Real Estate Facebook Ads: 7 Tips for Success

You could be the world’s most talented real estate agent. You could even have the ability to close a deal the very same day you show a property. But if you don’t know how to source leads in the first place, then none of that will matter. And that means you have to learn how to advertise on Facebook.

A solid part of every well-rounded lead gen strategy, Facebook ads are a central part of almost every successful Realtor’s advertising playbook. Let’s look closer at what you can do with Facebook advertising, then dive into some tried and tested tips for how you can make the most of your Facebook ads. 

Look out at the end for how you can use Sierra Interactive to maximize your Facebook ad presence through our retargeting and remarketing ad services.

Why Real Estate Facebook Ads Are Essential for Your Business

Facebook has long been the most popular social platform – and this popularity shows no sign of changing. According to one study, monthly active Facebook users have increased from 2.91 billion to nearly 2.96 billion over the past year. What’s more, full-year averages show that the typical user spends close to 20 hours per month using Facebook.

But while popularity is important, there’s more to Facebook than just getting access to a large audience. Here are some benefits of using Facebook ads for real estate:

• You can reach your target audience. With Facebook’s advanced targeting options, you can tailor your ads to reach potential homebuyers or sellers who match your ideal customer profile. You can even target specific geographical areas, such as cities or even congressional districts, ensuring your message reaches a relevant local audience.

• You can boost your lead generation efforts. Especially when paired with its targeting options, Facebook can be a fantastic way to generate leads. For instance, you could direct users to a lead capture form or a landing page in order to collect their contact information and inquiries, facilitate further communication, and nurture leads. What’s more, Facebook’s retargeting and remarketing ad options make it easy to nurture leads you’ve already generated, ensuring you get the most out of your previous campaigns.

• You can make your ads more cost effective. Because they give you a number of different pricing models, Facebook ads can be much more affordable compared to traditional advertising methods. Depending on your goals, you could choose to pay per the number of impressions, per lead, per action, or per click. This flexibility gives you more control over your budget and allows you to adjust and optimize as needed. 

• You get access to powerful analytics. It’s easy to track the performance of your ads on Facebook. With detailed analytics and reporting tools, you can monitor the effectiveness of your campaigns, identify what works best, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your advertising efforts as needed.

• You can use a range of different ad formats. With a range of different ad formats – including image ads, carousel ads, video ads, and lead generation ads – Facebook gives you more options than traditional advertising options. This versatility allows you to showcase property photos, virtual tours, testimonials, and other assets, helping you to engage potential clients in the most effective way.

7 Tips for Creating High-Converting Real Estate Facebook Ads

Making effective Facebook ads that attract the attention of the most promising leads, project the right message, and help you convert is easier than you think. All it takes is a little planning. Here are a few tips that will help you get it right.

1. Define Your Objectives and Target Audience

The first step to making a successful ad is knowing what you want it to do. By clearly defining your objective for it, as well as which audience you are directing your message toward, you can narrow your focus and make your ad much more effective.

Setting your objective could be as general as promoting your brand or attracting buyers to your real estate website. But you can also get more granular. For instance, you may want to specify the number of leads you’d like to generate, or the percentage of these leads that you’d like to convert. Defining these specific goals can help you determine the success of your campaign.

When it comes to your target audience, you will usually want to be as specific as possible. Unfortunately, because real estate ads fall within Facebook’s housing Special Ad Category, U.S. agents will have limited targeting options. While you can target ads to people by geographic location (including country, region, state, province, city or congressional district), you cannot use ZIP or postal code. You will also not be able to limit by age or gender, although some detailed options, such as behavior and interest, may be available. 

2. Craft a Compelling Headline and Ad Copy

Once you’ve nailed down your audience and business objective, you can start writing out your ad. Obviously, your ad copy will depend on the target audience you are writing for. For instance, older and more affluent buyers will likely be much less concerned about price than first-time buyers. That said, here are some ways you can make your copy do more work:

• Highlight relevant interests. Leads are more likely to click on ads that seem made for them. That means appealing to the things they want. To do this, try to single out features or amenities that might appeal to the specific interests of your audience. For example, a big backyard could be a winning feature for young families, while a gated community might be something luxury buyers value.

• Be transparent. It may feel natural to write copy that’s exciting and positive, but try not to overdo it. Instead, establish trust and confidence by using language that clearly states the essential details of a property, such as the square footage, number of bedrooms, price, and so forth. With only a few seconds to get their attention, this kind of transparency can help you attract high-quality leads.

• Use FOMO. While keeping the above in mind, it also doesn’t hurt to create a sense of urgency. FOMO – or “fear of missing out” – is an effective way to do this. Emphasize in your ad that the house or property you’re listing won’t be available for long and that potential buyers should act fast. As long as you aren’t too over the top, this may be enough to get them to click.

• Try out some emojis. Everyone uses emojis now in their everyday conversations, so it makes sense to adopt a few for your real estate ads. They can be a quick and easy way to humanize your ad and help it stick out from the sea of other content. And since you’re advertising on Facebook – a social network – it won’t hurt to make your copy a little more relatable and fun.

• Don’t forget contact info. It can be easy to get lost in all the attention-grabbing aspects of your ad, but you shouldn’t forget to give your leads a way to reach out to you. Not only will this help establish you as a real person behind the ad, but it will also create an opportunity for the few who like your ad enough to contact you immediately. And that’s even better than a click.

3. Use Eye-Catching Visuals to Grab Attention

Copy is important, but Facebook is, first and foremost, a visual platform. If your audience notices anything, they are going to pay attention to the images you put in your ad, which means you should put some thought into what you use.

