Facebook Ads for Real Estate Agents
Are you in the business of selling property? Here’s our complete guide to navigating Facebook Ads for realtors.
Are you in the business of selling property? Here’s our complete guide to navigating Facebook Ads for realtors.
Social media remains the foundation to a great marketing strategy in 2022. And luckily, its value is only expected to grow. A recent survey performed by Sprout Social revealed that 91% of executives will increase social media marketing budgets in the next three years. On top of that, eMarketers predict Facebook ads are expected to surge 15.5% year-over-year in 2022. So what does this mean for businesses? Social media advertising is definitely worth the investment.
Business owners, large corporations, and self-employed individuals can make great use of platforms, such as Facebook, to connect with a wider customer base. In fact, there is one industry in particular that Facebook ads are working well for nowadays — real estate! With a national competitive market, low inventories, and ever-growing demand, real estate agents must be at the top of their game to win over the right clients. Fortunately, Facebook ads are the best way to do it.
A number of brokers and real estate agents are achieving great success in reaching target audiences thanks to strategically planned Facebook Ads. Today, the global platform is still the most effective avenue for finding new clients and expanding outreach within the real estate industry. Though we view social media advertising as a long term investment, the earlier you plant the seed, the faster you can see the results. Simply put, the only thing holding you back from exceeding your sales goals this year is the lack of advertisements on Facebook.
Since Facebook ads reach 63.7% of all Americans, it’s a no-brainer to use these marketing strategies to your advantage. If you’ve never worked with Facebook Ads before (or it’s been awhile since you’ve given it a try), then this guide was meant for you. We’ll discuss everything you need to know about getting started, what content works best, and prime ad examples for real estate promotion.
How do I set up a real estate ad on Facebook?
First, let’s go over the basics of making an effective ad campaign.There are two essential tools you’ll need to start advertising on Facebook: a Facebook page and Facebook ad account. Both are entirely easy to create, so we’ll break down the steps below:
To create a Facebook Page:
- Go to facebook.com/pages/create
- Click to choose a Category
- Fill out the required information (name, address, etc)
- Click Create Page
- Add a profile or cover photo
It’s that simple! In 5 steps you’ll have an official business account to promote your real estate activity. You can choose to edit or add more information later, but for now, this is all you need to get the ball rolling. Next, let’s talk about Facebook Ads Manager. This all-in-one tool allows users to create, manage, and track ad campaigns from start to finish. Ads Manager is also where you’ll manage budgets and schedules for quarterly campaigns.
Image source: Facebook
Above Facebook outlines how to get started with Ads Manager. Of course, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the different tools before you jump-start into creating a campaign. While using Ads Manager is relatively easy, strategic planning is necessary. For starters, we suggest narrowing down your ideal client before you create an ad. You must think from the mindset of the customer. What group or segments do I typically want to market to? In most cases, real estate agents target the following four categories:
- Active buyers
- Active sellers
- Current homeowners
- Renters
It’s important to fill your ads with resources and information that resonate well with your niche community. All and all, a Facebook ad is defined by its “call to action”. If you want to attract active buyers to your open house listing, make sure you run a “reach” ad to your local demographic. We’ll detail more about this plan of action in the ad set portion below.
Process of creating an advertisement with Ads Manager
Statistics show 79% of monthly Facebook users are active daily. This means real estate agents have a huge opportunity in finding the ideal client. With that said, you’ll need to modify and adjust each Facebook ad to get there. When creating a Facebook Ad, there are three essential stages to consider:
- Campaign — your marketing objective for the ad
- Ad Set — your ideal audience and targeting features (age, gender, language, marital status)
- Ad — creative content and visuals
Here’s a quick look at what the campaign process will look like:
Image source: AdEspresso
Once you’ve gotten the technical aspects of running a Facebook ad down, you’ll soon see that each ad serves its own unique purpose. For real estate agents, a majority of ads are used for brand awareness, lead generation, and increased traffic to websites. However, this is only pulled off effectively if you’ve mastered the ad set portion of the process.
