Maximizing Profits Using Facebook for Real Estate

There is hardly a person living in this day and age who hasn’t at the very least heard of Facebook and how it brings everyone together. The fact of the matter is that social networks are becoming an increasingly integral part in the lives of many people out there and it is only logical that they should be used for marketing and advertising. As it happens, there are ways to use Facebook for real estate agents who want to give their career a little boost.

First of all, how can using Facebook for real estate marketing benefit the agent? Well, for starters it should be mentioned that it is estimated that in August 2012, Facebook will hit the 1 billion subscriber mark. Put that together with the fact that one these networks news travels almost as the speed of light and you have yourself a nice potential way of spreading the word about yourself. You can do all the run-of-the-mill stuff such as making a profile page where they can pretty much do whatever they want. However, that is far from being the best Facebook can do for you.

Facebook allows the creation of fan pages and group pages to which people subscribe. When they “like” your page, every single thing you are going to post will become visible in their news feed, meaning that you are going to be reaching to thousands of people potentially only because they clicked a button on your page. Of course, using Facebook for real estate marketing consists of more than simply creating a page because after all, you need to give people a reason to join and like it. And it’s not like you just need anyone liking it; it is better to have a hundred people interested in what you are selling them like your page than a thousand who has no idea what you are doing there. So here is a little guide for how to use Facebook for real estate marketing.

How to Use Facebook for Real Estate Marketing

To start things off you are going to create a landing page which will give your visitors just a little taste of what you have to offer, encouraging them to click the like button and see the page in its full splendor. You should give them some incentive to click the like button, such as some kind of exclusive information about the housing sector, an ebook, or really any kind of little offer you can think of. The aesthetic of your landing page is extremely important so you should definitely work with a professional designer on it if you can afford to.

In any case, once they “like” your page they will be taken to second landing page where they can actually get what they clicked the button for. This is a very effective method of promoting your brand and getting your name out there as the people who will have gotten what they wanted from you will spread the word to their friends, who will hopefully give you a visit and do the same.

There is a great way to get more people to your Facebook page which consists of setting up good Facebook ads, which are basically the advertisements displayed on the side. All you need to do is simply click on the “create an ad” link which can be found right next to those advertisements, and you will be taken to the creation page. There you make your ad by simply choosing a picture and typing a quick sales pitch that goes to its right. You can choose to either run a cost-per-impressions or a pay-per-click campaign, whichever is more suitable for your current situation.

The best part with these ads is that if you are promoting a Facebook page those who are looking at it can “like” it instantaneously without even visiting it. If you can manage to make your advertisement enticing enough, you will see no shortage of unique visitors everyday who are looking to see what your brand has to offer them.

So how exactly do you get started and use Facebook for real estate marketing? Well, there is nothing complicated to the process as all you need to do is install an application which allows you to easily create landing pages. There are many applications which allow you to do that, and you can find them using your search engine of preference. Once the application is installed, use it to put your landing page into place, and get started with the steps above.

Check out my recent blog post for tips on growing your Facebook fan base.

Social media marketing for business has become a way to promote a small businesses that is inexpensive and effective. Small business owners that are posting on many sites could be a waste of time and money in marketing.

Examining Children

Examining children is one way to learn about the future of social media and marketing? Watch a child on the computer and what he or she does with their time on the Internet and what sites the child is visiting regularly.

Snapchat is one that children enjoy to send messages or “notes” back and forth to one another. Instagram is another area of interest in children. Sixty-one percent of teenagers enjoy Tumblr as their favorite site. Tumblr was more popular than Facebook which came in at 55%. Teens will soon be adults and bring some of the same habits as adults.

World Wide and Marketing

The future of Social marketing is a worldwide view, according to Emarketer Brazil is on of the many emerging regions for the savvy in social media. Brazil has the second highest rating for Twitter users in the world. Brazil has increased by 208 percent in time on Facebook since last year.

Social Networking is Here To Stay

Marketing your business through online social sites is essential for success. The word-or-mouth advertising is one of the best through social sites. If you obtain the trust of one person and through social media it can grow quickly.

Google+ will continue to grow next year. Google+ has created features that are great for businesses. Such as Google Authorship, if you have a business and have not connected with you need to do that as soon as possible.

The future cannot be predicted, so no telling what is to come in the long-term future of social media, but it appears that at least for a while Facebook and Twitter are not going anywhere.

Mobile use continues to grow as people leave their computers and laptops and work from their phones. Many sites have included apps on the phone to help with making the change. Video is also a way to market for your small business.

