Just Released: An Even Easier Way to Create Real Estate Facebook Pages
Pretty exciting news!
Just announced this Friday on Facebook, there will be a news and improved “flow” for how someone creates a business page on Facebook.
I really like this improvement and think it will encourage more and more people to make pages (instead of using their personal profile for business) 
Here are a couple screen shots of the new process (see below)
- Once someone clicks, “Create a Page” they are re-directed to this page:
- Once you click on your category, you are presented with a drop-down menu. For a real estate agent, you would click “Local Business or Place of Interest”
One of the biggest changes for lists is the amount of options – I don’t ever rememeber seeing a “real estate” option! In my opinion, this is one more way Facebook is really encouraging people to create pages but create them in a smart and organized way.
Do you have a Facebook page? Leave me a comment below and include a link to your page!
Stay tuned, more about Facebook this week! (If you missed my post last week about Facebook lists and page tips, click here)
Written by: Katie Lance, Senior Marketing Manager, Inman News @katielance
73 Comment(s)
2 Trackback(s)
- From Under the Radar: Facebook Rolls Out a New Business Page Feature : Charlie Abrahams | Feb 4, 2011
- From The Ultimate Secret Sauce for Facebook Pages : Charlie Abrahams | Feb 7, 2011
Bryan Tobiason | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
I would love to see more people create a fan page for their business. The personal profile doesn’t seem like the proper place to be posting news. My fan page is http://www.Facebook.com/BryanTobiason
Bill Risser | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
Much cooler interface, that’s for sure… After playing with agent pages for a while, I’m not sure the real estate option is best for an individual agent. The info area of the page when using this selection asks for hours of operation, parking, etc. Good for a brokerage with a brick and mortar presence, but not so good for an agent.
Choosing Company, Institution or Organization and then clicking on Consultant, Business Services provides a much cleaner info tab in the page.
Thanks for all of the great info at FOREM Katie!
Abby See | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
Here’s a unique use of a Facebook page by a homebuilder: http://www.Facebook.com/NateKHOV
Geordie Romer | Leavenworth WA | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
Bill’s comment is an important one. Just because FB made it easier, doesn’t mean that the “out of the box” solution is the best one. (Much like template websites – they may be easy to set up, what kind of value do they bring agents or consumers?)
PS. You can find us on FB at http://www.facebook.com/iciclecreekrealestate
JR | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
I love the new interface. Like Geordie said though… Just having the out of the box FB Page solution will do nothing for you if you can’t convert traffic into FANS!
Check out our page… New and starting to build fans. http://ow.ly/3NsPC
Property Marketing
Kathy Burchfield | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
I’d like to get the kind of feedback on my business page(s) that I do on my personal profile. I try to combine the personal with the business on a limited basis, so far no one has objected. This is one of our business pages:
http://on.fb.me/hxlgyG
Tim | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
nothing gets me more excited and happy than to read, “New way to make life easier”!
Ralph Evans | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
This really shows Facebook is working to help businesses establish a presence on Facebook!
Maybe they want to dominate the world by getting EVERYONE onto Facebook and eliminating the idea of having websites!
Thanks for the heads up!
-Ralph
Ingrid Jarisz | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
Great information and thanks for continuing to provide excellent resources – it’s helpful for me to be able to encourage the principals of our companies that Social Media is a necessary part of our overall marketing strategy!
Nanette | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
I created this page before the upgrade – how do I update this page with the new enhancements?
Randy | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
@Ralph… I’m not sure that websites will go away anytime soon, but I think it does show Facebook’s desire to see more real estate traffic run through them.
Cindy Morgan | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
As an indepedent broker, I’d probably check “local business or place of interest”. However, I’m wondering if a salesperson working under a broker’s license would check “brand or product” since they, in essence, would be promoting their broker’s brand? I would expect large brokerage companies who employ indepedent contractors will establish policies on this for their salespeople.
Lucas Lechuga | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
Great move by Facebook. Having a good business page with relevant information is a great way to keep in touch with people that you otherwise might not meet. Here’s our page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miami-Real-Estate-Review/100193273362314
Nick Clayton | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
I tried this but aftyer entering all the details – i was told you need to agree to terms & condition etc but can’t find where to do that ?
Richie Yu | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
Here’s my page, work in progress
http://www.facebook.com/RichmondHillLiving
for the folks with very long fb URL, go to http://www.facebook.com/username and secure a shorter URL. You need min. of 25 likes.
Frank Klesitz | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
If you’re in real estate, DON’T end your page with the term ‘group’ – for example “Your Name Group”. Facebook took a page we built and reclassified the business page as a group and we’re fighting tooth and nail to change it back. So for those of you creating any new pages, a word to the wise….
