Do I Really Need Facebook to Sell Homes?

This question comes up every now and again with our home builder clients. While you might have your own issues(questions) with Facebook, the question of whether or not to use it for selling homes has a very simple answer.

Yes.

Social media is an integral part of our everyday lives—and especially your buyer's journey.

There is a massive audience out there in the online universe that is voluntarily giving up its demographic information every day. One and a half billion members can be reached daily. And over two billion could be reached monthly. Is that worth your time to pursue?

Those numbers belong to Facebook. 

As we know, Facebook is fr…well, it's kind of free. You don't have to pay money to use Facebook, but you do have to pay with a different currency, one that is far more valuable: information. Even with the extinction of certain demographic and behavioral targeting categories in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook's targeting capabilities are robust.

Buying a house is a high-involvement purchase, not like buying toothpaste. It's one that buyer's don't take lightly. Yes, you know that. But what you may not know is that the decision to buy any product goes beyond having an affinity for the product or brand, but the capacity to purchase it. That means the access and the means (aka, money). When it comes to social media, it's crucial that you’re marketing new homes to the right people—you know, the ones with jobs and good credit. When it comes to Facebook, 79% of its users are over 25. And would you guess that Facebook has an average reach of 85% across all income ranges, with slightly higher reach with people making more than $70,000. The kids are on Snapchat and Instagram (but keep an eye on those, because they’re coming along nicely).

By the numbers, your audience is on Facebook—and Facebook (plus its Audience Network) is growing.

We humans process information from photos and videos way faster than from text (and by “text”, I’m referring to full sentences, not abbreviations and emojis). 

That's why you invest in a professional photographer and videographer to showcase your beautiful homes. When it comes to the list of marketing channels to share the content you work hard to produce, social media continues to be one of the most critical.

Even if you are also investing wisely in Adwords and good SEO, it’s not enough. It’s a great start, yes, and a critical component of your digital marketing. But social media is deeply ingrained in our everyday routine. It’s a digital ecosystem that exists independently of Adwords and search engines.

It's important to remember that social media is the best way for your customers and future customers to get to know your brand. Each brand should have a voice, and social media is the best way to showcase it. Like, how do you respond to negative feedback? How quickly do you respond to inquiries? And how do you interact with others in your community?

Remember, buying a house is a high-involvement product. Your customers could be investing their life savings in it. They'll feel better buying from someone they trust. Facebook is great for advertising, but don't sleep-walk past its public relations potency..

Social media is super important, but it's part of a comprehensive digital marketing effort, one that takes planning and a lot of hard work to see results. Marrying your Adwords, broadcast email, blogging, and social media into one effort funneling traffic back to your website is the key, and giving one channel less attention (or getting rid of it altogether) will result in fewer leads and fewer sold signs on your homes.

Don't pass on social media. Embrace it with a big hug. There is no shortage of information, and how-to's out there to learn exactly how this social media platform works. And there is no shortage of potential customers waiting to interact with your brand. 

At Builder Designs, we are obsessed with the vast opportunity of homebuilder digital marketing. Need some help with achieving success with your digital marketing efforts? Or do you need a new website altogether? We offer a full suite of digital marketing services and web development, all under one roof. . Let's talk. In the meantime, happy Facebooking!