A Comprehensive Guide to Real Estate Ads on Facebook (+ 10 Examples)

When it comes to marketing high-value solutions such as real estate, it’s important to make every single cent of your investment count. Strategies such as Facebook advertising can be an effective way to reach a targeted audience and attract quality leads. However, with the complexity of running ads on Facebook, it’s important to take a strategic approach and see what others in the industry are doing.

That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you explore the process of running real estate ads on Facebook. We’ve also compiled some of the best real estate Facebook ad examples to inspire you.

Benefits of Using Facebook for Real Estate Advertising

First, why should you advertise on Facebook? Let’s break down some of the key benefits of using Facebook for real estate advertising.

1. Reach a Targeted Audience

With Facebook being the biggest social media platform, the first thing it can offer is expanded reach. But what makes it even better is that it comes with advanced targeting tools that allow you to fine-tune your ads so that they’re displayed to the most relevant users. 

You can target users based on demographics, interests, and behaviors to reach people who are most likely to find value in your real estate offering and, therefore, convert.

Source: facebook.com

2. Build Cost-Effective Ads

The ability to reach a targeted audience allows you to reduce your ad costs while ensuring that whatever you’re spending yields a high return. This makes Facebook a cost-effective option for promoting your real estate business. 

According to our guide on Facebook ad cost, Facebook ads cost $0.25 to reach 1,000 people. This puts it far below traditional advertising methods such as cable TV ($7.00) and newspapers ($32).

3. Boost Visibility and Engagement with Stunning Ads

Facebook is a visual platform, so you get the option to run a variety of visual ads. This includes ad options such as carousels, Stories ads, videos, images, and Collections. You can create stunning visual ads to highlight your properties and get people to stop scrolling. Once you get them to pay attention, it becomes much easier to engage them with your offer.

On top of this, people have the option to engage with these ads by liking and commenting on them. They can even share the ad as an organic post on their on feeds, helping you gain more visibility.

4. Get Access to Lead Generation Tools

Another major perk of advertising your real estate business on Facebook is the ability to leverage a host of lead-generation tools. For instance, tools like Instant Forms allow you to easily collect user information without leaving Facebook. This makes it easier to collect lead data so you can include them in your nurturing efforts.

Setting Up Real Estate Ads on Facebook

Once you understand the benefits of running real estate ads on Facebook, you’ll need to see how you can set up these ads. Here are the steps to create Facebook ads for your real estate business. 

Creating a Facebook Business Page

Start by building a dedicated Business Page for your brand. Here’s a step-by-step process to help you through the process:

Step 1: Log into your Facebook profile and click on the menu button at the top right corner of the page. Then select “Page” from the Create drop-down menu.

Step 2: Add your page name. This should ideally be your official business name so it’s instantly recognizable. 

Then select the category that best describes your business. You’ll get several pre-determined options when you type in your keyword. You can even choose multiple categories to better describe your business. 

Optionally, you can include a bio to describe what you do. We recommend filling this out with a detailed explanation of your business. Include relevant keywords naturally in the description to improve visibility. Once you’re done, click on “Create Page.”

Step 3: Finish setting up your Page by adding essential business info. Include details like your contact info, location, and hours.

Step 4: Customize your Page with your profile picture and cover photo. Make sure to select high-quality visuals that accurately represent your business to build credibility and trust. You can also add an action button to make it easier for people to engage with you. Consider adding the option to book an appointment, call you, or send a message.

Step 5: An optional step is to connect WhatsApp to your Page. You can skip this step for now. Facebook will then give you the option to invite friends to build your Page audience. This is a crucial step to build that initial visibility and notify your friends and acquaintances about your Page.

Once you’re done with this, the final step involves choosing whether to get Page notifications on your profile and receive marketing and promotional emails. Select the options that work for you and click on “Done.” This completes the Page setup and you’re ready to start using Facebook ads.

Using Facebook Ads Manager

Now that your Page is set up, you can start creating ads by clicking on the “Advertise” button at the bottom of the page. Before that, let’s navigate to the “Ad Center” to get a better understanding of how it works.

Your Facebook Ad Center is where you can run ads, track and manage your existing ads, get recommendations on what to do, and organize all your ad creative in one place. This is also the same dashboard where you can set up a payment method to run your ads. Additionally, the “Summary” section will show you an overview of your ad performance and spending over the last 7, 30, 60, or 90 days.

To get a more detailed view of your Facebook ads, you can click on the option to “Show more details in Ads Manager.” This is where you can run campaigns, create ad sets, run A/B tests, and get detailed performance breakdowns of specific ads. It even shows you how specific ad creative has performed so you know what works with your audience.

