Most real estate agents have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, meaning they love to hate it. It's easier to hate Facebook than admit we don't understand how to make it work for our business. The reality is that when used effectively, Facebook can put you in front of hundreds or even thousands of people for little to no cost. Here are some tips to help you make sense of Facebook for your business.

Have a plan

Just like the other areas of your real estate career, you need a plan for your Facebook activities. Here are a couple of things your plan should include:

Mission Statement: Mission statements may be a bit overrated, but in the case of social media I do think they can be useful. Your mission statement will help you make sure all of your posts, activities, photos, and statements are in concert with your values, ethics, brand, and overall goal. Here's an example: Through social media, I plan to stay in touch with people I know and meet new people. I will share with them what I do, both personally and professionally. In doing so, when it comes time to buy or sell real estate, they will think of me.

Time Management: Facebook is easily one of the biggest time sucks ever--it's as if a reality show and a tabloid got together and had a baby. How will you budget your time on Facebook? Ten minutes in the morning, 10 Minutes at lunch? Five minutes working on your post and five minutes commenting and liking other pages? Will you allow 5-10 minutes on your mobile phone per day for impromptu posts or replies to messages and comments?

Goals: Identify some goals, such as "I want to add 10 new friends per month" or "I want to send out 10 personal messages per month."