As an agent, are you struggling to engage with people from a specific geographic area? To go beyond traditional farming, try blending direct mail campaigns with Facebook ads to reach the right people both online and offline. Here are some step-by-step instructions on how to get started with real estate ad campaigns.
Real estate ad campaigns: direct mail & Facebook ads
1. Import your direct mail data to Facebook
The best part about combining direct mail with Facebook is that you can use the data you already have. Ideally, you should import as much of the following fields as you can. Either way, you can start with what you already have (paying particular attention to email addresses):
- email;
- phone number;
- first name;
- last name;
- city;
- state/province;
- country;
- date of birth;
- year of birth;
- age;
- zip/postal code;
- gender;
- mobile advertiser ID;
- Facebook app user ID.
The more data you can provide, the higher the odds of finding a match. Facebook also has a handy guide on formatting customer data. Use it when adding the data to your .CSV file which you can then import into Facebook.
2. Create a custom audience
The next step in your joint real estate ad campaigns would be setting up an audience. Obviously, you want to use the direct mail data from your CSV file. You can do this in a few simple steps:
- go to the Ad Manager;
- click All Tools – Assets – Audiences;
- click Create a Custom Audience;
- click Customer File to upload your data.
You will also be asked to map the data (just confirm which fields you’re going to use). Once you’re done, wait till Facebook does its business and creates your custom audience.
3. Get your ads ready
If you haven’t got your adverts ready yet, now is the time to get started. It’s a good idea to use the same theme and design for both direct mailers and Facebook ads so people can recognize your brand more easily.
4. Set up retargeting options
If you want to see more people taking action after seeing your ads, it’d be a good idea to set up retargeting campaigns. Do this within the custom Facebook audience you have created earlier.
For example, you can create a custom audience that would target people who clicked on your ad and visited your landing page but bounced off. You can even specify the URLs of the pages and specifically target people who viewed those pages.
5. Time wise
Launching both of your real estate ad campaigns at the right time is important. Ad experts believe that good timing would be to launch Facebook ads two weeks after sending out direct mailers.
That way, you will allow enough time for your mailers to reach the audience and leave time for people to respond. After that, launch your Facebook ads targeting the custom audience you created earlier.
6. Track results and respond quickly
Even when all of the above is done, it’s not yet the time to sit back and relax as you need to watch your campaign’s progress closely. This is especially important for Facebook ads. In particular, keep an eye on ad frequency as if done the wrong way, it can drive your costs up.
We have a whole post here explaining how to avoid the wrong ad frequency trap on Facebook: Real Estate Facebook Ad Campaigns: Figuring Out the Best Frequency
What’s next?
Using both direct mailers and Facebook ads is an excellent opportunity to reach people from your area both online and offline and enhance the outcomes of your real estate ad campaigns. Consider using these joint forces next time you plan your ad strategy.
