In January, Facebook announced it was changing its algorithm to prioritize close connections over brands and media on people's news feed — and just like that, business professionals across every sector, including real estate, collectively hit the panic button.

It makes sense why: The change is designed to encourage connection and interaction between friends and community members, and it disrupted businesses' current social media strategies, making it harder for them to reach current and potential customers. But this change doesn't have to mean a total drop-off in Facebook engagement for real estate agents. In reality, there are still ways to succeed on Facebook in a post-algorithm world.

Clearing New Hurdles

Real estate agents have come to depend on social media to find new clients and nurture existing ones — and Facebook has been one of their most valuable tools. Despite the algorithm change, you can still build your image and forge connections on the platform. The key? Creating a personal presence that encourages people to interact with one another.

One way to do this is through Facebook Groups. Because they're comprised of communities of people interacting around a particular topic, posts within Groups move their way up people's feeds far faster than posts from business pages. If Groups for your local community don't exist yet, you can create your own; then, use those connections to grow awareness and establish authority in your specialization and neighborhood.

For instance, creating a "Downtown Lifestyle" Group for your local community can provide a space to showcase cool, new restaurants and venues as well as real estate developments and hot deals. Invite all your friends and connections to join the group and focus on deploying quality content that helps grow membership organically.

Be Real. Be Human.

Under the new algorithm, the more comments a post receives, the more people will see it.

You can make this process work for you by posting content that people want to see. A good photo of you engaging in fun community events will build your image and generate comments that will draw even more eyes. Additionally, you can pose questions in your captions to start the conversation.

More importantly, though, you should engage by regularly commenting on others' posts. In doing so, you'll show people that you're not just interested in pushing out your message, but that you're also interested in seeing what they have to offer.

Another valuable tool you may be underusing is Facebook Live. Video is everywhere, and Facebook Live videos often draw a lot of user interaction, raising them to the top of the feed in the process. Use Live to showcase properties or offer virtual home tours. People like to be able to imagine themselves within a space, and no medium will outperform video in that regard. Just be sure to keep things short; typically, about a third of viewers drop off after 30 seconds.

It's All About the Relationships

Ultimately, real estate is a relationship-based business, and post-algorithm, you must be even more intentional about forging authentic Facebook connections.

Add current clients as friends and house them on a list so you can keep track of their activity and engage with their posts. It doesn't have to take a ton of time: 15 minutes of intentional engagement in the morning and another 15 minutes at the end of the day will do wonders for your Facebook presence.

Remember: Quality trumps quantity. Inundating your clients' posts with comments and smiley faces won't have the effect you're looking for, particularly if you haven't established a solid rapport yet. In the same vein, if you're constantly posting, users will quickly file your page under the spam umbrella.

Write intelligent, eye-catching posts, and make sure you're not always pushing properties. Instead, share interesting blog posts, community news, and life updates. When you position yourself as a real human who knows and cares about the community, you'll be the first person people think of when they (or someone they know) need an agent.

When Facebook announced an algorithm change earlier this year, pandemonium broke out. But by taking a deep breath and the time to understand how these changes will affect you, you can take steps to adjust your approach and make your Facebook presence stronger than ever.