The Secret to Growing Your Business through Social Media w/David Denning

If real estate feels like both blessing and burden, this episode is your reminder to reset.

The truth? Posting everywhere without a plan leads to burnout — but a relationship-first strategy on one core platform creates real conversations and real clients.

In this conversation, Garrett and guest David Denning unpack how to use Facebook (and groups) the right way—so you stop chasing vanity metrics and start turning comments into DMs, DMs into appointments, and appointments into closings.

You’ll learn:

• Why “be everywhere” kills momentum—and how a one-platform focus wins

• How to leverage existing Facebook groups (before you ever start your own)

• Exactly what kills your reach (links in posts) and the comment-to-DM play that boosts it

• How affinity works in the algorithm so the right people start seeing your posts

• A simple path for moving from public engagement → Messenger → appointments

• When local, niche audiences beat big non-local followings

• How to build referral power teams (LO, title/insurance) that compound results

If social has felt confusing or exhausting, this episode gives you a playbook to work smarter—meeting people where they already are and guiding them into real relationships.

Next Steps

• Pick your core: Choose Facebook for 90 days and stop splitting attention.

• Join 3–5 local groups: DM each admin: “How can I add value here?”

• Post value, no links: Use a comment trigger (e.g., “Comment ‘guide’—I’ll DM it”).

• Start 3 DMs daily: Deliver the guide in Messenger and ask one discovery question.

• Form a trio: Partner with a loan officer + insurance/title to co-host one monthly value post or mini-training in a local group.

Transcript & Highlights

Garrett and David break down the strategy behind sustainable social: why focusing on one platform outperforms omnipresence, how to approach group admins with value, the exact mechanics of Facebook’s algorithm (and avoiding link penalties), using comments to trigger DMs, and turning those conversations into real appointments—plus practical ways to build local authority and referral ecosystems that actually move the needle.


Garrett Maroon:
All right, what’s up, faithful agents? Welcome back to another episode of the Faithful Agent Podcast. I’m so glad you’re here. We’re gonna have a great conversation today with David Denning, but before we do, let me give you my Christian dad joke of the week.

The Ark was built in three stories, and the top story had a window to let light in. But how did they get light to the bottom two stories? This is so cheesy. They used floodlights. Whomp, whomp, that’s fantastic.

Oh man, David, sometimes it just—that’s fantastic.

All right. Well, that’s pretty funny.

David Denning:
Yeah, that actually is legitimately funny.

Garrett:
So we’ve got David Denning here from Jumpstart Go. We’re going to be talking about how he built his business and how we can build our business on relationships and social media. So let’s dive right in. David, thank you for being here, buddy. Talk to me. How do you build your business on social media? We get that question all the time. Teach us how to do that.

David:
Absolutely. That’s really how we, from the very beginning, built and scaled our business. We worked primarily with the insurance industry, but before that worked with real estate, insurance, tech startups, all kinds. A lot of these principles apply across industries.

What we found is one of the best ways of growing through relationships and trust and bringing people to you today is going where people have already gathered for two and a half hours on average a day—on social—and building where people are consuming. Their eyes are on their phones, versus hopefully on the road if they’re driving.

Pre-internet, how did we build business? We went into the community, built relationships with local businesses, did events, got word of mouth from clients, got involved in churches and nonprofits. You shake hands, kiss babies, and over time become a pillar of the community so everybody knows to send people to Garrett for real estate, for example. This is a modern application of that same thing. How do I go do that same thing through social, all over my area—or all over the country if I do business across the country—without even getting out of my pajamas (though my wife prefers I dress more professionally)? I’ve even done it from Thailand.

Social was a huge opportunity. We bootstrapped—no big capital—so it was a great option too. At the very beginning, maybe we didn’t pick the easiest channels. Our very first client actually came off Reddit.

Garrett:
Interesting. Okay.

David:
Yeah. It was nuts. I was like, wait, people will come offline having never met you and do business? As we built trust and connections there, people came to work with us.

A much easier, better way than Reddit today: we’ve leveraged Facebook primarily as our core platform. Not because it’s the sexiest or most fun—it’s not; I like TikTok—but it’s great for building business connections and getting into conversations, which is my goal. I want to talk with people: prospects, referral partners, colleagues. Social’s built for that.

Facebook is where we focus: three-plus billion people; it doesn’t require as much content—you don’t have to be a full-time creator to do well. It requires very little, which works great for agents who don’t like to make a lot of content. And it has unique advantages like Facebook groups that other platforms don’t have—people segmented by interest, location, hobbies, faith. That’s exactly my audience, my referral partners, my location.

We started using social and, just like everybody, we tested and improved skill sets. When Facebook Live first came out we did 30 Lives in 30 days. Were they all about business? No—some were about Halloween costumes. People popped in the comments: “Haven’t seen you in a while… Love your videos… I didn’t know you helped people grow with social—let’s talk.” People are watching. Okay—this is great.

The biggest mover for us: leveraging existing groups, and, long-term, having your own group. We started our own and kept the name very simple—what we do, who it’s for—so people could find it. Facebook started recommending it. We grew organically—no ads—to the first 15,000 people. The group taught us the insurance industry’s pain points. For example, agents calling leads all day with nobody answering. We could show them how to grow on social. From that one Facebook group alone, we did $1M+ a year.

