How to Create Real Estate Facebook Ads in 5 Steps [+ Examples]

Real estate Facebook ads are used by realtors to generate buyer or seller leads through targeted advertising campaigns. To create realtor Facebook ads, agents need to sign up for a Facebook business account, determine ad goals, pick their target audience, and create lead-generating ad content. The best ads are visual, clear, and engaging.

Whether you want to handle your real estate Facebook ads yourself or need some help, Real Geeks is the place to go. Their Facebook marketing tool and managed real estate advertising are second to none in the industry. Learn more about Real Geeks managed realtor Facebook ads and the Facebook ad tool on their website below.

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Here are the five steps to creating successful real estate Facebook ads:

1. Determine Your Realtor Facebook Ad Strategy

Advertising on Facebook should start with a well-thought-out strategy that considers things like the needs and demographics of your target audience, your advertising goals, and how you will build your ads to achieve those goals. This will lay the foundation for a high-converting ad campaign that generates warm leads for your properties.

To start, map out your target demographic, using basic information like age, gender, income, relationship status, industry/job, and any other information that is pertinent to you as an agent. Next, determine what stage of the buying cycle your target audience is in—awareness stage, consideration stage, or conversion stage—then use this to determine your ad format and content.

Here are the three stages of the buying cycle you should be considering when creating your ad strategy:

• Awareness – Awareness helps real estate agents show up in front of buyers more frequently to build a recognizable brand. Leads in the awareness stage are simply toying with the idea of buying or selling a property, so introducing yourself as an agent with videos or images should be the goal of your ads.
• Consideration – Consideration gives agents exposure to buyers and sellers who are thinking about using an agent for a property purchase/sale sometime in the near future. People in the consideration stage have a plan to buy or sell a house and are considering options. While introducing yourself as an agent in this stage is helpful, you will want to spend most of your ad space on listing information to show Facebook users the types of properties you typically work with.
• Conversion – Conversion entices people who are buying or selling a property to take an action on real estate Facebook ads by clicking a link, filling out a form, making a call, or watching a video. Active buyers and sellers in the conversion stage typically have a short-term goal of making a decision. Ads deployed for users at this stage of the buying cycle should include a very clear call to action, tied to currently available listings.

Buying Cycle Considerations for Real Estate Facebook Ads

Once you know the stage of the buying cycle you should be targeting, complete your strategy by considering the kind of content that would best serve your target audience. This can be broken into several categories, each targeting a subset of your primary demographic. For example, if you wanted to create brand awareness among an older, retired population, you might consider different ad content for new retirees, widows/widowers, new grandparents, and more.

2. Choose an Objective at the Campaign Level

Once you have decided on a strategy for your Facebook real estate ads, log in to Facebook Ads Manager to get started. The first thing you’ll see is the Campaign Level, which lets you choose the appropriate marketing objective for your campaign. The objective is dependent on your desired buying cycle, including what you want the buyer or seller to do as the result of your ad (e.g. click to your website, watch a video, fill out a form, etc.).

Campaign Level in Ad Manager to Identify Objectives

The most common types of objectives for real estate Facebook ad campaigns are:

• Brand Awareness – Brand awareness gives realtors the edge by showing ads to audiences repeatedly to achieve recognition. The only goal for this type of realtor Facebook ad is to get a message out to a targeted audience over and over again until the buyer easily identifies the marketing message or brand.
• Reach – Reach is how many people receive your message over a period of time. Reach gives the agent the ability to track the number of people who see a piece of content. For realtors, reach simply means a certain number of buyers or sellers will see their Facebook advertisement.
• Traffic – Traffic gives realtors the ability to send clicks to a website or landing page to view an offer, find out more about a property, or receive a report. Realtors may use traffic as an objective if they want to focus on a specific outcome like signing up for a newsletter or advertising an open house.
• Engagement – Engagement gives realtors the ability to use their followers to gain traffic and recognition. Through the action of the buyer or seller who likes, shares, or comments on a post (known as engagement), a realtor uses their Facebook audience to spread the word about a property or their brand.
• Video Views – Realtors can use the power of video in their Facebook advertising campaigns to show off the property or introduce themselves to potential buyers and sellers. With video views as an objective, real estate agents can speak directly to buyers through visuals.
• Lead Generation – The lead generation objective gives realtors the ability to present a lead capture magnet—like a neighborhood report—directly on the Facebook platform. This type of Facebook advertising offers the buyer or seller a lead capture form without going to an external website. The realtor receives the leads in a spreadsheet for quick follow-up.
• Conversions – Conversions allow agents to track Facebook users from ad click to landing pages by using embedded the Facebook Pixel code to see how many visitors complete a task (like filling out a lead form). By tracking conversions, realtors are able to see if their Facebook advertising dollars turn into leads.

