The Why & How of Advertising on Social Media

Why Social Media

Postcards, flyers and brochures work well and serve a purpose, but the advertising landscape is changing, and you won’t keep up with your peers if you don’t broaden your reach.

Social media marketing expert Gary Vaynerchuk emphasized the importance of social media exposure during his keynote speech at Inman Connect in August 2016. “There is real transactional value going on in this environment, and I’m thirsty for people to understand how big a deal this is,” he stressed.

Your clients, prospects and potential leads are on social media. They’re ready to engage - to be social - and you need to be, too. But the way you approach Facebook and Instagram ads should be different than how you advertise offline. Let’s dive into a couple strategies for social media advertising.

What to Advertise

What to say on social media has as much to do with your business goals (brand exposure or lead generation) as what your audience wants. You may have to start by focusing on brand exposure to gain your audience’s trust before you can convert them to qualified leads.

What does brand exposure look like? If you don’t already have a logo for yourself, your team or your brokerage, go to a site like Fiverr or 99designs to have one created quickly and inexpensively. Then use the logo in your marketing to build visual familiarity.

Promote your recent sales and new listings with your logo incorporated into the ad design. This will show your target audience that you’re an active and successful agent. Try Homesnap’s Brand Package in conjunction with listing ads or video ads on Facebook and Instagram. This service features your logo and brand colors in your ads and premium lead pages.

Next, create a call to action that ties in with your goal. For brand exposure, do you want to offer value with a no-pressure way to keep in touch, like with a newsletter? To attract leads who are ready to sell, will you offer a free home value estimate? Your call to action needs to entice users to click on your ad.

Where to Send People

Your ad gets a CLICK. Great! Now where are people being re-directed to? We love what Chris Locke said in his comment on our last ActiveRain post: “Listen up agents...don't send your traffic from digital ads to the home page of your website.  Match the page with the ad and have a page designed to capture leads (that isn't your home page, folks!).”

Chris nailed it. Lead pages are professionally designed to capture contact information, and home pages aren’t.

Make sure your lead page actually delivers what your call to action is offering (like a newsletter) or asking your audience to do (submit their address for a home valuation). There are a variety of options, so let's look at a few of Homesnap’s premium lead capture pages to see how they pair with Facebook and Instagram ads:

Market Guide Lead Page

You’re positioning yourself as a local expert. Consumers land on this lead page and see accurate real-time market stats (Homesnap uses MLS data). These data points reinforce your expertise and build trust.

Newsletter Lead Page

Brand exposure and expanding the top of your funnel are your main goals. Do this with a weekly real estate newsletter that features updated, relevant information and keeps you top of mind. Homesnap’s newsletter is sent on your behalf using MLS data, making it completely hands-off.

Home Value Lead Page

You’re ready to sell homes and want to attract those who are ready too. Offering a free home valuation is a tried and true way to get potential sellers to raise their hands. The first impression is always important, so follow up on leads quickly and and make a connection.