- Facebook search can target leads with keywords.
- Facebook Ads are a gold mine for lead generation.
As real estate agents, we invest a lot of time and money trying to convince people to buy what we’re selling. Unbeknownst to many of us, there are hundreds of potential homebuyers in the untapped well that is Facebook.
… And almost no agents are reaching out to them.
Whether these people have yet to speak with a real estate agent or are unhappy with their current one, you’ve been given a great opportunity to fill that role.
Taking advantage of this tool is a no-brainer
When was the last time you used the Facebook search tool for something related to your real estate business? You already know it’s an easy way to connect with friends and find groups to join, but it can also be an extremely powerful lead generation tool.
Here’s how to use it to reach leads within minutes:
To find free real estate leads on Facebook, just search: [Your Area] + [Likely To Move Keyword].
Keywords: house hunting; buying a house; house buying
For seller or buyer leads, search: [Your Area] + [Selling A Home Keyword].
Keywords: selling a home; sell a home fast; home selling tips
Quick tip: Keywords like “Open House” and “House For Sale” are more likely to pull up posts from agents rather than people looking to buy or sell, so avoid those.
Keep in mind that finding leads isn’t enough; be prepared to encounter people looking for help, advice, and guidance.
Give leads what they want
If you want to get free, qualified real estate leads on Facebook, you have to be in the content creation game. That means you should be providing:
- Blog posts
- YouTube videos
- Free guides
- Reports
- Any other industry-related resources
This is the type of content that draws attention and establishes you as a leader in your field. Once you encounter good leads, identify their challenges and invite them to explore your resources. A single link might lead to the perfect solution.
Prospecting on Facebook is all about building trust by answering questions and solving problems. By adopting a few basic marketing techniques like blogging and posting relevant content on Facebook, people will begin to recognize you as a real estate authority and community expert.
Make a connection
You can also connect with these newfound leads via Messenger. Cold calling may still be effective for now, but many people prefer text and email over phone calls when it comes to marketing.
Messenger is a powerful platform that allows you to text, chat, call and video chat people without needing a contact number. The benefit is undeniable. Prospects may accept friend requests without thinking twice, but they might not be ready to give out personal phone numbers to a real estate agent.
Use Facebook ads to get more leads and listings
Consider investing in Facebook ads if you haven’t already. Using a photo carousel or video ad to highlight properties provides great exposure, and you’ll no longer need to search for leads because they’ll be coming to you!
Promotional videos are also great, cost-effective investments for long-term marketing strategies. No need to worry if your video doesn’t immediately generate leads as they also work very well for branding purposes. It’s very common to get a cost-per-view of around $0.01, which is extremely cheap advertising.
Find your target audience
If you already know your audience well, you can develop a client profile or audience avatar and then tailor your content for that specific group.
You can also generate leads on Facebook by advertising to folks with certain interests. This can be especially effective if you’re not quite getting the results you want when searching Facebook for sellers or buyers.
If you’ve just listed a gorgeous lakefront property, you might try targeting an audience interested in fishing; and if your latest listing has a great mountain view, you’ll definitely want to target an audience interested in hiking.
Add one or two interests on a Facebook ad if you want to keep results as concentrated as possible.
Have you tried any of these Facebook lead generation tactics yet? Let us know what’s been working for you!
Tyler Zey is the digital marketing director and contributing editor for the Real Estate Digital Marketing blog on easyagentpro.com.