We did not include Product Catalog Sales, App Installs, and Store Visits as objectives for the realty industry, but you might want to be aware these are options.

Facebook shows your realtor Facebook ads to users who are most likely to meet your ad objective. Because Facebook monitors the behaviors and actions of its users, it is easy for them to identify which users are more likely to click on an ad versus watch a video, for example. If you need help setting up your ad campaign, read our article on How to Create an Ad Using Facebook Ads Manager.

3. Define Your Audience & Budget

After choosing your objective, Facebook Ads Manager will take you to the Ad Set Level, where you will determine your audience and budget. You will also be able to choose where in the Facebook network your ad will appear. Start by choosing demographic information for your target audience, then enter your spending limits/budget, and, finally, your ad placement.

Set Your Target Audience

Defining your audience allows you to select the exact group of people you want to see and respond to your Facebook real estate ads. There are many choices, including a wide variety of demographics, locations, interests, and behaviors, to help you find just the right buyer or seller. As you make changes, the audience size meter on the right will update to help you gauge the daily reach of your real estate Facebook ads.

Below are the audience parameters that are most applicable to real estate agents:

Demographics:

• Age
• Income
• Net Worth
• Gender
• Language
• Active Military & Veterans
• Marital Status

Realtor Facebook Ads by Demographics

Interests:

• Zillow
• Trulia
• Redfin
• Realtor.com
• For Sale by Owner
• Real Estate Agent Directory

Behaviors:

• Likely to move
• Recent mortgage borrower
• First time home buyer
• Visiting from out of town
• Recently married
• Recently engaged
• Recently divorced
• New job

Location:

• ZIP codes (you can also exclude ZIP codes)
• City radius
• Specific address radius
• People traveling in a location

Facebook Real Estate Ads by Location

Create a Budget

Your budget can be set for daily spend, a certain number of days, or a time span. An advertising budget set for daily spend enables you to spend $X per day until you turn off the realtor Facebook ads in this campaign. You can set Facebook real estate ads to run for three, seven, or 10 days for short-term exposure. The timespan option means that Facebook real estate ads run between certain dates. You can also set a cap on all spending so your ads do not exceed your total budget.

As a budget guideline, Real Geeks requires a minimum budget of $250 per month to create lead-producing real estate Facebook ads. While you can set your realtor Facebook ads at more or less depending on your need for leads, $250 is a good estimate. How much Facebook advertising costs depend on how many people are in your target audience, your objectives, and how much competition there is for your location.

Select Your Ad Placement

There are three types of ad placements available through the Facebook ads platform. You can use just Facebook for your real estate advertising, but you can also use Instagram and third-party networks associated with your subject matter. Combining these three options give realtors the power to target outlets that best match the interests and browsing habits of their demographic.

These are the three Facebook real estate ad options:

• Facebook Ads – Facebook ads display directly in the feed of buyers and sellers targeted by realtors according to targeted demographics, buying behaviors, connections, and post topics.
• Network Ads – Third-party networks are good if you want to gain more exposure through ad placement on websites that match your target audience, like clothing outlets, home furnishing stores, and travel sites. There is no published list of these sites, but they are curated by Facebook.
• Instagram (IG) Ads – If you have an Instagram account, you can connect your IG account to the Facebook ad platform to advertise on both. You will see the comments and messages from IG come into your Facebook business page inbox to help you keep track of everything in one place.

Facebook Real Estate Ads Inbox with Instagram Connection

4. Create Your Realtor Ad at the Ad Level

The Ad Level is the place where you design your real estate Facebook ads with all of the creative details like images, videos, and ad copy. This is the actual finished product of your real estate Facebook ad that your audience will see. It is important to combine good visual aids and strong copy to attract buyers and sellers. First, pick your format, then add media, and finally, add copy.

Pick Your Ad Format

An ad format is the layout of your ad. The way it is displayed helps you meet your goals and share information with your target audience. Depending on your chosen objectives, Facebook will display ad formats that are most effective in marketing to your audience.

