1 Billion-Plus Reasons Why You Should Be Active on Facebook
Being Active on Facebook – The number is staggering and potentially career ending for REALTORS® who ignore it: 1,440,000,000. That’s the total number of monthly active users on the social medium Facebook.
That number alone is reason enough to use it regularly in your real estate business. But Facebook can also help turn you into the expert in your community. Just by sharing knowledge and relevant events about the community you can become the go-to source for all things local – a perfect way to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
Plus, Facebook advertising also gives you tons of targeting layers like age, location, recent life events and interests. Plus, it constantly adds new targeting filters and functions that help you reach even more niche prospects who closely meet your customer criteria. Talk about pinpointing a target audience.
Another Facebook real estate ad tool is Website Custom Audiences that lets you create Facebook ads that target users who have visited your website. And several apps specifically for being active on Facebook have emerged. Consider these:
• Heyo.com: Helps you host contests, showcase promotions and highlight special offers.
• Woobox.com: Let’s you easily create quizzes and other fun tools for engaging content.
• Pagemodo.com: Helps you make your Facebook business page both sleek and stylish and tabs allow for easy lead capture.
But the latest offering is just as cool. It’s called Facebook Live and it lets you stream live video on the internet. I recently wrote about Periscope, another live video streaming app, but when you use Facebook Live you’re automatically featured at the top of Facebook users’ news feed. What’s more, statistics show that live video is viewed more than recorded video.
How can REALTORS® use Facebook Live?
Open Houses: Broadcast a walk-through of a new listing and highlight all the great features.
Webinars: Host live webinars targeted to buyers and sellers. They can submit questions just like a real-life seminar.
Real Estate Talk Show: Offer the latest news in the industry plus share local events and your newest listings. In short, become the Lester Holt or Diane Sawyer of real estate in your town with your own “TV” show!
Facebook offers these tips for being active of Facebook and using Facebook Live:
Promote: Tease upcoming Facebook Live broadcasts for more viewers.
Plan better: Take time to plan what you want to do in the video, whether it’s a few key talking points or to have a few questions ready ahead of time in a Q&A, in case incoming comments slow down.
Invest in some equipment: A shaky live stream turns off viewers so consider a tripod or other stabilizing tools, especially if you’re taking viewers on a tour of an open house. And check the shot before going live.
Get the lighting right: If you’re indoors be sure you have plenty of good lighting and avoid a lot of light directly behind you because it’ll wash you out.
Sound good: A common mistake for beginners being active on Facebook is overlooking sound. Consider an external microphone to make sure your viewers can actually hear you.
And if the live option makes you a little nervous, you can also stream pre-recorded videos. Hey, that has worked like a charm for TV for decades. Some businesses promote their web series to “air” on Facebook Live at a certain time like TV shows. After they are streamed, Facebook Live videos function as normal Facebook videos. Some business owners believe videos may perform better being active on facebook if they begin as live ones.
NowThis, a news company that publishes entirely on social platforms, experimented by streaming a 38-minute compilation of its favorite viral videos via Facebook Live. The stream received over 20,000 views and over 500 comments, according to Facebook’s counters.
Yes, all the new-fangled internet tools to help be active of Facebook, apps and options for REALTORS® can be a bit overwhelming. Just take it one step at a time and you’ll slowly be right there in the business-winning mix. E-mail me today at Article@CorcoranCoaching.com and I’ll send you more free information about being active on Facebook and how technology can help your real estate business.
