Want an idea on how to get more real estate leads? Two words. Facebook Live. Keep reading to get step-by-step instructions on how to use Facebook to generate tons of leads for your real estate business!
The Benefits of Going Live
Right now, the easiest way to get tons of free reach on social media is to go live. I go live once a week on all of our platforms and we reach tens of thousands of people… for free!
So, it’s definitely worth it.
Face Your Biggest Fear (It’s Worth It)
But I know that some of you may be thinking that you’ll never go live because even the thought of it is way too scary.
But let me ask you this…
What’s more important to you?
Playing it safe? Or growing your real estate business?
If you chose the latter, then you need to get over your fear of the camera and go live!
The easiest way to do this is to take yourself out of the equation. Seriously, focus less on yourself and more on your community. This subtle mindset shift will make stepping in front of the camera so much easier.
You got this! I promise.
Facebook Live For Real Estate Agents: The Best Content Ideas
#1 Behind The Scenes Of Your Transaction
People love seeing real estate sales in action. That’s why there are so many real estate shows on TV. If you want to build a following fast, give the people what they want! Post behind the scenes footage showing how to stage a home, the challenges & obstacles you’re dealing with, the process of setting up for an open house, and buyers getting keys to their dream homes. If HGTV can make millions doing it, so can you!
#2 Sneak Peek Of Your Exclusive Showing
This gives people a sneak peek in anticipation of listings to come. People are nosey by nature and feel special when they are the first to know a juicy piece of information! So hop on a live call to give a tour of the house before it goes up for sale. Market it as an exclusive pre-showing. Snap pictures of the photographers shooting pictures, drones taking aerial shots of the backyard, and stagers adding final touches in preparation for your upcoming listing. It only takes one person to see the post and share it with a friend who’s looking to buy in the area.
#3 Personal Branding
Give people a reason to know, like, trust, and remember you. It humanizes you and shows people how multi-faceted and interesting you are. You can do this easily by conducting your live stream session in your home or with your kids, or as life happens.
#4 Showcase An Open House
Create an event on Facebook, then during the time of the event, do a video walk-through of the home and point out its key features. Start outside and work your way through the home – just like a buyer would. And at the end of the video, invite people to come out and meet you at the open house. You can put a little money behind the post for even more exposure.
#5 Feature A Neighborhood
Neighborhood streams can be done easily by walking or driving around the neighborhood. In the video, talk about the features of the neighborhood like the schools, parks, and shops. Basically, cover everything that you know, because this is a chance to show off your local knowledge and demonstrate that you actually are the local expert. Just remember to put your mobile device on a tripod or selfie stick.
The 4 Places That You Can Go Live On Facebook
#1 Your Personal Profile
Although you do have the ability to go live on your personal profile, I don’t recommend it. Here’s why: It’s against Facebook’s terms of service for you to use your personal profile for commerce. This means that Facebook has every right to kick you off the platform if you’re using it to promote your real estate business.
However, your personal profile is a great place to practice going live before your big event on your business page. If you want to have a practice section, just choose who you want to include or exclude. You can choose your business partner, colleague, friend, husband, or anyone else that’s you’d like. Just think of it as a dress rehearsal before the main event.
#2 Your Business Page
Your Facebook Business Page is a great place to go live and the one that I recommend because you can run retargeting ads to everyone who engages with it! More about this later.
#3 Your Facebook Group
If you have a local Facebook Group – and I highly suggest that you do – you can go live at any time there as well.
Just note that if your group is a Secret Group or a Closed Group, and a member tags an outsider, the outsider won’t be able to see it. So make sure that your group is set to public instead so you can get maximum engagement and reach.
#4 Your Facebook Event
An event page is an amazing place to conduct Facebook Live For Realtors. It’s perfect for an open house, broker’s open, caravan, or any other event that you host!
All you have to do is create an event, then go live once the event starts.
What To Do Before You Go Live
#1 Tell People In Advance
You’ll get tons more engagement if you actually promote it first.
This can be done easily in the following ways:
- Send an email
- Make an announcement in your local group
- Run a Facebook Ad
- Text your key influencers
- Post it on social media
- Blast it via your bot (if you have one)
#2 Think Of A Great Headline
This one probably doesn’t get enough credit. When it comes to digital marketing, headlines are everything!
If your headline isn’t interesting or doesn’t have that wow factor, no one is going to stay for your live stream.
#3 Connect To Wi-Fi
To avoid streaming issues and to save your data plan, be sure to connect your phone to Wi-Fi.
