What’s happening with real estate Facebook ads? Are they fading away, or is there still plenty of opportunities left for agents?
We’re still in the golden era of real estate Facebook ads.
Will it come to an end? I believe it will yes…
However, I don’t think Facebook will ever fade away.
It will always be a useful platform for real estate agents.
The potential there outside of ads will always be incredibly useful.
Groups especially still show a significant amount of untapped potential.
But I digress….
This post is about what you should do with Facebook RIGHT NOW.
As well as what you should do in the likely event that increasing
saturation eventually makes Facebook ads a less viable strategy for
real estate agents.
Let’s Get into it!
The first thing I want to discuss (since it’s the most important)
Is establishing your own short term lead strategy on Facebook (via: Easy Agent Pro).
I want you to GET WHILE THE GETTING IS GOOD!
Lately, I’ve had a number of comments and emails coming my way saying
“FACEBOOK ADS DON’T WORK FOR ME!”
Now, if that’s the perspective you have and you’re going to stand your ground on that
You should stop reading this blog now because I wholeheartedly disagree with you.
You’ve Just Begun To Scratch The Surface
I feel that it’s very important to remind you of something…
just because one strategy worked for one agent in a DIFFERENT MARKET,
doesn’t necessarily mean it will work the exact same for you.
There are a number of variables that go into the Facebook ad space.
• Bid Amounts
• The Audience You’re Targeting
• The Relevance Score Of Your Ad
• The Time Of Year
I could go on and on and on…
So the examples and strategies we give you here at EAP have been PROVEN to work BUT…
You should always be experimenting with the fine-tuned details to make it work best for you.
Things always work better for some agents in certain markets.
All the case studies we provide are meant to give you a starting point.
What Are Those Starting Points?
Precomposed Searches
These are performing well statistically across the board.
Single story homes, houses under 300k, homes with pools, homes in certain school districts.
The concept of precomposed searches being effective isn’t new either.
There will ALWAYS be interest in searches like this that help eliminate some of the time
your prospect has to spend filtering through various properties.
Now, if the single story home search ad didn’t work for you
It doesn’t mean Facebook doesn’t work for you,
it means the climate and interest points of your market are probably different.
So try a different type of search….
is there a large number of people relocating to your area because of a big employer?
Is there a larger population of people looking to retire and downsize?
Effective Facebook ads really come down to how well you know your market and much you’ve experimented.
Very Targeted Video Content
Here’s an agent who picked up both the buyer and the seller. (via: Easy Agent Pro)
He put together a very targeted Facebook video ad using drone footage.
Not sure how to go about getting your own Drone footage for Facebook?
Check out Droners.io it’s a really cool site where pilots get matched with agents.
Foreclosures/Investors
I understand why agents are hesitant to deal with foreclosures.
However, this can lead to a recurring relationship with investors.
It’s also a large general interest point among buyers, and a good way to grow your CRM.
This ad landed this agent 100+ leads that’s a huge bump to her database!
Which brings me to another very important point.
You’re being sidetracked by the short-term
There are a lot of agents who don’t want to put in the time and effort to convert Facebook leads.
If you’re judging the potential success of Facebook ads based on who is ready to sell the next day…
You’ll be sorely disappointed. On Facebook, there are prospects at every possible stage of the real estate process.
So you need a diverse approach in terms of both the content you’re creating and the angles you’re leveraging.
Make Your Real Estate Facebook Ads Better
What’s Your Angle?
If any of you have attended my Office Hours presentations every Friday you’ve heard me ask you this question.
If you can’t answer it more than likely your ad won’t perform well.
Let me give you a fantastic real estate Facebook ad example from my friend Chris with Space Coast Homes And Lifestyle.
Yes, it’s a list of single story homes but we’re using the angle of maintenance-free communities.
This is going to impact two very important things.
The relevance score of the ad, and the targeting.
Both those things will impact Chris’s costs and success.
How Can You Add More Value?
Another huge complaint I’ve seen is “I’m getting a lot of clicks but no leads”.
Now that observation is helpful but what you do about it is even more important.
If your ad is reaching lots of people and better yet they’re clicking on it…
Then the angle you chose to advertise is great!
The problem (in this situation) usually can be found on the landing page.
If you’re in this situation you should do two things.
Make Sure Your Messaging Is Succinct
Sticking with Chris’s example you can see below his ad and landing page use the exact same message strategy.
If you want to diversify the images and phrasing I’d suggest you split test your campaign.
Meaning: Run a certain number of people to both pages and see which one converts better.
Have you Looked At Your Targeting?
Again for the sake of simplicity let’s take a look at Chris’s targeting.
Now Chris is dropping pins on a map and getting really customized with his locations.
Which is very important given the location of the maintenance free homes.
He’s also started exploring the detailed targeting section to refine his potential audience.
According to Facebook, his audience is on the border of being too broad.
Given the population density of his area, I would say 40,000 is a comfortable projection to sit at.
Eliminate Redundancy
Finally, don’t fall into the pitfall of being completely redundant with your messaging.
Chris sent me a screen shot of his final ad layout before launching.
There Are Two Parts To This Equation
One of the biggest components of successful online lead generation comes down to email.
Half the equation is basically “How can I buy email addresses?”… i.e. FACEBOOK ADS.
The numbers (according to emarketer.com) really back up why that’s the first part of the equation….
The other half is “How can I convert these leads to clients?”
During the golden era of Facebook ads you SHOULD BE BUYING as many emails as you can.
Because anywhere from 3-6 years down the line (or whenever Facebook ads decline in usefulness to you)
You’ll be left with a database of hopefully THOUSANDS of emails.
Having a database like that will give you a HUGE advantage over your competition.
I’d experiment with a range of different ad sets to see which one is buying emails at the most Cost effective rate.
Then I’d double down on the ad with the lowest CPA (cost per acquisition).
So let’s revisit the question that brought you here…
Are Facebook ads dead? NO!
If real estate Facebook ads aren’t working for you YET…
It doesn’t mean they can’t work for you, so get going while you still can.
Owner & Operator,
Chad Hett
The Elite Group
Largest Home Inspection Company in North America
Best Selling Author “Secrets Of Top Producing Real Estate Agents: And How To Duplicate Their Success.”