These are the types of ad formats to pick from for your Facebook real estate ads:

• Carousel – The carousel format includes up to six pictures displayed in a horizontal scroll so the buyer or seller can flip through several images with different messages. This is ideal for a showcase of multiple listings.
• Single Image / Video – The single image/video Facebook ad format provides a large image or video presentation for visual impact on the buyer or seller. This is a great way to introduce yourself as an agent to a new audience.
• Slideshow – A slideshow is a set of images that transition or fade to allow movement like a video to catch the interest of buyers and sellers. If you want to convey the “story” of a home through several interior and exterior images, this is a perfect format.
• Collections – This Facebook real estate ad format has one large picture on top with several smaller images underneath in a gallery style to show off certain features of a property. Agents showcasing listings can use this as another way to promote several properties at once.

Facebook Ad Formats

Select Images or Video

Selecting an image is perhaps the hardest part of any real estate Facebook ad campaign because you can select up to six images (depending on your ad format) or one video. Your images and video should be eye-catching so your ad stands out.

There are a few important notes about images in our article on realtor Facebook ad specs. First, you should make sure that you have legal right to use the image or have taken it yourself. Second, you can only use images with less than 20% text overlay, so you might want to use the Facebook Text Overlay Tool to check your image copy. Third, Facebook supplies access to free stock images in the Ad Level. If you need additional stock imagery, visit Pixabay.com.

Write Ad Copy

Ad copy for your real estate Facebook ads should be interesting with an attractive CTA (call to action). Think about what the buyer or seller wants to get by clicking or interacting with your ad. Address pain points with your advertising to make the most of your realtor Facebook ads. Optimizing Facebook advertising with strong ad copy will help you attract buyers and sellers with your real estate Facebook ads.

Facebook Ad Level Options

Once you have created your ad, be sure to launch it in Facebook Ads Manager and track progress daily.

5. Analyze Results & Make Adjustments

It is important to review ads periodically to make sure that you are getting the progress that you expect on your real estate Facebook ads. By looking at the metrics in the Ads Manager, you can see if your Facebook advertising is performing well or needs to be changed to meet your goals. It might be tempting to change several things at once, but one change at a time will help you understand what is working and what is not working.

If you find that your realtor Facebook ads are not performing well, then you might want to consider hiring a professional who specializes in Facebook real estate ads from Fiverr. Freelancers on Fiverr offer very affordable services, tailored to your specific needs.

Types of Paid Real Estate Facebook Content

While the ads described above are the most common, there are actually two types of paid Facebook content for real estate: boosted or promoted posts and targeted ad campaigns. The primary difference between these two types of Facebook real estate ads is the major outcome or goal. Boosted/promoted posts are short-term “boosts” of organic Facebook posts to get quick exposure. Targeted campaigns are ongoing Facebook ads aimed at continuous conversion.

Here are the two primary Facebook ad types:

• Boosted/Promoted Posts – The goal of a boosted post is to create engagement, encourage clicks to a website, or enticements for buyers or sellers to message you via your Facebook page. You can amplify a post about your real estate property or blog instantly by clicking “Boost Post” on the content in your feed and choosing a budget and an audience. This pushes your content out to people who are not your followers for increased exposure.
• Targeted Campaigns – Targeted campaigns on Facebook include ads with a variety of media and copy, and give users the option to target specific audiences for custom conversions. These ads are ideal for agents who want a lot of control over their ad content and target audience.

Elements of the Facebook Ads Manager

If you are new to Facebook, set up your real estate Facebook business page for your real estate Facebook ads. Each real estate Facebook page comes with an Ads Manager account for real estate advertising. It is easiest to think of Ads Manager as a filing cabinet that holds all of your ad files, documents, and images or video.

Ad Manager for Realtor Facebook Ads

These are the four levels of Ads Manager for setting up and managing real estate Facebook ads:

Account Overview Tab

This level of the Ads Manager is all about making sure that you have a high-level understanding of what is going on in your account. From generating reports to seeing your total ad spend to looking at the demographics on your account, the Account Overview level is where you see the big picture of all of your Facebook real estate ads.

Campaign Tab

The Campaign Level in Facebook Ads Manager is like the folder in your filing cabinet that holds ad materials. Identifying your objective means that you are putting a label on this folder and identifying what you want to accomplish with this campaign. You have unlimited folders, or campaigns, at this level.

