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Real estate agencies ahead of the social media game are securing thousands of followers on channels such as Facebook, leading to rent roll growth, brand awareness and overall business success.
“We promote it a lot and not just through marketing…we do put the link for Facebook on everything for people to like us,” said Domain Property Advocates director Melanie Dennis, one of the administrators of the business' Facebook page.
“And just promotions like little competitions – we had a Father's Day ‘Post a story about your Dad’ and you won a prize for the best story.
“We also encourage the team to like and share it, so it is like a butterfly effect,” she added.
The page has garnered more than 4,000 likes, Ms Dennis told Residential Property Manager.
A dog named Hank, who belongs to one of the leasing consultants, has also become a star through the Facebook page, with many followers liking and sharing his photos.
“We had a meeting with someone and we were talking about an auction we were going to and they were talking about coming and she said, 'Will Hank be there?' – we didn’t even know she was on our Facebook page,” Ms Dennis said.
“I think it is about connecting and making relationships, and Facebook is just a great tool to do that because it gives that personal insight to people as well.
“I see a lot of people just posting about what they have for sale or what they have for lease – that is boring. If you are looking for a rental property, you probably won’t be searching for it on Facebook.
“That is not what Facebook is about – we certainly use it for that, we put it in between our social posts – but it is really important to keep it social,” she said.
Ms Dennis said the main benefits the firm has seen through utilising Facebook are brand awareness and the “butterfly effect”.
“I think you need to get it out of your head that Facebook is a free way of publicising because your posts don’t get out to everybody who is your friend any more. So be prepared to pay for ‘boost’ posts and paying to advertise your Facebook site,” she said.
Also speaking to Residential Property Manager, Besser & Co head of property management Marcel Dybner said the firm's Facebook page is one of the most consistent sources of good quality leads for the property management department.
“With over 3,000 fans, we have one of Australia’s largest followings for a single office agency,” he said.
“With over nine million daily Facebook users, most agencies see the value in having a Facebook page, but taking the page from friends, family and staff members liking it to a page that generates leads takes time and planning.”
Mr Dybner said three things are needed to build a successful Facebook page.
“Post good content – as well as writing comments, Facebook allows you to share links, images and videos to your page,” he said. "The more interesting the content, the more chance of a user liking it or sharing it with their friends and family.
“[Second,] review your posts – monitor what works for you.
"[Third,] advertise your page – there’s only so much growing you can do on your own.
“Facebook lets you create ads around your business page and then target those ads around location, age groups and interests amongst many other options,” Mr Dybner added.
Has anyone else had success/generated leads through social media? How helpful have you found it for your business growth?
Find Residential Property Manager on Facebook.
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