So many businesses have a Facebook page today that the average consumer now expects to find a Facebook page for every company they do business with. Many homebuyers use Facebook as a way to check out their local builders before deciding to pursue an appointment. In order to stay relevant, you'll need to make maintaining a Facebook presence a top priority in 2016. Here are some tips for how to build a Facebook presence that endears you to homebuyers:   1. Respond quickly. Whether you are replying to a comment, addressing a review, or answering a private message, make sure your responses are timely. An ideal response rate is anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours. Waiting a few hours is understandable if a user comments in the middle of the night or well outside of business hours, but generally speaking if you are taking even 24 hours to address a post on your page, you'll give the impression that you're distant/unavailable. Remember, homebuyers are looking to connect with you on social media and form a relationship. If you ignore their attempts to reach out to you, you run the risk of alienating them. Pro Tip: Facebook rewards quick responses by promoting your response time on your page. Users will be able to immediately understand how accessible you are by looking for this icon.    2. Enable and reply to reviews. Reviews are a huge asset to your business page, and businesses that disable their review section always look like they've got something to hide. Instead of turning off reviews when disgruntled customers start leaving you negative feedback, take the opportunity to reply to their comment and see if there's anything you can do to smooth things over. Not only will this give you the chance to repair a broken relationship, it will also show anyone else who checks out your reviews that you're a company that cares about its clients. It's always helpful for others to see how you handle business when things go south, but try to encourage negative reviewers to contact you privately to hash out the details of your exchange. You don't want to make your clients feel like they have to air their dirty laundry on your Facebook page in order to get your attention. Pro Tip: Usually when a business addresses a negative review, the comments stop. However, when the business fails to show up it can lead to other disgruntled clients coming out of the woodwork to share their stories. We have also seen interested homebuyers commenting on negative reviews to get more feedback about a builder. Don't be afraid to step in and be part of these conversations--just be sure to respond kindly and with confidence!   3. Check your messages throughout the day. Active Facebook pages give the impression that someone in customer service is available 24/7. Expect that at some point, trade contractors, homebuyers, or realtors are going to reach out to you via Facebook message because they perceive this to be the quickest way to get your attention. If you fail to notice and respond to their message within an hour or two, they'll think you're ignoring them intentionally. We've seen some clients miss actual leads because they neglected to check their Facebook messages. We have also seen clients engage leads through Facebook messenger all the way through to securing the appointment. Pro Tip: Homebuyers who message you on Facebook are likely looking to move quickly. Don't miss these easy appointments! Make sure you're set up for page message notifications so you'll get an email the second someone messages you on Facebook.   4. Humanize your profile. The best, most engaging content comes from the people behind the page, not Houzz or Zillow. Don't forget that homebuyers "like" your page because they want to get to know YOU! Share a silly photo of your team or a photo album of the new home you're working on. Share the ups AND the downs of working in the homebuilding industry. Not only will this promote good will toward your brand, you'll likely receive more likes, comments, and shares on this content, which means even more people will see it. Pro Tip: This is the type of post that usually attracts your current homeowners who are happy to share their warm thoughts about your company and their home in the comments.