Last Updated on February 17, 2022

I co-authored this article with my friend Chris Laberge, Media Manager with SavvyCard. We’ve got some great examples for you, AND a free ad you can use in your own Facebook Ads Manager!

It’s a fact that most of the people you know are on Facebook… according to a survey conducted in early 2019 by Pew Research, around seven-in-ten U.S. adults (69%) use Facebook..

That means, for real estate agents, it’s almost a given that you need to have a presence on this social media giant. And, if you do it right, using Facebook Ads are a great way to generate leads for your business.

However, Facebook Ads are tricky business. If you’ve been to any class on Ads or spent time in Real Estate Facebook groups, you’ve probably heard or seen examples of a dozen or more ads that might generate leads for you. The problem is, many of them are more challenging than they seem to implement, and require you to have lots of listings or access to a big marketing budget. 

Well, forget all that noise! Today, we are bringing you the 3 types of ads known to generate leads no matter where you are, how many years you’ve been in the real estate business, how fancy your marketing looks, how big a budget you have, or even whether or not you have any listings.

It’s Still About Reciprocity!

These ads generate leads because they apply the same concept: Reciprocity. I give you stuff, you give me more stuff… The reality is, to get a prospect to give up valuable and private contact details you have to have something to give them in return. Something that gives them immediate value. This psychological concept has been proven to work in advertising for 50+ years, and it works just as well today on Facebook as it has in other kinds of media. 

To get started with these ads we’re highlighting you won’t need much, but you will need a couple of basic things that you should already have. If not, take the time to set them up. Your business will benefit!

Of course, to run any ads on Facebook you will need a Facebook Business Page, and, for the ads themselves, you’ll need access to your MLS, a bit of juicy content, and a couple bucks. You’ll also need to make sure you’re collecting and saving lead information (with your CRM), and have a good follow-up email sequence ready to go to keep your leads interested and involved. But for this article, we’re focusing on the kinds of ads that pull leads. If you’re interested in learning more specifics about follow-up emails, let us know in the comments below or in our private Agent Inner Circle Facebook group.

Facebook Ad Types That Work

1. List of Homes

“List of homes” ads are simple and can be run by any agent, any time, regardless of your  personal inventory. 

• Using MLS data, create a list of homes in the median price range for your market.  Create an ad using a single stock image (try Pixabay or Unsplash for free stock photos) and for as little as $50 you can begin generating buyer leads for about $5 per lead in most markets. 
• Although you will see more potential buyers with this ad, often buyers are also sellers. 

2. Foreclosure Ad

This ad may not initially appeal to every agent, but the results are undeniable. Similar to  a list of homes ad,  you will again be offering a list of homes. The difference is that this time it’s a list of foreclosures in the area. 

• This ad capitalizes on a current real estate buzzword, foreclosure. The surge in fix & flip television has convinced consumers that the best investment they can make is a foreclosed home, which is resulting in leads at a roughly $3 average. 
• The most important component of this type of ad is the follow-up. Be prepared to educate your prospects on the purchase requirement associated with a bank-owned property.

3. Content Ad

Content ads are the gold standard of Facebook advertising. People love content advertising because the advertising is hidden behind a veil of valuable and actionable information they are already looking for.  A content ad is any ad the uses reports, market analysis, useful tips or best practices whitepapers as the bait. 

• The type of content you choose to serve determines the type of leads you will receive. Need buyer leads? Try a whitepaper offering “7 Steps to Saving Thousand When Buying a Home.
• Looking for seller leads? “Four Ways to Stage Like a Model Home” might be the report for you. The leads generated from these types of ads may be a bit farther out when it comes to time to transaction, but they have already given you all the information you need to nurture that relationship to a closed deal. Crafting the content may seem like its own daunting task, but most agents are sitting on a wealth of content they never get around to using.

The Ad Follow-Up

Regardless of the type of ad you choose to run, make sure you have the systems in place to follow-up. For as little as $50, these ads can generate anywhere from 10 to 30 new leads each.  Remember – if you’re spending time and money on gathering leads, you have to make sure you’re nurturing them and staying in touch every single month going forward! 

Having automated follow-up is absolutely critical, but what you’re following up with is even more important. You’re going to keep these contacts the same way you brought them in – with value offers – and you’re going to move them to convert to a sale or a referral by continuing with those same value offers. Using a marketing tool that already has these offers built in, like Service For Life!, will save you countless hours creating effective marketing, plus you know it’s something that’s already been proven to work.

Download Your Ad HERE!

Click below to get a free copy/paste ad template you can use to setup your ad in the Facebook Ads Manager!

Want more details about the type of content to use in your Facebook ads? Read our previous article here: