Have you heard the latest advice? The Gurus have been telling us real estate professionals to stop selling our listings on Facebook.
“No one goes to Facebook looking for a house to buy,” they say. And I think this is true statement. I mean, would YOU shop for a house on Facebook? Probably not.
On the other hand, the largest source of business for most Realtors is referral business. We depend on our small army of friends, neighbors, and satisfied clients to mention us whenever they hear of a person who needs to buy or sell a home.
Out of sight, out of mind
If a significant number of your personal army is on Facebook, why wouldn’t you share your personal wins with them? Is your killer new listing any less important to them than cousin Johnny’s new promotion is to you?
The key is posting to share, not to sell or brag.
Everyone knows the awkward guy who always seems “off” in a social setting. He over shares about his finances or seems to favor one sided conversations about his life. I think the potential to be “that guy” on social media is very real. We have been trained to advertise our awards, designations and listings in print – many of us have mistakenly treated social media in exactly the same way.
But social media is more like an ongoing dinner party – do you monopolize the conversation with your latest listings and awards? Probably not. But you might very well share how things are going really well or how the home down the block had multiple offers.
Extremes do not serve us
The difference is that when posting in a public forum, such as Facebook, we tend to run from one extreme to the other. Some of us, fearful of being “that guy,” post too little. Others, clueless as to how the audience uses Facebook, post much that is irrelevant to the audience.
Neither serves us.
Speak to your people
It is possible to post in a way that is interesting to your audience. If your audience is tightly controlled, talk to them like you would at a dinner party. Try to think about how to share in a way that is relevant to them rather than “sell.”
Does your recent sale influence the value of their home? Do you have a lot of Millennials in your tribe? Is your recent condo listing perfect for them?
If, like me, you have a huge and unfiltered audience, consider sharing selectively. I think I will share my open house enticements to just the audience in my geographic area. Or, perhaps, share my latest record breaking sale with just my friends, family and past client lists.
Be the signal, not the noise
We have never had such easy access to publish and broadcast promotions for our business. However, our audience has never had to deal with such overwhelming amount of noise!
The reaction is to control who gets the email address, how much time is spent on Facebook, and to screen all incoming calls. Will your audience welcome your message or tune it out? We all have time for the stuff that matters. Try being the message that matters.
Kendyl Young is Division Chief at DIGGS, and an industry veteran. She has been named to the Inman 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders, contributed to industry books and speaks about social media and technology. However, her purpose is to help people buy or sell their perfect home in Glendale, La Canada and La Crescenta, CA.
