blog.propertiesonline.com » facebook http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com Technology Tools and Tips for the Real Estate Professional Wed, 22 May 2013 18:05:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Real Estate and Facebook http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/the-realtor-and-facebook/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/the-realtor-and-facebook/#comments Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:52:45 +0000 Jess Maria http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=2545 According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 90.5% of real estate agents and brokers use social media to some extent. Media Examiner tells us that 83% of marketers indicate that social media is important to the success of their business. And the 2012 State of Inbound Marketing report revealed that the number of businesses that say Facebook is critical or important to their business has increased by a massive 75%. Real estate professionals are in a great position to leverage the benefits of social media, and Facebook is a great place to start. Services like RE Business Pages can assist agents and brokers in creating custom and functional facebook business pages that are attractive and highly functional. RE Business Pages will create your business page setup, a custom home page graphic and a custom welcome page. They can also install your IDX Property Search, your Twitter feed, and your Pinterest tab. While you can outsource the creation and design of your Facebook business page, it’s important that it maintains your stamp, and that you are actively engaged with your Facebook followers, because auto-posting to Facebook decreases likes and comments by 70% [source: Digital Buzz Blog 2012]. 80% of social network users in the United States choose Facebook as their preferred social network through which to connect with businesses and brands. Your real estate brand needs to be on Facebook. And when I say brand, I mean it. Your Facebook Business Page isn’t about you, really. It’s about what you can provide to clients and homebuyers/sellers. Providing your followers with valuable and interesting information they can use is what’s important. Target the right audience. Facebook is vast. If you try to vast yourself you’ll simply succeed in losing everyone’s interest. Know who it is you want to interact with and focus your attention on that group, whether it’s a local area, a type of buyer or a type of property. Make sure you integrate your Facebook Business Page with any other social media, websites or blogs you have (this is part of the package if you use RE Business Pages services). And don’t sit back and wait. Update regularly, keep it current, and don’t hide behind your screen presence. At the end of the day, selling homes is about the people who move into them, and people want need real contact. Real Estate and Facebook is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Real Estate and Facebook is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/the-realtor-and-facebook/feed/ 0 Facebook Best Practices for Real Estate Agents and Brokers http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/facebook-best-practices-for-real-estate-agents-and-brokers/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/facebook-best-practices-for-real-estate-agents-and-brokers/#comments Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:58:00 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1964 When best practices are followed, Facebook can be a valuable real estate tool, producing a substantial return on your investment in the form of likes, shares and comments -- the currency of influence on Facebook.

Facebook Best Practices for Real Estate Agents and Brokers is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/facebook-best-practices-for-real-estate-agents-and-brokers/feed/ 0 How to Maximize Facebook Response http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/how-to-maximize-facebook-response/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/how-to-maximize-facebook-response/#comments Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:00:07 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1960 Facebook can be a useful tool for real estate professionals. When smartly used, Facebook can act like a supercharged digital equivalent of word-of-mouth recommendations. Each like, share or comment starts your name (and a link back to your Facebook page) circulating among an ever-widening circle of Facebook friends. Facebook’s popularity offers real estate agents and brokers tremendous exposure potential, but only if your Facebook page generates likes, shares and comments. To accomplish that you have to understand what motivates people to respond to Facebook. Creating and maintaining a Facebook business page that attracts a lot of visitors is the first step. Because Facebook is a social platform it requires a different approach than standard marketing products. A visually appealing mix of photos, videos, graphics and value-driven content will attract visitors; but it is critical that