Increase your organic reach on Facebook, and generate free leads at the same time!

Organic each on Facebook Business Pages is at an all-time low. Studies show that reach as low as 2-3%. Meaning, if you have 1000 people who like your page, your posts will reach only 10-20 of them. You can thank the Facebook Algorithm for that. It decides what posts are seen in our News Feed. Posts from business pages are just not at the top of the list. In fact, they are at the very bottom.

Typically, when a post is created on your business page, it is show to users who fall into one of 3 categories.
Recently Liked your Page. If someone recently liked your page, there is a very good chance that they will see you very next post.
Recently Engaged with your page. A user who recently engaged with (like, comment, share) a post on your page will most likely see your next post.
Top Fans. We all have these people on our page. They are your “top fans” who always seem to engage with your content. Thanks Mom 🙂

If your post fails to generate engagement from anyone in those three categories, it will be buried and left for dead.
This explains why one of your posts will see 50 likes, while another will see ZERO!

So, how do you push past that 2-3% organic reach? Well, there are a few strategies that seem to be working well now.
For this particular strategy, you will need a couple of items first.

Facebook Profile

If you are one of the 11 people in the world who DO NOT have one, do yourself a favor and go set one up.

Facebook Business Page

OK, you may already have one of these set up. Just make sure that it is complete. By that I mean, make sure your contact info is on there, name, address, phone, website, description, etc.

The advantages of having a business page:
Analytics and Data. You can see how much reach your posts are getting, and how much engagement.
Retargeting Audiences. You can retarget anyone who interacts with your content on your page. This will keep your audience engaged and put you top of mind.
To run ads. Whether you plan to run ads or not, you will at least have the option to do so.

If you don’t have a page set up yet, Jason Wardrop has a great video on how to setup a business page. Pretty in depth.

Join A Few Facebook Groups

Go find and join a few Facebook Groups. Look for groups like the Buy, Sell, Trade. Or you can also join a few of the community groups that are around you.

NOTE: Pay attention to the rules of the group. Specifically, what you can and cannot post. Some groups are pretty stringent. Others will let you post your listings that are for sale, but not a self-promotion. Not following that groups rules may get you banned.

A good rule of thumb is to join a community group and see what type of posts are in there. Look to see if other Real Estate Agents are posting their listings in there as well. If ever in doubt, ask the group admin.

An Active Listing

Last thing you need is a listing to promote. Don’t have one? Don’t worry… you can borrow one from your brokerage. It is a good rule of thumb to ask first before you do this. 99.5% of agents today will give you the thumbs up. If you find an agent that falls in that .5% and declines your offer, go find another listing.

Pick your listing according to your target audience?
If you want more BUYERS or First-time Home Buyers, find a listing in the lower end of the market that a typical First-Time buyer can afford. In my county, that is around $275K-$350K.
This price range will generate a TON of reach, traffic, engagement, and messages. So many that that it might seem overwhelming. Just remember, every person that reaches out to you to inquire about this listing is a potential lead. Some are ready NOW, some might be window shopping and are 6-12 months from buying.

If you want home SELLERS the strategy is a bit different. Here is a secret…
Want to hear a secret? Home SELLERS, are actually home BUYERS in a bigger price range. But they have to SELL their home to BUY the next one.
Pick a listing in the price range of a second home. The MOVE UP buyer’s price range. Bigger home, bigger yard, homes on acreage, etc. In my area, the price range is about $450K-600K. This price range is just out of reach of a First-Time buyer.

Once you pick your listing and get permission to market it, gather all of the pictures and video you can of it. Most of the time you can do this in the MLS by just right-clicking on the photo and saving them to your computer.

Now you are ready to promote your listing.

Step One – Facebook Marketplace

The first step is to place the home for sale in Facebook Marketplace. Make sure you are putting it for sale from your business page.
Here is a video on how to post your listing on Marketplace.

Step Two – Share to your Personal Profile

Now that the Listing is on Marketplace, and a posted to your Business Page, SHARE it to your Personal Profile (Timeline). This will get you more traffic and engagement from your family and friends.

Step Three – Share to Facebook Groups.

As many Facebook groups as you can (follow those rules). This will distribute your content to thousands of people who are not connected to or likers of your Facebook Page.
In fact, you might find that your page will gain a few new likes every time you do this.

Facebook Messenger Leads

This is very IMPORTANT! Make sure you can see your messages that are coming in. If you can, test it from another account or have a friend message you from the marketplace listing to make sure you are receiving those messages. The Facebook Pages Manager App will help you manage messages and comments to your page.
SPEED-TO-LEAD is important. If they message you, make sure you reply in a timely fashion.
Ask if they are already working with an agent, or have been pre-approved. Or would like to schedule a socially-distant Zoom or FaceTime consultation.
If you have helpful content to send them, such as a buyer’s guide, this is a great time to utilize those items.

For example: If you have a video on “The 3 things every First-Time Buyer needs to do before shopping for a home.” Send them a link to it.

Offer to sign them up to receive alerts on homes in a specific price range before they land on Zillow. Get their email, set them up as a buyer in your MLS…

Another great tactic is to record a short video message to them. Introduce yourself, use their name, make it personal. This will set you apart from EVERYONE! In Facebook Messenger, you only have 60 seconds though. So, don’t ramble on.

Also, remember, not every person who messages you is ready to go right now. Those leads are rare and ofter referred to as a unicorn.

Mark them as Pending or SOLD in Marketplace

Make sure you set an alert for that listing. You don’t want it sitting around on marketplace after it goes pending.