How to use Facebook real estate ads (and get a boom in clients!)

Real estate advertising can ensure you have a steady stream of clients and interest. Getting your name out there is key; that's why you'll see so many names and faces on 'for sale' properties. It's not just vanity - okay, for some it is - but, it's to add that personal touch.

People will remember your adverts (if they're any good) and contact you when they need to. Real estate agents need to stay omnipresent in people's minds, and that's why real estate Facebook ads work when done right. Most people use social media and if they're scrolling through Facebook, they're a captive audience for you to wow them.

There are plenty of ways to generate leads today. From real estate referral companies to content marketing to a solid email marketing campaign, your ultimate marketing plan should be checking out Facebook advertising to see if it will work for your target audience and produce a great ROI.

Many real estate businesses are focusing their attention on social media marketing, optimising their Facebook Business Page and charming the masses.

If you're already on Facebook, Facebook advertising is a worthwhile form of marketing to try. With all things, it can be trial and error so let's figure out the optimum strategy for success.

Lead generation: real estate Facebook ads

Lead generation is optimum for your real estate ads. Whilst you can invest in real estate advertising to build brand awareness, the key thing you want to measure is how many leads you get.

People use Facebook for real estate ads as it's an established platform for businesses. Whilst it's still social media, many of us know it for:

• Facebook marketplace - sort of like a local eBay
• Business page reviews
• Marketing campaigns

You can use it to post pictures and connect with friends, but as a Business Page, you can get in front of your target audience is a more subtle way. It's arguably less invasive than direct mail or a cold call, which real estate agents still prioritise today.

When it comes to marketing strategies and marketing tools, you need to know where your target audience network is. One of the great features of a Facebook ad is that you can choose the location as a feature. If you're in California, showing off that you sell nice homes to people in London, it might not give you repeat business. It's a wasted effort. Facebook advertising allows you to hone in on the right audience, at the right time.

Many businesses even save costs on their own landing pages, and just use the Facebook Business Page. This means that it's becoming a distinguished platform for businesses in all industries.

As real estate marketing goes, Facebook ad campaigns work pretty well.

Real estate advertising on Facebook - where to start?

After you've set up your Facebook Business Page you can figure out what type of adverts to use for your real estate Facebook ads.

Okay, get ready - there's a lot of choice when it comes to real estate Facebook ads. You've got:

• Carousel ads
• Collection ads
• Slideshow ads
• Poll ads
• Video ads (we love a video ad, you can even use video testimonials here generated with Cloutly)
• Lead ads
• Image ads

It really depends on what you're putting out - you might want to use a video ad when you're showing a real-life review in the form of a customer video testimonial or use carousel ads when you want up to 10 images with text.

Key features of a top-quality real estate Facebook ad

You want your Facebook leads to be genuine and to do this, you need to make sure you're putting out a real estate ad that will intrigue your audience.

It needs to be concise, targeted and relevant to your real estate business for lead generation. It's all very well showing off a new home in the area, but if you've failed to put any contact details or a CTA, home buyers or home sellers won't know what to do.

When it comes to any form of online marketing, you want it to be crisp, clean and targeted. Effective real estate ads can supercharge your lead generation, so let's find out how to maximise your ROI.

Ad copy

Say what you're trying to say in just a few words. Yup, concise copy is what you're aiming for. No one wants to read an essay about your services. Not even your proud mum.

Show off your real estate services in fun, engaging copy.

For example, sharing your company highlights in short, bullet points is sufficient. Sum up your USP and success, highlight the problem your potential buyers might be facing and explain how you solve that problem.

Ad copy such as 'Home buyers save 10% on real estate fees when they use me as a real estate agent'. I would use this real estate agent, wouldn't you? Those secret fees suck.

Always remember a CTA, too. People need to be told what to do.

With a Facebook ad, you won't be able to verify the lead until you do your own digging but it's about putting yourself out there and increasing your lead generation.

Ad format

Whether you choose a carousel ad format or a still image, just make sure you highlight your best features.

For example, your might be advertising an open house, showing off the square footage of a house, a free home evaluation or letting new clients know you offer a virtual tour on your website.

Whatever you do, make sure your graphics and design are sharp - we've moved on from the days of the Paint app in Windows.

Target audience for your real estate Facebook ad

Locality is key for real estate Facebook ads. Putting in specific zip codes of where you want to target makes sense to get the best buyer leads. But you also need to define your audience in your area.

It can be anything from:

• Age
• Sex
• Employment
• Children or no children
• Interests
• Behavioural traits
• Goals
• Buying patterns
• Pain points

Develop your target persona so you know exactly what appeals to them - that's what makes an ultimate marketing plan work. For example, if you're selling luxe apartments close to a city with a gym and spa attached, chances are, you'll be appealing to young professionals on relatively high-income jobs who care about fitness rather than a family of five.

Real estate advertising doesn't need to be complex, especially if you've researched your audience. Reaching a specific audience is what brings quality leads.

Measurements of success for a real estate Facebook ad

You want to know exactly what you want to achieve with your Facebook ad. Your ad spend should bring results.

Your campaign objective could be:

• Get more buyer leads
• Get more seller leads
• Build brand awareness
• Show social proof of success
• Drive traffic to your website

Driving website traffic is sometimes all you need for new leads. If potential clients are intrigued by an advert, they're more likely to click through to your landing page.

Measuring how many clicks, how many impressions (ad viewers), cost per lead and overall reach of your ad campaigns are good indicators of whether real estate Facebook ads are worth your time and money.

How to create Facebook ads for your real estate business

As far as Facebook tools go, it's pretty simple for real estate agents to start their first ad campaigns.

Simply, log in to your Facebook Business Page and create an account with Facebook Ads Manager.

1. From the main section in Ads Manager, select Create Facebook Ads
2. Start by choosing an objective
3. Choose your audience for your ad campaign
4. Pick your budget
5. Create a Facebook ad with fun copy, engaging design and images/videos
6. Publish your Facebook ad!
7. Monitor those metrics of your Facebook ad

To generate leads, a Facebook ad makes it pretty easy. Even if you're a complete novice in the online advertising world, real estate agents can see success or enquiries come from their real estate Facebook ads.

Wrapping up

Real estate agents can win big with real estate Facebook ads. When choosing your method for real estate advertising, you need to do your research but sometimes, it's about trying it all out.

Ad placements, special ad categories and an optimised Facebook Page play into the success of your real estate ad. But, sometimes, it's about the property market. If all properties are at an all-time high, you might have fewer home buyers interested but then again, you might then want to appeal to home sellers.

Real estate marketing for real estate agencies is, of course, quite competitive. But, appearing on popular social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram is a great way to push out your messaging. For lower budgets, be timely - advertise when you have something specific to say. If you have a bigger budget, you can use a lead ad to build brand awareness, staying in your target customer's mind for when they're ready.

As far as real estate marketing goes, investing in digital ads on Facebook isn't a bad decision for a real estate agent. Real estate Facebook ads can have a far reach, be timely and targeted whilst delivering worthwhile content for those tasty leads.