Video is the future of Facebook, and Facebook Live is actually one of the easiest and best ways to fully utilize video on the platform.
“It’s such a powerful tool,” says Waylon Chavez, CRS, and author of “Maximize Your Life to Maximize Your Profits.” His webinar on using Facebook Live touched on how and why to use this new platform as a REALTOR®.
But first, some facts:
- People spend three times longer watching a live video compared to a video that is no longer live on Facebook.
- Everyone knows that posts with photos have greater reach than posts without, but did you know that videos have 135 percent greater organic reach than even photos?
- The number of video posts per person increased by 94 percent in the U.S. and globally last year.
This is the wave of the future, and Facebook is ensuring it, in part through the very algorithm that controls what users see. Chavez offers plenty of tips in his webinar “5 Secrets to Maximizing Facebook Live for REALTORS®.”
1. Facebook favors livestream over all content.
Because Facebook is pushing video so hard, it changed its algorithm to more prominently feature Facebook Live videos, so take advantage of this extra boost.
2. Reach people who already follow your business page, and interact and engage with them in real time.
Face-to-face is probably the best, but Facebook Live is probably the second best way you can engage with your community and respond in real time with them, Chavez says. A video of the live event will stay on your timeline even after the live event is over, and you can still comment and engage with viewers. As viewers comment, Facebook brings the post to the top of the feed of the people who comment on it, and the post continues to grow.
3. Tour listings live/Create a live open house.
Make it an event! Host an open house just on Facebook, where you can show people viewing the video portions of the house and answer their questions in real time. They don’t even have to step foot in the house to see it—something buyers and sellers can get behind.
4. Host a weekly real estate update on your official page.
You can host this alone or with a guest. Talk about the local market or real estate buying and selling tips or even interesting anecdotes that would benefit clients. Get a loan officer, a home inspector, a stager or an insurance agent on there with you and educate your community.
5. Repurpose your videos.
When the video is done, you can turn it into a Facebook ad to build your following, Chavez says. Select target audiences you want to reach and create an ad that’s a video: More people are going to click on it, and more people are going to engage, he says.
