Hi all, I need help with using FaceBook for my rentals. I keep hearing some landlords use Facebook to market their vacant units and they are very successful at it. I'd like to try doing this as well. Here's my situation: I own a Duplex out of state in the Cleveland Area I don't use Facebook personally but will start if I have to for marketing purposes. I am very tech savvy just never used FB. so where do I even start? Thanks Chris

My area - and I'm sure most others to do - has several "Apartment for Rent" type Facebook groups that you can join and then post your rentals in. These groups are specific to each market and one of the most successful forms of advertising I use to find tenants these days. 

You want to post in Facebook marketplace. Sign yourself up for an account and join the local groups. You can post to the groups or you can post in the marketplace. I use the marketplace. You get a ton of eyeballs and will need to field a lot of questions (even if they are in your post).

ok Great thanks for the advice. So would I create a personal account under my name or use a business name? I guess either way would work. I do want to keep my personal life separate from my business.

Hey @Chris Conde , I'm not sure if it will help but I wrote an article on how I use FB fan page and Ads to supplement my vacation rental bookings.  You might gather some insights from that on how you can incorporate it to your standard rental.  You can check it out here:  https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/10042/66327-5-...

Best of luck! 

Thanks Jon, will do!

It will work either as business or personal-you just need some kind of presence on the site to post. You can make it your biz logo and a biz profile-that works fine.

Originally posted by @Chris Conde :
Hi all, I need help with using FaceBook for my rentals. I keep hearing some landlords use Facebook to market their vacant units and they are very successful at it. I'd like to try doing this as well. Here's my situation:

I own a Duplex out of state in the Cleveland Area

I don't use Facebook personally but will start if I have to for marketing purposes.

I am very tech savvy just never used FB.

so where do I even start?

Thanks Chris

As you don't have Facebook you will have no following on any page you make so you will want to post the unit to Facebook for rent groups that already have a big following built up.

Thanks James. Any groups you suggest? I see you are in Cleveland. I'm in the Parma (heights), Brooklyn, and old Brooklyn area.

Originally posted by @Chris Conde :

Thanks James. Any groups you suggest? I see you are in Cleveland. I'm in the Parma (heights), Brooklyn, and old Brooklyn area.

 Pop those cities in the search bar, there are several.

Ok thanks I will do that.

So here's my update. It looks like I couldn't create just a business page. The account setup required a first and last name which created a personal page for me. I then created a business page from within my personal page. Everything seemed good. Next, I searched for %City% Rental type pages and found a page associated with the area my rental is located. I posted to it but it posted as me personally. Next and this is the strange part, I was locked out of my account and put on a security hold. This is not locked out because I forgot my password it was because my identity needs to be verified. So it's been several days and I'm still locked out. I'll keep everyone posted on my progress.

FACEBOOK has group pages that you can join, for example, I am a member of Temecula Talk in my area.  THere are 60,000 members who post about things relating to our town and events, etc.  If I post on this group page (which they allow business advertising on wednesdays) 60K people in the area see it.

Also many people post- Hey I need a rental, does anyone know of one? and I am happy to post my listings in response.

Most areas have a local page - you can search for groups at the top and then ask to join.

If you dont join a group, your post will only go to the people whom you have accepted as friends. which is probably very few people, since you dont use facebook.  :) 

Thanks Christine.

This just in. I'm allowed back into Facebook now. They have confirmed my identity. I don't know how since i wasn't required to take any action and I wasn't contacted by anyone. I wonder if it was a "tar" pit to slow down a potential bot. Anyway, I'm in and playing around with it. My units are rented now so the urgency is relieved but I should be versed in this for my next vacancy. Thanks everyone!