The Importance of Facebook Marketing in New Home Sales

With over 1.44 billion active users, Facebook has become a marketing power tool. Why? The average American spends 40 minutes per day on the social platform (and not just for selfies and statuses). According to Digital Media Data Strategist Joey Little, approximately 92% of consumers trust peer recommendations, many of which are voiced through social media. In addition, a whopping 49% of consumers choose to support their favorite brands with a "like" to their company Facebook page. 

When it comes to effectively marketing your community and builder, this data is invaluable. Maximizing your business profile can be broken down into four best practices:

1) Create one builder profile with multiple locations.

This allows broad content, such as promotions or testimonials, to publish on every page through one single post. Creating regional pages, rather than communities, allows for location-specific content and helps your page to survive past the closeout. You are also able to speak more directly to local consumers resulting in higher engagement rates. Ultimately, this strategy allows the builder marketing department to control the brand in its entirety, while at the same time allowing regional sales teams to personalize content to their target audience.

2) Make existing homeowners your primary audience (for organic posts).

This is your largest segment of fans by far. They are the key to amplifying your message to friends and family. Every "like" or "share" is a recommendation of your brand. A business page is about creating brand advocates, and existing homeowners are going to be the most passionate about what may be the biggest purchase decision of their lifetime.

3) Gear your content for these homeowners.

This means creating content they can be proud of, brag about, or share with their own set of followers. Company awards, beautiful home photos, cool HOA events, decorating tips, promotions and new community launches are great examples of content that works.

4) Utilize a highly targeted ad campaign.

Facebook's marketing features are still very affordable. They allow you to target specific demographics with laser accuracy, and reach potential prospects that aren't yet fans of your page. We recommend trying a promotion or event to a specific demographic that fits one of your ideal buyer types. A few effective campaigns that use this tactic include: - Hometown Heroes (military demographic - see image below) - Referral Promotion (existing homeowners, using email list upload) - New Community Phase (individualized location page)

The biggest challenge that comes with a multiple-page profile is disjointed branding. Stay away from creating too many geographic pages, but avoid cramming all of your builder's promotions and announcements onto one master profile. Both of these practices can lower engagement rates and overwhelm your followers. Following the four best practices detailed above can be a great start to a successful Facebook page. Use this platform to foster brand awareness, gather potential prospects, and create timeless ambassadors for your builder.