you post new entries on a regular basis, preferably daily. As you develop a fan base, you need to give Facebook friends a reason to keep returning to your page. Facebook fans are notoriously fickle. If you fail to post new material, they’ll go elsewhere. Tip: Facebook traffic is heaviest from 5-8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday. Time new posts to take advantage of peak traffic. The greatest challenge in turning your Facebook page into a marketing asset is posting visuals and content that will generate likes, shares and comments. In an analysis of more than 1.3 million posts published to the top 10,000 Facebook pages, social media data cruncher Dan Zarrella was able to identify the qualities of a Facebook post that generate the greatest number of likes, shares and comments. According to Zarrella’s data analysis, photos generate the most Facebook activity. Photos produce about a third more likes than texts and twice as many likes as videos with links producing only negligible response. Photos also produce the greatest number of shares. However, photos and texts generate nearly the same number of comments with texts having a slight edge. Next time: Facebook best practices   How to Maximize Facebook Response is a post from: Properties Online Blog

How to Maximize Facebook Response is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/how-to-maximize-facebook-response/feed/ 0 More Tips on Adjusting Facebook Business Pages to Timeline http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/more-tips-on-adjusting-facebook-business-pages-to-timeline/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/more-tips-on-adjusting-facebook-business-pages-to-timeline/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:21:12 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1771 Facebook’s move to its new timeline format requires a little getting used to, but Timeline’s visual emphasis actually works to the advantage of real estate professionals. Adding property listing photos to your Facebook updates and featuring Virtuet videos of new listings on your Facebook business page will enhance the attractiveness and professional appearance of your page in the new format. Unfortunately, reaping the greatest benefit from your Facebook business page will now require regular tweaking which means real estate agents should expect to spend more time on Facebook maintenance than they did before. In our last post we noted the importance of creating a strong cover image for your Facebook real estate page. Today, we share more tips geared to help real estate agents make the most of Facebook’s new timeline format: In the timeline format, cover photos are essentially banners that stretch horizontally across the top of the page. To prevent image distortion when converting a photo to a Facebook business page cover, choose a large (greater than 851 x 315 pixels), horizontally-oriented, high-resolution photo. In Timeline, access to custom pages is hidden under the cover image where few Facebook users are apt to find it. To compensate, you may want to link Facebook updates back to similar information on your website. You can break up Timeline’s 2-column layout and highlight new or important information by clicking the star at the top right of the update box which will stretch the entry horizontally across both columns (like the cover). (Mouse over the area if you don’t see the star.) The effect will only last 7 days before the post reverts to the standard 2-column layout. It’s a handy way to highlight new information without worrying about updating old posts as they move down the timeline. Because of the conversion factor, any information that you want to remain highlighted or at the top of your timeline will need to be reposted or re-featured once a week. More Tips on Adjusting Facebook Business Pages to Timeline is a post from: Properties Online Blog

More Tips on Adjusting Facebook Business Pages to Timeline is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/more-tips-on-adjusting-facebook-business-pages-to-timeline/feed/ 0 Tips for Adjusting to Facebook’s New Timeline Format http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/tips-for-adjusting-to-facebooks-new-timeline-format/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/tips-for-adjusting-to-facebooks-new-timeline-format/#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:25:03 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1768 Recently, we’ve been talking about how to maximize the effectiveness of your Facebook business page; however, a new priority has taken precedence over any other adjustments you are making to your Facebook business page. It is now critical that real estate agents create a cover for their Facebook business page as soon as possible. To hear the squawking, you’d have thought the sky had fallen when Facebook migrated all business pages to its new timeline format on March 30. In timeline, Facebook business pages look dull and boring; completely unappealing. While it’s not as bad as it seems, it’s going to take a little time and effort to adjust your real estate Facebook