Who’s the best audience to target in Facebook for Realtors? Facebook targeting used to be easy until the Special Ads Category was put in place. Trying to get your ads approved today is super frustrating, so what is the best targeting now? This article will walk you through the different audiences that have the best return on investment you can target despite the annoying special ads category.
UPDATE: 11-1-2020
What’s Targeting?
Targeting is who you are defining or telling Facebook to place your ads in front of.
“BOOST” or Ads Manager?
The Ads Manager is Facebook’s advertising tool where you can set up more detailed targeting options, run multiple ads at the same time to various audiences, and define more clear objectives.
The boost button is a limited version of what you can do in Ads Manager. If you want to really dial in your targeting, you should be doing it inside of Ads Manager.
The ads manager will allow you set the objectives of your campaign as well as dial in your “targeting”. Using Facebook for Realtors can become a great source of business, but you must start off with the right game plan as every successful marketing campaign has a strategy behind it.
Here’s What Happened When Marketing On Facebook For Realtors Changed With The Implementation Of The Special Ads Category
Facebook used to be a lot easier to maneuver for a number of reasons. First, there wasn’t as many “real estate ads” so those who were running Facebook ads were able to stand out much easier. Secondly, you used to be able to dial in your targeting and reach people a defined target audience. Today, you can no longer do that due to the rules of the Specials Ads Category.
This is what you used to be able to do in Facebook before the Special Ads Category came and screwed it all up. You used to be able to target current homeowners who are likely to move in the zip codes in which you work.
But, then the special ads category came in to place, but now we have a new strategy. So we had to change our strategy.
Here are the 4 best audiences to use in Facebook for Realtors
Face Book Audience #1-Your Farm
One of the first Facebook audiences you can create is your farm. The Special ads category limits what real estate agents can target so one of the only strategies left to a cold audience is your local geographic farm.
Let me be clear here. If you are going to do this, you must be setting up audiences to retarget. I’ll walk you through that next. It’s the retargeting that makes all the difference.
I would focus my marketing efforts on this audience to the following marketing campaigns;
- Local Community Videos
- Business Owner Interviews
- Neighborhood Tours
- Just Sold Case Studies
Facebook Audience #2- Your Database
Over 60% of all agent business is directly attributed to referrals and repeat business. Facebook is a great way to stay in front of your database and very inexpensive too.
Using only your personal page, to market your business for referrals and repeat clients is not as effective because of the algorithm. Last I checked it was only about 17% of your “friends” see your posts, which means 83% of them are not.
You must stay in front of your database(audience) in order to receive their referrals and repeat business because out is sight is out of mind.
First you need to create a “Custom Audience”.
Then you need to choose “Customer File”. This will allow you to upload your database emailing list into Facebook. You should definitely have an email list of your database you are also marketing to and this is why.
Then just upload your CSV list and Facebook will then have a saved audience for you.
Facebook Audience #3- Retargeting Audiences
Retargeting is any time you put your ads in front of anyone who previously took some kind of action. Have you ever visited a business online and then realized you started seeing their ads on Facebook and all over the place? That’s because you were being retargeted.
Marketing to retargeted audiences in Facebook is really ALL you can do around, but more importantly the only thing that works. In my opinion using Facebook for Realtors has turned more into a branding play than a lead generation play. Don’t get me wrong, people are still generating lots of leads on Facebook, but I mean overall.
People don’t go to Facebook to buy or sell real estate, they go there to socialize online. And with the limited ability to target buyer and sellers on Facebook, the name if the game is now retargeting! I would even say the only reason I run ads primarily anywhere is for the targeting.
So what kind of retargeting audience can you market to in Facebook?
Website Visitors
One of the best audiences to target are your website visitors. Wouldn’t you want your ads to be seen by people who have visited your website recently? If you are driving any kind of traffic to your website, you should be retargeting that traffic. The fact you are reading this blog post on my website right now will put you into one of my retargeting audiences and you’ll start seeing my ads on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google.
I am trying to get you to take notice of the awesome video marketing services we provide people in the real estate industry and just maybe one day you’ll hire us. However, I have to stay in front of you because it’s a very busy world out there. The longer I do the more likely you are going to check out what else Real Estate Marketing Dude Services entail.
Video View Audiences
You can target people who have watched a certain percentage of your video ads. Don’t you think someone who watched more than 50% of your video, would be interested in learning more than someone who didn’t? You can retarget specifically people who watched a percentage of video #1 and then show them video #2.
Engagement Audiences
You can also retarget people who have engaged with your page as well. They might have shared or liked an ad or post on your business page. I think you are starting to see the point.
How do you create retargeting audiences?
If you want to start creating audiences to retarget inside of Facebook for Realtors, then you need to start creating some real estate content. You cannot create any type of retargeting without first creating content they engage with.
Content creates engagement. Engagement creates conversation. Conversation creates trust and likability. Then you get hired.
I would love to help you with your video content creation. Real Estate Marketing Dude is a done for you video content creation company that can help you with any kind of videos wherever you are in the country. If you are interested in learning more, check out the rest of our site here and schedule a demo.
Hope this helps:).