You've probably seen Facebook friends continually 'Liking' their own status updates and thought: Isn't it enough to simply publish a post and leave it at that? Perhaps their actions have made you think they're too self-obsessed or a bit too desperate for approval, but what if we told you that doing so could improve your real estate business?

"There is a technical reason people like their own posts on Facebook, and it has everything to do with promoting a bigger outreach on a site whose algorithms have made it tricky and more complicated to get noticed as of late." – Mashed Up

Now that we have your attention, we're going to provide you with reasons why liking your own Facebook status can be a great thing for the success of your real estate business and social media presence.

So, although you may hear some people say that you shouldn't do this (a quick Google search will give you an idea of what we mean), here are a some solid reasons for why to do it, and how to do it best:

It Can Help More Of Your Friends See Your Post, As Well As Their Network

Most people rely on their posts, updates and statuses showing up within the News Feeds of their Facebook Friends. The trouble with this is that the Facebook Edgerank algorithm won't show every post to every friend all of the time – it's largely based on previous interaction and popularity. So, no matter how great, funny or inspiring your post is, it's not guaranteed to make it through and to be seen.

"Whether it's a page operated by an organization, business or celebrity or a personal profile, Facebook has long applied a complicated algorithm to determine what you see and who sees your updates. " – Forbes

One way around this is to make use of the 'Ticker' feature on the right hand side of the page. This is a constantly updated real-time feed based on all of your friends activity. Therefore, if you like a post that you have just created, this action will show up in the Ticker, thereby giving greater exposure to your newly created status. After all, if a friend sees your update, they just might share it with their own friends too.

Your Real Estate Business Page Could Use The Boost

This is very relevant if you have a separate page on Facebook for your real estate business. Let's say you have an extensive friend network on Facebook, but only a small amount of them 'Like' your business page, however, you know that there is a great chance that some of your friends – as well as their friends – would be interested in some of your engaging, informative and inspiring real estate content.

In the scenario above, only a tiny minority of your friends will ever see your business page updates. Therefore, it makes good sense for you to personally like your business page status so that it can also be seen in the Ticker feeds of your friends. When this happens, your update is more likely to be spread around your friends' networks too.

This is also a better option for promoting your business page than messaging people and asking them to become fans. This normally comes across as spam, especially to those who you don't have a close connection with. However, if they see something that you are sharing that they are interested in on their own accord, they are more likely to become fans of your business page – without you having to directly ask (or spam) them.

Tips To Avoid Looking Like You're Just High-Fiving Yourself, Or Spamming

Still worried that 'Liking' your own Facebook status could make you come across as being a bit self-centred or annoying? Here are some 'best practice' tips to help you avoid any such thing:

1. Don't like every post you make and every photo you upload. If you 'Like' absolutely everything that you post or upload, you'll easily come across in the way you don't want to. Instead, try to limit this to your informative and engaging real estate posts that you are sure your network will want to see. Pictures of your cat Jimmy? Not so much.

2. Think about adding a useful comment when you like your status. Rather than simply 'Liking' your post or status, it's a good idea to write a short comment to help explain why. For example, if you hit the like button for a notification about a new property, you could add the following comment: 'An ideal choice for a family looking for a new home in the xyz area – can you think of anyone who this could help?' (or similar). That way, you're helping your network to understand why you are liking your own post and what you are hoping to achieve by doing so.

When it comes to liking your own status, there's a fine line between turning your network off of your updates and making them interested evangelists for your real estate business. Hopefully this post has helped to explain how you can find the perfect happy medium.

To view the original article, visit the CityBlast blog.