Not a lot of real estate agents know the true strength of retargeting. The concept might be tough to understand at first, but utilizing it is straightforward and easy. In this guide, you’ll learn all about retargeting ads for real estate, how to make them, and why they work so well.
What is a retargeting ad?
A retargeted ad is an advertisement sent to someone who previously visited your site. Since they already showed interest in your real estate business at some point, you can send them a more personalized — and therefore more effective — ad.
How does it work?
The core of retargeting ads for real estate uses a little bit of computer science knowledge. First, either you or a specialist will need to insert a JavaScript retargeting script on your website. When someone views a certain page of your site, a cookie will be put on their computer.
This is completely legal and widely considered to be a standard advertising technique. This cookie will travel with the user in the background as they go about their internet browsing.
An example of how it works
Let’s say that someone visits your real estate website and looks at a rental property in Dayton that costs $2,750. They see the subsection that talks about the garage and spends a significant amount of time interacting with it. Now you know a budget, general location, and a feature that your potential client is considering.
They leave your page and read the news. You can use a retargeted ad on the news site that displays any $2,500-$2,900 rental properties with a garage in Dayton.
The would-be client sees this ad, and their heart skips a beat with excitement. After all, this is exactly what they’re looking for, and it randomly popped up when they were reading the news.
The hope is that they will then click your ad and get directed back to your site.
How retargeting ads for real estate can help you find new clients
The bottom line is that retargeting helps build brand awareness by repeatedly exposing people to your business.
When people get continued exposure to your real estate business, they feel more connected to you. They trust you more and will be more likely to choose you for their next move.
Retargeting makes sure that only your desired clientele gets targeted by your ads. You won’t be wasting money by running an ad for people who aren’t interested in buying or selling a home.
Two methods to get started
There are two primary methods that most real estate agencies will use for retargeting ads. Both methods work well, so it’s up to you to determine which one fits your circumstances best.
1. List-based
A list-based retargeting ad is a little lower-tech. You’ll plug in a list of real estate marketing emails that you get from your potential leads. You put them into Facebook and it will look through its database to see if any users’ accounts use these email addresses.
Any relevant leads will automatically start seeing your retargeted ad. The only downside is that you have to come up with a list first. You also need to hope that your potential clients used the same email address to register their Facebook account.
2. Pixel-based
The next option uses the Facebook Pixel. This method is a little closer to the example we gave earlier: when someone visits your site or interacts with an ad, they’ll accept a cookie that will help your ad find them later.
Tips for running real estate retargeting ads
If you want to run successful real estate retargeting ads, take a look at the following tips. We used our industry knowledge to come up with some easy-to-use methods to improve your results.
Set up your website for retargeting
If you don’t have a website yet, you’ll need to start there to take advantage of pixel-based retargeted ads. Using a professional website builder is a low-cost, easy way to get a great site. From there, you can start setting up retargeting areas.
Different areas can link to different retargeted ads. First, you’ll need to decide how you want to segment your site. Break it down into sections that correspond to different types of potential clients. Renters, sellers, and buyers should be targeted separately. From there, you can break it down by income, location, and any other demographic information you find useful.
The Facebook Pixel streamlines this process, making it accessible to any entrepreneur.
Adding the Facebook Pixel to your site
You can plug the Facebook Pixel base code right into your website’s code. You’ll set up each Pixel to respond to a certain action. If someone looks at one of your listings, they will trigger a specific Pixel response.
Use Facebook to target your ads
One of the best places to target your ads is through Facebook. You can use Facebook Special Ad Categories to maximize the power of your ad campaign.
You can target users based on their location and interests. In this case, you’ll want people in your area who show interest in moving or wanting to upgrade to a nicer home.
Your ads will only show up to the people that you’re targeting. Facebook targeting for real estate allows you to create a more personalized message for these people.
Use the right content in your retargeting ads
Speaking of personalization, you’ll need to decide what type of content you want in your ad. A typical ad will have a picture with a compelling offer that will make users want to click through to your site.
Realize that you don’t have a lot of space to work with on these ads. You’ll need to:
- Attract viewers’ attention quickly
- Link to the right landing page for real estate on your site
- Use great imagery and high-resolution photos
- Use a video in this space if you can’t effectively show your product or service in a photo
- Entice the reader to learn more
Spending enough time upfront will ensure that the content in your ad is optimized. All the other steps you take will mean nothing if your ad itself doesn’t convert.
Make sure you track your conversions
This campaign is all about conversions. You’ll get tons of data when you use the Facebook Pixel, and it’s up to you to sort through that data and make sense of it.
Your conversion rate tells you how many people clicked on your ad and then did business with you. This data can be used to compare the performance of different ads, helping you get the most out of your advertising spend.
Adjust your strategy as needed
If the data suggests that an ad isn’t working, it’s time to adjust your strategy. Maybe you’re not retargeting the right people, or your ads aren’t similar to the action that triggers them.
For example, your ad might talk about selling homes when your retargeted audience is interested in buying houses.
Alternatively, you might be looking in the wrong location or using user interests that don’t coincide with likely real estate customers.
Running retargeting ads for real estate takes a lot of trial and error. It’s not an immediate process, so try to stay patient.
Set display frequency limits
If potential clients are exposed to your ads too often, you might end up scaring them off. You can avoid this by setting up a display frequency limit that restricts how many times your ad will show up in a given month. We suggest a rate of around 15 to 20 times monthly.
You can also set a cap that correlates to how many times someone visits your site before sending out a retargeting ad. If someone visits five times in one day, they’re a higher-target lead than someone who visits once. Try to prioritize these high-visit leads.
The next steps for your real estate business
Retargeting ads for real estate are all about connecting with the right people and boosting your brand awareness. An effective retargeting ad will generate leads and create buzz for your business. Keep in mind that you’ll need to be prepared to scale your operation as your customer base grows. Get started today with your free digital copy of The Download, the ultimate guide to marketing your real estate business.
