Home Inspectors on Facebook

[mgbinspect]

Select your friends carefully and ignore those you don't know.

Learn how to block the apps and websites that want permission to post on your wall.

Learn how to block the Farmville and Horoscopes and other crap.

Post a few things a week.

Then you can enjoy it.

I had it easy. I had my daughter who is into Facebook, show me how to do it and help me with it for awhile.

It can be very intrusive IF you let it. I don't.

Bill: learn how to block the stuff you don't want to see or get a kid to do it for you.

Randy: You're too old to mes with this stuff. Forget it.

Kurt: Not really any more necessary than other forms of advertising. Some work for some people. Others work for other people.

I like the work I get from it.

TIJ is actually a group rather than a business page. (Don't ask me to explain. I don't know the difference)

It's at: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=191501582781

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What he said. I have been facebooking for at least a couple years, and I can honestly say that probably 10% of my work gets booked via facebook messages, posts on my wall, etc.

And, it's actually a help for people to have a bit of an idea who you are, what you do, what kind of personality you have, etc.

It's a great passive way to keep your name and business out there...

[Erby]

Dang Joe, you're 3/5ths of the way to your 25 for the short URL. Keep it up.

[Inspectorjoe]

Well, Erby, a lot of those are probably due to you picking up the ball and running with it. Looks like I may not have to grovel to my extended family for 'likes' (I don't mind groveling to you guys).

I missed the boat on the landing page thing. Tomorrow, Facebook is changing the way it's done. From what I understand, it's good to direct people to a landing page ( a mini website) the first time they come to your page. On subsequent visits, they land at your wall.

Up til now, you could do one right on the site using FBML, which is a type of HTML. I can't code, but I was going to take a whack at it with Kompozer. I can't possibly get it done by tomorrow, though. I understand the new system is going to be much more complicated and likely something I couldn't muddle through.

http://kennethhood.com/facebook-is-ending-fbml

[Anatol]

Feel free to like or friend...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ALP-Insp ... 342?ref=ts

Anatol

[gtblum]

I have a "chip head" cousin who just started working at FB about two months ago. Time to pick his brain a little. If I come up with any magic tricks, I'll pass them along.

[Marc]

I'm in... I think. Sherlock Inspection

Marc

[Ben H]

Let me add something guys.

Most of us have "two" accounts under you. You'll have your personal (regular) FB account, then you'll have your biz page.

As these are two DIFFERENT accounts, managed by the same person (you). Make sure you are using FB on which account you want. So as you sign up and start clicking like from all of us under your biz, your personal account does not have to "Like" the same thing (or page). Although it would be nice b/c I'm only 3 away from my first 100 people.[] Don't judge me.

If you have separate accounts, look to the top right of the FB website. You'll see the account button. When you hover over that you'll see a link called "Use Facebook as". Click that and you have the ability to switch between all of your "pages/accounts".

Most like to keep some form of professionalism when on their biz page. However, sometimes it's less than that on the personal page. I'm just as guilty as anyone of this.

[Ben H]

I'm in... I think. Sherlock Inspection

Marc

WHAT???????????[]

[Reece43402]

Just signed up...hope it works!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthy-H ... 4496510977

Thanks,

Brandon

[Inspectorjoe]

Most of us have "two" accounts under you. You'll have your personal (regular) FB account, then you'll have your biz page.

As these are two DIFFERENT accounts, managed by the same person (you). Make sure you are using FB on which account you want. So as you sign up and start clicking like from all of us under your biz, your personal account does not have to "Like" the same thing (or page). Although it would be nice b/c I'm only 3 away from my first 100 people.[] Don't judge me.

If you have separate accounts, look to the top right of the FB website. You'll see the account button. When you hover over that you'll see a link called "Use Facebook as". Click that and you have the ability to switch between all of your "pages/accounts".

Son of a gun, the that's pretty nifty.

I clicked 'like' on Brandon's page while I was signed in as HomePro. The 'like' button disappeared, but his count didn't change. I switched to my personal account and went back to his page. I clicked 'like' again. This time his count changed (from 1 to 2). Could it be that a business page can't 'like' another business page? I wonder if I 'liked' other pages while logged in as HomePro and it didn't count.

[Ben H]

Anytime you are using a webpage that changes dynamically, and you are looking for said change, but can't find it. Try refreshing your browser. That will typically take care of it.

