Fake likes + fake reviews = fake

Today, I saw a post go up in a FB group. The agent suggested that we all help each other get more likes and 5 star reviews. So, she offered that anyone that liked her business page and gave a 5 star review, she would return the favor.

Great idea, right?

WRONG. So wrong.

First – inviting people that aren’t truly your target audience to LIKE your page is going to kill your reach.

Second – fake 5 star reviews? Come on.

So, let’s back up to that “great” idea of inviting other agents to like your business page. For the record, this is a terrible idea!

You have to ask yourself – are these agents really my target audience? Are they likely going to move to your market and then use you as their agent? Probably not. Are they really interested in your town, your neighborhoods and issues specific to you locally? Doubtful. 

It is entirely possible that you could get referrals from agents in FB groups – but that’s going to be based on your interaction with them in that group. NOT on your page.

Real estate agents consume content that is dramatically different than your target audience. Think about it – that agent probably only liked your page so they could get a like in return. You’re not even in the same state, let alone city – so nothing they say makes sense to you and vice versa.

So, when you’re talking about a super cool neighborhood in your local area – local people will “get it” and engage with your post. (Ideally!) But, those real estate agents from other towns/states/etc – they have no idea what you’re talking about and will just cruise right by that post.

Which kills your reach.

Facebook tests each post you create by serving it to just a small portion of your page audience. If it gets engagement (comments, likes, loves, etc) then the algorithm will favor that post and serve it to even MORE people, organically. (Organic=free)

But, if the people on your business page aren’t actually interested in you, your business, or even your town/area/whatever-you-post-about – then they’re not going to engage with comments, likes, etc. And the algorithm will not favor your awesome post because the wrong people saw it, and they didn’t engage.

It takes time but you’ll be better off if you build a truly engaged audience. An audience of real people – not real estate agents. If you’re not quite sure who you should be targeting, or what to post, click here to get our worksheet to help you get clarity.

Now, let’s go back to that second bit about giving each other 5 star reviews so our pages look even better than they are?

OMG – DO NOT DO THAT!

You don’t need fake reviews. Frankly, I don’t think the review section on Facebook means much of anything so I would encourage you to turn it off.

Collect your REAL reviews on Zillow, where real buyers/sellers are looking for an agent.

But, do NOT encourage people to leave you FAKE reviews. If you need a reason, let’s just go with ethics. Because fake=bad.