Use the insights from your A/B tests and performance data to inform how to optimize your real estate Facebook ads. In the “Audiences” tab, create Custom Audiences to target people who have already shown an interest in your business.

Or use Lookalike Audiences to target people who share the same characteristics as your top audience segments. This will help you deliver targeted ads to the most relevant users and improve your ad performance.

Defining Your Campaign Objectives

When you’re building a new campaign, Facebook will give you the option to choose from six different objectives. The objective you choose will determine the ad format and targeting options you can use. So it’s important to carefully consider your options and align this objective with your overall business goals.

• Awareness – This objective lets you display your ads to people who are most likely to remember them. It’s ideal for boosting reach and brand awareness, improving video views, and driving awareness about store location.
• Traffic – This objective lets you send people to a specific destination, such as your website, Instagram profile, or Facebook event page. For example, you can run a Traffic ad to get more people to sign up for an upcoming open house through Facebook events.
• Engagement – This objective helps you drive more engagement in the form of video views, messages, post engagements, event responses, or Page likes. For example, you can run an Engagement ad to get more people to view your latest 360-degree property tour video.
• Leads – This objective helps you collect leads through Instant Forms, calls, and Messenger. For example, you can run a Leads ad encouraging people to sign up for a follow-up call for your new property listing. 
• App Promotion – This objective is to find new people to install and use your app. For example, you can run an App Promotion ad to target people who might be interested in using your app to discover new property listings.
• Sales – This objective helps you find people who are likely to buy your product or service. In a real estate setting, you can run a Sales ad to show off various property listings as a catalog that people can browse within the Facebook app.

Strategies for Effective Real Estate Ads

Running a successful ad for your real estate business requires a strategic approach to make sure you’re reaching the right people with the right offers. Here are a few strategies for running effective real estate ads.

Choosing the Right Ad Format

How you present your ad to your audience plays a vital role in its effectiveness. Facebook lets you choose from eight different ad formats:

• Photo – Features a single still image with a caption and a CTA button
• Video – Short audio-visual ads displayed in feed
• Stories – Edge-to-edge ad experience displayed in Facebook Stories
• Messenger – Ads delivered through direct messages with the option to include automated and interactive features
• Carousel – Features up to 10 images or videos in one ad, with each one having a unique link
• Slideshow – Lightweight video-like ads featuring motion, sound, and text
• Collection – Features a collection of listings with the option to browse and buy directly within the Facebook app
• Playables – Ad featuring an interactive preview of an app before downloading

All of these formats can work for your real estate advertising depending on your goal. For example, a photo ad can be used to promote an open house and feature a “money shot” of the property. A video ad can help you highlight some of the most appealing features of a property or take people on a guided digital tour.

Messenger and Carousel ads are also highly popular among real estate advertisers. For instance, a Messenger ad can be used to target people who have shown an interest in a certain type of listing. You can include the option to automatically schedule a tour of the listing if they’re interested.

Meanwhile, a Carousel ad can be used to display various property options and showcase the variety. Or you can use it to show different rooms from the same listing and drive more signups for an open house or property tour. 

Crafting Compelling Ad Content

Even with the right format, the content of the ad itself needs to be compelling enough to entice your audience. For real estate businesses, visuals are particularly important as they help to showcase the potential of a home. Before people decide to check out a property in person, they’ll first see what it looks like online. 

This makes it crucial to use high-quality images and videos that showcase your listing in the best light. Entice them with a glimpse of what the property looks like with well-lit visuals taken from strategic angles. Don’t forget to design your visuals according to the Facebook ad size guidelines so they don’t look distorted or incomplete. 

Besides this, you’ll need to use effective copy that gets the message across. Include important details telling people what the listing is about and what action they can take. 

Start with the basics such as location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, size, etc. Some may even include the listing price to instantly filter prospects based on budget. This is an excellent option since you can focus your time and efforts on leads whose budget aligns with the listing price.

Additionally, use messaging that tells a story and draws the audience in. Remember that you don’t sell a home just through facts and figures. People look to invest in homes where they can build a life, meaning that they’re drawn in by the picture you paint and the stories you tell. Use Facebook ad preview tools to see how the ad will look once it goes live so you can polish it as needed.

See the following Facebook ad from Champagne & Parisi Real Estate, which includes a well-lit photo of the property. The photo includes text overlay enticing people with the “Just Listed!” messaging and information about the location and price. In the caption, they use real estate power words like “prime” and “spacious,” focusing on key highlights like lake and garden views and a backyard to make the copy even more appealing.

