FACEBOOK: CUSTOM BUILT FOR REAL ESTATE LEAD GENERATION

 “Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.”

Zig Ziglar

Those five basic sales obstacles may seem daunting, but if you’re a real estate developer or homebuilder, you’re a lot closer to success than you think. In fact, one of the best tools for real estate lead generation is just a click away: Facebook. If you use this powerful sales tool properly, Facebook is the gift that just keeps on giving. Not only does it have a daily active user base of 1.13 billion (1.03 billion on mobile alone), it can also help your company get found more easily in search engines, promote the content you create, and help you develop both a strong community and brand identity.

None of those “five obstacles to sales” is more threatening to real estate than trust. A house is likely a person’s largest purchase ever. People prefer to work with those whom they trust, and this holds true in real estate especially. That’s why you will often see people on Facebook asking their networks of friends if they know “a good real estate agent” or if “anyone has bought a condo in that new luxury building?” Pardon the pun, but Facebook is custom built for generating real estate leads.

Here are the three main reasons why Facebook is a great tool to build trust and generate high-quality real estate leads:

• Facebook is a visual experience: Posts with images see 2.3 times more engagement than those without images, and if you’re smart, you’ve got plenty to work with here. Potential home shoppers want to see the different features of a home, its curbside appeal, room sizes, countertops, and custom built-ins. And don’t stop there: Show them the neighborhood, neighbors, and maybe even amenities nearby. Better yet, invest in professional videos of your residential or commercial properties. Facebook’s algorithm favors video content, and therefore video posts have 135 percent greater organic reach than photo posts. Thanks to high-definition videos and Facebook Live, clients can get a very clear sense if a new home has what they are looking for prior to scheduling a visit with you—which means when they do, they are solid leads.
• Like it or not, Facebook’s got the data on each and every user. Generating quality real estate leads is also dependent on data. You should have a good idea of the factors that make up your ideal customer – age and income at the bare minimum. (If you don’t, Simply180 can help you identify and build your target audience profiles—learn more here. Because real estate is local, you should also know where clients live or where they may be considering moving. Use Facebook’s data to create posts and ads that speak to those target demographics.

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• Real estate is emotional, and so is Facebook—so keep it real, and you’ll connect with people. People want to be inspired. They want to be hopeful. They want to dream and aspire, and be surrounded by beautiful places. Why else would people excitedly post all over Facebook about finding and buying a new home? People buy because they trust, and building trust through emotional connection works. So don’t pander to your valuable Facebook audience with stock photos and cheesy quotes. Use your own excitement and trust in the visual and emotional nature of real estate to genuinely connect with your potential buyers.

So how can you as a real estate developer or homebuilder use the visual, emotional, and data-driven power of Facebook to build trust and generate real estate leads?

SIMPLY180’S TRIED-AND-TRUE BASICS:

• Run a highly targeted Facebook ad campaign focused on website conversions. Simply180 represents several real estate clients who sell homes in different locations at different price points. We use demographic targeting to reach those that fit the target home shopper profile. This way you only pay for relevant clicks. The ads you create should not only be visually compelling and emotional, but include a strong call to action—and drop the lead right into a sign-up form on your website. There is an art and science to effective Facebook ad campaign design if the goal of the campaign is to generate leads.
• Run a highly targeted ad campaign focused on page “likes.” A “like” campaign is a cost-effective way of building a large base of targeted fans and email addresses. This is usually our first step for homebuilder and real estate development clients that will run Facebook ad campaigns down the road. Build a solid and qualified fan base, as advertising to your fan base is less expensive (cost-per-click) than trying to reach and acquire new customers. Trying to build a fan base made up of folks not in your target market is a waste of time and money.
• Post significant, relevant, valuable content on your Facebook business page at least one or two times a day, and then take notes. You’ll want to monitor when likes, shares, and comments occur to determine the best time of day to schedule or post new content.
• Focus more on relevant posts than engagement. What does that mean? A click-through from your Facebook post to your landing page or website is more valuable than a like or a comment. Again, this campaign is about real estate lead generation. Engagement has some value, but posts that drive traffic, phone calls, and registrations are what sell homes.
• Post a variety of types of posts. Real estate social media cannot live on photo posts alone. Post every type of post you possibly can. Remember, sales are emotional, and people respond to different things. Be different but still consistent with your company’s brand. Developing a social media editorial calendar will help you organize post types and dates.
• Always keep your top priority in mind when it comes to Facebook lead generation. Focus on joining your email database and into visiting your real estate property. Be helpful and responsive. Answer questions when posted. Provide value by publishing high-quality and meaningful content.

NEXT STEP? BREAKING MORE GROUND

Ready to leap over those five sales obstacles and become a successful Facebook real estate lead generator? We thought so. You can download our insightful Facebook Real Estate Advertising Ebook for free, or contact us to discuss creating a Facebook advertising campaign for your company.