[Inspectorjoe]

I did try refreshing my browser, but the count still didn't change.

Brandon: I accidently deleted your 'like' from my page. Aaargghhh! Could you please re-like me (if it's possible).

Thanks!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/HomePro-B ... 6775089871

[mgbinspect]

I'm in... I think. Sherlock Inspection

Marc

SURF'S UP!

Amazing Marc. I'm impressed! As I've already said here. I've gotten a lot of business off FaceBook - not at first, but it's exponential.

People remember you.

I'm increasingly surprised by how many folks will book an inspection via FB message or chat. Who'da thought?

Have fun.

[Erby]

Geeze Joe. Here I try to help you out and get your page liked and you're DELETING them. Aaargghhh!

Y'all just remember, it's more than just HAVING a business page. Every now and then, you gotta actually do something with it, like make a comment, post a picture, something to keep it ACTIVE!

[Inspectorjoe]

Now Erby, don't you think I've done enough damage already?

Actually, I've been tossing around ideas of what I want to do. I'm surfing lots of FB sites to see what I can steal.

I set up a new Youtube account and tomorrow I'm going to shoot some video at an inspection before the buyer shows up. What I have in mind is either a pretty good idea - or incredibly lame. I guess I'll know which when I see the tape.

[Tom Raymond]

Joe, be sure to share it here...you know, just in case your not sure[]

[Erby]

Scott Patterson needs a couple more likes to get his short URL.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trace-In ... 6502616050

[Scottpat]

Scott Patterson needs a couple more likes to get his short URL.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trace-In ... 6502616050

OK, I have the number of "Likes" now how do I setup the shorter URL? I have looked all over the FB site and it is about as easy as the ASHI site to navigate! []

[gtblum]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/GTB-Inspe ... 47?sk=wall

Finally got one started! I think I got everyone here, so far.

[Inspectorjoe]

Scott:

You do it on this page: http://www.facebook.com/username/

You need to be logged in using your personal profile. I just did mine (I had 26 likes this morning).

You can also select a username (with short URL) for your personal profile too. I didn't know you could do that.

http://www.facebook.com/homeprolv

http://www.facebook.com/joe.hancaviz

[George Russell]

I've "liked" everyone to this point. Please do the same.

http://www.facebook.com/austinhomeinspections

[Inspectorjoe]

Done.

Holy cow, you have a lot of fans! Methinks you've been at this Facebook thing for a while already. Have you been able to track any business coming in because of it?

[George Russell]

One or two for sure and some maybe's. I had one friend tell me that he would have never known I conducted inspections if he hadn't seen it on my personal FB page. I have some contractors people can ask questions and a couple of agents on as well.

[inspectorreuben]

To everyone setting up a facebook business page - you need to keep it updated. If potential clients see a stale page, it's not going to help you.

It's not tough to keep your facebook page updated. If you read an interesting article related to home inspections, post a link. If you write blogs, post the links. If you make youtube videos, post the videos.

Above all, post inspection photos. Everyone loves photos.

I post a "Photo of the Day" every morning, and fans of the page love it. One great way to get interaction is to post a photo and say "What's wrong here?" I'll come back later in the day and congratulate someone for getting it right, and sometimes post a diagram showing how it should have been done.

I know my clients visit the page, because at least half of my clients will ask me if any photos I took at their new home are going to make it on to the web site. Once you get a little momentum with this, it's easy to keep going and it only takes a couple minutes every day.

[Inspectorjoe]

Once you get a little momentum with this, it's easy to keep going and it only takes a couple minutes every day.

There's no momentum without some forward movement. My dad died when I was 13, but I can still remember him saying "sh*t or get off the pot." The time has come for me to get off the pot.

Five or so years ago, I went through my inspection photos from 2004 (the year I started including photos in the report) and 2005. I culled the interesting ones and put them into different files: plumbing, electrical, structural etc. I even have a file titled 'what's the problem', containing problems that might not be readily apparent. I intended to use them in a blog, which I never started.

So for five years now, I've had hundreds pictures sorted and ready to use. It looks like Facebook is the perfect place to use them. Today I get the ball rolling.

On a side note Reuben, I'm sure you already know this, but your FB page, blog and web site are awesome. The professionalism, cleanness, lack of errors as well as the integration between them is the best I've seen. It's a wonder you find time to do inspections.