page so you can reap the benefits of the platform’s new format. Given the power of Facebook to attract real estate clients and create first impressions, fixing your Facebook business page isn’t something you can put off. Bite the bullet and fix it now! At the top of your Facebook “to do” list should be creating a cover for your business page. Timeline is a more visual format than Facebook’s previous layout. Adding a large cover image to your Facebook business page will give your page an attractive, professional appearance and attract user attention. To see the impact a cover makes, check out the newly-revamped Properties Online Facebook business page. Adding a cover to your business page is quick and easy. When you log onto your Facebook business page, you’ll see an “add a cover” button in the top right corner. Click it and follow the instructions. The following tips will help you create a dynamic cover that will attract attention and create a positive first impression: Don’t get into trouble with copyright infringement. Only upload images you have taken yourself or that you have purchased the rights to. Keep your cover image clean and crisp. Don’t enlarge your logo to fill the space or litter your cover with ads or promotions. Use your cover to make an emotional connection with potential clients. More tips next time Tips for Adjusting to Facebook’s New Timeline Format is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Tips for Adjusting to Facebook’s New Timeline Format is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/tips-for-adjusting-to-facebooks-new-timeline-format/feed/ 1 More Facebook Tips for Real Estate Agents http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/more-facebook-tips-for-real-estate-agents/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/more-facebook-tips-for-real-estate-agents/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:06:13 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1756 As we noted in our previous post, heavy user volume and the potential for viral sharing make Facebook an extremely useful marketing tool that can be an asset in growing your real estate business. But to keep from annoying Facebook followers and alienating potential future clients, it is important to follow Facebook best practices. Today we continue our list of smart Facebook tips for real estate agents: Follow your gut. Pay attention to what you do and don’t like about the Facebook pages you visit. Incorporate good ideas into your own site and avoid annoying practices like begging for “likes” or asking lame questions. Limit your posts. Over-posting is at the top of the Facebook user complaint list. The greatest traction is achieved by posting every other day, but not more than 3 times a week. Offer value. Give Facebook users a reason to come back. Use Facebook apps and real estate widgets to post listing domains to your profile, connect to your real estate website and publish new listings to your wall. Be yourself. Your Facebook page should reflect your personality. Don’t forget that Facebook is a social network of friends, not a business forum. Facebook users expect chatty, personal conversations and will judge you by the character and content of your page and posts. Approach your Facebook page as if you were talking to a long-standing customer with whom you’ve developed a comfortable, friendly relationship. Just don’t lose sight of the fact that your Facebook persona will reflect upon your business. Aim for friendly, helpful and cheerful and steer clear of chummy, gossipy or complaining. Be careful what you share. It’s desirable to share a little personal information on Facebook; but keep your comments positive and don’t share information or offer comments that could come back to bite you. For example, sharing a few scenic vacation photos with an observation or two is humanizing; but no good will come of posting photos of yourself drinking margaritas on the beach. Keep your postings friendly but never post anything that could impact your professional reputation. More Facebook Tips for Real Estate Agents is a post from: Properties Online Blog

More Facebook Tips for Real Estate Agents is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/more-facebook-tips-for-real-estate-agents/feed/ 0 Facebook Tips for Real Estate Agents http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/facebook-tips-for-real-estate-agents/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/facebook-tips-for-real-estate-agents/#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:47:16 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1753 eferrals from satisfied clients have long been a major avenue for new business for those in the real estate business. But the number of personal referrals an agent could reasonably expect to receive from even the most satisfied client has always been limited. At most, the average home buyer or seller might be expected to share his experience and recommend his Realtor to a handful of friends and neighbors. Facebook has drastically changed the potential impact of personal referrals on real estate professionals.

