Facebook is a great platform to generate leads for your business. You can run highly-targeted ads based on location and demographics to obtain the details of people who are interested in your products and services in a short period of time. That being said, there are other platforms like Google Ads where you can run similar ads. And choosing the right ad platform depends on your business, sales process, and target audiences.
If you are in the real estate business, you’ll want to run your ad according to your products. Different ads may have different objectives. For instance, if you’re selling new apartments and houses, you’ll prefer your ad to show up in front of individuals actively searching for properties in your service area. In contrast, if you’re running ads to make people aware of your services, you’ll want your ads to reach as many potential customers as possible. Now, you may have a question: is Facebook Ads effective for real estate lead generation? Well, it is, when you know how to run it.
In this article, we discuss Facebook Ads for real estate lead generation and how to make the most out of it.
Table of Contents
Do Facebook Ads work for Real Estate?
Facebook vs Google Ads: Which is better for Real Estate?
What type of Facebook Ads work best for Real Estate?
Best practices for high converting Facebook ads for Real Estate
Conclusion
Do Facebook ads work for Real Estate?
Facebook Ads definitely work for real estate when done correctly. However, you should also keep in mind that Facebook is just a platform to show your ads to an audience – an audience that you choose. And visibility is one of many factors that determine the success of your ads. The success of your ad also depends on how you curate it, including targeting the right audience and conveying the right message. Oftentimes, the property you’re advertising also determines the success of your ad. For instance, running a lead generation ad on a specific rental property may not make sense as you can only rent that unit to a single person.
Running an ad on Facebook is different from running an ad on a property portal or Google where people are actively searching for real estate. Nevertheless, you can target a huge number of people who are likely to buy a property through Facebook Ads. The platform allows you to choose who to target based on their location and demographics. To get it right, you must have a good knowledge of your target audience and the listing you’re promoting. If you choose the wrong demographics, then you likely won’t get high quality leads (if any at all), even if your ad is visible to a large number of people.
And finally, one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to running a successful Facebook Ad for real estate. You must tweak your ads according to what you’re offering and who you’re targeting. For example, you’ll want to write your messages in a more professional tone while targeting older, well-established buyers, unlike younger prospects who prefer a more casual approach.
Facebook vs Google Ads: Which is better for Real Estate?
Google Ads, like local property portals, target high intent audiences who are actively searching for properties online. On the other hand, Facebook Ads target people who could be interested in a property, but may or may not be ready to buy at the moment. Nevertheless, it still provides a huge audience pool and the opportunity to generate more leads. Both Facebook and Google ads can work for your real estate business depending on what you’re looking to achieve.
Google Ads works best when you’re looking to target a high intent audience. For instance, if you’re running an ad about a newly launched condo in Ocean Park, your ad will be displayed only to the people actively searching for terms related to that specific condo. The search terms could be “Condos for sale in Ocean Park,” “How much does a condo cost in Ocean Park,” or even “Condos for sale in Santa Monica”. In these cases, the intent to buy is relatively high.
Conversely, Facebook Ads work better in terms of finding a large pool of potential buyers based on location and demographic. They may or may not have a very strong intent to buy your real estate product at the moment. Let’s say you have apartments in Manhattan you’re looking to sell. You know who to target. With Facebook ads, you can directly target high income professionals In Manhattan, New York.
In short, you can use Google Ads to target people with specific buying intentions while Facebook Ads are more useful for creating awareness of your real estate products and services. For the best outcome, you can even combine the best of both worlds.
What type of Facebook Ads work best for Real Estate?
Facebook allows you to run many different types of ads, including Facebook Lead Ads, Click to website ads, Click to call ads, Click to message ads, etc. You can benefit from each of them depending on your ad strategy.
If you’re looking to generate leads, Facebook Lead Ads is probably the best bet. With lead ads, you can collect the information of your potential customers by getting them to fill out a Facebook Lead Form. Moreover, you don’t need a separate website to run and manage Facebook Lead Ads whereas the users also don’t need to navigate away from Facebook to fill and submit the lead form. However, it comes with limited targeting options and the potential for users to be overwhelmed by the amount of information they need to provide.
If you already have a business website, you may also want to try ‘Click to Website’ ads to generate real estate leads. By redirecting users to your website, you can provide your potential customers with more information about your products and services. If they like it, they’ll give you their details. This way, you can generate quality leads. However, keep in mind that some users may not prefer being redirected from Facebook to an external website.
Best practices for high converting Facebook Ads for Real Estate
Facebook Ads target people based on specific demographic information. Therefore, you need to make sure that your targeting and messaging align with the property you’re trying to sell. Furthermore, in order to run an effective real estate ad on Facebook, you should be aware of a few important practices in your industry.
Some ad elements are universally crucial for most ads, no matter if you’re advertising on Facebook or any other platform. Examples of these elements include having compelling messages and stunning designs. However, in the context of running real estate ads on Facebook successfully, there are a few industry-specific tips you should consider. Here are some of the best practices unique to real estate you’ll want to incorporate in your Facebook Ads:
- Give specific information: Property buyers look for specific things, such as price, location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, etc. The more clearly your prospects understand what you’re offering, the higher your chances of generating quality leads.
- Know when to advertise your product vs your business: Knowing what to promote helps you create a correct ad strategy. For instance, if you’re looking to connect with people looking to rent a property, it may make more sense to advertise your services rather than promoting a specific property. Similarly, if you’re looking to sell newly constructed properties, you’ll want to talk more about your products rather than your expertise.
- Offer something special. People will more likely engage with your real estate Facebook Ads if you offer them something with a value. But what could you possibly offer your leads for free? Well, if you’re targeting property buyers, you can offer access to floorplans, eBrochures, virtual tours, and VIP showflat viewing. If you’re running ads for landlords, you can add services like free valuation, free consultation or free market reports.
Conclusion
Facebook Ads offer great reach and excellent targeting options. It can definitely be effective in generating leads for your real estate business. However, the key is to understand the audience that is interested in the services you offer. Knowing these things allow you to target the right people with a proper message and run your ads successfully.
If you’re generating real estate leads on Facebook, use Privyr to convert them into customers. It’s a mobile-first CRM that helps you instantly receive leads on your smartphone, so you can contact them via messaging apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, or SMS within seconds. It also helps you manage your leads data on your preferred device and create personalised messages for each new lead.
Get Privyr now to boost your real estate sales. It’s free and will be free forever.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to integrating your Privyr account with your Facebook Lead Ads in under a minute.
