Will the 'Facebook Apocalypse' Change Your Social Presence?

Will the 'Facebook Apocalypse' Change Your Social Presence?

RECBL - Real Estate News

Just when you started to get a handle on your social strategy, Facebook is at it again, changing up their algorithms and making it more difficult for businesses to have a presence in peoples news feeds.

Until very recently, any engagement with a Facebook post, whether it was a like, share, or comment, would indicate interest and help your content show up for certain people. However, according to Adam Mosseri, Facebooks Head of News Feed, new algorithm changes will consider comments "more valuable than likes" and is "going to be (weighing) long comments more than short comments."

This new focus on "conversations and meaningful interactions" means many agents will need to completely revisit their Facebook strategies.

You can either pay for sponsored posts and other Facebook advertising, or you can work the system and get your followers to show Facebook that they want to see your posts. This can be accomplished by actively commenting on your posts and by changing their settings regarding your page.

How to Get Your Facebook Audience to Engage
In a January 11 post, Chairman and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg explained that "As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard-it should encourage meaningful interactions between people." According to Mosseri, these standards will be measured by the number and length of comments on your posts. Traditionally, you could ask followers to comment - it is important to note, however, Facebook will "demote these posts in News Feed." How do you get comments without asking for them?

1. Ask questions.
People love to talk about themselves and share their opinions. To give your followers opportunities to do that, try asking leading questions. A leading question can be anything from "What’s the best local coffee shop?" to "What’s the one thing you wish you knew before you bought your first house?"

2. Share important news and milestones.
You’ve seen it before. When someone posts about getting married, having a baby, getting a new job, or graduating, the "Congratulations!" immediately start rolling in. Let your followers share in your big moments by sharing significant business moments and milestones with them. If you have time to hop on and do a live video, even better! Live videos tend to get a lot more discussion than uploaded videos.

3. Run contests.
In regards to contests, it is important to note that "like and share to win" the prize contests will not give you the results you are looking for. You want your contests to be fun and engaging, not boring and derivative. For example, you could say that the first three people to go to your website or Homes.com and find a home that meets certain criteria win. Have them post their listing in the comments. Just remember to look over your areas rules about contests and sweepstakes before you start.

"Following" Settings
Your followers can also indicate that they would like to see your posts by changing their "Following" settings for your page. Currently when someone likes a page on Facebook, that page is added with default settings that allow the algorithm to decide what posts to show when, and to whom. However, there’s an algorithm trump card users can use to choose whose content they want to see in their news feeds.

Because your followers will have to go to your actual page rather than waiting for your post to pop up in their feed, this method will be most applicable to your most loyal brand advocates. Once you have a strong enough relationship with them, ask them to follow your content with the "See First" option so they never miss an update!

If keeping up with your social strategy is too much for you, let us help! Homes.com Social Fuel takes care of your social strategy by providing you with everything from account setup, post creation, engagement, and Facebook Ad management. We will even monitor your online reputation and monitor how your business ranks in search results so you can focus on selling real estate.

For more information, please visit connect.homes.com.





Jason Grace is AZ Social Realty's content editor. Email him your real estate news ideas at jason@cashbuyerslists.com.





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Tips to Help Market Yourself

Tips to Help Market Yourself

RECBL - Real Estate News

Marketing is the action or business of promoting and selling products or services. When it comes to real estate there is no shortage of products or services to market.

If you’re like many real estate professionals, you can market properties with surprising ease, but may have difficulty when it comes to marketing yourself.

Even if it’s not something you particularly enjoy, marketing yourself and your services is a necessary part of helping your business grow and being in the real estate business marketing yourself is essential.

Whether you’re a new real estate professional or a veteran agent, here are some "Marketing Yourself 101" tips and reminders that you may find helpful:

• Brag a little in your marketing materials. Potential clients want to know what you’ve accomplished and what your professional strengths are. Were your sales figures last year commendable? List them in your marketing materials. Have you won professional awards over the years? Don’t be shy about sharing them. Were you recognized in the community for volunteer efforts or generosity? Be sure to include that information, too.

• If you have trouble writing about yourself, ask colleagues and clients who know you well to describe you. Then, consider using those words in your marketing pieces. Sometimes the people who’ve seen you in action recognize things that you don’t necessarily see in yourself.