Source: facebook.com

Utilizing Lead Generation Forms

In real estate advertising, you’re promoting “products” that require significant investment. So it’s all about turning prospects into leads instead of converting them outright as these purchases need serious consideration. Fortunately, Facebook ad tools include Instant Forms to simplify the lead generation process.

With this option, a form pops up when someone taps on your ad. The form is pre-populated with their contact information, so they can submit it in just a few taps. This shortens the lead journey, reducing drop-offs and increase form completion rates. 

So they make it easier for people to sign up for your open house event or book a follow-up call. You can even incorporate the appointment scheduling option to schedule a house tour at their preferred time.

Make sure to use these forms strategically so you’re only collecting the most essential information first. Customize them to reduce unnecessary fields so they seem less invasive and time-consuming. Don’t forget to ensure that your lead forms are aligned with your ad CTA. If you’re asking them to book a follow-up call in the CTA, the form should help them do just that.

Advanced Targeting Techniques

Facebook offers a wealth of targeting tools to help you reach the right people with your real estate offering. You can retarget people who’ve shown an interest in your business or even target users who share the same characteristics as your best customers. This is one of the reasons why the platform is such an ideal choice for advertisers since it allows them to get the most out of their ad spend. 

Custom Audiences and Lookalike Audiences

Facebook lets you create a custom audience made up of people who have already shown an interest in your business or product based on their interactions. So you can run ads targeting people who’ve visited your website, watched a certain video, followed you on Instagram, and more.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to engage an entirely new audience, you can improve your targeting efforts with Lookalike Audiences. This lets you display your ads to people who share similar characteristics as a specific audience group, making them most likely to find your ad relevant. So, for example, you can display your luxury listings to users who possess the same traits as people who’ve bought your high-value property listings.

You can choose a source and region, so Facebook knows what characteristics you’re looking for in a user. Additionally, you can select an audience size, with a 1% lookalike consisting of people who are the most similar to the source. As you expand this size, your targeting will also become bigger and broader.

Retargeting Strategies

Real estate customers have a longer path to purchase since they’re making high-value investments. As such, they may not convert even on their third or fourth time engaging with your business (let alone the first time). This makes it crucial to run Facebook retargeting ads to constantly nurture them and stay top of mind for when they’re ready to finalize their decision.

Your Custom Audiences can be a great way to retarget people who’ve previously interacted with your business. That way, you can get more value out of your ad spend by displaying your ads to people who are highly relevant and prime for conversion. 

These social media retargeting strategies will help you run effective retargeting ads for your real estate business:

• Retarget visitors based on specific URL visits. If they’ve viewed a certain listing in the past that’s still available, consider running an ad displaying said listing. Or put together similar properties as a carousel ad to show them more options.
• Streamline your retargeting efforts by segmenting users based on shared characteristics and behaviors. For instance, you may display ads for your new open house event to people who’ve registered for your previous open house events on Facebook without converting. Or you may retarget them with a virtual house tour video after they’ve browsed through various listings in a carousel ad.
• Don’t forget to exclude customers who have already converted. You don’t want to keep spending money to engage people who are no longer in the market for a house.
• Make sure to fine-tune your messaging by customizing it according to the audience you’re retargeting. Run A/B tests on different versions of your ads to see what appeals to your audience and optimize your ads for increased conversions.

Compliance and Best Practices for Real Estate Ads on Facebook

Setting up ads and targeting the right audience are just a few aspects of running a real estate ad on Facebook. It’s also important to follow best practices and compliance guidelines to ensure that your ads are running smoothly and you’re getting the most out of your advertising efforts.

Understanding Facebook Advertising Policies

Facebook has several advertising policies in place to ensure that you’re delivering meaningful ads, which helps to protect users from poor ad experiences. It also has specific requirements in place for ads related to housing. 

For example, the rules for housing ads require advertisers in the United States to choose a Special Ad Category when creating their campaign. Similarly, you’ll need to choose this option if your target audience is located in the United States, Canada, or certain parts of Europe.

Additionally, there are several targeting restrictions for ads related to credit, employment, and housing. To give you a quick overview: 

• You won’t be able to target people by postcode or exclude locations. 
• You need to set a 15-mile radius for targeting specific locations. 
• Age-based targeting is fixed to include ages 18 to 65+.
• Audiences must include all genders. There’s no option to edit this section.
• You won’t have access to certain demographic, behavior, and interest-based targeting options.
• You won’t have the option to exclude any detailed targeting selections. 