#4 Make Sure That Your Battery Is Fully Charged
This may seem like a no-brainer, but trust me, it’s not. I’ve been on lots of Facebook Live sessions where the host has to cut the live stream short, because they ran out of juice.
This happens because live streaming drains your battery at a higher rate than most other activities. So you may think that you have enough power, but if you’re not charged at 70% or more, you probably don’t.
#5 Turn Your Phone On ‘Do Not Disturb’
This will ensure that you don’t receive calls during your Facebook Live stream. If you do, either the call will quit or your Facebook Live will. I’ve also seen live sessions that have stopped suddenly, because the person got a call or text, and their stream hit a point of no return. That situation isn’t pretty.
#6 Style Your Scene
This may be the most important tip. Make sure that your background is clutter-free, well lit, and beautifully styled.
It’s hard for viewers to pay attention when there are distractions in the background. I know, because I’ve been on live streams with where this has happened. Remember, if a viewer gets distracted, there’s no rewind button, so if they miss something important, it’s gone.
#7 Stabilize Your Camera
If you’re live streaming from your mobile device, you may want to invest in a tripod or a selfie stick. If you don’t the camera gets shaky and it will make viewers dizzy. No one wants that!
What To Do During The Broadcast
#1 Introduce Yourself
Don’t always assume that people know who you are. In fact, it’s better if they don’t – because it means that someone has shared your Facebook Live with their friends (or you’ve reached someone new by running an ad), and that, my friend, is an opportunity for you to build your real estate database!
So give them a quick introduction to tell them who you are, what you do, and who you do it for. Just remember to keep it quick, because if people lose interest, they won’t stick around.
#2 Ask Them To Follow
Ask the people to subscribe to you, so they get a notification every time you are live on Facebook! You may want to ask them once in the beginning, then again during the middle, and then again at the end. Finally, give them a solid reason to follow you.
#3 Educate The Viewers
Think hard about your value proposition. Why should a viewer tune in and stick around?
What are you going to show, tell, or give them?
People will bounce off of your live stream immediately if you’re just posting something random. Make sure that it’s something interesting that people actually care about. If you really knock it out of the park with value, the people will love you for it.
#4 Engage The Viewers
Facebook Live allows you to engage with your audience in ways that have been impossible before. They can react, comment, and share your streams in real-time. So if you ask them a question – or vice versa – you can respond right away!
There’s no better way to give value than that. So make sure that you are engaging with your viewers.
To encourage interaction, say the person’s name, then repeat the question. This validates the person who’s asking but also gives context for all of the other people on the session.
#5 Stay On the Session For 15-30 Minutes
This may seem like a long time, but there’s a reason. While you’re on the Facebook Live session, Facebook is going to give you a TON of reach. So make sure that you stay on long enough for people to be notified that you’re on, tune in, subscribe to you, and share your stream with others.
People check their phones pretty often, so if you stay on for a while, you’ll notice that your viewer count will rise.
#6 End The Live Stream With A Call To Action
Of course, every Facebook Live session should be done with a business purpose in mind. It can be for branding, client engagement, prospecting, driving traffic to your website, or even lead generation. Whatever your means, it should always end with a strong call to action.
You call to action should remind them to grab the freebie that you’re offering. It can be a home buyer guide, home seller guide, list of homes for sale, or anything else that you’re offering.
What To Do After The Broadcast
#1 Download Your Facebook Live Broadcast
Facebook gives you the option, so make sure you take them up on their very generous offer. Once you complete the live stream, save it to your camera roll.
#2 Answer Any Unanswered Questions
You can still interact with people who’ve engaged with your content after the live stream is over. This is an amazing opportunity to show people that you really do care and that you’re there to help.
#3 Advertise Your Facebook Live Stream To Get More Leads
Put a little money behind each and every one of your live streams in order to reach new audiences. This is a great way to provide value to your entire community and get tons of new leads in the process!
#4 Share Your Live Stream On Social Media
Download and share your Facebook Live Streams everywhere! When you do, you’ll be building out your customer insights, so that Facebook can better target your audience, your ads, and your demographics. This is a golden opportunity, so make sure that you don’t waste it!
#5 Repurpose Your Live Stream
You can upload your live streams to YouTube, Vimeo, your blog or anywhere else that you’d like. If you upload these videos to YouTube, people will be able to search and find your videos for weeks, months, or even years later. You can also transcribe the video and turn it into a blog post – which is perfect for Google SEO.
#6 Rinse and Repeat…
Have a plan that creates consistency. Once you do, people will come to expect this content from you and share it with others. So pick a certain time of the day or month where people can tune in, ask you questions, and get answers on a consistent basis.
