How to Boost Your Organic Facebook Engagement

We have all heard it, right? "I post all the time on Facebook, but no one sees my posts."

Or my favorite line, "my kids said that no one uses Facebook anymore." 

(Unless your kids' friends are your current clientele, don't listen to them). 

Facebook is a powerful social network with billions of daily users. Not only are people on Facebook, but they are making authentic, meaningful connections with brands and businesses there every day. If you aren't there, or if you aren't using Facebook properly, the truth is that your competitors probably are. 

As with all of the social media channels, your Facebook needs to be built on three foundations: consistency, variety and balance.

You need to show up every day, consistently, and post a variety of types of content. If all you do is auto-post your listings from Instagram to Facebook, your page will not grow and you will not get very much engagement on Facebook. 

In fact, part of the reason that Facebook algorithms do make it so difficult to generate a high organic reach is because businesses started using Facebook like one big advertising channel. Yes, Facebook can be an advertising channel, but its intended purpose is to be a place where connections and community occur. 

You can grow your business on social media, and you will generate leads on social media, but it will not happen overnight. It may not even happen in a few months. But if you stick with it, you will make meaningful connections and generate qualified leads online. 

Once you are committed to putting in the work, there are a few things that you can do to grow your Facebook page without paying for advertising (yet). 

Leverage Your Personal Page...a Little Bit 

Although it is important that you have a Facebook business page to lend credibility and professionalism to your business, you can still leverage your personal page audience from time to time.

For every 5-7 posts on your Facebook Business page, pick one or two posts to share to your personal page. This will remind your personal contacts that you are a real estate agent without inundating them with posts about your business all the time. Remember that people who are interested in your real estate business updates will follow your business page.

Think of it as if you were in your audience's shoes: if you have a Facebook friend who you know casually, would you want to hear about it every time they have a new project at work?

No, you'd be likely to mute their posts. But, if they shared when they won an award, or the occasional article about an industry trend you'd be much more likely to think about them positively when you need to hire or refer someone in your industry.

Use Live Video...If You Like to Do Video 

It is true that Facebook prioritizes live video over still images or text posts. But...you know what is worse for your brand than a low organic Facebook reach? Sharing a bad video with everyone you know professionally. 

If you are not comfortable in front of a live camera, then do not make live video until you feel comfortable with it. I'm not just talking about I've-never-done-this-before-jitters. I'm talking to you if you hate the camera, avoid photos at all cost, and would rather jump out of a plane naked than be on live TV.

If you are comfortable in front of a camera and you have experience with public speaking or social media video, then grab yourself a desktop tripod from Amazon and commit to doing at least one Facebook Live video each week for 90 days.

Having live video on your feeds will help algorithms show your content to more people, but it will also help deepen your engagement with your community. The more people hear directly from you, the more they will come to trust you and trust that you are the go-to real estate agent when they need to refer or hire one.

One word: Share!

When someone shares one of your posts, doesn't it make you happy?

If you can give others that same feeling, it's almost a guarantee that they will REMEMBER you. That is what social media for real estate agents is all about -- being remembered, being hired, and being referred by past clients.

The first step to this is following other local pages in your community: follow local businesses, follow local bloggers, local influencers, local community groups, local newspapers, and your local chambers of commerce in any cities, towns or neighborhoods where you sell. 

At least once or twice each week share a post from one of these local businesses. Share from local businesses that you think your audience will enjoy. If you sell a lot of luxury real estate, then you might not necessarily want to share tips for budgeting to buy your first home. Similarly, if most of your clients are single first-time home buyers, you may not want to share tips for decorating kids' playrooms. With your audience in mind, share local events, sales, deals, and local news or current events. If you post a favorite dish from a local restaurant or coffee from your local mom-and-pop, check into those spots.

When you share them, be sure to include some commentary about why you are sharing that post. Infuse as much of your personality as you can and give your followers a reason to relate to you and have conversations online.

At the end of the day, each of these tips will help you develop a Facebook presence that shows up consistently,  posts a variety of content, and shares a good balance of content about yourself and other local businesses. 

What other tips and tricks do you like to do to garner engagement on your Facebook page? ​