Facebook Tips for Real Estate Agents is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/facebook-tips-for-real-estate-agents/feed/ 2 Facebook Best Practices for Real Estate Professionals http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/facebook-best-practices-for-real-estate-professionals/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/facebook-best-practices-for-real-estate-professionals/#comments Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:15:28 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1640 Facebook business pages have become a marketing necessity for real estate agents. A Facebook presence puts your brand and your product where home buyers, home sellers and other real estate industry professionals are most likely to see them. According to a 2011 Nielsen Social Media Report, U.S. internet users spend more time on Facebook than on any other website. The average Facebook user spends 14 minutes a day on Facebook, or about 7 hours a month; that’s nearly a full business day! According to the Nielsen report, in January 2010, Facebook users averaged 55 Facebook visits per month during which they visited 90 domains and logged 2,621 page views — and the numbers keep increasing! Facebook is a potential marketing gold mine for real estate agents, put it’s also easy to get lost in the roar of the crowd. To get the best return on investment from your Facebook business page, real estate professionals should follow these Facebook best practices: Items posted on the weekend draw the most user activity and are shared more often than items posted on weekdays. However, Thursday morning is the best time to post new listing domains. Posting new listings just before the weekend generates buyer excitement and allows time to schedule weekend home tours. Facebook posts made at the beginning of the work day, between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m., generate the most Facebook user traffic, likes and sharing. Posts made at 6 p.m. also ranked high with Facebook users and another, smaller user spike occurs from 10 p.m. to midnight. Facebook users are quickly annoyed by overactive posters. For greatest traction, limit Facebook posts to every other day. Positive posts track 4 times higher than negative posts. Use positive language when writing posts and creating downloadable information. Facebook users are also drawn to useful information. Linking Facebook posts to real estate website tools such as mortgage and closing cost calculators or to helpful downloads such as home selling checklists, home buying tips and house staging tips attracts Facebook users. Facebook Best Practices for Real Estate Professionals is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Facebook Best Practices for Real Estate Professionals is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/facebook-best-practices-for-real-estate-professionals/feed/ 0 Google Plus Could Outshine Facebook as Real Estate Marketing Tool http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/google-plus-could-outshine-facebook-as-real-estate-marketing-tool/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/google-plus-could-outshine-facebook-as-real-estate-marketing-tool/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:58:35 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1626 Despite uncertainty over who will emerge victorious from the Google-Facebook smackdown, real estate agents have little to lose and much to gain by getting in on the ground floor and setting up a Google business page now. There is a basic difference in the way Google and Facebook business pages process visitor interaction for search engine consumption that makes Google's method more real estate-friendly.

Google Plus Could Outshine Facebook as Real Estate Marketing Tool is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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]]> http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/google-plus-could-outshine-facebook-as-real-estate-marketing-tool/feed/ 2 Data Sharing Widgets Expand Realtors’ Social Media Reach http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/data-sharing-widgets-expand-realtors-social-media-reach/ http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/data-sharing-widgets-expand-realtors-social-media-reach/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:26:57 +0000 Properties Online http://Blog.PropertiesOnline.com/?p=1582 Chicago area Realtors are trying out a new real estate widget that allows them to extend their social media presence by beefing up their ability to share real estate listings. Available to Chicagoland real estate agents and brokers, Share My Listings is a new real estate widget developed and offered by Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED). Designed to put the full power of social media in the hands of MRED realtors, Share My Listings is compatible with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other popular social media applications. The new real estate widget allows MRED members to share real estate listing domains on Facebook, Twitter and other supported social media sites. The widget also enables the creation of embedded links to connect listings to real estate blogs, Facebook business pages, and real estate websites. According to MRED, since the first of the year the widget has generated 175,000 web hits from potential clients in 387 Illinois cities, all 50 states and 101 countries worldwide. Realtors and real estate brokers that want to quickly expand their social medial reach might check with their local MLS provider to see whether a similar widget is available in their area. However, there’s no need to wait on your local MLS provider to tap the full power of social media. Properties Online has developed powerful social media widgets that allow real estate agents and brokers to expand into social media immediately. Easy to use, real estate agents can expect quick results when they add our Facebook app and Twitter widget to their real estate listing services on Properties Online. Our Facebook app makes it easy to post all your listings to your Facebook business page. Our Facebook app automatically creates links from Facebook postings to your website or listing domains and updates your Facebook tab whenever listings are updated. One-click publishing makes it easy to publish new listings to your wall. Our Twitter widget makes it easy for you to have a “conversation” with clients. Twitter is an excellent real estate tool for answering client questions and notifying them of new listings. Data Sharing Widgets Expand Realtors’ Social Media Reach is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Data Sharing Widgets Expand Realtors’ Social Media Reach is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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