I see real estate agents falling into the “noise” trap.
All. The. Time.
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What’s the “noise” trap?
Posting anything and everything to your Facebook business page because it’s what the “herd” is doing.
What is the “herd” doing?
The “herd” is paying for “mass posting” services because . . .
- They are cheap.
- They want to leverage their time.
- They don’t know what else to do.
- They hope said service accomplishes what they’ve been unable to accomplish on their page.
Oh, the “herd” doesn’t see it as a “noise” trap, at least not yet (well, some are seeing the light). None-the-less, it’s still noise.
Here’s the thing . . .
Your Facebook business page is a lead generating machine!
A MACHINE!
However, you must have a strategy for your page.
Most real estate agents have this strategy for their Facebook business page:
“I need to be on Facebook, I don’t know what to do. I know I’m supposed to “engage” with people, but I don’t have time to hang out on Facebook 24/7. Oh, I know, I’ll see what everyone else is doing and do that.”
Here’s where the road divides (and that proverbial 80/20 rule comes into play) . . .
If your Facebook strategy is to follow the herd, you’ll be signing up for some “noisy” services. You’ll run random listing ads. You’ll “boost your posts”. You’ll listen to self professed “Facebook experts” that have absolutely no idea how online lead generation actually works, especially in the niche industry of real estate. You’ll hear people talking about focusing on “name recognition” or “brand awareness” and how they get a lot of “engagement” or “leads” on Facebook. You’ll sign up for “social media management” services that have zero understanding of the real estate industry.
What’s the reality?
They are getting nothing!
NOTHING!
First of all, it’s not about the conversation on the page. Notice I said “on the page”. Conversation on your Facebook page is a peripheral benefit. It’s a good thing, but it is not your main focus (and if it currently is, it shouldn’t be).
Having a conversation with several people on a post is not lead generation. Yes it’s engagement, but it is not lead generation. It’s merely having a conversation.
Here’s where the road divides even more . . .
Your Facebook page is a serious sales funnel and you need to treat it as one.
It is a lead generating machine (yes, I’m repeating myself. Suffice it to say, this is important!!).
- If you’ve asked the wrong people to “like” your page (like other agents), you’ll fail.
- If you are trying anything and everything on your page, you’ll fail.
- If you are focused on the wrong “goal”, you’ll fail.
- If you don’t have a strategy, you’ll fail.
- If you are posting “noise” on your page, you’ll fail.
What is noise?
Posts that pursue a non-relevant goal. What’s a non-relevant goal? Posts that go for “likes” or “comments” are non-relevant. It’s not about “likes” or “comments”. It’s about lead generation and lead capture.
Poorly implemented ad campaigns. Poorly implemented ad campaigns are huge. What are they? Boosted posts, for one. Boosted posts focus on engagement. The goal isn’t engagement!! The goal isn’t likes!!! The goal is CLOSED SALES!
Doing what the herd is doing. Putting out content that is completely irrelevant to your market area. What is completely irrelevant to your market??
- If you live in a blue-collar town, posting things that focus on resort area beach front homes is not going to help you!
- If you live in Hawaii, posting things that focus on snow skiing is not helpful!
- If your average home price is in the $200,000’s, constantly posting pictures of home interiors that are out of reach of your home buyers is not an encouragement to them.
- If you focus on listings, not buyers, you definitely don’t want to be posting buyer focused content.
Lack of strategy. Not optimizing your posts to reach the most amount of people, in the places they are, at the times they are there.
So what’s the solution?
The solution is to follow an expert. A proven expert. Someone who knows real estate, knows online lead generation and knows Facebook. Intimately.
(Yes, I’m going to promote myself and my business here, so if you aren’t looking for a solid lead generation focused strategy for your Facebook page, you can stop reading now).
The solution is a strategy that focuses on your niche, your target, your market. A strategy that focuses on generating leads and uses online lead capture. A strategy that isn’t about making noise, but about creating value. A strategy focused on building trust and closing sales.
That’s why I created Leads and Leverage, a private membership exclusively for real estate agents who want to generate real estate leads from Facebook.
I help real estate agents who want to dominate in their market. They want to generate leads, not merely “engage”. I work with agents who know that it’s not about constant “noise”. Agents who know, instinctively, there is a better way.
Agents who understand that outsourcing means outsourcing tasks, not strategy & understanding. Agents who want a solid, consistent, stable real estate business, a business impervious to the shifting sands of the “market.
Tama says
Hi Christina,
I enjoyed your reading your blog would you be able to generate seller/buyer leads for me in New Zealand?
Christina Ethridge says
Absolutely Tama – obviously there will be some different laws directly what you can and can not do, but the process is still the same.
Robert Kroon says
Hi Christina When I clicked on Facebook Domination Secret I received the following err msg.
Not found, error 404
The page you are looking for no longer exists. Perhaps you can return back to the site’s homepage and see if you can find what you are looking for. Or, you can try finding it with the information below.
Christina Ethridge says
Robert – did you get my email? I sent you another link yesterday.
Tim Combes says
I’m confused. Do you provide a service to teach me how to use FB for generating leads or do you provide a service to actually generate leads for me? Or both?
Thank you!
Tim Combes, Realtor
Christina Ethridge says
I teach you how to “feed” yourself… essentially freeing you from relying on lead aggregators and a variety of vendor products that are really unnecessary for your business.
Jennifer O'Dell Sample says
Every time I read one of your articles, I have a huge “AHA” moment. I’m learning so much and I’m EXCITED about my future in real estate. Thank you!
Christina Ethridge says
YEAH!!!!!!!
Dustin says
When does the Facebook Domination Secret open again? Are you still running it?
Christina Ethridge says
It’s open Dustin: http://leadsnleverage.wpengine.com/membership
Gary says
Following the herd, is almost always a straight path to wasting money and time.. It’s crazy how many realtors out there don’t want to invest real money into FB ads! You get back what you put in, and if you know how to work it, it’s magical.
Christina Ethridge says
Yes it is! Magical!