Holding A Facebook Giveaway

 

One of the biggest issues I see with Facebook giveaways, when done by agents, is the product they are giving away. When doing a giveaway, you want to give away a product that matches the demographic and niche you want to work in. Just picking a random gift card to a chain restaurant, or giving away a random electronic, is going to attract a lot of people that aren't going to be interested in following your content. Even if you got them to like your page. They'll do what needs to be done to win the product, but then will unfollow or never engage with your content after a winner has been selected. So you want to offset this by picking a product that is going to connect the best with your audience.

Facebook came up with the silliest rule that members cannot like your page itself, as a means of entry for the contest. However, you can have them like your post in order to be a part of it. So once they like your post, you can then invite them to like your page off of the post likes. (This can be done by clicking the number of likes on your post and then clicking the invite button next to each person's name.) 

You don't want too many call to actions or you'll lose out on a lot of participants. Keep your call to action to 2 requests. In this situation, have them like your post and submit their emails. I wouldn't recommend having followers write their emails in the comments of the post, because it opens them up to being spammed. So you can create a landing page for your giveaway to collect their emails, if you can't get a landing page put together, then I would recommend having them p.m. your business page their emails to participate in the contest. Do not ask members to share your post, that is against Facebook's (new) contest guidelines. 

 

- WHAT TO GIVEAWAY -

The giveaway prize, I recommend the most, is a thoughtfully put together gift basket. The array of products, that are niche based, create a bigger excitement for your followers, than a random gift card. When putting together a basket, you don't have to spend a lot of money. You can create something great for around $50. Make sure your basket is niche based. As we went over in the branding modules, it's imperative to create a brand around a specific niche, for faster success. So when you get your prize together, be sure you're focusing on who your followers are, and who you want them to be.

When setting up your ad, be sure it's visually captivating, and short and to the point. You want your call to action to be specific, and the results of winning simplified. Use a high quality image of your gift basket, with a plain back drop. This can be easily done with some white posters, natural daylight, and your smartphone. Get a good angle, and snap a few shots. Use the most appealing photo for the best results. You really want the photo to portray everything the basket offers, and who it's contents are focused towards. View a sample of a basket below:

 

PERFECT FOR NEWLYWEDS IF THEY ARE YOUR NICHE:

 

Run your ad for a week, and spend about $25-$100 (or more.) Keep in mind, the bigger the ad spend, the more engagement and page growth you'll get. In your ad settings, make sure you are targeting demographics that fit your niche market. If you do an ad that isn't focused on your local market, and matching your page's niche, you'll end up getting terrible results. Don't forget to share it on your own page, and in local groups. This will be great exposure you don't have to pay for. If you are stuck, and can't come up with a gift basket idea for your niche, be sure to ask in our member's only Facebook group for some advice, and I'll be glad to help!

 

Instagram - 50 Contacts

 

The 50 contacts a day method on Instagram is similar to the Facebook 50 Contact method. Your goal is to build a relationship, and start talking to as many individuals as you can in your area. You want to build a recognizable brand without harassing people. It's like door knocking/cold calling, but the social media version. When done consistently, the return in results is great, and it's much easier to do than picking up a phone.

Before you get started, you want to make sure your Instagram page is up to speed. Go over the details of your Instagram page set-up in the branding section of the modules. Once your page is properly set-up, and you have a few posts on there, you'll look a lot less spammy. Invite as many friends as you can to follow you Instagram as possible, that way having followers gives you more credibility.

STEP 1:

For step one, you'll want to go to your search section of your Instagram account, and select the "Places" tab. Then write out the city you work in. It'll show a bunch of photos of people that live and post in the area.

 
 
 

STEP 2: 

One by one, you'll visit each person's account and send them a private message. Following the script posted below. Skip the first 9 posts that are in the "Top Posts" section, and move on to the "Most Recent." You can also skip over profiles that may have young kids, instead of adults in a position to purchase, to send messages to. Do 50 a day, in 15-20 increments throughout the day, and message the following script:

 

- THE SCRIPT TO SEND -

"Hey (first name) saw your picture come up in the (your city) feed, and loved it! Just wanted to reach out and introduce myself, I am a real estate agent with (Your Brokerage) and love connecting with all of our locals in case anyone had any questions about buying or selling. If there is anything I can assist you with in regards to real estate or our local community, please let me know! I'd love to extend an invite for you to follow our/my page, we keep our members updated on what's going on locally."

 

Instagram's bot alert methods are similar to Facebook's. So you'll need to be careful not to get temporarily banned. You can avoid this by doing only 50 messages on a daily basis, and by spreading the messages apart during the day. 25 in the morning, 25 in the late afternoon. So if you hate cold calling, and want to try the next best thing, reach out to people locally, through social media.

 

Setting Up A Social Media Calendar

Setting up a calendar for your social media content is going to save you a lot of headache, because you'll be able to plan and prep for the month(s), in advance. Spend a day once a month, or once a week, planning out your social media content in advance. Write out on your calendar what you'd like to post for each day, so you aren't wasting hours on a daily basis trying to come up with content. Download and print our free social media calendar below, and start tracking what you plan to post. Automate as many of your postings as possible so you have less to do.

