Realtors: Use Facebook to establish yourself as the hyperlocal expert

I have to laugh. I recently saw an old comment from a Realtor complaining about Facebook.

It went something like this: “Facebook is useless. “It’s just a bunch of 18-22 year olds looking for the next hot party.”

That comment was made in 2007. Back then, Facebook had a few million members.

That Realtor is now a Facebook member. And Facebook, like the real estate industry, is changing with the times as evidenced by its membership which now covers all demographers.

Consider this amazing statistic. In January 2008, there were more than 50 million Facebook members.

In January, 2009 – 150 million.

One year later, there were 400 million.

Seven months later, today, there are 500 million.

If you are Facebook user, you probably have noticed you are seeing more people contacting you to be “friends.” And they’re not just college kids. What’s interesting lately is that the new users are all ages, especially 40 and older.

Another statistic that underscores this phenomenon – in 2009, Facebook had market penetration in North America of 42% of Internet users. Now it’s 69%. Seven out of every 10 people who turn on their computers, go to Facebook. Fifty-percent of them log in daily. Wow!

So, if you’re a realtor, guess where your clients are hanging out?

Here are some simple tips for Realtors on Facebook:

a)      Start right – you need to get the right mindset when you play on Facebook. Don’t think about what it can do for you, think about what you can do for other members. Don’t go in there throwing up listings or bugging potential sellers. In fact, mention very little about your real estate business. It’s a social network, not a business network. So socialize. Meet people. Say hi. The rest follows.

b)      What to contribute – people don’t care about what you are selling. They want to see things that are interesting to them. So perhaps, put up some facts about the town you live in or point out some new attractions. Establish yourself not as a Realtor, but as a hyperlocal expert. Tell people, “Hey, I found a cool way to find all the Mexican restaurants within 5 miles of my house. Check it out. (That’s where SpatialMatch can come in).

c)       Create a Facebook Group – not about your business, but create one about a common interest – say the history of your town. Be sure to put the name “Palookaville History” in the title, so it shows up when people do a search for Palookaville groups. Get people excited about discovering historical tidbits. What a great way to network and again, establish yourself as someone who knows the town inside and out.

d)      Create a Facebook Page – this is where you can promote your business. But again, don’t make it about you. Make it about the cool info you can provide on your page. More facts about Palookaville.  Include photos. Videos. Stuff that will get people involved. Stuff that people will find interesting and will pass along.

There’s much more we could cover here – Facebook Apps, Advertising, etc. But hopefully you get the idea and see the angle on how you can be the king or queen of your local Facebook neighborhood.