• Find your niche. Do you enjoy working with first-time homebuyers? Is there a particular part of town that you know extremely well? Do you have a lot of experience with corporate relocations? If so, make sure your materials reflect your experience with these business segments.

• Update your marketing materials regularly. If you’ve been using the same resources for more than a year or two, it’s probably time to refresh them. Include any new sales data, accomplishments, or professional descriptions. Make sure your contact information is accurate. Have new professional photographs made, and include those. 

• Don’t be afraid to share some personal information. While your marketing pieces should be professional and focus mostly on your business acumen, remember that your goal is to form relationships with your clients. Divulging a little bit about your family life, hobbies, or interests can give potential clients a glimpse about who you are as a person as well as add a little warmth to your communications.

• Consider using testimonials. Ask permission from long-term or favorite clients to share some statements about working with you.

Remember, there are many other ways to promote you in addition to marketing collateral and social media.

• Be involved in your community.

• Volunteer your time at community and charity events.

• Sponsor a Little League team or buy an ad in a local sports team or arts program.

• Socialize often and actively look for ways to meet new people.

• Join your area alumni association, be active in your children’s schools, and participate in neighborhood associations.

The more people you meet and the more you get your name out, the more connections you will make that may lead to new business opportunities.

Source: HSA Home Warranty

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How to Promote Your Listings on Facebook

How to Promote Your Listings on Facebook

RECBL - Real Estate News

Agents are forever in need of new methods to generate more business and close more deals. The rise of digital marketing has created a big splash, and for good reason. It’s incredibly powerful and should not be overlooked. Why, and how, should agents be using Facebook to boost their business? With over 2 billion active users, the power of Facebooks audience is undeniable.

Approximately 30 percent of Facebook users are between the ages of 25 and 34, making it the largest age demographic on the social network.

Thirty-four percent of homebuyers are under the age of 36, according to the National Association of REALTORS(R) (NAR). Those two trends go hand-in-hand and should be dictating real estate agents marketing efforts.

Agents need to be experimenting with Facebook advertising in order to meet client expectations and remain competitive. It’s easy to get left behind in today’s fast-moving market. Agents should be improving and scaling their marketing efforts to keep up with competitors and maintain a positive reputation.

Client expectations are changing. Efforts such as social media marketing are now not only preferred, but expected. Homeowners want to be confident that their agent is digital-savvy and will go above and beyond to market their listing. Gaining massive exposure through social media channels provides that necessary peace of mind for homeowners. The more eyes an agent can get their listing in front of, the better.

The reality is, Facebook has built their advertising interface for digital marketers. The majority of agents don't have the know-how or time to properly advertise their listings on a regular basis because they’re juggling hundreds of other tasks and it isn’t their specialty. This doesn’t mean they’re exempt from the need to execute in this area, however. It means that they need to leverage tools that help them up their marketing game efficiently and effectively. Moxi Works recently released a new feature, called Advertise Your Listing, within the Moxi Engage CRM that simplifies and expedites this process. Advertise Your Listing empowers real estate agents to leverage Facebook advertising to reach massive audiences, impress their clients, and, in turn, win more business.

So where do agents even begin? Once they have a tool that is simple and efficient, they can begin promoting each time they win a new listing. Here are a few tips for agents getting started:

• Select a great image - Social media is visual. A great image of the property is what is going to catch people’s attention and drive engagement online.

• Focus on gaining reach - You already know how to sell a home. What you really want to do is impress your clients by showing them how many thousands of people saw their listing.

• Make sure your website is up to date - Improving your presence online through Facebook is great, but make sure your agent website is up to date as well. This way, if people want to learn more about you, see other listings, or contact you, it’s easy for them to do so.

If they’re using a tool like Advertise Your Listing, which is connected to the MLS, agents won’t have to worry about any manual data entry, making the process quick and painless.

Facebook advertising needs to become a part of an agent's repeatable marketing flow in order to stay competitive and efficient. It’s an inexpensive way to exceed client expectations and drive more business. Reaching a massive audience means exposure for both you and the listing, and happy clients means more referrals and a positive reputation.

For more information, please visit www.moxiworks.com.

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