Facebook. Its everywhere. But does that mean you need to have a public, business-related Facebook page if you want to succeed in your real estate career?

Maybe.

You have to weigh the pros and the cons, and if youre not sure whether its going to benefit your business, it might not be a good time to start a business-related Facebook page. Weve put together three pros and three cons so you can make the best decision for your business.

3 Reasons You SHOULD NOT Have a Facebook Page

1. You dont have time to maintain it. Once your Facebook page is up, youll have to post regularly at least a few times a week using the 3-2-1 rule for social media.
2. Youre combining business with pleasure. Never, ever combine your personal Facebook page with your business Facebook page. Not only is it the fastest way to damage your brand (someone who doesnt agree with your personal views may choose not to work with you, despite the fact that youre the most qualified Realtor around), but it puts you in danger of giving out far too much personal information.
3. You dont want to interact with people who Like your page. The whole purpose of setting up a Facebook page for your business is to engage people; youll want to show your knowledge and show that youre interested in what others have to say. Letting comments go unanswered makes you look inattentive and sloppy, so if you cant commit to engaging those who engage you, you might be better off without a Facebook page.

3 Reasons You SHOULD Have a Facebook Page

1. As many as 90 percent of people use the Internet to search for homes. On top of that, people buy from people they trust and you can establish unbelievable rapport through your Facebook page. Posting new listings, even if theyre not yours, generates a lot of buzz online (especially now that people can share interesting photos with just one click).
2. Facebook can strengthen your brand. If youre sharing valuable content that people actually want, youre going to get brand ambassadors. Those are people who will help get the word out about you and what you do simply because they enjoy your posts.
3. Search engine optimization. Did you know that search giants like Google actually look at social metrics to determine whether your website is worth sharing with searchers? They do. If you have a site thats popular on social media, they figure theres a good chance that everyday web surfers will find it valuable and having a successful Facebook page can boost your rankings in the search engine result pages.

Are You a Benchmark Realtor?

At Benchmark Realty, our agents are among the happiest in the business. Whether they love our Total Freedom concept (they do), theyre appreciative of the 100 percent agent commission they get right out of the gate (they do), or theyre glad for the extensive support network and advanced strategies we have to offer (they are), people love working with us.

If youre not a Benchmark Realtor yet, call us at 615-371-1544 or fill out the form below. Well give you the inside scoop on how we help our agents and give them the tools they need to succeed.