 
 
 
 
 

1. Social media is SOCIAL. So, even on the posts that are for advertising purposes, make it fun, and not spammy.

2. Add as many graphics and videos as you can to each post. Avoid doing many posts that are just text based. 

3. Folks aren't on social media to buy/sell a home, the hard-sell will turn-off more followers than it will get you. 

4. Create strong call to actions, so you're followers have direction, instead of just scrolling past.

5. Check your posting analytics. You can see which posts have the best engagement, and do more of those.


FREQUENCY:

FACEBOOK: 1 Post Per Day/Every Other Day
INSTAGRAM: 3 Posts Per Day
PINTEREST: 10-15 Posts Per Day
YOUTUBE: 1 Video Per Week
SNAPCHAT: 2-3 Videos Per Day
TWITTER: 3-5 Tweets Per Day
GOOGLE+: 1-3 Posts Per Day

WEEKLY THEME IDEAS:

SUNDAY: Business Promotion
MONDAY: Motivation
TUESDAY: Family Oriented
WEDNESDAY: Engagement
THURSDAY: Community Focused
FRIDAY: Humorous
SATURDAY: Lifestyle


- AMAZING POST IDEAS -

 

1. Create A Video Answering Most-Asked Questions

2. Share Something Popular About Your City

3. Interview A Customer

4. Interview A Local Small Business

5. Do A Giveaway For A Gift Basket Full of Local Goodies

6. Make A Video About The Different Neighborhoods In Your Area

7. Share Stuff About A Local School

8. Make A Top 10's List About Local Restaurants 

9. Highlight A Customer/Closing Each Month

10. Share Local Statistics With Attention Grabbing Graphics

11. Share Funny Posts, Make It Local If You Can

12. Introduce Any New Members You Bring On Your Team

13. Talk About A Local Upcoming Event

14. Showcase Your Office Space

15. Share Your Personal Story And How You Got Started

16. Share Niche Related Content - Pets, Food, Fashion, etc.

17. Ask Multiple Choice Questions To Get Engagement

18. Create Seasonal/Holiday Content

19. Share Local Historical Places

20. Give Advice On Home Decorating/Staging Tips

 

Buying Out A Facebook Group

 

Getting a successful Facebook group going takes a lot of hard work, and a lot more time. Sometimes, time we don't always have. And we as agents, always want to get the ball rolling on what we need sooner rather than later. So if you don't have the time to invest in growing a Facebook group, which we'll show you how in later modules, the fastest way to obtain one is to purchase one that is already made. This isn't quite as simple as it seems. Not everyone who owns a group in your local market will want to sell theirs. Especially if they are a local business owner, and are using the group for their own benefit.

Now if you are wondering how much it costs, that will vary significantly. Since ownership of a Facebook group is done through you and the main admin of the group, it will come down to negotiations, and what each party agrees to buy the group for. When you have the funds, and you want to purchase rather than create a niche based one, here is what you should look for:

 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GROUP TO BUY:

 

1. TYPE OF GROUP

If you can find a group admin that is willing to sell, it's best to purchase one that already matches the niche you're going to work in. If you can't find a niche based group, and still want to own one for the sake of publicity, I recommend looking at buy/sell/trade groups, as well as groups dedicated to your city by city name, zip code, neighborhood names, or county name.

2. MEMBER COUNT

Make sure you purchase a group with at least 5,000 members. You don't want to buy a group that doesn't already have a large following base, or it would be a waste of money, and more beneficial to start your own from scratch.

3. ENGAGEMENT

Before you look into purchasing a group, even if it has a large member count, look over the engagement. If every other post is a spammy business post, that page is not going to work in your best interest. Pick a group that has a lot of engagement from members that are beneficial to the interest of the group. So if it's a buy/sell/trade, it needs to have at least 95% of the posts related to it. If it's an animal lovers group, it needs to have 95% of the posts related to it, and so on so forth. 

 
 

When you purchase a Facebook group, it's between you and the admin, this transaction isn't between Facebook, so be cautious in the sale. It's best to write up a little contract to go with the sale, so there are no issues. Buying an established group isn't going to be a possibility for everyone, but if you do end up buying one, that's great! When you end up owning it, I want you to do the following:

 

SETTING UP YOUR GROUP

1. Introduce yourself to the group as the new group admin. Write a nice introductory note, as well as a note to look at the new and updated rules.

2. Introduce yourself to the moderators. If there are already established group moderators, and you want to keep them around, send them all a private message introducing yourself and going over new guidelines.

3. Re-write the group rules. Even if you want the original rules to apply, it's best to re-write it, so it's in your own voice.

4. Add a new cover photo. Add a fun, modern cover photo that is relevant to the group, and don't be shy to add a little personal branding on the side. Don't make it about you though, you still want the focus to be about the group's niche.

5. Clean up your group. Go through as many photos, posts as you can and clean up content/posts you no longer want to see as part of your group.

 

In order to have a successful group, be sure to continue in holding up the group's value. Meaning, don't start spamming your group on a daily basis for business, and completely navigating away from what made it successful in the first place. Have some branding (small amount) in the cover photo, details about you and reaching out to you towards the end of the group rules, and add a small blurb about yourself and a website/Facebook link at the end of the pinned post. You want to minimize advertising in your own group to about once a week, 2 times max, and that's if the content is fun. 

There may be a loss in some members with the group admin transition because of loyalty, so don't end up losing more by making the group all about you. You want it to continue to be about your community, and contribute to it in a way that ends up rewarding you with clients. Now, if you can't purchase a group, I'm going to show you in the following modules how to create one on your own successfully, and will show you why it's important to have a niche based one. So if you haven't found your niche yet, be sure to do so as soon as possible!