Marketing with social media is the future in marketing. Make sure to research where your market is going for their social media needs. One way of doing this is check out your competition. On what websites are your competition posting to get marketing completed.

Recently one of the big changes I have made in my business is to employ outsourced workers and services to leverage my time and resources more effectively. Outsourcing internet marketing with the result being increased profits and increased satisfaction for my work.

Since starting the outsourcing process myself, and since, fielding questions from others also keen to outsource, a number of questions kept coming up.

What can I outsource?

The answer is anything and everything. Go to websites such as fiverr.com and you will find people willing to do even the most horrible tasks for just a small amount of money.

The question therefore is really what should I outsource?

I recommend you start outsourcing jobs that are either you don’t enjoy doing, or you are not good at. Delegation of these mundane tasks will instantly boost productivity as you get to spend more time on the stuff you enjoy.

Next outsource anything that makes little or no money. Decide on this threshold by calculating the value of your time. For example if you want to earn $1 million this year working 6 hours a day, 4 days a week then you need to be making $800 each and every working hour. If the result of you working on a one hour task will not make you $800 then that too should be outsourced. With that analogy in mind think beyond just outsourcing internet marketing and conventional business functions. You might consider outsourcing home stuff like delivery of your groceries, car washing or lawn mowing as well as the more obvious things like accounting and legal advice which absolutely should be outsourced to professionals.

Out task or outsource?

Start by out tasking (using services on a task by task basis) before you hire full time (outsourcing). This will get you familiar with the outsourcing process without the ongoing financial commitment. However, as soon as you can afford to you should be hiring the help of a full time resource. They will grow in skills as they learn more about your business and how you work. It is simply not effective to hire, train, manage and then re-hire, train, manage and critique jobs one by one with different suppliers. If you need to out task source repeatedly then at least use a dedicated supplier who has a professionally managed team rather than an individual. An example of this type of supplier would be an outsourced SEO service who focus entirely on SEO.

Where do I find help?

By far and away the best place to find outsourced workers is by word of mouth. Good workers will know and mix with others of the same values so start by asking peers or colleagues who have A grade outsourcers for a referral. Outsourcers are looking for good trusted companies to work with too, so a referral puts both parties in good stead.

Another good place to find outsourcer’s is the Warrior Forum. Typically individuals within the Warrior Forum are of good quality (though not always) and are ideal for 1 or 2 time jobs. You might also use outsource directories such as O Desk or Elance where you can have outsourcers tender for your job before hiring. These services are intended for hiring on a task by task basis, however if you find someone you really like you can approach them to work for you full-time.

Other places you should consider recruiting are craiglist.org or bestjobs.ph which is a job seekers portal for the Philippines.

Hiring Tips

If you want to attract the best outsourcers for your team you must go about hiring in the right way. This means don’t be rude, dictatorial or aggressive as this will turn off the most talented candidates. Your aim is to find good workers and have them stick with you, so you should always treat recruits with respect and a view to building a long term team. When hiring your team give priority to attitude over skill. Skill can be trained but the temperament to work remotely without constant supervision requires A player attitude. Look for the top 10% who deliver the right blend of attitudinal, personal and intellectual competencies and they should be your hires.

It is always wise to hire on probation even if you found who you consider the perfect recruit. Ask for some sample work and be prepared to pay for the first tasks while you assess the quality of work. Check the properties in the documents to see that the work is original. Salaries will range from USD $300 to $700 per month for many typical Internet Marketing related roles.

How can I trust my outsourcer?

You should do a back ground check before you hire. Ask for references from candidates bosses of the past 5 years and conduct them via Skype. Some of the most valuable information will come from former employers. You can also ask for pictures in your application process and correlate those pictures with Social Media profiles to make sure workers are who they say they are.

Once your outsourcers start working with you can ensure a sound level of trust and security is maintained by password protecting your documents and assigning rights only to non critical areas of your business. It is sound advice to only give server side access once you have an assured level of trust with your outsource team. There is no need to be over cautious though, if you have hired right and done your due diligence you have no need to worry.

When paying your staff, use PayPal and be ready to pay twice monthly in arrears.

What agreements do I need?

Most important thing is to develop a level of understanding with your team. This should include telling them any work done for you is exclusive and cannot be used elsewhere. Also, content produced for you remains your intellectual property. Always set your expectations as to what is required of them and also agree what they expect of you to conduct their job. This will ensure a strong 2 way relationship. Set targets and keep them focused on those to ensure they align with the companies goals. Post these goals and any agreements you have within your project management system. I use the write board facility with Basecamp.