The easiest way for agents to use Facebook
By Randall Standard, VoicePad CEO
“When it comes to social media, you can’t ignore it. You have to stay relevant or you’re going to get left behind.” That’s the message Tracy Wieland shares with real estate agents.
For the last seven years, Tracy has been teaching hundreds of real estate agents ways to use social media to increase their business. As head of marketing for Comey & Shepherd Realtors, one of the nation’s most respected independent real estate brands, Tracy tells agents to use systems that do the work for them when it comes to using social media.
“Realtors get busy and forget to use social media, or they just don’t know how to use it,” Tracy says. “Agents need to look for solutions that do the work for them.”
VoicePad results on social media speak for themselves
Facebook postings made easy
Tracy teaches agents to automate as much of their marketing as possible, particularly when it comes to Facebook.
“I recommend systems that are easy to use and are automated,” Tracy said, “and that’s why VoicePad has been so fantastic for agents.”
Many of the agents Tracy teaches are in their 50s and 60s, and that makes a system like VoicePad ideal for those who are just dipping their toes into social media waters. “The beauty of VoicePad is that it can handle the promotion of properties on Facebook automatically and do it the right way,” she says.
“I see agents posting on social media notices that are all about, ‘my listing, my listing, my listing.’ Agents shouldn’t go out and post their listing often, otherwise people will hide your posts. VoicePad manages the listing posts automatically, using an MLS feed that automates posts for new listings, price reductions and open houses. The best part is that the agent doesn’t have to remember to do it.”
“Once I explain to agents how VoicePad automates everything after you get it set up – not a single agent has has told me no,” says Tracy, noting that often500 it’s just getting over that first hurdle. “When agents realize that they can use a system like VoicePad that is going to do work for them, they’re ecstatic – they are absolutely thrilled.”
Social media vs. a postcard
Tracy notes that some agents are skeptical of the value of using Facebook. She provides them with a comparison of sending out postcards.
“A postcard mailing runs on average, about 73 cents for a jumbo postcard. So if I wanted to get in front of my top 100 people, that’s going to cost me $73 for 100 people. For brand new agents coming on board – who are budget conscious – spending $100 dollars every time they want to do a new mailing is expensive. When you compare that to social media, here’s the math: If I want to get in front of 100 people, I can pay $73 for a postcard or I can post on Facebook through my sphere and use social media, for free.”
“When you see your friends on Facebook, that is your network. It’s your friends, it’s your family, it’s people you went to school with. And by using VoicePad, they have an easy way to get in front of them and it’s free. So why wouldn’t we want to take advantage of that, because when you do a postcard, you only have someone’s attention from the mailbox to the garbage can.”