Ad Set Tab

The Ad Set level, the third tab in Ads Manager, is where you decide who the ads will target, where the ads will appear, and how much you are willing to pay. In the Ad Set tab, you can create audiences using specific demographic or location information to laser-focus your real estate Facebook ad delivery. Along with setting your budget, you can decide if you want to display your realtor Facebook ads just on Facebook or add in Instagram and third-party partner sites to increase exposure.

Ad Tab

The Ad tab is the place where you design individual real estate ads with images/video, links, and copy to attract buyers or sellers. When your ad is approved, you will come to the Ad tab to edit or make any changes over time. If your realtor Facebook ads are not approved, then you will come to the Ad tab to request a manual review or fix any issues.

Why Real Estate Facebook Ads Work in 2019

Realtor Facebook ads are an essential part of an online marketing strategy designed to attract buyers, sell more properties, and generate seller leads. With nearly 1.5 billion daily active users at the end of 2019, Facebook gives realtors the ability to reach an immense audience. Agents can make the most of that user base by targeting very specific audiences in local areas about open houses, offers, or new property listings.

Here are four ways that real estate Facebook ads work for agents:

Create Awareness

Advertising on Facebook can help realtors create awareness for their agency, new properties, and services in a local area. If awareness is selected as an objective, real estate Facebook ads will be presented to people several times in their Facebook feed so buyers and sellers become aware of the realty brand and the realtor.

Increase Sign-ups

Realtor Facebook ads can increase sign-ups for open houses or other types of events using lead ads. Lead ads allow users to click the “Sign-Up Now” button to complete a form with their name, email, and phone number. The data is submitted to the agent through a CRM connection or a spreadsheet for download.

Generate Buyer Leads

Running real estate Facebook ads can generate buyer leads by marketing and remarketing a property to buyers in a certain location. With the installation of the Facebook Pixel (a small piece of tracking code) on a landing page, you can easily set up real estate Facebook ads to re-show your ads to buyers who have viewed them in the past or went to your website to check out a certain property but didn’t fill out any forms or request information.

Produce Seller Leads

Facebook real estate ads can produce a stream of seller leads through awareness and lead ads. Awareness ads can bring exposure to a property or an agent seeking to find sellers in a general area. By remarketing to the interested audience using the Facebook Pixel, lead ads can push users to landing pages with home valuation reports offered in return for filling out a contact form.

Seven Pro Tips for Using Realtor Facebook Ads

Creating realtor successful Facebook ads can generate warm leads and supply a steady stream of sales opportunities. Successfully using real estate Facebook ads means maximizing your reach and exposure while minimizing your expenditures.

Here are seven pro tips for making the most of your realtor Facebook ads:

“We are testing Lead Ads and how they can enhance our goal of generating a lead from motivated sellers. One of the best pieces of advice is to measure your results, analyze your statistics, and optimize what’s working. This year we have received 36 Facebook leads. We have closed three deals from that. The conversion rate from a qualified lead to a deal is about 33%. Average cost per lead was about $175.”

– Melissa Johnson, CEO, FreedomDriven LLC

“Offer something of value that sellers are looking for. One lead magnet that has worked is the Home Seller’s Checklist, which shows how to add $30,000 to the value of their home. Our strategy for attracting buyers is to showcase the property, but not give away all the photos, the asking price, nor the exact location.”

– John Lagoudakis, Founder of Web Agents Brisbane

“I have found it imperative to advertise to something broader than, say, a single property. You are far more likely to find someone interested in (insert city name here) than you are in finding someone to buy 123 Main Street in the same city. I was able to generate $40M in leads in six weeks with this ad campaign. It pays to think a little bigger.”

– Kristina McCann, Founder, Off Market Homes

“To attract seller leads on Facebook, we get very targeted with our Facebook advertising strategy. You should create campaigns that target specific neighborhoods and entice your audience to inquire about recent sales. The more focused your photos and copy are on your audience’s area, the more quality leads you’ll see come through.”

– Justin Kerby, Founder, Cave Social

“Connect your customers with their perfect home by recording video ads! Create a walk-through recording of your house to feature in your Facebook ad, and make sure to feature shots of the neighborhood for a more personalized feel. A positive quote from a neighbor or the previous owner about the community makes for great introductory ad copy, too.”

