Mike Mueller, Social Media.ist

It’s no secret I’m a fan of the Facebook (Fan) Business Page.  I also have a few real estate clients.  Hence it’s no surprise that I have built quite a few Custom Facebook Business Pages for real estate agents.  Here’s a few:http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemueller/sets/72157622207611298/detail/

Not a single day goes by that someone doesn’t ask the big question

WHY?

Make no mistake it’s a very valid question. 

Here’s the 5 reasons I think every agent needs a Facebook Page:

 “SEO” – a Facebook Page is indexed by all the major search engines as well as Facebook itself.  Wait there’s more.  If it’s indexed it’s also Page Ranked.  Want more?  Most every link on the Page has “Follow” attributes (as opposed to “No Follow”).

 “Separation of Church and State” – a Facebook Page automatically provides a privacy layer between the Page (you) and the people who “Fan” your Page.  This goes both ways.  Provocative pictures your old college buddy just found, uploaded and tagged of you don’t get shared to your Fans. Conversely, your Fans have an understanding that by becoming a fan they won’t be divulging private information as well.

 “The Landing Page” – you can set any one of your tabs to be the first one shown to NON Fans.  That means you can create a Tab specifically designed for the new visitor.  For a relocation agent that would be “Why it’s so great to live in Sunny Acres”.  That Tab could be Photos, Videos, or even a custom built tab.  Engage me on your neighborhood and guess who I’m going to call to show me a house?

 “Voted OFF the Island” – It’s a little known fact but pushing your new listings out to your friends (via your personal profile) is a violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service as well as it’s Facebook Site Governance: Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.  You can read more here.  And I know what you are thinking… there’s many agents breaking that law on a daily basis and Facebook hasn’t yet voted them off the island (yet).  True but there’s nothing stopping them from starting tomorrow.  That’s happening right now on Flickr and Video sites like Vimeo.

 “Say my Name” – Like a personal profile your Facebook Page can also have it’s own custom URL.  In the world of Custom URLs there’s can only be one Facebook.com/SunnyAcres.  While most people opt for their own name for their personal profile (i.e. I’m http://facebook.com/MikeMueller ) when it comes to a Fan Page it’s all about business, it’s all about branding.  Secure a custom URL and your business card and other advertising could simply state  “Find us online at Facebook.com/SunnyAcres” Now there’s real value on a couple of different levels!

So there’s 5 reasons I think every real estate agent needs to have their own Facebook (Fan) Business Page.  Give me ten minutes and I could come up with 5 more reasons.  I do have to add a couple more thoughts to the conversation…

• Having a Page does not mean you can just automate the process and walk away.  It’s not a “set it and forget it” concept.
• Having a Page does not mean you can simply Broadcast.  Having any exposure on any social media also requires a significant amount of listening as well.  Some might say that is much more important than the broadcasting.
• Having a page does not mean it’s business only.  Quite the opposite.  You can still have the same personality traits that make you a wonderful human being also come out in your Page.
• Having a Page is one thing, having a page that engages others is another.  Yes, I build Custom Facebook Business Pages but I have seen plenty non custom pages that do a great job engaging others.

Want to start you Facebook Business Page?  Start by logging in to facebook as usual, then go to http://facebook.com/pages/manage

Want a little video?  Here’s Robert Scoble and Caitlin O’Farrell (she’s from Facebook)

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!