Avoid being blocked on Facebook

Leigh Brown

Many Realtors® have a Facebook profile but they don’t know how to maximize its potential, according to Leigh Brown, a Realtor® and real estate instructor.

“It seems like a lot of Realtors® are on Facebook but they’re falling into the trap of not providing any information to other users,” Brown explained. “They give you a quote of the day, every day, which doesn’t tell you anything about them. Or the other extreme is they talk about real estate all the time, posting their listings on their personal page – which is a violation of Facebook’s policy.”

Brown says Realtors® should think of Facebook like a dinner party. “Envision yourself at a dinner party, with eight people and different conversations going on around you,” she said. “You wouldn’t walk in screaming you have a new listing or sit next to the wall and repeat what everyone else says but that’s essentially what many are doing on Facebook.

“Think about what you would talk about at a dinner party,” she continues. “You might tell someone you ran five miles that morning, or that you listed a really special historic house. You wouldn’t say, ‘I have an open house from 2 to 4 tomorrow’.”

Brown said Realtors® must find a more subtle way of reminding people they are in real estate, without posting listings on their personal pages. “When you’re posting listings all the time, your friends will block you from their news feed and when you do have something interesting to say, no one will see it. And you won’t know you’ve been blocked,” she added.

Twitter is a more like a cocktail party with loud conversation. “People are in the room to build connections,” she said. “You wouldn’t yell ‘I have a listing on Main Street,’ because quite frankly, no one there cares.”

Facebook and Twitter allow users to tell a story with a photo and a few words. “It’s really the beauty of these two networks,” Brown said. “A Realtor® might take a photo of a giant Maple tree outside a house, without giving away privacy, and comment, ‘My buyers’ kids can’t wait to climb this tree.’ It’s a simple way to tell a story without writing a book.

“This type of story also shows potential clients that you understand what they want and need,” she said. “People can find their own houses on the Internet. They want to work with Realtors® who hear their needs and wants and help them figure out what house best meets their needs.”

“You can use humor but be careful not to insult your client,” Brown said. “I’ve seen Realtors® post a photo of ugly wallpaper and comment how awful it is. It’s too easy to be snarky and nasty and you’ve treated your homeowner like dirt.”

In her edgy-humorous style, Brown said she once posted a photo of handcuffs from a home and asked, “Should they stay or go for the open house?” She didn’t post whose house they were in but it does relay her funny personality.

Facebook advertising is an easy and cost-effective method of marketing properties. “When I post listings on my business page, I pay to boost that post and I can target who gets that ad,” she explained. “For about $20, I can give that post between 3,000 to 10,000 additional views.”

For Realtors® who aren’t using social media advertising, Brown suggests hiring a virtual assistant to help. “They’re great at helping with Facebook posts and listings and you can hire it out for less than what you make an hour.”