Marketing and real estate go together like peanut butter and jelly, but times have changed since the local newspapers were the go-to place to make your brand known to the community.
These days, people go online to find anything they need, and Social Media is a valuable platform. No marketing plan can overlook the benefits of sites like Facebook – where the cost to have your page is $0.00. Statistics show that over 1 billion people log onto Facebook daily, and the average user spends about 20 minutes in each visit to the application. It’s easy to see why businesses want to leverage that level of engagement for their own success.
There is definitely an opportunity to grow your business on Facebook, if you do it well. But many real estate professionals are still mixing business with personal. Aside from posting things that get you in trouble, did you know you could lose access to Facebook permanently if you use your personal account to promote your business instead?
Today, we clear up the differences between personal profile and the Public Figure or Business page, and get you started on how to create them in order to protect your Facebook access.
PERSONAL PROFILE
To get started on Facebook, you first have to create a personal account. The signup form asks for a few personal details, and once set up, people continue to build their personal profile on this account to stay in touch with family and friends. Posting photos, videos, updates and more about their lives to stay connected with others is what drives people to Facebook.
Since Facebook lets you choose who you share with, be sure to select your audience carefully. Privacy settings can be adjusted easily, and we highly recommend that you take the time to do so, keeping your personal photos and posts accessible only to those people you know and trust.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH FACEBOOK’S PRIVACY SETTINGS VIDEO
Your personal profile is not the place to advertise your listings or business, however. Doing so is against Facebook Terms, and you could permanently lose your Facebook access if you do. To promote a brand – whether a personal one or a business one – Facebook requests that you create a Page.
PAGES
Pages offer unique tools to market your business and/or your professional identity. It allows you to manage and track engagement with other people on Facebook – from creating ads to holding contests and more. People can follow your page and get your public updates in their News Feed, even if you’re not friends on Facebook. You can add admin roles and even schedule content for future posts because these pages are designed to help you market your brand.
Although there are various categories when creating a page, for real estate professionals, choosing either Business or Public Figure will be optimal.
- For agents, it’s a good idea to start with a Public Figure page, where your posts can showcase your personality as well as your business projects.Fun Fact: Shakira’s page has over 100 million followers.
- For broker-owners, it’s a good idea to also have a Business page; you’ll be able to make known your business address and contact information. Follow up with your followers to get leads, increase traffic to your website, and even see how your competitors are using their page to drive their business. Starting at $0, it’s definitely a great marketing opportunity.
Learn how to create a Facebook page; CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FACEBOOK VIDEO TUTORIAL.
And, there you have it. Be sure to keep your personal content on your personal profile, and your business content on your pages.
Access Facebook’s Help Center for step-by-step instructions and answers to all your Facebook related questions, or give Tech Helpline a call, and we’ll be happy to assist you.
Contributions to this article were made by Marc Zayas and Jessica Rosado, Tech HelplineTeam.