– Clair Belmonte, Marketing Strategist & Founder, Belmonte Digital Marketing

“Every small business owner is trying to optimize their ads based on where buyers are in their journey. A blog post about general market conditions may be a better target for buyers who are just considering a purchase. But a pitch on why you are the best buyer’s agent in a particular area or for a certain type of property may be more appropriate for buyers who are actively seeking an agent.”

– Dan Meyer, Co-founder & CEO, Pocketdoor

”For Facebook ads, we suggest running an ad to invite people to your open house. Create a theme for your open house or other fun reason for people to come to check out the property. We suggest running it within a 15-mile radius of the home and for at least seven to ten days prior to the event.”

– Leanna Glenn DeBellevue, Owner, Legacy Marketing Agency

Examples of High-Performing Real Estate Facebook Ads

Facebook Realtor Ads Text Describing Property Features (image via Zephyr Real Estate)

Why This Ad Is Effective: This Facebook ad shows a new property with the location and inviting images, and includes a note that helps the buyer imagine themselves owning the property.

Facebook Real Estate Ads with Virtual Live Tour (image via Lisney)

Why This Ad Is Effective: The use of video in this Facebook ad gives the buyer the opportunity to take a virtual tour of the property.

Facebook Realtor Ads Using Blog Content (image via 99.co)

Why This Ad Is Effective: Facebook ads using blogs or articles from this company are a great way to increase traffic to their website while sharing information and setting yourself up as an expert.

Facebook Realtor Ads Offering Advice (image via TheMoveChannel.com)

Why This Ad Is Effective: The information provided in this Facebook ad helps buyers make a decision using one of the company’s key strengths and increases traffic to their website.

Lead Capture Facebook Realtor Ads (image via Keller Williams Realty)

Why This Ad Is Effective: The mixture of text and image to catch attention while addressing a pressure point makes this Facebook ad an effective way to share information and increase leads.

Contest Facebook Realtor Ads (image via Placester)

Why This Ad Is Effective: A contest is always a great way to get interested buyers into your lead cycle and increase click-throughs to your website.

Multi-Image Facebook Real Estate Ads (image via Sacramento Real Estate Photographers)

Why This Ad Is Effective: The combination of multiple images and marketing messages makes this Facebook ad carousel a winner because realtors can present several options to the buyer.

Multiple Images to Tell a Story (image via Open Listings)

Why This Ad Is Effective: The use of eye-catching overlay text with the same image gives this Facebook ad the ability to tell a story.

“Coming Soon” Facebook Real Estate Ads (image via Parker & Brown – Real Estate)

Why This Ad Is Effective: This Facebook ad uses the headline, image, and post to increase excitement and engagement for a buyer about a property coming to the market.

Open House Facebook Real Estate Ads (image via Company Juice)

Why This Ad Is Effective: This Facebook ad for an open house builds excitement about a property and gives all the necessary details to attract visitors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can Realtor Facebook Ads Be Used to Get Seller Leads?

Yes. Advertising on Facebook with lead ads can create a stream of seller leads. Lead ads direct users to a form to find out more or receive an offer, such as a property valuation report. Using the same type of lead capture form as a website landing page, a real estate Facebook campaign can generate seller leads.

What Is A/B Testing for Facebook Real Estate Ads?

A/B testing allows you to pick two things to test against each other to see which performs better. You can A/B test two different audiences, marketing ad copy, or images to find out which pieces of your real estate advertising campaign work better to produce results.

What Should I Do if My Real Estate Facebook Ads Are Rejected?

Facebook real estate ads are usually rejected for a specific reason, which is displayed in your Ad Manager. If the reason is clear, like too much text or an inappropriate picture, then it is easy to edit the ad. Sometimes, the reason for rejection of a real estate Facebook ad is that it was caught in a spam filter. If you cannot locate the reason for rejection, request a manual review by clicking the button that says “request a manual review” of the ad in the Ad level.

Request a Manual Review of Rejected Real Estate Facebook Ads

Bottom Line – Realtor Facebook Ads

Real estate Facebook ads attract buyers and sellers to your properties, services, and agency via ads in the Facebook platform. Using Facebook to target buyers and sellers in a local realty area, all agents can boost exposure, control the ad budget, and increase leads with realtor Facebook ads.

Real estate agents without time or expertise in Facebook advertising can use the Real Geeks Facebook tool to build their own realtor ads or purchase managed advertising services. Real Geeks creates successful campaigns for real estate Facebook ads that convert to leads and gain exposure for agents in a certain location. Click below to learn more.

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