As a real estate agent, it’s tempting to want to post your listings on your Facebook personal profile.

Tempting.

Maybe you know Facebook’s usage guidelines.

Maybe you don’t.

Maybe you see just about every other real estate agent in your area posting their listings on their personal profiles.

Maybe you don’t.

Maybe you are willing to risk losing the Facebook tribe you’ve built up with your personal profile.

Maybe you aren’t.

Ok. Let’s assume, for the sake of this article, that you want to comply with Facebook’s usage guidelines but you also want to reach your personal tribe.

Here’s how to post your real estate business to your Facebook personal profile without violating Facebook’s terms and without annoying your friends and family…

1. “SHARE” from your business page to your personal profile. This is the ideal way to directly post a listing onto your personal profile. First, post it on your business page, then use the “share” link to share it to your personal profile.If you want it to generate leads, don’t just describe the listing and don’t just say “here’s my new listing”. Be interesting. Be engaging. Describe something unique about the property. Include a call to action. Include a link to a capture page of some sort (whether it is a login required for the IDX listing or a landing page that asks for an email address).
   
   Share by clicking on what you want to share (on your business page) and clicking the share link.

   
   

   
   Say something engaging, inviting, that compels people to want to see or engage with what you are sharing.

   
   

2. While you are at one of your listings, “CHECK IN” on Facebook. Use the check-in feature to bring awareness to your friends. Hosting an open house? Ask people to come visit you on your check in. Showing it to buyers? Don’t announce that, it creates competition for your buyers and could be violating any potential fiduciary responsibility you might have to them. Installing a sign? Capture it with a photo and upload that to the check in. Visiting with the sellers? Say that. Give a reason why the sellers love their home (which could be a reason why someone else would love it also).
3. Post a photo of a feature of your listing. Does it have interesting architectural features? Post a close up of the features and briefly talk about it. Does it have a view? Show yourself (or your feet, or something) enjoying the view. Is it in a great neighborhood? Share a photo of why it’s such a great neighborhood.Remember, pictures are worth a thousand words. Use them well. Also remember, less is more. Don’t try to capture everything, instead, capture a specific thing. Be brief but descriptive and engaging when you post the photo.
   
   Share YOUR thoughts about the property, not an advertising pitch. If there is something you like, say it.
   
   What do you like most about a property? Don’t always assume that something is a negative, it isn’t to everyone.
4. Let’s go beyond listings. In your errands as a real estate agent, check yourself into places throughout the day – but always remember to include something engaging. Meeting a client at Starbucks? Check in! Don’t just say “meeting a client at Starbucks”, but be unique. Going to a closing at a title company? Check in! Share a quote from the client in your check in.
5. Again, beyond listings. Are you door knocking? Check into the neighborhood and then randomly show photos of the neighborhood throughout the day.
6. Another way to post business on your personal profile is to be thinking “real estate” but not “selling”.  For example, something happens in your day.  It perplexes you why buyers/sellers do this.  Ask your sphere.  For example, I’ve these sellers:  they installed a new roof the previous summer and think that the value I place on their home today, to sell it, should be increased by the cost of the new roof.Why sellers think their home is worth more than today’s sellable value because they’ve installed something that is required to sell and the value is already implicit in the listing price, is beyond me.  Well, truly, I get it.  They want their money back.  So ask this:  “Do you, as a home seller, think that the cost of putting a new roof on your house before you sell it, should be added to the listing price? ” or a question along a similar vein.  Get their thoughts on it.  Help you to understand them.I happen to do this a lot on my personal profile.  It’s just my thought process.  You are welcome to “follow” me on Facebook (most of my posts are public).

Here’s the thing. If you focus too much on your personal profile, you won’t grow your business page. You definitely want a nice balance between the two. Do the check ins on your personal profile and post the photos and such (without check ins) on your business page and share a select few to your personal profile.

You want to cross over. But always remember, your connections on your personal profile are there for personal connection, not business connection. You can, and will, annoy them and cause them to either hide, unfriend, or block you if you put too much business on your profile.

I’ve unfriended a multitude of agents because it’s all they do – post their listings, talk about what great agents they are, provide “forced” commentary about their real estate day. Bah. SOOOO not interested. Be selective. Be engaging. DO NOT BRAG, even subtly. Just, don’t. No one is interested. Let your actions, and the words of others, be your testimonials.

Ok, with all of that, do you have ideas on ways you can include your business on your personal profile without violating Facebooks usage guidelines?