In the current climate, it’s really interesting to see how many agents value the power of social media and are adapting the way they use it to reach and reassure their customers, and how many instantly see it as a wasteful luxury to be cut from the budget. One of the questions we’re being asked a lot, is ‘are Facebook ads worth paying for?’ and as they’re a bit of a mysterious entity to some, we thought we would talk more about what they are, how they work, and the benefits of running them.
Watch this video of Jane discussing exactly that:
What are Facebook ads?
They may look similar or the same as news feed posts, but they’re incredibly different. The main reason is that, when you’re creating posts on your company page, they’re largely getting seen by people who already interact with you. They’re already on board, and are already fans of what you do! In this way, it’s subliminal advertising – keeping your agency at the forefront of their minds so they think of you when they’re ready to use one of the services you offer.
Ads utilise both Facebook and Instagram platforms (they’re owned by the same people) to reach a specific and targeted audience outside of the people who already engage with you.
- Looking for valuations for lettings? You’ll be looking for landlords.
- Want to advertise a new development to which Help to Buy applies? You’ll be looking for first time buyers
- Are you recruiting for weekend staff? You’ll be looking for local people looking for weekend work.
Whatever the scenario, you’ll have to do your research before you start running ads. Who are you trying to target? What are their behaviours? What do they like? What places do they visit? What brands do they like? How old are they? Where do they live? You can be incredibly specific with your targeting, so it’s worth putting in the research leg-work first in order to make the most out of your investment.
Can I track my ROI on Facebook ads?
This is another question we’re asked regularly. YES. You can absolutely track the ROI on your Facebook ads, and you can be really specific with it – right down to knowing how many people completed the end goal, whether that’s simply watching the video, clicking on your ad, or filling in a form with their details.
You can do all this by tracking clicks via a landing page using your Facebook Pixel.
Read our recent blog: What is a Facebook Pixel? >>
What is a landing page?
A landing page is a web page on the back of your website. This means someone visiting your website would not be able to access the page via a normal link on your website, the only people who have interacted with the landing page are people who have clicked on your ad.
As well as measuring the traffic going to that page, you can also track specific actions on that page. Did they click a specific button you wanted them to? Did they fill in a form? Did they download a document?
You can use this data to very specifically work out how much the ROI of your Ad.
Examples of successful Facebook ads
Here are just a few examples of successful ad campaigns we have run for clients:
NEW HOME DEVELOPMENT LAUNCH DAY
The ad for this cost just over £570. It reached over 62,000 people in the local community, and 1500 people clicked through to the landing page. The event was a total success, and £570 seems like small change, given that the event resulted in all units under offer!
ESTATE AGENT VALUATION TOOL
This ad cost £658 and 680 people clicked through to the valuation lead form. Further tracking was involved in this one, as not everyone who filled out the form did so straight away, but it got a great response. At just under £1 per person, the agent only needed one of those people to list and sell with them to cover the initial ad investment 10-fold, but it actually resulted in 11 instructions!
COMMUNITY VIDEO
This one is a little different, as the goal actually was to increase brand awareness and get lots of video plays from the local area. The video ad reached over 113,000 people, and 36,000 of them watched the video in its entirety, which is an incredible statistic.
No, Facebook ads probably aren’t worth the money
If you aren’t going to utilise them to their full potential, do the research legwork on your target audience, or create a landing page to measure the success of the ads, then they probably aren’t worth the money. You won’t be able to see any data which helps you know how to tweak them to improve their click-through rate, and the only metric you’ll be going on is Facebook data of how many people have seen the ad.
Yes, Facebook ads are worth their weight in gold
If you’re going to put the time and effort into making sure they’re done properly and can be tracked to ensure your goals are being met in order to monitor the effectiveness of your spend, then YES YES YES, what are you waiting for? Facebook ads are brilliant for this. How else can you send information in such a targeted way to so many people that quickly and for that little money?
There are loads of different ways to utilise the Facebook ads platform, depending on what goals you’re looking to achieve. We’ve run many-a successful ad campaign over the years and are wise to all sorts of tips and tricks to get the best out of them. If you think running property ads on Facebook is something you can see integrating into your property marketing packages, you want to revive your online valuation tool from extinction, or you’re looking to recruit knowledgeable staff members from the local area then get in touch, and we can chat about helping you get set up.
Whilst things are quiet in other areas, now is a great time to be implementing this as part of your strategy. Drop an email to jane@social-angels.co.uk, or give us a call on 01923 627 777 for a chat about how we can help you.
Jane Gardner
I work all over the UK with various business owners, dedicating my creative and expert property knowledge from 35 years in the industry. I am a Level 4 ARLA Propertymark examiner, I sit on the board of Agents Giving Charity and I love everything property related! I can be contacted on 01923 627777 or by email to jane@social-angels.co.uk
