If you have a Facebook page as a real estate agent, you’ve likely been prompted to “boost” your Facebook post for a fee. You can boost a post right from your Facebook page, so boosting can feel like an easy way to reach potential buyers and sellers. But there’s a much more effective practice available for your real estate advertising: Facebook ads.
While Facebook ads require more planning than boosted posts, your strategy doesn’t have to be complicated. And, you’ll likely see a better return on investment.
Here’s why Facebook ads are more effective than boosted posts:
1. Facebook ads let you capture contact info about leads — crucial for real estate advertising.
When you boost your posts, Facebook allows you to choose from three objectives — but none of the three is a lead ad form. Facebook ads let you use a lead ad form so you can capture their info and follow up later, and our Homesnap Pro Ads on Facebook use these lead forms as well.
2. Facebook ads help you farm your zip codes and build brand awareness.
Facebook ads help you serve posts to specific audiences without the post appearing on your page. These posts are called “dark posts” and help you farm your zips in specific areas so you don’t oversaturate your wider Facebook fan base with ads. Boosted posts don’t let you target people based on the locations of homes for sale.
3. When you boost posts, you can’t connect with your Homesnap sphere.
When you boost a post rather than running a Facebook ad, your reach is far less targeted, and you’re less likely to catch the attention of your best prospects. Homesnap Pro Ads on Facebook, for instance, make a custom Facebook audience from the clients you’ve invited to use Homesnap, leads you’ve received through Homesnap, and anyone who has viewed your profile or listings. We also build custom audiences that include people living near the properties you’re promoting so the people seeing your real estate advertising are highly qualified.
4. When you boost posts, you only extend your reach within your existing network.
When you pay to boost your post, more of your current followers see your post than would organically, but you don’t get your message out to people outside your network. Boosted posts drive more engagements within Facebook itself — more shares, likes and comments. But they don’t do a good job driving people to your website or generating leads. For a nice breakdown of the role boosted posts can play in your practice, check out this blog post from Small Craft Advisory.
Facebook adds to your overall real estate advertising strategy, but only when you know how to optimize it to capture the right leads. By serving Facebook ads to the right audiences, instead of relying on boosted posts, you’ll connect with more qualified buyers and sellers.
Want to start running Facebook ads of your own? Click here to check out Homesnap Pro Ads on Facebook! We handle all the ad placement, optimization and reporting – you just pick the budget and type of ad.