Stop buying leads (Part 1) – Leverage your real estate social media

If you're like 90 percent of realtors, you have an online presence. Almost all real estate agencies have a website that they use to advertise, provide contact information, and post listings for their clients. But have you taken it a step further and set up your social media profiles yet? And if you have and you're using social media regularly to stay visible, have you mastered the art of topic bridging?

Phil Weaver of Learning Success says this is the most important — and effective — strategy he's used to build a social presence for his business. And he recommends the same approach to all entrepreneurs, especially those in a client-based business like realtors.

"Think about what things are interesting to your perfect customer," Weaver says. For example, if you specialize in high-end homes, you might curate pictures and articles on unique home decorating ideas on your profiles, Weaver explains. If your perfect customer is more of a cost-saver type, then curate DIY home improvement ideas.

Before we get ahead of ourselves and show you how to put Weaver's pearls of wisdom into practice, we'll start at square one. If you're a realtor who hasn't set up social profiles for your business yet, read this Facebook tutorial and the Instagram Insight tutorial in Part 2 first. If you already have your social profiles up and thriving, skip to The Ultimate Real Estate Social Media Guide, Part 3, where you'll find the well-kept secrets of realtors (and other entrepreneurs) who are using their social presence to its fullest potential.

How to set up a Facebook page for realtors: 4 easy steps

According to the Real Estate in a Digital Age 2017 report by the National Association of REALTORS® Research Department, realtors are using technology on the daily. Since the average real estate agent is always on the go, working hard on behalf of their client by pounding the pavement, this looks like constant mobile phone use — both to check email and maintain communication. Having a mobile phone in hand also makes it easy to check in on social media. No wonder 80 percent of realtors are using Facebook.

The first and most important step is to set up a Facebook page, if you haven't already. Here's how (and it only takes a few minutes):

1. Get your prep work out of the way.

You'll need a name for your page, blurb about your business, cover photo of your business, and profile photo of yourself. Facebook also allows you to add a call to action at the top of your page to direct visitors to your blog or website.

2. Plug it in and publish.

If you need a while to work on your page, keep it unpublished until you're finished. You can access your Page Visibility under the General settings tab of your page.

3. Begin posting.

In order for your Facebook page to have any value, you need to be active. You can start posting updates about yourself, your listings, your clients, or other special offers you have available. You can also use the pro tips from other realtors in the final section of this guide. Don't forget to turn on your messaging to chat with clients and offer better customer service.

4. Get acquainted with your page results.

When you click on Insights at the top of your business page, you'll see how your audience is engaging. You can find out how many people reacted to a specific post to determine popularity — and what to post next. Facebook's information on measuring Insights can be found here.

In The Ultimate Real Estate Social Media Guide, Part 2, you'll learn the four easy steps to set up Instagram Insight. Or, skip ahead and find out the 12 ways top realtors are leveraging social media to get more leads in The Ultimate Real Estate Social Media Guide, Part 3. Click here to become a Cornerstone Realtor Partner and receive prequalified buyer referrals.