Heeding the exhortations of marketing experts, many agents have created their own Facebook pages with the expectation that they will generate leads.
But Michael Glazer, CEO of Back at You Media, said many of these pages suffer from poor design and maintenance, falling far short of their potential. And even if they are created by design firms, he said, they still often don’t receive the care and attention that they need to snag leads.
“Sure, you need apps on a page, but if you don’t have people on the page, then what’s the point?” he said. “And if you’re not engaging them with content, what’s the point of having people on the page?”
That’s why Glazer created Back at You. The service, which launched in early 2012 and boasts a claimed 1,000 subscribers, offers a “full-service Facebook solution” that furnishes agents with polished Facebook pages while equipping them with tools and know-how to drive traffic to their pages.
The company currently partners with CBRE, and soon will announce additional partnerships with several other top real estate firms, Glazer said.
N-Play offers a similar product to Back at You that enables agents to create ads to lure local sellers and buyers to Facebook pages.
But Glazer, who also is a co-founder of successful Q-and-A site Soda Head, said that N-Play’s READ ADvantage is more of a self-service product because it leaves agents largely responsible for creating their own ads and Facebook pages.
“We’re about closing those marketing loops,” Glazer said. “Most people we talk to need a lot of hand-holding … We have pretty good technology savvy in that. I think that’s the biggest differentiator.”
Back at You closes those loops in four main ways, Glazer said.
Screen shot of the Facebook page of Back at You client Aaron Scott
First, the company designs a compelling Facebook page dressed up with features including a “contact me” app to convert visitors into leads. Second, it creates ads that target demographics specified by a client. Agents may target Back at You-generated ads based on criteria including location, education level, age range and interests, Glazer said.
Third, Back at You helps curate agents’ pages, furnishing them with engaging content and tweaking the content based on how that content engages.
Fourth, the company provides coaching to agents in order to ensure that they are consistently implementing best practices.
“We’re going to teach you how to use Facebook,” Glazer said.
Back at You charges subscribers $49 a month for its app offerings, content design and coaching. In addition, agents generally spend anywhere from $100 to $500 a month on ad campaigns managed by Back at You that are tailored to fit their budgets and goals, Glazer said.