Check out the full list of regulations and restrictions to run housing ads on Facebook before building your campaign.

Measuring and Optimizing Performance

Great ads don’t just happen on their own. They need constant improvement to make sure that your messaging resonates with the right target audience. So it’s important to closely monitor your ad performance by tracking the following KPIs depending on your goal and campaign type:

• Website visits
• Clicks to call
• Clicks to Messenger
• Form submissions
• Conversion rate
• Page likes
• Post engagement rate
• Cost per thousand impressions (CPM)
• Cost per lead 
• Cost per action
• Cost per click

Use the native ad analytics to track most of these metrics. The Meta Ads Manager provides you with comprehensive insights into your ad performance. Customize the columns to view the metrics that matter most to you. You can also invest in third-party Facebook analytics tools to get more comprehensive insights.

Source: facebook.com

Overcoming Challenges in Facebook Real Estate Advertising

As impactful as Facebook ads may be, you must prepare for some challenges involved with advertising your real estate business on the platform. This will help you avoid getting blindsided by unexpected issues that might impact your overall results.

Common Pitfalls in Real Estate Advertising

Real estate advertisers are faced with a few unique challenges that make it difficult to generate high returns on their ad investments. These challenges will also impact your Facebook advertising efforts, so it’s important to be prepared.

Time-Consuming Process

As mentioned earlier, real estate purchases take time and serious consideration. This is why advertising in the industry is an extremely time-consuming process. So don’t be surprised if you hardly get any bites the first time around. You’ll need to constantly retarget prospects and nurture them until they’re eventually ready to purchase. 

Don’t forget to constantly test different ad variations, monitor your performance, and make improvements. This will help you fine-tune your ads to have a bigger impact on your target audience in the long run.

Difficulty Building Trust

Another major challenge to consider is the difficulty to earn people’s trust. People aren’t going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars with a business they don’t trust. It’s important to ensure that your ads are helping to showcase credibility so you can eventually earn the trust of your prospects.

Use your ads as an opportunity to build a personal connection with the audience. Include videos where you or a team member is showing people around a property listing. When you show the real people behind your business, it makes your ad more trustworthy.

Additionally, consider using reviews and testimonials from your past clients in your ad creative. This is another effective way to show people that you’ve made a real difference for other people.

Source: facebook.com

Comparing Facebook with Other Platforms

Platforms like Zillow and Craigslist are highly popular for real estate advertisers. This is because these platforms allow you to reach people who are already actively looking for a property. As such, they make it easier to engage and convert your target audience in comparison to platforms like Facebook.

However, Facebook has an advantage over these platforms in that the competition isn’t as tough. Since most real estate advertisers turn to those dedicated platforms, they’ll pay less attention to Facebook. This creates a better opportunity for your business to stand out.

10 Examples of Facebook Real Estate Ads

Now that you have a better understanding of how to advertise your real estate business on Facebook, it’s time to find some inspiration. Here are 10 examples of real estate Facebook ads to inspire your own advertising campaign.

1. Paint a Vivid Picture with Your Words

Visuals may be the first thing that gets people to stop scrolling. But it’s the words that will eventually get them to click. So for real estate businesses, it’s important to paint a vivid picture that will evoke emotions.

The following ad from Onward Real Estate positions the listing as something that feels like “a Norman Rockwell painting as you drive down the street.” It continues to explain other aspects of the listing such as the craftsman-style front porch and the abundance of natural light to paint a mental picture.

Source: facebook.com

2. Use Real Estate Power Words

In the same vein, it’s important to make use of power words that are relevant to the real estate space when describing a property’s features. These words will subconsciously draw in the audience, allowing you to engage them with your listing.

The following ad from Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty does just that. It uses power words like “luxury,” “nestled,” “stunning,” “elegance,” “lush,” and “sophisticated” when describing the property. This makes the listing far more appealing than it would if you were to simply list the features without describing them.

Source: facebook.com

3. Engage Them with Interesting Content

During the initial stages of a house search, real estate buyers may not start looking at listings right away. They’ll first do some research to get a better understanding of certain locations and areas before going through listings. This is why it’s important to deliver content that will satisfy that need during the first stages of the buying journey.

Consider sharing content that educates and informs them to gradually guide them through the purchase funnel. For instance, Champagne & Parisi Real Estate ran an ad promoting a blog post on their review of over 55 gated communities in Delray Beach. This type of content allows the company to draw the audience in while positioning themselves as property experts in that city. 

4. Showcase Various Rooms in a Carousel

With Facebook providing the option to include multiple visuals in a single ad, you have the opportunity to give your audience a closer look at each property. You can run a carousel ad containing different shots of the same listing so your audience can get a glimpse into the various rooms and areas of the property.

