FREE Facebook Features You're Not Utilizing

For the past few months, we've talked about cutting edge technologies and how to utilize them for your real estate business before your competition does. I like the all the new stuff, don't get me wrong, but it also made me realize that there are some older features out there on sites like Facebook that real estate agents may or may not be utilizing!

Today, I'll show you why the desktop version of Facebook is still one of your best friends. Yes, yes, I know, mobile is king (I'm only on my phone every 30 seconds or so). Nevertheless, the desktop version of Facebook is incredibly powerful for you and your business, and has unique features you can't find anywhere else! So let's go ahead and dive in—I can't wait to show you my findings!

The Dashboard

Think of this as your control panel. When you sign into your Facebook Business Page, this will be one of the first things you see in the middle of the page. It's also our main navigation point.

Share a Photo or Video

Sharing a photo or video is easy. We can all do it, but sometimes you gotta give it a little oomph! When you select the "Share a photo or video" option, there is a drop-down menu that allows you to upload a few options that will set you apart from your competition!

My personal favorite is creating a photo album. Sure, it may sound easy, but I can guarantee you it will set you apart from the pack. Most real estate professionals just put a single image of their listing, or even a link + photo to a website—but not you! By placing all the listing pictures in an album, you can expose the entire listing to your Facebook audience, as well as keep a "permanent record" of your previous listings! If a prospect comes to your page and starts browsing albums, that person will see the range of properties you've represented in the past. It's a win-win for everyone!

Another feature I really LOVE that your competition may not be utilizing yet is a carousel photo album. You create a carousel photo album the same way you a traditional album, but each picture has a link to a specific destination, such as your website, or even a landing page! There is a limit on the amount of images that can be featured, so choose wisely. Only the absolute best features of the house should be featured!

Create an Offer

For quite some time, I thought this feature was just for traditional retail businesses, e.g. "Get 15% off your purchase with this code!" but Facebook has helped to creatively change the game for real estate professionals. Here's an example of an offer I created for agents trying to get more buyer-based leads into the pipeline.

You can also create one for sellers mentioning a homeseller's guide or a free home appraisal. The sky's the limit here!

Live Video

If you've been reading my blogs and watching my videos enough, you know what an importance I place on live videos. Live videos give you a preferred ranking in the newsfeed, plus send your audience members a notification when you go live! If that's not free advertising, I don't know what is!

I like going live because it's another great way to showcase your listings. Use your imagination. Do a neighborhood tour if you work in relocation, or show off a fun downtown or historic district to assert yourself as the local expert (and to help humanize your brand). Read up here or watch my video on why going live is the hottest trend in social media and in real estate!

Events

We've all been invited to an event on Facebook. Maybe it was a festival, someone's going away party, anything! Creating Facebook Events work for real estate professionals, too, because it can help boost attendance at an open house.

Put a small ad spend behind it to get the word out to more than just your audience, and you have a winning strategy! I also like events for helping to humanize your brand. It doesn't always have to been business-centric; make it fun! If your office hosts an "After Tax Day" shredding event at your office, make an event out of it! Plus, you can talk to folks and nurture leads at the event.

For a more in-depth view of these items, as well as additional topics, check out my video below!

Facebook continues to be a marketing powerhouse for real estate professionals with highly targeted ads, in addition to some of the features we discussed today. Thanks for getting social with me!

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.