Dos and Don’ts of Real Estate Social Media Advertising
In this article, experienced real estate agents share their insight on using social media advertising for real estate business.
We surveyed realtors across the country to get their input on the pros and cons of social media paid ads for real estate as well as what to do and what not to do to maximize your campaigns’ results.
Read on to better understand how to advertise real estate on social media with paid ads.
Survey of Industry Experts
Do you use paid social media ads for your real estate business?
Pros of Paid Advertising to Promote a Real Estate Business on Social Media
First of all, let’s look at the advantages of social media paid advertising for real estate, according to the professionals.
Paid advertising allows us to precisely target the audience we’re meant to reach.
And this is even more important when we’re talking about larger cities, where a real estate brokerage might not list properties for sale in the whole city, focusing on a couple of neighborhoods per branch.
In these cases, TV and newspaper advertising might be overkill and lead to overspending and underachievement in a marketing campaign.
Even a couple of programmatic media like Google Display Ads have a limit on how small their radius can be.
On other properties, we can go as small as 1km (~0.6mi) and that allows us to really reach those clients we intend.
And don’t even start about the cost. We’re at a size today that was unimaginable a couple of years ago (in terms of marketing budgets) and that was only possible because you can spend as much and as little as you want.
Realtors can start with $10/day and get leads directly assigned to them, while brokerages can go to the millions per year and get qualified clients for their team.
It’s the most democratic way of getting clients ever.
Cons of Paid Advertising to Promote a Real Estate Business on Social Media
Some agents don’t see social media paid advertising as a good option for their business and don’t think knowing how to use it is one of the essential real estate agent skills.
Read below to learn what disadvantages they see in this real estate social media strategy.
I believe, for it to work, you need to put a lot of money behind it, and I’m just not willing to do that.
I would rather spend that money face-to-face time with people, and buy them coffee or lunch.
I don’t do things that I wouldn’t like. I understand how pervasive real estate social media ads are right now and I chose to go with real, authentic me and see what happened. It went well.
I think most people scroll right through paid ads. I get more viewers when I post real estate FB stories with music or upload video reels.
What Should You Do to Get the Most out of Your Social Media Paid Advertising Campaigns?
For those viewing this strategy as an essential element in their real estate listing marketing plan, here are the best practices of paid advertising.
Maximizing the effectiveness of paid real estate advertising campaigns on social media requires a strategic approach.
Here are some social media rules for realtors to ensure you get the most out of your investment:
1. Define clear objectives. Clearly outline your campaign objectives.
Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, generating real estate leads, or promoting specific properties, having a defined real estate goal will guide your strategy.
2. Know your target audience. Get to know your target audience by understanding their demographics, behaviors, and interests.
Use this information to create highly targeted ads that resonate with your ideal clients.
3. Compelling visuals and copy. Invest in high-quality visuals and compelling copy.
Use professional photos of properties and craft engaging, concise copy that highlights key selling points.
4. Utilize video content. Incorporate video content to showcase properties and provide virtual tours. Video has higher engagement rates and can significantly enhance your ad performance.
5. Leverage ad targeting options. Make use of advanced targeting options offered by social media platforms.
Refine your audience based on location, age, interests, and online behaviors to ensure your ads reach the most relevant prospects.
6. A/B testing. Come up with a variety of ad headlines, creatives, and copy to understand what clicks with your audience. A/B testing helps optimize your real estate social media campaigns for maximum impact.
7. Utilize retargeting. Employ retargeting tactics to recapture users who have interacted with you in the past. This is a good way to re-engage them for continuous brand recall.
8. Mobile optimization. Ensure that your ads are mobile-friendly.
The majority of social media users access platforms via mobile devices, so optimizing for mobile ensures a seamless user experience.
9. Strategic budget allocation. Allocate your budget strategically across different platforms and real estate social media campaigns based on their performance.
Regularly review and adjust your budget to maximize ROI.
10. Monitor analytics. Keep a close eye on analytics and campaign performance. Platforms provide valuable insights into ad engagement, click-through rates, and conversions.
Make use of this information to recalibrate your succeeding campaigns.
11. Engage with your audience. Actively engage with comments, messages, and inquiries resulting from your ads.
Prompt and personalized responses build trust and strengthen your connection with potential clients.
12. Stay informed about platform changes. Stay up to date with the new changes in the features and/or algorithms of your social media platforms.
Align your campaign strategy with these developments to get new opportunities.
By implementing these tips, you’ll not only enhance the effectiveness of your paid real estate advertising campaigns on social media but also establish a stronger online presence, generate leads, and help you become a successful real estate agent.
My paid advertising campaigns are usually centered on a current listing or another call to action, such as contacting me about a free market analysis.