First, make sure you are using visually stunning photos of your homes. Don’t be afraid to hire a professional to make sure you are capturing the best possible angles and aspects of your properties. And if you are showing interiors, be sure to only use furnished photos. Empty rooms can seem uninviting. Your audience should be able to easily visualize themselves living there.

Second, switch up and diversify your photos. If you’re using a carousel ad, don’t just show one front-facing exterior after another. Try to showcase different selling points in order to attract the attention of as many people as possible. One great way to do this is to use aerial shots that not only show the house, but also the wider community.

Finally, consider putting some people in your photos. Pictures of rooms and buildings, even from multiple angles, can quickly feel repetitive. But by including a happy client or even a profile shot of one of your agents, you can tap into people’s natural inclination to focus on other faces. If that’s what it takes to grab their attention, then you’ve done your job.

4. Incorporate Video Ads to Showcase Your Properties

If you really want to go the extra mile, video can help make your brand and properties stand out even further in the Facebook feed. In fact, using real estate videos can attract up to 400 percent more traffic than other content. Fortunately, Facebook already comes with a video ad option you can use. While you can technically add a video as long as 10 minutes, try to keep it short and sweet instead. Somewhere around 10 to 15 seconds is perfect.

What can you do in such a short amount of time? As it turns out, quite a lot. For example, you could put together a quick highlight reel showing off the key features of a single property (including the surrounding neighborhood). Or, if there are multiple properties, you could cycle through each to show off the variety of options you can offer clients. You could focus on a specific geographic area or price area, or put together a more diverse set of homes for broader appeal.

Even better, you could do a virtual tour of a property. Record yourself walking through the house as you show different rooms and point out notable features. This will not only give potential clients a great way to evaluate a property, it can also help narrow down prospects to those who are most likely to buy.

5. Include a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

There’s really only one way you should end your ad: with a clear and specific call to action. After all, you don’t just want to attract the attention of your target audience. Your real objective is to get them to do something. Do you want them to visit your website? Look at your property listings? Call you to schedule an appointment? Visit an open house?

Whatever it is, be sure to spell it out for them so that they know just what to do.

6. A/B Test Your Ads to Optimize Performance

Once you’ve built out your ad, there’s still a little more work to do. You’ll still need to keep track of its performance so you can continually tweak it to ensure it is working for your audience. And one of the best ways to do this is through A/B testing.

This technique involves putting out two slightly different versions of an ad, then comparing how well they perform against each other. To keep things simple, try to only change one element at a time. For instance, you could test two versions of an ad that each have different headlines. Once you determine which works with your audience better, you could run another A/B test with images or your CTA. Keep doing this with different elements until you feel like you’ve fully optimized your ad.

7. Implement Retargeting Ads to Re-Engage Potential Leads

Especially in real estate, it’s common for people to visit a website or property listing but still fail to reach out. Maybe the timing wasn’t right for them. Or perhaps they just weren’t ready to make the next move. Regardless, they have shown a clear interest, which gives them extra potential. Retargeting ads let you take advantage of this by reaching back out to them.

Also referred to as DARE ads (short for “dynamic ads for real estate”), these ads let you send targeted messages to users who have previously searched or viewed properties on your site. For example, if a user clicked through several different properties on your website but did not register, you could dynamically retarget them with a carousel ad that shows properties they might be interested in. Even better, these DARE ads will automatically stay up to date with listings based on what the user has previously searched for or viewed. 

This can be a great way to take out some of the guesswork of creating targeted real estate ads and instead create more personalized and effective marketing.

7 Examples of Real Estate Facebook Ads

Need a little inspiration to get you going? Here are a few examples of real estate Facebook ads we love that may help you build a more successful campaign.

1. Home Valuation Facebook Ad

Home valuation can be a stressful part of selling a home. This type of ad addresses this pain point head on, helping to attract sellers who might otherwise be hesitant.

2. Retargeting Facebook Ad

Users who have previously searched for or viewed a property will already be primed to see it again. By personalizing a message toward them, this type of ad takes advantage of this fact.

3. Home Listing Facebook Ad

Showing off home listings in the ad saves users the step of having to click through to your website or search for the properties themselves. Just remember to highlight key amenities and be transparent about details so that you can get them to click through.

4. Active Listing Carousel Facebook Ad

Updating ads with your latest listings can take time. Instead, this ad uses Sierra’s Marketing Your Own Listing feature, which automatically updates and displays active listings within a carousel ad, ensuring potential leads always see the latest.

5. Video Listing Facebook Ad

Videos are the best way to show off a property without actually going there. This will help users determine if it’s right for them, as well as help you narrow down your leads to those most likely to purchase.

6. Brand Promotion Facebook Ad

It’s just as important to promote your brand as it is to promote individual properties. While these ads can take many forms, the goal should be to communicate your expertise, trustworthiness, and personality. Make users want to meet you.

7. Coming Soon Facebook Ad

Nothing beats a little excitement and anticipation. Show off some properties that haven’t been listed yet in order to drum up an audience ahead of time. This also shows off to potential sellers how hard you’re willing to work for them.

Let Sierra Interactive Run Your Facebook Ad Campaigns!

Running an effective Facebook marketing campaign has become an essential strategy of nearly every successful real estate professional. But sometimes you just don’t have the time to invest in making yours perfect – which is exactly why you should let Sierra Interactive step in to help.

Our high-performing Facebook advertising options use retargeting and remarketing approaches to ensure you target the right audience, deliver the most relevant content, and keep all your existing leads engaged. With our dynamic retargeting feature, for instance, you can showcase up-to-date listings to users who have previously engaged with your website. Or, using our Facebook sphere remarketing services, you can keep your existing leads engaged with your brand and informed about listings they might be interested in.

Learn more about our real estate Facebook ad options. Have more questions? We’re always happy to talk. Reach out to one of our professionals to start a conversation today.