Facebook Live: are you missing the window of opportunity?

It’s the year of the dog, in Chinese years, which apparently stands for fortune and personality, and what better way to express your personality (and make a ‘small’ fortune) than through video marketing. In particular Facebook Live video streaming.

Today, I want to encourage you to step outside your ‘marketing’ comfort zone and give your personal real estate brand a new lease on life – with social media video.

Don’t be shy – it’s time to face the camera!

You’ve no doubt noticed some of your real estate peers ‘take to their phone cameras’ in an attempt to steal the social media limelight from you – but are they doing video the right way?

Well, today, Sue Moses, Hoole.co’s resident video marketing coach shares her excitement for social media video and in particular Facebook Live.

Sue, who spent the best part of the 80’s and 90’s as a radio and TV presenter, has more than 10,000 hours of airtime under her belt. After raising her family and then working as a real estate agent within the McGrath network, Sue decided to switch focus and combine her communication talents and property expertise as a Live Video Marketing Pro.

Sue is on a personal mission to convert real estate agents and principals to Facebook Live this year. To this end, in today’s article, Sue shares why she believes Facebook Live is currently the best digital medium for growing your personal real estate brand.

Why Facebook is a marketers dream come true

By Sue Moses

Imagine how much easier your life would be if there were a tool that could tell you who, in your postcode, might be contemplating a move?

Well, such a tool exists – it’s called Facebook.

Like most tools, there is a right way and a wrong way of using Facebook for business marketing purposes. There is also an optimum way!

Learning the optimum way is how some courageous entrepreneurs have been able to increase their incomes from low six to seven figures inside 12 months. The optimum way uses video and paid marketing on Facebook.

Live video, in particular, can be a magic wand for your business growth, especially if you are courageous enough to be amongst the first to commit to video marketing.

So, here are my tips for approaching Facebook Live video marketing the optimum way.

Why Facebook Live is currently aligned to make you shine

Before we look at how to use Facebook (as a tool), it helps to know how the tool works.

Pretty much everyone has heard of the all-seeing, all-knowing ‘Algorithm’, (from here on we’ll refer to it as ‘Big Al’). Big Al does all the heavy lifting inside Facebook and creates the marketing magic.

Big Al controls everything we see – and don’t see in our feed. It tracks our signs and signals; it knows what will capture our attention and, with this in mind, it shows us more of the content we love to consume.

There is also another very important, and pivotal, factor to the remarkable video marketing opportunity, and that is the ambitions of Mark Zuckerberg.

Mark wants Facebook to be the number 1 most visited website in the world. At present, Facebook sits at number 3, behind Google in first place and YouTube in second. In fact, Mark wants Facebook to be the largest Media company in the world!

Because the algorithm is not some set-in-stone formula, it can be adapted, depending on the motivations and ambitions of the person who directs it – Mark Zuckerberg. So, Mark has modified Big Al to prioritise video first in people’s news feeds, in particular, Live video.

“Live broadcasting is Marks number one strategy to achieve his ambitions for Facebook.”

Big Al is programmed to promote Facebook Live Video in the newsfeed over all else. In fact, Live Video is the only type of Facebook post that is guaranteed to reach 100% of your friends and followers, organically (i.e. for free).

So, if you’re smart, and want to be seen by every one of your online connections, on a regular basis, then leverage Facebook Live Video and put a bit of money behind it.

Boosting your Facebook Live video

Once a Facebook Live stream is complete, you can turn it into an ad campaign targeting homeowners across your suburbs. Big Al will then ensure your video reaches local residents that are not yet connections with you on Facebook.

It’s Facebook Live that has helped propel real estate coaches like Tom Panos and Jet Xavier to the top of their game. They see the incredible opportunity Big Al provides you as a real estate agent for reaching people in your neighbourhoods, and are continually encouraging you to make the most of Facebook Live too!

Using Facebook Live video streaming the right way

I’m not going to waste words and your time in explaining how some agents are using Facebook the wrong way, but I would like to highlight the opportunity that many don’t see.

“The right way to use Facebook and Facebook Live is to be consistent.”

You should aim to share your insights and advice via a Facebook Live video at least once a week, and try and broadcast at the same time and day.

If you have a greater number of connections on your personal profile than your Facebook business page (which is often the case), start your Facebook Live from your personal stream. Once complete you can share your Live recorded video to your Facebook page. Then the final step is to give it a boost with some paid advertising budget.

What a $20 Ad budget can achieve on Facebook

Recently, I conducted an experiment to find out what could be achieved with a small advertising budget. I created a $20 paid post with text and a photo. Then I made another $20 campaign, using video from a Facebook Live. I ran both ads to exactly the same audience.

The results…

Each ad appeared in approximately 2000 news feeds. The photo and text ad had 14 responses, at the cost of $2.78 per engagement. The video, on the other hand, had 918, at the cost of $0.02.

That’s right, 2 cents for each engagement! And, $20 to have 918 take a look at my video.

Can you see now what an incredibly cost-effective way Facebook Live video, and (of course) Big Al, can be for building awareness for your real estate brand?

Stop procrastinating and start Live Streaming!

Consistently posting relevant, watchable video updates is without a doubt the easiest and most affordable means of building your ‘know, like and trust factor’; and to become the most high-profile real estate agent in your postcode.

You don’t need a huge amount of time or budget, and in fact, you don’t even need video production skills. You just need to share the knowledge and expertise that you share daily on a one-to-one basis to your clients!

And the only thing stopping you is your courage to give Facebook Live video a go. So step outside your comfort zone and give social media video marketing a try.

If you’d like some help and guidance, Sue Moses provides one-on-one video training sessions to get you set up and started with Facebook Live.

Written by Melanie Hoole

My team and I specialise in helping real estate and property professionals perfect their personal brand, build a first-class digital profile and implement inbound marketing activities to attract leads. If you are unsure which direction to take with your digital marketing contact me for help.