Kirill Storch | Jan 31, 2011 | Reply
Super cool. Also is there a way to iframe your website conversion form and app onto your FB page? Something kind of like this
example: facebook real estate and branding iframe:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mindflash-Advertising/180033020422?v=app_4949752878
example original developer file:
http://mindflashad.com/branding-concept-quiz/
Julie Piazza | Feb 1, 2011 | Reply
Great! Her’s my FB business page http://www.facebook.com/JuliePiazzaRealEstateBroker
Lori Turoff | Feb 1, 2011 | Reply
How does this help if you’ve already got a page, a vanity URL and a bunch of “likes”? Can you re-classify?
http://www.facebook.com/HobokenRealEstateNews
Sarah Sitton | Feb 1, 2011 | Reply
Great here is my business page, it is still a work in progress. I too wish we could get feedback
http://www.facebook.com/Sarah.Sitton.MyrtleBeach.Real.Estate
MH for Movoto | Feb 1, 2011 | Reply
We’ve already got a FB page (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/MovotoRealEstate), but it’s always great to see that the Facebook climate is getting more friendly toward small businesses!
Diego | Feb 1, 2011 | Reply
Yeah i just notice this and its great!!
Here is my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/elportondoors
Dave Kinkade | Feb 1, 2011 | Reply
Like others have said, I wonder if there is a way to convert to this new format without losing what we already have on our current facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Home-Locators-Property-Management/155187353216
Evelyn Santiago | Feb 2, 2011 | Reply
I created my page before this option so don’t know if I should delete my current page and start anew. Any thoughts? Here is my page:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dynamic-Real-Estate-Network-Inc/303836725221
Anita McCLoud | Feb 2, 2011 | Reply
Do you still need 25 likes for a vanity url?
Tim Hmelar | Feb 2, 2011 | Reply
Anita-
You still need 25 likes before getting a FB vanity URL. Once you have the 25 likes go Facebook.com/username and secure your vanity URL.
Marlow | Feb 3, 2011 | Reply
I wonder if it will be “retroactive”? I don’t want to re-do my page at this point.
http://www.facebook.com/SeattleDreamHomes
Marlow Harris
http://www.SeattleDreamHomes.com
Mark Saunders | Indianapolis Real Estate | Feb 3, 2011 | Reply
Thanks for the info.
Our Indianapolis real estate fan page is located here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ICON-Realty-Partners-LLC/122592397786685?v=app_4949752878
Catherine Ulrey | Feb 3, 2011 | Reply
Since we already have an existing page, I assume these changes do not effect us? Here is my page,I am sure you can guess what my target market is: http://www.facebook.com/WVHorseOwners
Catherine Ulrey | Feb 3, 2011 | Reply
I just became a fan to help you get to 25!
Carolyn | Feb 3, 2011 | Reply
I have a facebook business page, Home Sweet Oklahoma, and I don’t use it very much because when I want to connect an article or listing to facebook, it defaults to my personal page. I have found it is just easier to put everything on my personal page.
Daniel Miller | Feb 3, 2011 | Reply
Had a fan page since March ‘09. It’s been a great way to connect with potential clients. Sitting at about 468 likes right now. http://facebook.com/hometourgoodness
Kathryn | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
I love the FB business pages. I have two of them one in my business name and the other “Murphy NC Real Estate Listings” I also work them with titter and LinkedIn, now waiting for those results. http://tinyurl.com/4pna2hv
Elizabeth Schulze | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
My fan page is http://www.facebook.com/Realtorforthedesert. I have a hard time figuring out what can be done with this page. I try different things but don’t fully understand what it is capable of.
Steve | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
I’m wanting to get going with this, what do I start doing?
Shelle | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
I love facebook – I have gained several clients through my FB business page. Great tool and easy to use!
http://www.facebook.com/ShelleyNaiserProperties
alan endermann | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
Per your request please take a look at my real estate business page on FaceBook http://www.facebook.com/realestategumbo
I would be happy to receive any comments on improvements!
Todd Michaud | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
http://www.facebook.com/toddmichaud#!/pages/The-Omega-Group-Residential-Investment-Development-Real-Estate/123003247711493
Your Los Angeles Elite connection: Serving first time home buyers to Celebrity Seller & Buyer transactions; Experience, Skill & Integrity…Real Estate Solutions.
Residential/Investment/Development – ?????
Todd Michaud | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
Your Los Angeles Elite connection: Serving first time home buyers to Celebrity Seller & Buyer transactions; Experience, Skill & Integrity…Real Estate Solutions.
