July 04 2016
Many real estate agents have used Facebook Profiles when they should be using Facebook Pages instead. Read on to learn what the difference is and why we prefer Facebook Pages for Realtors.
But first, what's the difference between Facebook Profiles and Pages?
The first thing you need to know is that you can't have a Facebook Page without having a Profile first. When you sign up for Facebook, you create a personal profile and add your family and friends to your network. We repeat: that's where your family and friends are going to be; therefore, it is not the appropriate place to talk about business stuff like new listings or how many houses you've sold this month.
Not only will your friends find it annoying, but it's actually against Facebook's terms of service — if your business is set up as a Profile, you could have your Profile removed without any notice.
So where do you talk about business? That's where Facebook Pages comes in. With Pages, you have an outlet specific for your real estate biz. And what's more, the people who have 'liked' your Page actually expect to get industry-related updates from you. That's (usually) why they liked the Page in the first place.
Source: Nicki Kriel / Social Media Coach and Trainer
Although we feel that Pages are your best bet if you're truly trying to build your business, your Facebook Profile of course plays a role in your brand. It's natural that by communicating about your life on your Profile, you'll engage your friends...and perhaps their friends. The end result? If you're thoughtful about what you share (and don't share!) on your Facebook Profile, you're bound to increase referrals in the long run.
In this video, real estate technology gurus Katie Lance and Chris Smith discuss which they prefer and why. Katie points out, for example, that with Profiles, you can tag your clients in photos and videos so that your clients' friends might see it, and their friends might see it, and so on. Take a look and see what you think.
Once you have created your Facebook Page or converted your Facebook Profile into a Page, it's imperative that you use it for the right reasons: to build relationships and interact with your clients on a personal level. With the right kind of engagement, eventually you may be able to convert your 'likes' into leads and into referrals down the line. Focusing on your community, not yourself, is key. It takes work to build relationships online. But that's a topic for another blog post.
Do you have an opinion regarding Facebook Profiles and Pages for us? Tips? Leave us a comment below!
To view the original article, visit the Adwerx blog.