Facebook has become a crucial aspect of marketing for every type of businesses across the spectrum, and real estate is no exception.

According to recent research by Postlings, nearly 80% of real estate agents are using Facebook to market their practice and properties. Why? Facebook provides avenues of communication and networking not available with traditional marketing, new ways to connect with your customers, establish your brand, generate leads, and yes; promote your listings.

However, it's important to approach Facebook and other social media tools with an organized strategy and marketing plan.

Here are some tips on developing a successful Facebook marketing strategy.

1. Develop a Plan

First of all, decide what your goal is. All Facebook goals should touch on the level of interaction you hope to see, the size of the community you hope to build, and the results you would like to realize. Many agents initially think that just posting listings to their Facebook page is enough to generate leads. Unfortunately, it is not.

2. Time Management

Make sure you budget the amount of time you can devote to your Facebook page--for example, 15 minutes in the morning and in the evening. It is important that your Facebook page remains fresh on a daily basis, even if it is just one posting.

3. Create a Facebook Page

Do not use your personal Facebook account for your real estate services. It is unprofessional. Facebook pages were created for businesses and offer extended features that can better promote your brand and your services.

4. Content, content, content

Post about your neighborhood. Show off your knowledge on the community that you serve and of your listings. This not only engages your visitors but positions you as a local expert. For example, if there is a new community center being built, post about it and express the merits of how it will make the lifestyle better for new (and existing) residents.

Post about events in your neighborhood. Show how wonderful your city culture is. Post about local events in your town. If you're going to a neighborly event, tell your Fans, and invite them to join you. Ask questions, too, to spark engagement.

Use images in your updates. Images on Facebook are the most engaging types of content. Photos on Facebook Pages received 53% more likes than the average post and 104% more comments than the average post ( Hubspot).

Post videos and more videos. Consumers love video--particularly home buyers. Post a video home tour that includes the relevant property information with maps and school information and add your own personal introduction to the tour. Ask your sellers and friends to share on their own Facebook Pages to generate more exposure. Remember, the golden rule is 80/20. That is, post 80% of your content about lifestyles, your community, customer interests, and other updates; post 20% of your content about you and your product.

Post about helpful home owner tips. Post helpful articles or videos, such as how to winterize your home, home staging, buyers and sellers tips, etc. These types of posts generate a connection between you and your friends and potential clients.

Show you care about your clients. Post a personal congratulations to your clients on the possession day of their new home or on a recent renovation.

5. Integrate Facebook into your existing marketing

In addition to giving people the ability to follow you on Facebook from your website, think about other ways that you can integrate Facebook into your marketing. Add you Facebook button to your blog, emails and property tours. For example, if you're blogging, set it up to automatically post each new article to your Facebook Page.

To view the original article, visit the RealBiz Media blog.