Garrett:
Okay, so cool. Lots in there. Two questions. First: from a “must-do” perspective, does every agent have to do social? For someone like me trying to reach a broad audience, someone in Australia engaging is fine. But if I’m just selling houses in Virginia, someone in Australia doesn’t help. So is social optional?

David:
A couple things. Is it optional or does it have to be done? I’d say it basically has to be done at this point. Most buyers (insurance and real estate) are Millennials to Gen Z. If you’re not on social, you don’t exist. It’s where they consume, get recommendations, and build trust. If they look you up and there’s nothing, you’re a ghost.

Does it have to be your main channel? Not necessarily. But it doesn’t require a lot of time, so it should at least be present. It will be a profitable piece of growth whether or not it’s the core.

Hyper-local is no problem. You can be very localized. Use groups by city, county, neighborhoods. We have plenty of clients who prefer face-to-face local and focus there. When building audiences, we focus on: prospects, referral partners/centers of influence, clients, and past prospects. If they’re not in those cores, I’m not trying to add them. Social can be focused to exact client, location—no Australians required.

Garrett:
I’m not a huge social person. I like that you called it the new community square. Facebook groups: be specific so your people self-select. But “core platform”—should agents focus on one main space instead of trying to do Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, X?

David:
Absolutely. We’re huge proponents of one-platform focus. Each platform works differently; algorithms differ. You’re doubling work if you try to do multiple. Don’t add work and reduce chances of success. I don’t like seeing people do more than one if they’re doing less than seven figures. Focus on one. Later, add a second, not five.

Garrett:
I’ve been focusing on Instagram for a book launch—shorts, etc.—but Facebook is where I have the most friends and an existing group. Is Instagram more like a vanity metric if my followers aren’t local? Could I have a Facebook group of 200 and sell 10 homes a year?

David:
It depends on goals. Instagram is visual and has shifted to short-form video (Reels). You can grow there, but it needs consistent, good video. It’s not as easy to create community conversations. You can DM and book calls, yes. But for day-to-day conversations leading to appointments, Facebook groups are fantastic and show authority/social proof.

They’re both Meta, but still different. I wouldn’t try to heavily grow both at the same time. Focus on one. You can seed content to the other for later.

At the end of the day, my purpose on social is getting into conversations and moving those to appointments (phone/Zoom), whether referrals or prospects.

Garrett:
That’s so good. With Facebook groups, people self-select. Now I can communicate and lead. Two parts:

1. What does engagement look like practically once I’m in a group?

2. How do I move people from the group into an actual relationship?

David:
First caveat: I’m not recommending your first step be “go build a group.” Groups take time and aren’t the quickest path. I recommend leveraging existing groups that are already active. Building the first 200–1,000 members is the hardest and comes from you. And if engagement slips, Facebook shows the group less.

So: leverage existing groups. Provide value. DM the admin: “How can I help? Bring guest speakers? Co-host content? Help moderate?” I’ve had agents become the sole pro allowed in a group because they built trust with the admin—hundreds of thousands a year from one group, free.

Neighborhood groups, city groups, buy/sell groups—your audience is already there. You don’t have to build from scratch.

Garrett:
Great. Now I’m in a group and engaging. How do I turn that into relationships and business?

David:
This is where understanding the algorithm matters. Facebook makes money on ads, so it rewards content that keeps people on the platform and punishes links that send people off. Business pages have ~1% reach; personal profiles are rewarded for engagement.

So, instead of posting a link (“Here’s my guide”), post without the link and say: “Comment ‘guide’ and I’ll send it.” Comments = engagement → Facebook shows it to more people. Then you DM: “Hey Bob, I’ll shoot it over here.” Now you’re in Messenger: “Are you looking to buy in the next six months?” Set a call. From post → comments → DMs → appointment.

Also, affinity: if you and Barbara go back and forth in a local school group, Facebook assumes you’re connected and starts showing Barbara your future posts—even if you never talked real estate in that group. Then she sees your “3 tips for homebuyers,” realizes you’re an agent, and reaches out. That’s the algorithm helping you.

You can also propose value trainings in a group: “Three tips for new homeowners.” Make the admin look good while you teach. Tons of ways to add value and get in front of audiences that aren’t “yours.”

Garrett:
Love it. My marketing coach drilled strategy and end goals. Activity without strategy leads to burnout. Social should be social—relationships. Understanding the rules helps more of my people actually see what I share.

I’ve got a page and a half of notes. I’m going to DM you to practice this inside your community. We’ll have you back. Where can people find you?

David:
Two easy ways:

• Facebook: Search David Denning (Jumpstart Go). Send a friend request and a message—I see all my messages and I respond.

• Website: [verbal reference in recording]

Our Facebook group is Marketing for Insurance Agents. It’s insurance-heavy, but there’s tons of crossover and agents are looking to connect with real estate and loan officers. Real estate agents are welcome—say you heard me on Garrett’s podcast and want to build referral connections.

Garrett:
Love it. Agents, if you need a good insurance partner, ask David who he knows in your market. David, this was valuable. Social can feel like a beast—this breaks it down in a helpful way. I’m going to message you and ask how I can add value—gotta take action in the first 24 hours or I’ll do nothing.

Faithful agents, we love you. I hope this helped. We’ll see you next week.