Facebook real estate lead generation… How does it all work? Let’s face it, cold calling for real estate leads is SO yesterday. I’m sure there are more than a few agents out there who will disagree with me (and several well-known real estate coaches as well).
It’s inefficient as well. Unless you consider spending 7.5 hours to make 209 phone calls to get one appointment efficient. Or interesting. Or pleasant.
Generating real estate leads on social media, if done right, can be quite efficient and a whole lot more pleasant than feeling like a major pain in the butt for making a phone call.
For instance, we recently discussed using contests and giveaways to lure leads to a landing page or your website.
Facebook can be (and is, in many cases) a goldmine for real estate agents.
Why Facebook real estate lead generation?
The platform’s demographics are one of the most compelling reasons to use Facebook real estate lead generation. The largest age group among Facebook users is 35 to 54 (right in line with the average real estate consumer). Next, nearly 75 percent of users earn more than $75,000.
Finally, a study of CRM data from various companies across the planet finds that while the highest lead conversion rates come from referrals, the second highest can be attributed to leads generated on social media.
If you understand the power of Facebook when it comes to real estate lead generation but haven’t quite figured out how to tap it, consider starting with Facebook groups.
Join some groups
Start by finding some groups that Facebook thinks you might like. You can do that by going here and then clicking on “Discover.”
Naturally, if you post frequently to Facebook, the algorithm is going to assume you are interested in real estate so be prepared for lots of real estate-related groups among the suggestions.
There’s nothing wrong with joining these groups, and we’d love for you to join our very active Beat Zillow group on Facebook. To generate real estate leads, however, go where consumers hang out.
When you click that “Discover” link, you’ll notice some categories toward the top part of the page. And, since “all real estate is local,” the best category for a real estate agent to peruse is “Local.”
Here you’ll find some interesting groups. Mine includes one for a popular neighborhood in my city (with 31,000 members). As an agent, I would join that one. But there are tons of others to join as well.
Choose groups with interests that you can blog about because that’s one of the ways in which you’ll be using these groups for Facebook real estate lead generation.
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Speaking of blogging as a Facebook real estate lead generation tool…
After you’ve joined some groups, it’s time to start blogging. For instance, hopefully you joined as many neighborhood groups as possible. Your blog posts should be targeted to the residents’ interests. Here are a few ideas:
- Talk about home values in the neighborhood and what you foresee happening in the near future.
- The 3 most expensive homes in the neighborhood and another post could be about the 3 least expensive homes.
- Fun news items about the area. Here’s an example from Unity Home Group.
- Review a new or existing business in the neighborhood (or nearby). The Twin Cities’ Kerby and Cristina do a restaurant review monthly.
- Blog about the history of the area.
- If it’s cheaper to buy than rent in the area it’s worth blogging about.
- We love our pets and there are tons of local topics you can write about: dog friendly eateries, local dog park or beach reviews, things to do this weekend with your dog.
- Entertainment calendars are popular with locals. Check out this one from Jolenta Averill, broker/agent in Madison, Wisconsin. Too long for you? How about “3 Can’t-Miss December Events in Any town?”
- Keep up with what local officials are up to, with an eye to zoning changes, school board activities and other news-worthy items and blog about them.
- How to hold the perfect garage sale in Happy Knolls (or whatever your neighborhood is named), Kids eat Free in these Happy Knolls area Eateries (a popular topic and you can find an example here).
- Date night in [name of community]. Put together a list of things Mom and Dad can do when they’re rid of the kids for the evening. Again, the folks at Madison’s Lake & City Homes hits this topic out of the ballpark — check it out.
If the neighborhood has a dominant generation, laser-focus your posts to be of interest to that group. For instance, if the neighborhood is full of baby boomers, write posts about places nearby to hike, bike or jog.
Gen X in the hood? They love connecting with family and friends so blog about ways to create space in the backyard to do just that or places nearby to take the kids, how to deal with aging parents.
Oh, and learning how to save money is important to them as well. Nearly a quarter of Gen Xers interviewed by Nielsen say they don’t save enough and are not confident in their financial future.
Blog about ways to save money when they sell their homes, how to save money on groceries. The aforementioned “Kids eat free” is a good topic and here’s a brilliant idea from the HomesinBirmingham.com team.
Now, start posting these blogs to your real estate website and cross-post to your Facebook groups. That’s a great technique for Facebook real estate lead generation.
When to post seems to be a matter of debate. Hootsuite, for instance, says “The best time to post on Facebook is between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. And on the weekends from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.” and to avoid posting on Tuesdays.
But, the best time for who? Business-to-business marketers? B2C marketers?
Determining the optimal time to post to your Facebook groups might best be determined based on your own Facebook data. You can find that in the Insights section of your Facebook page (the link is at the top of the page):
If you want to take the guesswork out of it, use a service like Sprout Social’s Viral Post which analyses your feed to figure out the best time to post and then posts for you. They offer a free trial, by the way, if you want to check it out.
Don’t be “that annoying real estate agent”
When interacting in your Facebook groups, keep your focus on the “social” aspect of social media. You’re not there to sell yourself or your business, but to build relationships and get your name in front of people.
Don’t just use the groups to share your blog posts; interact with other group members.
And, keep in mind that some groups have rules, so learn them and abide by them.
Owner & Operator,
Chad Hett
The Elite Group
Largest Home Inspection Company in North America
Best Selling Author “Secrets Of Top Producing Real Estate Agents: And How To Duplicate Their Success.”
