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Generating a new lead can feel like magic. That little dopamine kick you get just from talking to someone who might hire you is part of what makes this job so fulfilling. It’s thrilling and addictive. But what if you could get that same rush without having to white-knuckle it through a cold call or shell out a thousand bucks a month to Zillow?
Laura Griffin did just that — by accident. She moved to a new city and decided to start a Facebook Group for moms to make new friends. Conversations about pediatricians and dog runs quickly turned to real estate and then to the leads who became the foundation for her thriving real estate business.
We sat down with Laura to learn how she did it and her best tips for agents who want to generate warm leads from Facebook Groups.
Laura Griffin: By the numbers
- Market: Loudon County, Virginia
- Niche: Trade up buyers
- Primary lead generation strategy: Facebook Groups, referrals
- 2023 sales volume + sides: $22 million, 20 sides
- Highest ROI software: BoomTown
- Facebook Group: The Loudon Moms
- Real estate coaching site: Groups to Leads
From chatting with local moms to $22 million in volume
Like so many great ideas, Laura stumbled into generating leads in her Facebook Group by accident. She was a mom with two toddlers in a new city and wanted to make new friends. Lead generation was the last thing on her mind. As her Facebook Group grew, she started getting a trickle of leads, but not enough to replace her other prospecting strategies. An idle conversation with a fellow entrepreneur at a conference changed everything:
“She was selling almost all of her products on her Facebook Group. She was generating leads and emails, building sales funnels and nurturing them in her group. She explained how thinking of your group members as top-of-funnel leads and nurturing them for the long haul was her primary sales strategy. She built a successful business from it. That’s when the lightbulb turned on for me.
I immediately thought, I could totally do this with my Mom’s group. This feels genuine. So I started treating my Facebook group like a sales funnel. I was getting everyone’s email addresses and started nurturing them in the group, outside of the group and doing events and it just naturally turned into my best lead source.”
Why a private Facebook Group can be your best lead source
It’s the most well-worn cliche in the business, I know, but it’s a cliche for a good reason: Real estate is a relationships business. Building rapport with people who might transact soon is your primary goal in lead generation.
Starting a Facebook Group you control is an ideal way to build rapport and let relationships blossom organically. You already have a common interest! Sharing advice and opinions is the logical next step. Contrary to what many new agents think, most people are hungry for expert real estate advice, even if they’re not looking for a home. Here’s Griffin:
“In my Facebook Group I’m having natural, fun conversations about a topic I enjoy. When I’m talking to moms, and they want to know who the best pediatrician is or where to get a good haircut, I can speak to that, and I’m building rapport with them. When I go to a listing appointment or a buyer’s consult with someone I met in my group, they already know, like and trust me. I just bring the paperwork, and they act as if it’s already a done deal.”
Another benefit to starting a Facebook Group? Your group will be the most active at night. That means you can spend your days doing traditional lead generation strategies and build your group at night.
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Ready to start a Facebook Group like Griffin’s? You should be. It’s one of the easiest ways to build a free online lead source you have total control over. Below is her exact strategy you can rip off and duplicate in your market.
I know what you’re thinking. “There are too many Facebook Groups already!” Here’s why Griffin thinks it doesn’t matter and you should start one anyway:
“Choosing not to do something because other agents are already doing it is not a smart business strategy. None of our real estate marketing ideas are unique. Everyone in your market is probably door knocking, sending postcards or posting on TikTok. Facebook Groups are the same thing. Just apply the same mindset you would to any other marketing strategy other agents use: Yours will be different, and yours will be better.”
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Laura Griffin’s six-step system for building a lead-generating Facebook Group
Still on board? Here is Laura’s six-step system for building a Facebook Group that gets you leads fast:
1. Choose a group topic with hyper-local appeal — that’s not too niche
Griffin’s first step to building a Facebook group is to choose your group’s topic. She recommends a topic that has hyper-local appeal but isn’t too niche. You might love woodworking, surfing or knitting, but finding enough locals who share your passion will be a challenge.
Instead, she suggests agents stick to the basics: Location-based groups: “Charleston Moms,” or local events-based groups: “Things to do in Charleston, South Carolina.” Foodie groups or even a local jobs group are also excellent choices. Whatever you choose, ensure you put your market in the title. It trains the Facebook algorithm to only show your group to people who live in the area.
2. Join existing groups and figure out what’s not working
Next, join existing groups in your area to figure out what’s not working and what you can do better. This step will be shockingly easy. Many local groups are mired in angry political arguments, filled with spammy posts or worse.
3. Rip off and duplicate
Once you have a list of what’s wrong with existing groups, it’s time to start planning yours. Make a list of things you can do better and include them in your group’s description to help convince people to join.
For example, if existing groups are filled with spam, you can add “NO SPAM ALLOWED” to your group’s description and rules. When coming up with a name, make sure you include the city name. ChatGPT is an excellent tool to help you come up with name ideas.
4. Grow your group fast with paid ads
Now that you have a group, start promoting it with paid boosted posts. Boosted posts for groups can be very cost-effective. Griffin mentioned her coaching clients often pay 10 cents per ad to promote their groups. Once your group grows to 500 people, Facebook will start promoting it for free, but buying ads speeds up the process dramatically.
5. Start engaging with people in your group
Now for the fun part. Engage with the people in your group! The bigger your group gets, the more opportunities you’ll have to talk to locals. Just make sure to ban people who post spam or break the rules.
6. Provide value and start nurturing leads
Once your group is up and running, Griffin recommends posting content that gives your members something of value. Post about upcoming events or ask questions to spur conversations. Griffin was quick to point out that posting just sold or just listed content will come across as spammy. Instead, try posting useful content from your listings. Griffin posted a video of a chirping smoke detector in one of her listings that her group loved.
The full picture
Know an agent who is thriving despite the odds and has actionable insights to share? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us here: vetted@housingwire.com.
