Engage with buyers and sellers via Facebook Live: for free! KWRI social media strategist Marliese Gowin shares her best tips to utilize this social media video option and strengthen your brand as a local expert or industry thought leader.
Facebook Live helps you build your brand as a local expert by engaging with Facebook followers via short, live videos. It reinforces that you are knowledgeable about your market as well as the real estate industry.
“Facebook Live is a way to broadcast a video to your audience in real time,” says Marliese Gowin, social media strategist with Keller Williams Realty International. “It’s about showing versus telling what you know.”
Why Live?
You can engage with your followers – including potential, current, and past customers – and receive their reactions and comments while reaching out to them. Everything from Q&A sessions with real estate tips to coverage of your charitable involvement is fair game.
“It’s a great way for agents to connect with their audience,” Gowin says. “I would encourage an agent to experiment by starting small and building on the reactions received.”
The great news is that you can save the video to your page in perpetuity for viewing by followers who weren’t on social media when you were live and for those who would like to review or share the content.
Here are some ways YOU can use the medium to connect with your own audience:
- Showcase your listings with walk-through videos.
- Explain changes in local, state, and federal tax codes or new incentives for home buyers.
- Give local market updates using data from a market snap via Kelle.
- Give tips for first-time home buyers, downsizing empty nesters, or folks buying their first vacation home.
- Create a buzz around a new development.
- Answer questions about a trendy neighborhood.
- Promote events in communities and neighborhoods where you have listings.
- Share your specialized knowledge. For example, what to look for – and watch out for – in older homes.
- Underline your involvement with charitable organizations. “Giving back is a big part of our culture,” Gowin says.
Before going live:
- Plan what you want to talk about, how long you want to talk about it, and who you’ll be targeting with the material.
- Tease with a short announcement a couple of days before the session. Create a quick graphic and use it before, during, and after the live video. Remind followers 24 hours before you go live.
- Any agent can use Facebook Live: if you’re not comfortable in front of the camera, stand behind it. Find an expert to interview and prepare questions to ask. For example, a city councilperson might talk about changes in city ordinances or incentives for home buyers. You can also connect with one of the first people you sold a house to and have them detail their experience with you.
- People have short attention spans: plan live content for five to 30 minutes (at the very most).
- Include a call to action.
- “Read my blog post on the subject.”
- “Check out this listing.”
- “Reach out to me by phone or email.”
- Balance your live content fifty-fifty – half brand (this is who I am and what I’m doing) and half business (buy a house through me).
- Avoid controversial topics.
- Pay attention to reactions. If followers don’t engage with a particular type of content by the third try, or if responses start to drop off, try something new.
- Keep the content on your page until it becomes irrelevant.
Like what you read? Read up on more social media tips on the KW Blog!