Residential/Investment/Development – ★★★★★
http://www.facebook.com/toddmichaud#!/pages/The-Omega-Group-Residential-Investment-Development-Real-Estate/123003247711493
Margaret Zamanian | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
I’ve had my business page for a few months now. It is great to have a business page separate from my personal profile. I would like to find a way to get rss feeds and posts to go to that page instead of my profile page.
Rhonda Galvin | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
Thanks for the information. Please like my page at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/365-Things-to-do-in-Malvern-Chester-County/118947018120891?v=info
Rick O'Shaughnessy | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
Recently new to FB and just created my Real Estate business page here in the Tampa Bay area. What is FB fanity URL? and what do I do with it when i get it at 25? at last look I was at 19. My FB page is Oshaughnessyrealty.
randy | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
Hi Carolyn. Same problem with defaulting to your home page. Did you get an answer?
Sharon Woods | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
I love my realtor facebook page. Just got it up and running. Still trying to tweek it and get the quirks out. Any comments or advice would be appreciated. Do any of you have blogs on yours?
Sarah Maus | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
Here’s mine…I think my biggest challenge is finding the time to update my status with interesting content for my fans (what few I have)..
http://www.facebook.com/MausRealtyGroup
Any suggestions for great content would be greatly appreciated!
Sharon Woods | Feb 4, 2011 | Reply
My facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/myrealtorsharon
Lupe Soto | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
I am working on creating a business fan page for real estate in burbank CA. any recommendations for graphic designers, your FB has a nice presentation. thanks for sharing on how to get a great welcome page and photos. best wishes. lupe soto burbank real estate
Liz Piazza | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
Thanks for the info. Here is a post to the Kissinger Bigatel & Brower REALTORS fb page. I’m open to any and all advice or constructive criticism. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kissinger-Bigatel-Brower-REALTORSR/238624611751
Stacy | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
I set up a page now need to get it out to the masses. Every time I try to post it ends up on my personal FB page.
http://on.fb.me/hXorbW
Robin Jackson | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
I would like to learn how to place logos and my branding down the right column of the page. Will that be discussed in the future?
Sorry for the duplicates LOL My page is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robin-Jackson-Realtor/382782823496
Katie Lance | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
WOW 50+ comments!! I promise to answer all of you… here is my 1st round of feedback.
Bryan – I agree! Nice page – I would just recommend to post more often!
Bill – that is really good advice, thank you!
Abby – great page – love all the video!
Geordie – I really love your page – love the welcome page, the image in your side bar, your My Listings page (is that the Roost app) Really well done!
JR – nice page! Your images seem a little blurry for some reason (on your ebook tab and image in your side bar). I love the idea of the free ebook!
Kathy – you have a nice page – my recommendation – get a bigger image in your side bar – you can create a custom one (see our page to see what I mean: http://www.facebook.com/inmannews). Also I would recommend post more often – but you have great info!
Tim – awesome! thank you!
Ralph – absolutely – thank you!
Ingrid – thank you so much, much appreciated
Nanette – at this point I don’t think you can upgrade your existing page
Randy – I agree, people will still have websites, but driving traffic to our sites will happen more and more at FB
Cindy – good point, thanks for chiming in!
Lucas – love the image you have in your side bar, it really emphasizes your tech-savviness!
Nick – were you able to find the T & C? Usually they are at the bottom of the page where you enter all the deters.
I will post more feedback later – thanks everyone!
Katie
Katie Lance | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
Richie – nice page, I like your welcome page. I’d recommend customizing your image with your photo and then a call to action or even area photos. Also like others, I just think you need to post more often to make sure you are really showing up in people’s feeds.
Also – thanks for posting this: http://www.facebook.com/username/ (everyone can set their own vanity URL at this link once you have 25 fans)
Frank – wow, what a nightmare! good tip – don’t use the word “group” in your name!
Kirill – your 2nd link doesn’t work – I believe the answer is yes but if you ask a web developer they would know for sure!
Julie – thanks for sharing! You have a nice page going, my only advice would be to create a custom side bar image to show more than your photo
Lori – no you can’t reclassify… but I wanted to tell you I really love your page – I love the cute photo you have (at the ballgame) and your welcome page is very cool. Nice job! It looks like you are using Hootsuite too – nice job. I would recommend not posting the same update on Twitter that you do on FB. The “RT” doesn’t mean a lot to people on FB. You can post a similar update, just make it FB friendly (no RT and no hashtags)
Katie
Katie Lance | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
Sarah – Your “See My List” tab is blank. I would recommend a custom image in your side bar and more posting of content!
Nice start!!
