When we want something, we want it right away, and Facebook likes for the modern real estate agent are no exception.

So do you do what everyone else does and ask every person in your personal and professional network to like your page? Or do you do it the old-fashioned way that’s built to last?

Of Course your Family Will Like your Page

But you want to network with people from your industry who will read your content.

You also never, ever want to buy your likes.

This article from Inman says you could probably pay $40 for 1,000 likes—but those likes won’t get you anywhere

Want to Know Why?

You may get tons of new likes, but ask yourself: are those people really interested in my content? Today, its not enough to be a social media king or queen—you have to produce authentic, shareable content too.

Inman says you should be running a minimum of 2:1 meaning for every 20 likes you get on your page, you should easily be picking up 10 email addresses.

And chances are these “fake” likers won’t be interested.

It’s Also Due to Some Internet Mumbo Jumbo Called an Algorithm

In an algorithm called Last Actor, Facebook keeps track of when you interact with people or pages. Facebook wants to keep showing you what you’re interested in so you keep coming back for more. Smart, huh?

Facebook keeps track of the last 50 interactions you’ve had, and runs its algorithm according to your tastes. Which means if you haven’t interacted with a page in your last 50 interactions, you won’t see updates from that page.

Do you see the pattern here? You want genuine likes from people who will interact with your content—not fake likes or spammers.

Also, having a pretty page isn’t enough either.

Facebook distributes a page post to a small amount of its page likes, Inman says. If (or when) any of those likes engage in some way (like, comment, share, click through) with that post, Facebook increases the percent of your page likes that post is distributed to. If no one engages, Facebook essentially thinks your content is worthless and doesn’t distribute your content any further—definitely not a good place to be in.

So, the choice is yours. Follow the crowd or start small and build an empire that will last.

Let us know what worked for you. If you have a large Facebook following, share your tips in our comments section below.