account to make it simple to click through all of them at once.
Frequently post photos and videos
People like to look at pictures and videos on Facebook—and posting videos and pictures of homes that are listed is a guaranteed way to increase traffic on your page. Post a couple of times per day to help yourself become a staple in your follower’s daily swiping. Don’t limit yourself to only posting available homes, either. Post pictures of a part of town you may be particularly fond. Similarly, if you have just closed on a house with a client, ask their permission to post a picture with them. It’s a great way to welcome them to the neighborhood and encourage others to do the same.
