Whether you blog or spend time using one or more of the available Social Media platforms, especially Facebook, you are in the business of creating content. Engagement plays an essential aspect in creating content. It is the most important part of your online presence. Engagement is important because it keeps the conversation going. It lets you know what your customers are thinking and how they feel. On the other hand you can give them advice/tips because again as a Realtor, you have to appear as a “Local Expert”. It gives you ways to provide better customer service, so to speak.
Here are a few ways to increase your engagement with those who are fans or who “like” your Facebook business page:
1. You’re only as good as your last update – You have to “be seen”. If you don’t update, there’s no use of keeping a fan page. Everytime you update, it appears on the news feed of the fans of your business page.
2. Keep your posts short & to-the-point – Most people have more that 500 friends on facebook and would want to scan as many updates of their friends in a certain period of time. People will gloss over long paragraphs in favor of short, to-the-point posts. Posts that were 80 characters or less received 27% more likes and comments than posts that are lengthy.
3. Ask questions – Not all status updates need to be statements. Posts that ended with a question had a 15% higher level of engagement. The same goes for posts with calls to action like “Like This”, “Leave a Comment” or “Post Your Response”. Asking for feedback in your posts encourages users to interact with your brand and would think that the company Facebook page is indeed a place for conversation. Also, open ended questions help get a discussion going.
4. Pictures are worth a thousand words – People love visual media. Pictures and videos works for your advantage because you can display the photos and tours of your home listings plus it draws people to look at your page and give them more reason to either like or comment. In addition, videos and photos are “taggable”. So you can tag people that you think would be interested, they will be notified and their friends will see it too.
5. Create events -If you are having an open house or any sort of event with your business or organization, create a Facebook event for it. These are made with interaction in mind. People can be invited and they have the ability to RSVP. Each person who says they are attending furthers your reach. Plus, the events are shareable. Plus the events include the ability to comment, creating yet another place for discussion and engagement.
6. The day of the week and time of the day of posting also has an impact – It appears that posting outside normal business hours (early morning, after work, late night) had a 20% higher level of engagement.If you post during these times, it increases the likelihood that your posts will appear in your fan’ news feed, more exposure, more conversation.
Surprisingly, Saturday posts do not garner as much attention as weekday posts. Thursday and Friday are the best days for engagement, with an 18% lift in comments and likes on these days.
7. Don’t be one dimensional – If you’re a Real Estate Agent, you don’t have to talk about Real Estate & homes the whole time. You can talk about different topics occasionally & especially the current events. Could be occasionally funny updates or the basketball team that you want to win. It is great for getting comments. It helps to let people know that there is a real human on the other side, not just someone who’s only after the marketing of the page.