This type of ad makes a compelling case for the listing, drawing the audience in with certain aspects of the property that appeal most to them. McNeely & Birky Real Estate does an awesome job with the following ad that highlights different rooms of a new listing. Each slide features an eye-catching and well-lit photo of different parts of the property to draw in prospects.

Source: facebook.com

5. Showcase Various Options in a Carousel

Similarly, carousel ads can also be used to showcase variety. Show various listings so prospects can browse through different options to find one they like. This allows you to create an ad that appeals to multiple buyers, making it a great option for targeting a broader audience.

Akers Ellis Real Estate & Rentals uses a carousel ad to showcase different property rental options in Kiawah Island. The ad invites people to “book their beach getaway” and includes various details such as the neighborhood and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. So people seeing the ad can browse through the options to find something that fits their needs.

Source: facebook.com

6. Include a Floor Plan

Most real estate buyers know exactly what they want. From the number of bedrooms and bathrooms to the added features—they have a clear idea of what to look for in a home. Similarly, they typically have a very specific picture of what their dream home looks like. 

And unfortunately, when marketing real estate online, photos of the property alone don’t paint a complete picture of what it looks like. So in many cases, you may attract prospects who end up passing on the sale because the floor plan didn’t suit their needs. This is why it helps to include a floor plan to attract highly qualified buyers.

That’s exactly what Brooke Vawter Real Estate + Interior Design does in the following ad. The ad includes high-quality visuals of the property along with a floor plan that illustrates how the house is laid out. 

Source: facebook.com

7. Highlight the Neighborhood/Area

Many home buyers make their decision not just because they love the property. Sometimes, the neighborhood is what convinces them to finalize the deal. 

Is it a peaceful neighborhood? What can you do nearby? How far is the nearest grocery store? What types of views can you get?

These are all compelling questions to ask before making a major decision like a home purchase. So draw in your prospects with an ad that highlights the neighborhood or area. That’s exactly what Woolson Real Estate, Inc. does in the following video ad that takes viewers on a short tour around the community. The caption space includes additional information that’s not easily captured in a video.

Source: facebook.com

8. Sell the Benefits

What are the benefits of choosing your real estate company? Why should people choose this specific listing? It’s important for your ad to effectively sell the benefits of a certain choice. Whether it involves access to the best schools in the city or exquisite views, make sure to focus on the benefits ̛for the target buyer.

The following ad from Bellwether Real Estate Group focuses on the benefits of downsizing such as less upkeep and lower bills. It then offers a free list of the best downsizing opportunities customized for each buyer. 

Source: facebook.com

9. Show Off Your Favorite Things About a Property in a Video

You may not be able to give a detailed property tour in a single ad. However, you can highlight a few key details that are sure to attract the right buyers. Use a video ad to point out some of your favorite things about a property, such as cool unique spaces and trending design features.

The following Sunhaven Real Estate ad features one of the company’s agents walking viewers through her new listing. In the video, she lists five of her favorite things about the property that would appeal to potential buyers. She ends the video with one of the best parts of the house being the walk-in closet and explains that it’s “best seen in person,” encouraging the audience to contact her for a private showing.

Source: facebook.com

10. Offer a Free Home Valuation

Before listing their homes for sale, the first thing that people will do is check the home value. This helps them ensure that they’re getting the most value out of their home sale without pricing it way above market value. Attract people who are looking to sell their homes with an ad promoting a free home valuation so you can nurture them through the next stages and gain a new client.

The following ad from Brian Hymas Real Estate targets homeowners in Boise with a free home valuation offer. It includes language to stir up curiosity, notifying them that the value of their Boise home just changed recently. It then encourages them to take the next step to potentially sell their home for big bucks.

Source: facebook.com

Sell More Homes with Facebook Real Estate Ads

When executed strategically, real estate ads on Facebook are a great way to attract potential home buyers and sellers alike. The key to success is constantly optimizing your ads to improve targeting, messaging, and ad creative to maximize impact. Make the most of the tips and examples we shared above to run successful Facebook real estate ads.

About the Author

Influencer Marketing Hub

Writer

The Influencer Marketing Hub Team brings together a diverse group of experts with a passion for influencer marketing, digital trends, and social media strategies. Each piece of content crafted by this team is researched and written to provide valuable insights, tips, and updates for our readers. Our authors are dedicated to delivering high-quality, informative, and engaging articles that help businesses and influencers thrive in this rapidly changing digital world.