Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that most of us can’t live without Facebook. Whether you use it casually to keep in touch with friends and family or are a heavy user promoting your business several times a day, most of us check in regularly.
If you’re like most real estate agents, you probably see a lot of the same content in your feed from other agents. Some days you can tell that everyone read the same article or blog because everyone has some version of the same post.
According to a recent study by social scheduling platform Buffer:
- Engagement is highest for video. In fact, the top 81 percent of posts were videos.
- The most common reactions to top-performing posts were “Love” and “HaHa.”
- Inspirational, funny or practical posts performed well.
The takeaways here?
- If you’re not already creating video, there are no more excuses. To be seen and to connect with your audience, you need to make video part of your content strategy.
- People want uplifting and positive content — save your rants for Twitter.
- Keep it light, and find ways to teach (and tickle) your audience.
We wanted to give you some new ideas to get you excited about posting on Facebook again. We hope you find something that works for you and works for your business by increasing engagement and starting conversations.
Great video posts
Following are some of the best video posts we’ve seen recently from agents and brokers. If you’re not doing video, take some inspiration from these extremely effective posts.
1. Share the things that make your town great (and funny).
Colin Cameron and RETV made their brand reputation through funny and viral videos. This one focuses on sure-to-be-shared, hyperlocal content that rings true for Hanover residents.
2. Don’t be afraid to be a little silly — remember, people are looking for the ‘Love’ and ‘HaHas.’
Claudine Ellis’s car jams have long been a staple of her wildly popular Facebook feed. Get over your self-consciousness, and let people see the real you!
3. Drive traffic to your other platforms, including YouTube.
Stop posting links to HGTV. Make your own great content in whatever platform you choose, then use your social media channels to drive your original content. Like Brandon Doyle and Colton Pratt’s “Home Tech Decisions,” which is featured on Inman on Wednesdays.
4. Make someone’s day with a shoutout. Bonus points if it’s purely a personal thank you, not promoting a professional connection.
There are so many people who work hard every day and never get a “thank you.” Highlight their service — and your appreciation. It’s the kind of heartwarming post that gets engagement.
5. Promote a local, non-real estate business or entrepreneur.
Instead of putting the focus on your business, many agents and brokers find success through promoting the work of other businesses and business owners in their area. It’s sure to get likes and shares, both from your followers and theirs. Sue “Pinky” Benson makes a habit of this in her market, Naples, Florida.
Facebook Stories
We reached out for some tips from folks who have mastered the Stories platform. Whether they share from Instagram or post within Facebook stories, they’ve got lots of ideas.
Felix Hung, coach and Realtor at Movoto
Felix Hung
According to Hung, “The unwritten rule on your Facebook personal page is that you’re exchanging your personal life in exchange for the opportunity to spam your friends, family, and followers with your business sometimes.”
Here are his best tips:
- Be genuine and authentic.
- His 80/20 rule: 80 percent should be personal posts, and 20 percent business on your personal page.
- Tell stories instead of writing a statement and throwing a picture or video up.
- Post consistently; he recommends daily.
- Think about what time of day you’re posting. You want to have a lot of eyes on your posts quickly because the first 15 minutes of engagement will have a lot to do with how well your post does.
- Use Facebook Stories to show your life and, most importantly, things you do behind the scenes in your business.
Judy Weiniger, broker-owner, Weiniger Group
Judy Weiniger
Weiniger is known for her “good morning” stories where she strolls from her front door to her car as her day begins. She weaves in the personal and professional to give her friends and followers on Facebook a glimpse into her day. “I love real life, non-real estate posts on positivity and self-care. I mix in my brokerage and agent happenings as well — one beautiful messy story,” she said.
Although at first she said that she felt she was talking to herself, now “so many people say they love my happy good morning posts. That makes me so happy, and it gives others a lift.”
Weiniger prefers Stories to the FB newsfeed because they are more conversational, and she gets more feedback and engagement.
“Stories and video help me find ‘my people’ quicker. It’s clear who I am — like or don’t like. I know many agents are shy to share and be on video, but that’s shortsighted. Be you, own you and your story. It’s the way to let someone get to know you.”
Other newsfeed tips
6. Use an app like WordSwag and optimize images for the social media platform where you’re using them.
Use the right sized image for the right platform. Bonus: You can also use the app to include text overlays and logos quickly and easily.
7. Take a tip from Gary Vaynerchuk: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook. Offer value-added content several times before an ask or a sales pitch.
Show, don’t tell. Offer your expertise, your experiences, and your wealth of knowledge before asking for something in return.
8. Be transparent with people about your personal story. Authenticity attracts like people.
It is so tempting to try to act like we are perfect for the highly curated social media world. Sharing the real you and your real struggles can create closer bonds with your friends, fans, and followers.
9. Use Canva to create and share a quote from your latest blog post, or turn it into an infographic.
Repurpose all of your content into value-added extras. Even if you don’t have an eye for graphic design, Canva has so many templates you’ll easily end up with a professional-looking result.
10. ‘Edutain’ your audience by teaching a skill or showcasing a strategy in a fun way.
Are you great at home repairs? Do you make a mean meatloaf? Are you an expert at staging? Create fun content that showcases your skill and wins you new admirers.
11. Show off an unusual home feature or anything pet-related (this does both).
We all see hidden gems in the homes we tour. Find the hidden, the cute, the interesting, or the impressive, and share it (with the homeowner’s permission, of course).
In addition, the internet was basically invented to give humans a way to share cute animal pics. You can’t go wrong with pet-related content.
12. Keep the focus on the audience instead of on you.
Don’t like talking about yourself? Don’t! Talk about the needs and wants of clients, friends and people who reach out to you for advice. Focus on what your audience needs, rather than showing off yourself and your stuff.
13. Self-care is a huge focus. Incorporate it into your content.
Self-care is one of the biggest buzzwords right now, and a major focus for social media. Talk about how you take care of yourself, time- or money-saving tips, your fitness routine, your daily meditation — anything that helps people live their best life.
14. Need a social media coach? Ask a teenager.
Need help with making your feed prettier, cooler or more interesting — or just need general tech support? Ask one of your own teenagers or borrow one from a family friend or colleague. Have them help you develop a personal style as well as some best practices and habits that work for you each day.
15. Last but not least, ask a question that gets people talking to you.
Kala Laos offers the most engaging FB post, ever:
When did you buy your first home?
✌🏼❤️🏡
Christy Murdock Edgar is a Realtor, freelance writer, coach and consultant with Writing Real Estate. She is also a Florida Realtors faculty member. Follow Writing Real Estate on Facebook, Twitter, Instagr
