Engaging on Facebook

I've had a number of questions lately about Facebook and how would I recommend an agent "Engage" people on the site. Well, the short answer is "It Depends!" What do you want to accomplish? If you want to post your listings to other agents, then you need to have as many other real estate agents as your friends as you can. If you want to engage your LOR (List of Relationships), where most of your referrals are going to come from, then you need to have them as your friends.

Try this . . . create an A+, A, B and C list in Facebook and categorize your Friends, just like you do in your database. Then, every week, go into the A+ and A Group and look at each of their posts to see if there is anything that you can "comment" on or engage them with. Look for signs like, "My mother is moving to Seattle" - BAM - Engage and get the referral. or signs like, "We're having a baby" - BAM - larger home needer - Engage and work on the business. Remember that these are your A+ and A groups so they will more than likely refer to you anyway, as long as you care and pay attention to them.

You might also share your new listings with this group and ask if they know of anyone that would be insterested in the listing. Keep it personal and not too generic like most of the direct posts from MLS.

The other thing that I would do is post "something of value" at least every 2 weeks. Maybe a link to an article you've read about homeownership, low rates, etc... Or something that is going on in the community that you are involved with to show that you are "giving back".

Spend the time, but not tooooooooooooooooo much time. It's easy to get lost in it and then your day is shot.

LOR - A Change Taking Place

In the past we have put a lot of stock in what is termed the "Center of Influence". Some people use circle or sphere of influence. Well, I've been reading the Work by Referral book by Buffini and I've decided to change my vocabulary, or atleast the acronym, to LOR (List of Relationships). I think it better describes what we need to continuously do with those who are on our list - Build Relationship.

If you don't have one, start from scratch. You can use the following to help you develop that list:

• Friends and Family - These are people who are on your Christmas Card list.
• Current Clients - This group is often overlooked as a referral source.
• Past Clients - An easy one, but remember, 82% of people who sold a home said they would work with thier agent again. Let's not give them a chance to forget us.
• Groups and Associations - These are you church groups, PTA's, Hobby groups, teams, etc...
• Business Associates and Networks - Local Chambers, Contractors, Inspectors, Lenders, etc...

For those who already have a COI, the first step to converting it to an LOR is to evaluate the people that are on it.

Organize your list and group the relationships into 5 categories (A+, A, B, C, D)

• A+ - These are the people that send you multiple referrals a year.
• A - People most likely to refer you.
• B - People who would refer you if they were asked and shown how.
• C - People who MAY refer to you in the future.
• D - Difficult and Demanding people. I call this the "Ritual Removal Group"

All of the people in your LOR should fall into one of the above categories. Once you have them all categorized, it is imperative that you verify their information is correct (Address, Phone and Email).

There will be more to the story after Labor Day, so remember to take some time off, but also use your time wisely. It shouldn't take you more than an hour to come up with you names and categorize them. Then starting Tuesday, start verifying the info.