When you consider that there are more than 800,000,000+ people and businesses on Facebook it’s clear that as a realtor you need to have a presence – your competition does! It’s not enough to merely set up a Facebook page for your office or for your business, you need to effectively manage and market it.

Here are seven ways you can get into the media fray and make effective use of Facebook:

1.  Be found. It doesn’t make sense to set up a Facebook page if you don’t spread the word or look for followers and likers. Announce your Facebook presence through the use of a link in every email that you send. When you send out flyers or newsletters or real estate brochures, make certain there is something in there that lets the recipient know you have a Facebook page. Put your Facebook URL on your website.

2. Offer quality content. Your clients don’t want you to be constantly and only announcing new products, parties, ideas or topics. While you will want to announce new ideas, you also want to offer clients and potential clients news they can use. Provide tips on style, fashion, tech, and even reminders on attractions in your area (perfect for out-of-towners that are unfamiliar with your region), links to local restaurants, links to newspaper articles about your area.

3. Offer relevant information. Provide up-to-date info about events in the area, current business statistics, offer information about sales and product comparisons and buying options, update product listings for anyone who may be interested in your product or services.

4. Gather staff/agent input. If you run an office with colleagues, ask them for input for the posts. Ask colleagues or friends to be a guest blogger/poster once a week and make certain they are prepared to respond to the comments their status updates may garner. Remember that Facebook is called social media because those who post want the conversation.

5. Have a purpose in mind. Why do you want a Facebook page? Just because the competition has one is not a good enough reason. You should have a Facebook page because you’re committed to interacting with clients and potential clients. Your Facebook page is a way to set yourself apart from the competition and to become known as the leader in your industry.

6. Set up an editorial calendar for your Facebook postings. An editorial such as CrossPinPoints, iSportsCal, iComCal or iREcal could be as simple as: Monday – tip day – whether you’re offering a moving tip, a restaurant tip; Tuesday, highlight a product or sale; Wednesday, ask a question as a way to get conversation moving. Ask about tips your followers have, ask how often your followers have moved, ask why they’ve moved, ask what they look for when they’re buying a product or service, etc.; Thursday, offer a link to a newspaper article, a banking article about mortgages and refinancing or how to buy a car, etc.; Friday, home trends updates i.e., popular colors, designs, information on swimming pool trends, etc.

7. Be consistent, reliable and persistent. If you’re planning a Facebook page you need to be consistent even if you’re only updating the page once a day and only on weekdays. If customers or clients come to your page a couple of days in a row and there has been no activity, they will likely move onto another company in the area that is consistent in his or her status updates.  Bottom-line is that if you are not committed to doing this then DON’T, because nothing is more useless than old news or a site that is NOT updated often – very often.

Facebook and other social media platforms are a great way to spread the word about who you are, what you do, and what sets you apart from the other companies in the area. Additionally, other than the time spent on the status updates, Facebook and other social media are low-cost and even no-cost ways to enhance your current marketing. Keep in mind though that your social media should work hand in hand with your other marketing efforts.