Just when you started to get a handle on your social strategy, Facebook is at it again, changing up their algorithms and making it more difficult for businesses to have a presence in people’s news feeds. Until very recently, any engagement with a Facebook post, whether it was a like, share, or comment, would indicate interest and help your content show up for certain people. However, according to Adam Mosseri, Facebook’s Head of News Feed, new algorithm changes will consider comments “more valuable than likes” and is “going to be (weighing) long comments more than short comments.”
This new focus on “conversations and meaningful interactions” means many agents will need to completely revisit their Facebook strategies. You can either pay for sponsored posts and other Facebook advertising, or you can work the system and get your followers to show Facebook that they want to see your posts. This can be accomplished by actively commenting on your posts and by changing their settings regarding your page.
How to Get Your Facebook Audience to Engage
In a January 11 post, Chairman and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg explained that “As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard—it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.” According to Mosseri, these standards will be measured by the number and length of comments on your posts. Traditionally, you could ask followers to comment—it is important to note, however, Facebook will “demote these posts in News Feed.” How do you get comments without asking for them?
- Ask questions.
People love to talk about themselves and share their opinions. To give your followers opportunities to do that, try asking leading questions. A leading question can be anything from “What’s the best local coffee shop?” to “What’s the one thing you wish you knew before you bought your first house?”
- Share important news and milestones.
You’ve seen it before. When someone posts about getting married, having a baby, getting a new job, or graduating, the “Congratulations!” immediately start rolling in. Let your followers share in your big moments by sharing significant business moments and milestones with them. If you have time to hop on and do a live video, even better! Live videos tend to get a lot more discussion than uploaded videos.
- Run contests.
In regards to contests, it is important to note that “like and share to win” the prize contests will not give you the results you are looking for. You want your contests to be fun and engaging, not boring and derivative. For example, you could say that the first three people to go to your website or Homes.com and find a home that meets certain criteria win. Have them post their listing in the comments. Just remember to look over your area’s rules about contests and sweepstakes before you start.
“Following” Settings
Your followers can also indicate that they would like to see your posts by changing their “Following” settings for your page. Currently when someone likes a page on Facebook, that page is added with default settings that allow the algorithm to decide what posts to show when, and to whom. However, there’s an algorithm trump card users can use to choose whose content they want to see in their news feeds.
Because your followers will have to go to your actual page rather than waiting for your post to pop up in their feed, this method will be most applicable to your most loyal brand advocates. Once you have a strong enough relationship with them, ask them to follow your content with the “See First” option so they never miss an update!
If keeping up with your social strategy is too much for you, let us help! Homes.com Social Fuel takes care of your social strategy by providing you with everything from account setup, post creation, engagement, and Facebook Ad management. We will even monitor your online reputation and monitor how your business ranks in search results so you can focus on selling real estate.
Patty McNease is director of Marketing for Homes.com. For more information, please visit connect.homes.com.
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