You don’t have a ton of space to grab someone’s attention with social media ads, so keep the message obvious and graphically interesting (pretty pictures of pretty houses go a long way!).
Also, pay attention to your target audience. Real estate is hyperlocal, so I like to focus on a tight geographical radius around a listing.
You can also include popular keywords to make sure the targets of your ad are actually interested in what you have to share.
It is about being clear as to what kind of response you want and tailor your ad to fit that buyer or seller.
There are also pixels that can then be set to say you want more like that responder so the ad is seen by similar individuals and situations.
I would also run a few test ads at a time and see which ones pop before spending a lot of money on an ad.
Run reach campaigns first—not asking for business right away gives people the impression that you are really about helping and not just selling.
Use retargeted ads after that (still reach ads) then convert those to leads. By then you know if they are serious or just lookers.
YOU have to be in your videos so that people can begin to get to know, like, and trust YOU. After all, that is what you are selling—your knowledge and expertise.
When running social media campaigns, it is best to hire a niche experienced real estate marketing company to run it for you.
They can help save you thousands of dollars by avoiding ad spend on ads that do not produce an ROI.
If you are running them yourself, you must be always split testing and staying on top of what works. One day an ad can be great and the next day it is overused and non-producing.
I try to make sure any paid advertising has a very specific call to action: click on my site, visit a webpage, look at details of a listing, etc.
Be consistent with your paid advertising and narrow down your target audience for maximum results.
Use targeted audiences in the neighborhoods where you sell, and know the trending hashtags associated with that post.
What Should You Avoid Doing when Running Social Media Paid Advertising Campaigns?
There are things that you may suppose to be helpful but in fact they will only deter users from clicking on your ad and visiting your real estate IDX website.
Below are things to avoid doing when using social media for paid advertising.
Avoiding certain pitfalls is crucial when using social media for paid real estate advertising. Here’s what you should not to do when you market yourself as a realtor on social media:
1. Ignoring targeting options. Don’t neglect the detailed targeting options available on social media platforms.
Failing to define a specific target audience can result in wasted ad spend and ineffective campaigns.
2. Overlooking ad design quality. Don’t compromise on the quality of your ad visuals and copy.
Poorly designed or generic ads may fail to capture attention and undermine the credibility of your real estate brand.
3. Being too salesy. Avoid overly promotional and sales-driven content.
Instead, focus on providing valuable information, engaging storytelling, and showcasing the unique features of your properties.
4. Ignoring mobile users. Neglecting mobile optimization is one of the common mistakes new real estate agents make.
Ensure that your ads are seamlessly displayed and user-friendly on mobile devices, as a large portion of social media users access platforms through mobile devices.
5. Neglecting analytics. Don’t overlook the importance of analytics.
Failing to monitor and analyze the performance of your ads can result in missed opportunities for optimization and improvement.
6. Excessive text in images. Refrain from using too much text within your ad images, as it may violate platform guidelines and decrease visibility.
Instead, rely on concise and impactful visuals to convey your message.
7. Ignoring platform-specific best practices. Every social media platform comes with its own set of best practices.
Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and tailor your strategy to fit the specific nuances of each platform to maximize effectiveness.
8. Neglecting customer engagement. Don’t treat social media advertising as a one-way communication channel.
Neglecting to engage with comments, messages, and inquiries can create a negative perception. Interact with your audience to create lasting relationships.
9. Ignoring negative feedback. Address negative feedback promptly and professionally. Ignoring or dismissing criticism can harm your reputation.
Instead, use it as an opportunity to showcase your commitment to customer satisfaction and improvement.
10. Overlooking compliance issues. Stay informed about advertising regulations and comply with platform policies.
Failure to adhere to guidelines can result in ad rejection or account suspension.
11. Setting it and forgetting it. Avoid a “set it and forget it” mentality. Social media algorithms evolve, and market dynamics change.
Regularly review and update your ad strategy to stay relevant and effective.
12. Lack of landing page optimization. Ensure a seamless transition from your ad to your landing page.
A poorly optimized landing page can lead to high bounce rates and lost opportunities. Make sure the user experience is cohesive and compelling.
By steering clear of these common pitfalls, you can enhance the effectiveness of your paid real estate advertising on social media and build a stronger online presence for your real estate business.
Don’t overuse social media ads.
If you are engaging with your friends and followers on social media and presenting yourself as an expert in your field, that will be more meaningful to most potential clients than seeing your ad 100 times in a week.
Social media advertising is not a place to be vague or aspirational. Tell the audience what you can do for them and what they need to do to procure that service.
Do not run ads to people who are not looking for your product or service. This can be very frustrating and annoying.
Be careful getting advice from generic marketing companies as well as social media platforms. What works in one niche may not work in yours.
One and done will not work. Consistency is the key and showing your personality will win the day.
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