When it feels like social media is constantly changing, trying to keep up and optimize it for your marketing efforts can feel overwhelming. As a real estate agent in Alabama, Facebook can be incredibly helpful when it comes to generating leads and increasing visibility in your community. Knowing where to begin is half the battle and Clarion Title has created the ultimate guide to Facebook marketing to get you started.
Facebook Marketing for Real Estate Agents
Marketing as a real estate agent in Alabama is incredibly important. Like anywhere else, we are in the digital age and roughly half of your potential clients begin their search online. If you learn how to use Facebook to your advantage, then you will already be in the minds of future potential clients before they begin their search. They will know that they can trust you and will be more likely to contact you directly when they are ready to start the home-buying process.
Targeting is Key
If you want to get the most out of your Facebook ads, then you must create a target audience. To generate a decent number of leads and website visits, you need to target monthly audience sizes in the 40,000 to 60,000 range. The size can vary depending on the campaign’s goals, but this range is a good rule of thumb.
Facebook has an incredible number of filters that allow you to target a variety of potential clients. Ads perform better when a specific geography is selected. For real estate agents in Alabama, selecting certain cities and neighborhoods allows you to target consumers more likely to contact you instead of running an ad that reaches those miles away from your market.
If you’re wanting to target people more likely to buy larger houses, then you can run an ad that targets older demographics since they will be more likely to want the space. If you have a smaller space like a loft, you can target a younger audience as well.
Targeting lets you get more bang for your buck. Instead of reaching a general population, it allows ads to reach specific people that are more likely to become clients.
Budgeting for an Ad
The minimum recommendation for ad spending is between $300 and $500 a month. This will typically get you two ads a week. Anything more than this only boosts your chances of lead conversion. Most advertisers see about 60 to 80 leads per month when they spend $500 to $1,000.
Keep ads running for about five to seven days. If one is working continue it, if not then drop it and budget for a different one.
Anatomy of an Ad
The best-performing ads on Facebook are placed on the timeline. They have been shown to provide more clicks and engagement than those in other places like stories and or columns.
All ad copies and images should be clear and concise in their messaging. Potential clients can understand the purpose with one glance. Here are some tips for an ad’s design:
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- Only use high-quality images
- Don’t cover more than 20% of an image with text (Facebook chargers more for these and the ROI typically isn’t worth it)
- Customize each copy per ad with a call to action, eye-catching headline, and informative description
- Place links higher in the copy so it is visible above “See More” and at the end of the description
- Entice your audience to learn more (ex: don’t include the price or address in a listing ad)
- “Couple” ads to landing pages – if advertising a listing, link to that listing and prompt them to contact you
These tips will increase your lead conversion and improve your chances of producing successful ad campaigns.
Analyze Performance
Some of the best marketing strategies are fluid ones. If you allow yourself to be too static, then your strategy could hurt you in the long run. Analyze Facebook’s Insights to figure out which ads are working, and which ones are not. Filter by reach and assess why the top four are successful in engagement. Weed out the unsuccessful ones, tweak them, and avoid using the same features in the future. You can evaluate the ROI of an ad by looking at the overall spending versus growth. If you’re seeing results and growing, keep using those techniques. If not, then don’t be afraid to change and drop what isn’t working.
Clarion Title is Here to Help
Experts in helping real estate agents in Alabama, we provide the best service experience with the easiest technology for an exceptionally accurate transaction. Contact us today to learn how we can help you and your clients.