To find success on Facebook, begin by listening. Facebook is a very noisy place. Just staying current on your newsfeed can take some time if you have a lot of Facebook friends. One way to "listen" for business opportunities is to use Facebook's search function.

Here are two tips to get you started:

1. Pick the Right Keyword - If you live in a small community with fewer than 250,000 residents, you can simply search using a city name. If you live in a big city, you should use more refined searches like "moving back to [city name]." Be sure to hit the little magnifying glass to perform your search. Do not use the Enter or Return key.

2. Filter Your Search Results - On the left side of your Facebook search results page, you will find filters. The second filter from the bottom is called Public Posts. Pick that and you will see the refined results that you are looking for.

Listening on Facebook is not hard. Just scan through the results and see what people are talking about. Each day you are likely to find people talking about real estate related topics.

Add Value to the Conversation

The second way to attract buyers on Facebook is by adding value to the conversation. Agents can use Facebook to find new buyers by demonstrating their knowledge of the local industry. Here are some key ways that you can respond to conversations.

• Market Trends - As a real estate professional, you have access to a lot of market trend data from the MLS, as well as resources like Realtors Property Resource®, Property InfoNet, and MOVE's FIND product. By pulling some of those reports, you can quickly share some real estate market insight.
• Share Local Knowledge - Respond to conversations with your recommendations. If someone is going out to dinner, suggest your favorite restaurant and drop the name of the hostess or owner, if you know that. If not, look up some restaurants on Yelp and read the reviews. If someone is remodeling, offer contractor suggestions. If you do not have contractor suggestions, look up contractors on Angie's List. If someone is redecorating, suggest that they tour an open house that you know has amazing décor.

When you find a buyer

Depending on the size of the community you are in, or the number of searches that you do, you will likely find someone moving. It is important that you offer to help, not ask them to pick you as an agent. There are a few good tactics for doing this.

• Offer a Community Tour - If the person is from out of town or is moving back to town, offer a community tour. Tell them that you would be happy to drive them around the neighborhoods for an hour or so and show them around.
• Offer a Buyer CMA - Consumers do not know what a buyer CMA is, so do not use that language. Tell them that you would be happy to produce a property report for them with information about any listing – prior sales history, etc. You can pull this information easily from an MLS tax solution like Realist.
• Offer Tips to Buying in a Hot Market - Let's face it, buying in a hot seller's market takes skill to avoid paying too much. If you have written tips published on your website, link to that page. Otherwise, offer to walk them through it by phone.