So…you’ve created your Facebook page and everyone can find your real estate services with ease…AWESOME!
We’re now going to spice your page up with custom Apps to enhance your visitors’ experience. You may or may not have heard of Facebook Applications (or just Facebook Apps for short), but chances are you have used one at some point or another, perhaps without knowing it. Think of them as add-ons for your Facebook page, add-ons that allow your page to do cool stuff like allowing people to contact you directly by mail and displaying your listings to your fans. Once added, these Facebook Apps are positioned in the “Tabs” section on your Facebook Page.
Where are my Facebook Apps?
The process of adding Apps can vary but in general, the following steps should do the trick. If you are having trouble installing an App, drop me a line and I will help you with it.
First log into your Facebook page, go up to “Edit Page” and then click on “Edit Settings”.
Click on the link that says “Apps” in the menu on the left. The resulting screen will then show you what Facebook Apps you currently have attached to your page. The basic four Apps shown above are standard with all pages and are fairly self explanatory with what they do. If, one day, you decide it’s time to get rid of one, the little “X” on the right hand side allows you to quickly accomplish this by simply clicking and confirming that you want to delete the App on the pop-up confirmation screen.
By the way, this is the hub where you will find all your Facebook Apps, so any new Apps that you add to your page can be accessed here.
Here are some Facebook Apps that will make your Page stand out.
- A YouTube Tab – Video is a great way to show off your listings. If you have listing videos, this YouTube App lets you show all of your current real estate listings in one spot. Visitors to your Facebook Page can check out all your listings, and see up to date information. Here is a link to a Facebook App that allows you to integrate YouTube on your Facebook Page.
http://apps.facebook.com/involver_appjgeph/
- A Contact Form – This is a great App for allowing potential clients to contact you directly. You can still put your information up under your bio section but if you prefer to receive direct emails from potential clients, a contact form app could be great for you. Some people will ask their questions publicly on your page but many people like talking privately, so such an App allows you to cater to another segment of potential clients. There are many contact form Apps you could use depending on your email marketing software (Aweber, MailChimp, etc) but a good, FREE, no-frills one can be found below.
http://apps.facebook.com/contactme_tab/?fb_source=timeline
- A Newsletter Sign-up Tab – What better way to keep in touch with your buyers, sellers and prospects than by providing them the latest real estate happenings in your area. This is also a great way to build a mailing list.
- A Testimonials Tab – By adding this App you can give your clients a way to give their own feedback on your real estate services. Plus, it shows off your services to others who visit your Facebook page.
- An Appointments Tab – Busy body? Well then an appointments App will make things a little easier for you. By using such an App, your clients can book appointments with you via your Facebook page – easy!
- Skype – This is one you may want to consider if you are getting questions from visitors out of state or country. It is a free way to interact with potential clients. By having it on your page it also shows visitors to your page that your real estate services are accessible even if they aren’t located close to where you operate and that you are able to help out everyone looking to learn more about your area. It can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/appcenter/skype?fb_source=appcenter
- Norton Safe Web – Here’s another one you may want to consider. By adding Norton Safe Web, you will have an extra sense of security on your Facebook page. If visitors to your page add links, you will be able to tell if they are safe or not BEFORE you click on them. Quite important really. Check it out below:
https://www.facebook.com/appcenter/nortonsafeweb?fb_source=appcenter
- Twitter – You are able to connect your Twitter account to your Facebook page. The great thing about connecting them is that when you update Facebook with a post, it can automatically get posted to Twitter as well so you don’t have to physically update two different social networks. Handy! Obviously this can work both ways so when you post a tweet it can be assigned to show on your Facebook page. You can find more information on this below:
https://www.facebook.com/appcenter/tweets-twitter?fb_source=appcenter
How do you add a Facebook App to your Facebook Page?
To add most of the above Apps, all you need to do is simply click on the big blue button, similar to the one you see above and click “Authorize App”. This will authorise the App to be added to your page. The wording could differ from time to time depending on the App, it could say “Add Page Tab”, “Add Application” or a few other variants – they all accomplish the same thing.
Where can I find Facebook Apps?
A good place to find Apps is in the Facebook App Center:
https://www.facebook.com/appcenter
It allows you to easily search for tons of useful Apps. Please note that not all Apps can be found here. Sometimes, a quick Google search to find a particular app is necessary and does yield fabulous results. Isn’t Google EVERYONE’s best friend to find information these days?
So there you have it! Some stellar Facebook Apps you can use to spruce up your page. There are literally 1000’s out there. All you need to do is find them and follow the steps outlined in this article to add them to your page. As always, if you need a little help, leave me a comment below – I’ll be happy to help.
Conclusion
As a closing statement, I would like to add – try not to add too many unnecessary Facebook Apps to your Page. Keep it simple and only use ones that benefit you and your potential clients. There are Apps that look cool but add little or no value to your offering. So try stick with essential apps and you’ll make life easier for visitors, clients and yourself in the long run.
Next week, we will look at a few ways to build your presence on Facebook! Whoopie!
Until next week, ciao!
