This blog post is targeted towards people who already know how to do Facebook advertising. If you have never done Facebook advertising before, I have a step by step video on how to do your first Facebook ad in my training.
Facebook advertising has changed a lot throughout the years. There are good things about it and bad things about it. The bad is that you used to be able to get people to like your page much easier without having to pay for it. The good is that they now have super targeted filters so that you can have your ads in front of people who are your target audience rather than just using the “shot gun” approach and hoping that your ad goes to somebody who fits your demographics.
Without further ado… let’s jump into the top filters in Facebook advertising that pertain to real estate agents.
Likely to Move
The most powerful filter in Facebook advertising that real estate agents should know about is the “likely to move” option. Facebook uses it’s network of partners to find people who are likely to move based on consumer behavior. This should normally be used in conjunction with the “and must also match” option on the Facebook ad manager. I have more on this below.
This filter is great not only for putting a listing of a house in front of them. But also you could use it for any eBooks that you may have about the home buying process, What’s my House Worth?, etc.
Income Levels
Facebook now provides the ability to filter people by their estimated income level. This is also very powerful filter because it allows you to remove (or only include) people who can afford the listing you are going to advertise. In the video, I use the example of having a million dollar home, you would want to remove the people with lower income levels that would not be able to afford this home.
First Time Home Buyers
Another powerful filter that realtors should know about! Having a lead generation system on an eBook for the Home Buying Process is one of the most common types of eBooks.
Sending these first time homebuyers directly to a landing page about how to buy their first home is a great way to generate leads!
Builders
Targeting Builders can be very powerful depending on your real estate market. If you are in a market where there are new constructions everywhere, and you have a lot listing that would be great for somebody to build a house on. This filter is perfect for you!
Additional Options for Super Targeted Ads
Must Also Match or Narrow Audience
When you’re in the Facebook Detailed Targeting portion of the Ad Manager, it is easy to over look this option. After you enter your first filter, two options come up: “Narrow Audience” & ” Exclude People.” The narrow Audience opens up a tab that says “and MUST ALSO match atleast ONE of the following.”
This option should NOT be overlooked! If you have all your filters set in the first detailed marketing section, then Facebook will include everybody who fits any of these filters. For a simple example, let’s say you set an income level of over $100,000.00 and have selected the “likely to move.” If both of these are in the “INCLUDE people who are in at least ONE of the following” section of the Facebook ad manager, then it will place your ad infront of people who are Likely to Move OR have an income of over $100,000.00. So, your ad could be placed in front of people who are likely to move but do not have the income level you set.
Exclude Option
Much like the “must also match” filter, this option is often overlooked. In the video, I used the option of excluding people who are in schools. Since people who are in school, whether it be high school, grad school, undergrad, etc…. they are more than likely not in the market to buy a house. I just used these as an example. There are plenty of other ways you can use this. I would suggest you think around with all of the filters that Facebook has to offer and experiment with including / excluding various demographics in order to find the most effective ads.
Start Tinkering around in the Ads Manager
One of the good things about Facebook Ad Manager is that it will start suggesting things for you after you have entered a few filters. As I have mentioned before, there countless numbers of filters you can use to target your ads. A great way to find new filters is just to let Facebook suggest them for you. You may find an interest that is perfect for your ad.
If you have any comments or other filters you’ve found useful, please write them below. Also, I encourage everybody to sign up for my training as I go into depth about various type of Facebook and many other digital marketing techniques for Realtors.