Why the ad set is important
Aside from setting a budget, the ad set portion is crucial in reaching your ideal client. Although Meta has limited the scope of targeting options in the last few years, real estate agents can still choose the demographics of their potential client, including age, gender, language, and marital status. It’s no surprise that 35–45 year olds favor Facebook the most and this age range is also the most likely to buy a house in 2022. Call it a win/win for realtors!
What’s more, realtors can tailor their Facebook ads to designated locations. Because most real estate agents work mainly in a specific county or region, this means they’ll want to target their campaigns to certain locations. During the ad set, realtors can choose zip codes and address radiuses. You even have the liberty to exclude certain zip codes.
Need ideas? Here’s some content inspo
The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) estimates there are more than 3 million active real estate licenses in the United States. That number alone makes it clear real estate is one of the most sought-after professions in the country. Because of this, it’s crucial to make your brand stand out. How do you do this? With quality content of course!
Real estate agents have an enormous opening to showcase all facets of their business. Here are the top ways to use Facebook ads to your advantage in 2022:
- Attract new buyers/sellers
- Promote listings
- Build trust within your community
- Gain exposure and wider outreach
- Retarget people who interact with your content
- Capture contact information for emails and promotional mailings
- Share tips & insights on real estate market
These content ideas are only made possible with a strategic marketing approach. The type of ad objective you choose will ultimately impact the success of your Facebook ad. To give you a better idea, we’ve outlined the top most useful Facebook ad types for real estate agents.
3 types of real estate Facebook ads that work
Even though Facebook ads have become less personalized, there is an endless opportunity for real estate agents to heighten their exposure and engage with the community. Here are the three ad types that every realtor should use in 2022:
Video ads
Viewers can’t get enough of video content, which is why it’s become one of the most popular ad types in recent years. In fact, 74% of marketers say video has a better return on investment than static imagery. You don’t have to be an experienced marketer to understand why real estate and video ads go hand in hand. With video, you can show a house in-detail or highlight specific features that grab potential buyers attention. You can even share insights about the real estate market.
For example, Anthony Lamacchia, Owner of Lamacchia Realty and Crush It In Real Estate, uses his experience and expertise to help other professionals excel in their real estate careers. By sharing video ads on Facebook, he can expand his audience reach and promote his multiple real estate brands.
Messenger ads
What better way to get an organic conversation started with a potential client than a Messenger ad. Real estate agents can use this ad type to engage with your intended audience. Many real estate professionals chose this feature on their business page so potential clients can easily ask questions or schedule a meeting to view a listing. These ads work well in creating a non-abrasive start to your relationship with a client.
Event ads
In your role as a real estate agent, promotion is often key to the sale of a property. With Event Ads, real estate companies can advertise upcoming open houses to the right client or group of homeowners that might be interested in something new. All said and done, the goal is to get your ad in front of as many eyes as possible. In particular, potential homebuyers who have interacted with your business account in the past. Below you’ll see an example:
Do Facebook ads really work for real estate?
Absolutely! Facebook ads work on multiple levels, mainly targeting the right audience and growing your business through the process. Ads also allow you to measure and adjust what type of content your ideal customer likes. All and all, Facebook ads are a heightened opportunity to engage with your target audience. For homeowners that are potentially wanting to sell or buy a new house, they’ll be looking for a trusted real estate agent to make the process go smoothly. Well-designed Facebook ads will lead them in the right direction.
We hope this real estate ads guide was helpful!
Being a real estate agent in 2022 comes with its own set of challenges. But don’t let the competitive market keep you from expanding your business. Take advantage of Facebook Ads this year and grow your target audience. If you need any help or assistance on determining the right ad strategy for your business, don’t hesitate to contact us at Lightning AI.
Lightning AI effectively helps real estate agents reach their target audience on Facebook. Our AI platform studies your current data on Facebook and identifies new interest groups based on your most successful advertisements. Our team delivers real-time results for your best marketing strategy. It’s 2022, use data-driven marketing to your benefit!
