Social media has become a valuable tool for real estate agents. Not only does the platform have over two billion users, the current average amount of time spent on Facebook is 35 minutes per day. Building a Facebook presence and engaging users can have significant benefits and help any real estate business grow. It allows agents to feature listings, share original content, and target specific buyers with advertising. In this post, you’ll find an ultimate checklist to getting your page up and executing a successful strategy.

Creating your Real Estate Facebook page

Setting up your page is simple. Once you’re logged into your Facebook account, go to “Create a Page,” and then choose the page for businesses. You’ll then need to add your business category, fill in the necessary details, and load a profile and header image.

Take care in writing your "About" section. Make it personal and customized to what you offer as an agent in your city or metro area. The description should be short and impactful, discussing how you can help the person who lands on your page. Focus on what value you can offer this person, whether in terms of buying or selling property.

You’ll also want to add your website to this section. For images, you can use a headshot for the profile image. For your header, create something that is in line with your website design; it can include your logo and contact information as well. You can create a well-designed, perfectly sized header on Canva, which is an easy-to-use design platform for non-designers.

Another crucial part of your page setup is gathering reviews. Reviews are proof points for those checking out your page. If possible, ask past or current clients to review you on Facebook.

Posting Content on Facebook

Facebook is fueled by content. It’s important to be consistent in posting so you can grow your followers.

Content should be both original and third-party and a good rule to consider is the 50/30/20 rule for posting. This rule says 50% of your posts should be original content like blogs, video, and infographics. The next 30% should be third-party relevant content. Examples of content you could share include articles on the housing market, design ideas for home, or events and activities in the community. The final 20% is promotional posts, which should include a call to action around getting in touch or posts that relay an offer such as a free consultation.

Facebook posts are meant to drive leads and another great way to do this on your page is to create an offer around a regular newsletter. You can create a newsletter sign-up post and button, which can help you grow your email list. Emails are the number one contact information you’ll want to have, and Facebook can help drive that objective.

What Agents Should Post about on Facebook

Now that you know overall what type of content to post, let’s discuss more in depth what belongs on Facebook. Here are some ideas that can help drive leads:

• Video tours of your listings: Use video to create a virtual showing of a property. Video is often key to real estate Facebook marketing, because it gives people a glimpse into the property. You can even highlight the property’s unique elements.

• FAQs: Consider the questions you get asked the most by clients, and put that into a Facebook post. For example, the question could be, “What’s the best month to list your house?” You can then answer the question based on your experience.

• Did you know posts: Create “did you know” posts that show your expertise in real estate and inform the reader. You could also create “did you know” series of posts, if the information gets too long. Some ideas around this theme are statistics on preparing homes for sale, such as professional photography and staging.

• Link to long-form content on your website: Your posts on Facebook should give your followers a glimpse into the content you publish on your blog. Create curiosity with your posts by highlighting what they’ll learn if they visit your blog. This sparks interest and gets followers to click through to your site, where they may stick around on your site longer.

• Collections: Create a list of properties to show off your market knowledge. Share lists of move in ready remodels or the best first time home buyer properties in your area to show your expertise.

How Real Estate Agents Can Schedule Facebook Posts

There is some science to scheduling posts. Facebook works on algorithms that change, so it’s hard to know at first the reach of your posts. Reach, in this connotation, means how many Facebook users saw your post.

As a good rule, you should try to post a few times every day, or at least try to post once per day. Because real estate isn’t a nine to five job, neither is your social media. The best thing you can do is test content at different times. You can schedule postings through a third-party social media management platform or within Facebook itself.

Once you have at least 30 days of posting experience, check your Facebook ‘Insights,” where you’ll start to see when your followers are most likely to engage with your content and you can adjust accordingly.

Use Facebook Marketplace to List Rental Property

If you also manage rental property, you can also check out the Facebook Marketplace. This feature connects you with interested renters in your area. You can set up your listings as you would on other platforms, indicating the square footage, price, and any relevant details.

When someone finds a property they’d like to learn more about, they can fill out a form, which then gets routed to you. Millions are using Facebook as a search tool for rental properties, so using this feature puts you in the right place to attract future renters. Learn more about posting rental properties on Facebook here.

Facebook has certainly evolved from a site to share pictures to playing an important part in how many businesses connect with and attract customers. There is much opportunity for real estate agents on Facebook and following this checklist should help you grow engagement and your business.