TheMReport — News and strategies for the evolving mortgage marketplace.
Issue link: http://digital.themreport.com/i/1294972
M R EP O RT | 29 FEATURE ing you to push out more posts targeted to their preferences. Tell Your Audience How to See Your Page First 2 If you have superfans (people who frequently like your posts or comment on them), these can be the ideal people to educate about the "See First" feature. Direct fans to navigate to your Facebook page. Under your cover photo, they will see three but- tons ("Liked," "Following," and "Share"). They can then select the down arrow next to "Following" and click on "See First." Once this feature is selected, they will always see your posts at the top of their newsfeed. This may be particularly help- ful for your Realtor partners or in-process customers, who would like to receive the most up-to-date information and content from you. Encourage Fans to Engage with Your Posts 3 Not every post requires a call to action, but you can increase your engagement by ensuring that many of your posts include language that encourages a fan to act. For example, adding "Send me a message to learn more" or "Be sure to share this with anyone you know who may be looking for a home" will encourage your fans to engage with your post. Once you feel confident, introducing polls or "this or that" scenarios can increase your engagement even more. Just make sure that the content isn't purely for fun but also relays important, relevant information. Share Interesting Videos 4 As people scroll their Facebook newsfeed, videos typically stand out to them. If you make your videos engaging and relevant, your target audience is more likely to stop, watch, and maybe even unmute your videos. To make your videos appealing, try using captions, animations, and other engaging visuals. Captions are particularly important, because 85% of Facebook users watch videos on mute, as indicated in a SproutSocial study. Also, if you record and publish videos on YouTube, take the extra step of publishing them on Facebook too (as opposed to just sharing your YouTube video on Facebook). This will give you the best engagement results. Broadcast on Facebook Live 5 If you're not already doing so, it can be helpful to broadcast live video on Facebook Live. Sharing authentic, "behind-the-scenes" content can attract your viewers and help you expand your organic reach. Plus, Facebook users are four times more likely to watch live-stream- ing videos rather than pre-record- ed videos (according to the previously mentioned SproutSocial study). When it comes to the con- tent of your live video, keep the content light but relevant. For example, you might record a brief "behind-the-scenes" video as you head to your next breakout session at your company's annual sales conference or a fun "get to know my team" video in your office. For more detailed topics, such as mortgage-specific content, stick to pre-recorded videos, so you can carefully plan what you'd like to say and edit out any mistakes. Dedicate Time to Creating Your Own Content 6 Sharing posts and videos created by other people or organizations can be a great way to supplement the content on your page, but creating your own authentic content will give Facebook users something to share themselves. When you post your own unique content, it also allows your fans to learn more about who you are, where you're located, what you do, and why you enjoy doing it. People like to follow "real people" who are professional yet relatable. Understanding how to effec- tively use social media is often a process of trial-and-error, but once you discover which content is most successful with your fans, the results will be worth the effort. Plus, creating engag- ing social media posts is a fun way to share your knowledge and your personality—and, most importantly, it positions you as a mortgage expert who recognizes and addresses the needs of your clients. . LISA FENSKE is SVP – Marketing & Communications for Waterstone Mortgage. She can be reached at LFenske@ WaterstoneMortgage.com. As you grow in your career as a loan originator, creating engaging and informative content for your social media channels is no longer an option … it's a necessity.