MH – your link went to the home page, can you repost a link?
Diego – nice page! I like your Join My List page – is that the Constant Contact app? Nice welcome page too
Dave – I don’t think so but I will be looking into it to get a definite answer this week
Evelyn – It looks like your page is really a business page merged with a Facebook Places page. I’d probably recommend starting over since you only have 27 fans so far – its not too late!
Anita – yes you do
Tim – exactly
Marlow – nice page! I see you are in Seattle, will we see you at Agent Reboot Seattle in March? http://www.agentreboot.com/city/Agent-Reboot-2011-Seattle/
I wouldn’t re-do your page at this point – you have a nice page!
Mark – thanks for posting the link – looks like you have great content, I would just add questions to your posts – by getting people to respond and interact it will help your page rank. Also make sure you’ve sent an email blast out announcing your page and then make sure your FB link is on the home page of your site.
Catherine – that’s correct they don’t affect you. Nice job with your page – you have quite a following! Fabulous! I love the variety of content you have.
Carolyn – when you sign into FB you will always be defaulted to your personal page. To go to your business page, type the name of your page in the Search Bar at the top of FB. Once you get to your page THEN you can post status updates! You can also use a service like Hootsuite to post to your FB page. The nice part about Hootsuite is you can pre-plan your posts. So you can go in every morning like I do and pre-plan 5 posts for that day to “drip out” (like drip marketing). Hope that helps!
(p.s. is this your page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Home-Sweet-Oklahoma/374730700988)
Katie
Katie Lance | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
Daniel – i love that you have so much video on your page – NICE job!! Your Livestream tab doesn’t seem to be working for me though.. you may want to check that out – I’m on Firefox.
Kathyrn – nice page! My only recommendation is to add more community and local info onto your page instead of just listings. You could add events, school info, neighborhood info, etc. Also make sure you’ve sent a big email blast out promoting your page to you past clients and SOI and also make sure you have a link to your FB page on the home page of your site.
Elizabeth – nice job so far! I would recommend you read some of the comments above that I posted.. also I just think you need to post more often. I recommend you brainstorm a list of stuff you could talk about or post about. You can also find great info on your local sites like your chamber or downtown sites for fun local and event info.
Steve – just follow the instructions in the original blog post and you should be set up with a page very quickly!
Shelley – that is great! nice job with your page! My only recommendation is to ask more questions – get more people commenting and that will make a big difference on your page!
Alan – great start! I would also say like I said to Shelley above is to add more questions into your posts – this makes a HUGE difference!! Also post more links out. You can go to google news and type in just about any search word to find interesting content to push out to your fans.
Todd – your links were for your personal page, do you have a business page?
Katie
Mark | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
It’s interesting the amount of responses generated by a facebook subject. I think many realtors are anxious to learn more about lead generation from facebook. But either don’t have the time to do it themselves, or the funds to hire a virtual assistant to do it for them. In any event, we have to keep up with the latest technology or will be left behind.
http://www.facebook.com/NaplesBeachAndResortStyleHomes
Gail lewis | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
FB real estate category was very limited for agents. Did they improve that category as well?
http://Www.facebook.com/gailandco
Katie Huebschen | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
Hi Katie. Wow, you have been giving some great feedback. I’d like your take on how I could improve our broker page http://www.facebook.com/firstweber
Thank you!
Nancy Karp | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
I recently created a biz page on facebook and it was VERY confusing. I am still trying to figure out how to let people know about it. There is no LINK from my personal FB page to the BIZ page. I’ve posted about the biz page once, but I don’t want to keep re-posting and annoying my FB friends. I’d just like a link on my wall or home page but can’t figure out how to do it. I also want to post some “static” info about my real estat
business on the biz page, but they make it SOOO hard. i will try to do it with their new tool and see if it is better/easier to use. I also would like to know if there is a way to create shorter URL for my page!
Here is my page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Karp-Real-Estate/157692780943261
Nancy Karp
Yvonne Arnold | Feb 5, 2011 | Reply
Thanks for keeping us updated Katie. If we already have business page, is there somewhere we should click to make sure it falls under the “REAL ESTATE” category?
http://www.facebook.com/YvonneArnoldConsulting
Teresa Robinson | Feb 6, 2011 | Reply
Would love some tips on how to improve! Keep them coming.
Waioni | Feb 6, 2011 | Reply
I’m glad facebook is making it easier. I had to have my website designer help me with mine. I’m sure it will encourage more businesses to create pages instead of using their personal profiles. Thanks
Katie Lance | Feb 7, 2011 | Reply
Mark – I agree with you. Nice page!
