Yes, I realize that this may be a bit controversial since Facebook guidelines are clear that your personal profile should not be used as a business page. I agree it should not be used as a business page but that does not mean that you can’t “friend” your customers. Many industries lend themselves to that type of relationship. I will present examples and ideas in two industries that I am intimately familiar with: Real Estate and Mortgages.
Selling homes and doing loans is a business that allows you to know your customer at a deeper level than say, selling people a new TV set. We get to know a lot about them personally so we can serve them better.
Real Estate agents get to know the client’s lifestyle so we can help them find the right home in the neighborhood that is just ideal for them. As we get to know them, we often find common interests. When two people find something they share in common, it deepens that working relationship, there is a sense of affinity.
For Real Estate agents, it is important to cement a relationship with a potential buyer or seller, and there is no better way than connecting on Social Media. It is a way to get closer, but not too close.
Real Estate agents can share more of who they are as people, not just the business persona. However, I find that Real Estate agents either are reluctant to connect with customers online, or they do so inappropriately. Here is what I mean by inappropriate; posting content on their profile that is not suitable for a prospective client to see. Nobody needs to know ALL your very personal habits and attitudes towards sensitive subjects.
Unfortunately, most Real Estate Agents and Loan Originators don’t know that they can actually segment their “friends” into lists. This gives you the ability to only show the content on your post to those for whom it is appropriate to see!. 
Take for instance the beer pong party. And believe me, I have seen more of those posts than I care to. You can avoid this situation by creating a list in your profile for “Party Friends”. Now you can share all your best party pics, and Gramma, who is on your “Family” list won’t be shocked to see your antics! And your customers, who are not on the “Party Friends” list, don’t have to re-think whether or not you are the right REALTOR or Lender for them and their families.
Conversely, if you find a great neighborhood home in the Maybury Tract that seems to be a popular area for your prospective buyers, you can post away to those buyers who you have added to your list: “Active Buyers”. Now your party friends and family don’t have to constantly be scrolling past your business posts, in which they have little interest.
Of course, occasionally you want to write posts that everyone can see, and it would be reasonably safe for you that everyone on your list can see those posts. This is a great way to stay in front of everyone in one platform: Facebook.
Another benefit of using your personal profile to connect with your customers is the fact that if they interact with you and your posts, you can essentially market yourself to them for free – something that is for the most part dead on business pages. If you are not yet aware, organic reach on business pages is practically dead. It is now a “pay to play” environment. Long gone are the days of yesteryear when you could garner a few thousand likes on your page, and you could promote your business to your heart’s content – for free. Facebook put an end to that in the last couple of years.
This is not to say that you shouldn’t have a business page on Facebook. If you want to grow your Real Estate and Mortgage business… you basically have to, it is not optional. There are things that you can do with a business page that you can’t do with your personal profile; namely- run paid ads. Facebook ads are probably the single best deal for Real Estate and Mortgage customer acquisition right now, but the window will close probably within the next 24 months. But this is a topic for another conversation.
For now, let’s get those personal profiles working for us by allowing us to connect with our current and future customers. Here is the link where Facebook gives you direction on how to segment your friends into lists: Mange Facebook Friends Lists.
And last but not least: So as to not offend anyone that might see your friends lists, imagine you have two lists, one called “close friends” and another “casual friends” and one who thought was a “close friend” finds themselves on the “casual friends” list- no good can come out of that, make sure you HIDE THEM – here Facebook tells you how.
If this was helpful or you have better ideas and strategies on what I have just covered, leave a comment below!