Gail – I don’t think they have improved it – but honestly I think regardless of how it’s categorized, the most important this is the content you are pushing out and your consistency. I just saw you page, thank you for posting out my blog post!
Katie – Your page looks great – tons of questions which is awesome. I think the next step would be to create a custom Welcome page – you can do free ones at PageModo.com. Also, just an FYI at very 1st glance your logo looks religious to me (the cross) – I’m not suggesting you change it – but just thought you’d like that feedback – it was my 1st thought when I saw your logo. Keep up the great work on your page!
Nancy – A few ideas – send an email blast out ASAP to your database with the sole purpose to invite them to visit and “like” your page. In the email tell them WHY they should join – mention the content you will be posting: i.e. local school and event info, market updates, etc. That should get you more likes ASAP. To get to your page, you need to log into Facebook and then in the Search bar at the top, type in the name of your page: “Karp Real Estate”. Once you are there, you should bookmark it in your web browser so you can go back to it quickly. Also, add the link to your Facebook page to your email signature. You can get a Vanity URL or shorter URL once you get to 25 “likes” and you would do that here: http://www.facebook.com/username/ . I hope that helps!!
Yvonne – No, once you have a page you can’t re-classify it. I think your page looks good! I’d think about adding a custom image to your sidebar instead of just you – perhaps you + other graphics or call to action? Also, I’d recommend posting more photos and videos if possible! It would be great to see short video tips from you. Hope that helps… keep me posted!@
Teresa – thank you so much!
Waioni – thank you too!
Katie
Katie Huebschen | Feb 7, 2011 | Reply
Thanks for taking the time to look at our pages, Katie! Appreciate your thoughts.
Katie H
Beth Lucht | Feb 7, 2011 | Reply
Facebook pages definitely need to be continually tended to. It’s all about finding a good balance. Nice to see Facebook including Real Estate as a Page option. Thanks for the info. Our page is at http://www.facebook.com/northwestbostonhomes.
Michael Sosnowski | Feb 8, 2011 | Reply
Hope its not too late to get some feedback on our FB page: http://www.facebook.com/MaineHomeConnection.
One thing that continues to confuse me is regarding posting “likes”. Seems when doing this it defaults to personal profile, which we really do not keep up-to-date. Does this new upgrade to FB help that issue and will it apply to already existing pages?
As some of you probably know, there is an agent in TX with over 250K fans!
Katie Lance | Feb 8, 2011 | Reply
Katie H – you are welcome!
Beth – great page – love you custom welcome tab and your other 2 custom tabs. Nice job! Just keep posting great content and asking questions. Have you sent an email blast out inviting people to your page?
Michael – nice job with your page – I like your custom tabs. The “cool stuff” tab is a nice idea. Not sure what you mean by “likes” – whenever YOU like something it will show up in your personal profile.
Thanks again!
Katie
Michael Sosnowski | Feb 8, 2011 | Reply
Thanks for the feedback. Regarding posting on other pages – what I mean is that if you comment it is always your personal profile that is shown. The only workaround that we know of is to comment in your own Fan Page and use the “@” sign to reference another page – and thereby keep the post as your business page. Hope that is a little bit clearer.
Katie Lance | Feb 9, 2011 | Reply
Michael – you are right, that is annoying. I’ve experienced that many times when I wish I could leave a comment as a page not my personal profile. I’m hoping on day FB will change this!
Katie
Lori Kwan | Feb 9, 2011 | Reply
I would like input on the vanity url of the fan page…if the name of my fan page does NOT match my vanity url because of an oversight, do you think I should create another fan page and re-do my vanity url to match? Or am I just over analyzing, and it really doesn’t make a difference?
Melinda | Feb 9, 2011 | Reply
Thanks for sharing some new tools and options. It’s amazing how well some companies do with likes and interactions. Although customization is nice, most busy real estate professionals just need to get in there and participate. It’s all about producing good content and being social. People want to interact and know they matter to you as more than a possible listing or buyer.
I don’t sell, I rent vacation rentals. Here’s my page:
http://www.facebook.com/btrvacationrentals
Looking forward to your feedback especially how to gather a broader fan base and get more interaction.
Kevin Walton | Feb 14, 2011 | Reply
The prior FB page didn’t help out quite as much as what I’d hoped. Promoting a California real estate loan needs more of a blog presence but I’ll try the new page too.
california real estate loan
Denise Connor | Apr 15, 2011 | Reply
Thanks for the tips!!!
http://www.facebook.com/c21denise#!/c21denise
Denise Connor | Apr 15, 2011 | Reply
Very cool – Thanks!!
http://www.facebook.com/c21denise#!/c21denise