I hear it all the time from real estate agents…👇🏼
“Facebook Ads don’t work!”
When they fail to get results with their campaigns, they shut them off completely, convinced that it’s a waste of time and money.
Many agents quickly assume the issue is technical, thinking they’ve messed something up in the setup.
Others believe that ads used to work but have become some kind of mystery with all the recent changes, making success feel impossible.
But here’s the thing.
It’s not that Facebook ads don’t work. It’s that you don’t have the right strategy.
So, if you’re overwhelmed because your ads aren’t working or because you’ve never gotten results in the past, don’t give up!
You probably just need to change your approach.
In this post, we’ll go through the 10 most common Facebook ad mistakes real estate agents make and some tips on how to fix them.
Let’s get into it. ⬇️
Mistake #1: Neglecting Your Organic Presence
One of the most frequent mistakes agents make with Facebook ads is neglecting their organic presence.
Many times, agents will just run ads hoping to increase their traffic.
Then, they’re disappointed when their paid traffic doesn’t perform.
Your organic presence and your ads go hand in hand.
Without one, the other will fail.
When you’re building your audience, it’s so important that you establish your organic presence first BEFORE spending money on ads.
You need to have social proof – the ability to prove your knowledge and establish trust between you and your audience – when you run a Facebook ad.
Otherwise, when someone clicks through on your ad, what is there to back it up?
If your organic page doesn’t look good, doesn’t have quality content, or just isn’t set up correctly, it’s going to devalue your ad.
But, when leads click through and see a strong, engaging social presence, they’re more likely to trust your ads and take action.
So the reality is if you are running ads or relying on paid traffic in any way and your organic isn’t where it needs to be, you’re wasting money.
Focus on your organic content first, then put your efforts into ads.
Mistake #2: Focusing on Tech, Not Strategy
Once your organic content is solid, it’s time to focus on your funnel.
But not just from a tech standpoint.
Many real estate agents see their sales funnel only in terms of tech, such as opt-ins, webinars, email campaigns, and Facebook ad campaigns.
Your funnel is more than that.
Your funnel is the psychological journey that takes someone from a lead to a client.
When you only focus on the tech aspect of building your funnel, you miss out on the key reasoning behind why you’re building a funnel in the first place:
To take someone from stranger to client.
From not knowing who you are to trusting you as the #1 solution to their problem.
Successful funnels aren’t about having the perfect tech.
They’re about the right messaging and understanding your audience’s needs and desires.
Even with less-than-perfect tools, a well thought out ad strategy meant to connect with your audience will convert.
Mistake #3: Obsessing Over Metrics Instead of People
When real estate agents start running paid ads, there’s one thing that they forget.
They’re dealing with real people. Not just numbers.
It’s easy to get caught up in click-through rates and other data points.
But when you reduce your audience to statistics and data, your ads lose their human touch.
The foundation of your paid ads is to help you stand out – to get your messaging into the right hands of the right people.
Your audience is made up of real people with real needs.
If your focus is only on getting the metrics just right, your ads become impersonal and ineffective.
Focus instead on creating compelling messaging and nurturing your audience from a psychological standpoint.
This way, the next time a new prospect sees your ad, they immediately feel seen and understood.
Mistake #4: Being Too Vague with Your Targeting
Your messaging has to hit the correct pain points of the people you want to attract for your ad to be successful.
It’s not enough to aim your ad towards only “buyers and sellers.”
That’s too vague.
You need to know who you’re targeting from a deeper standpoint.
It could be first-time buyers, upsizers, downsizers, first-time investors, seasoned investors, or even dog owners living in condos.
You need to get specific.
Know who your niche is and create messaging that speaks to them.
If your Facebook ad is aimed toward just buyers or sellers, your ads are not going to work.
And you’ll have to spend even more money and more time to get people to click your ad and progress down your funnel.
Mistake #5: Misallocating Your Ad Budget
Are you using most of your ads budget to generate as many cold leads as possible?
Most agents do. But, spending your marketing budget only on lead gen is setting yourself up for failure.
Cold leads are just that – cold.
They don’t know you or feel connected to your service.
They just want the lead magnet that they put their email in for.
Once a new lead enters your funnel, if you don’t have the systems in place to nurture them properly, you’re spending your money in the wrong place.
For example, in The Listings Lab, we spend the majority of our marketing budget on people after they become a lead.
Think setting up email campaigns, retargeting ads, and social media engagement.
This way, once a cold lead clicks our ad, we’re able to comfortably refocus our efforts and take that person from stranger to booked appointment.
Mistake #6: The “Desperate Agent” Syndrome
I’ve already mentioned how important your messaging is.
But one thing you DON’T want?
It’s for your messaging to come off as desperate. And unfortunately, this is how a LOT of agents market themselves to new leads.
Think: non-stop messages, constant follow-ups, and unsolicited offers.
Imagine it like this…
You’re just browsing in a store, and immediately a sales associate is in your face.
Your excitement to look around fades as you’re inundated with relentless contact from someone who’s more focused on closing a deal than understanding your needs.
It’s overwhelming, annoying, and makes you want to distance yourself.
It’s the same with your ads.
If your messaging feels too pushy or overeager, potential clients will react the same way—they’ll walk away.
Instead, focus on confident, value-driven messaging that shows you’re available to help when they need it, without pressuring them into making a decision.
Mistake #7: Not Connecting Your Ad with Your Target Market
When you run a Facebook ad, you have a lot of options to catch people’s attention and reel them in.
For example, you could offer a free resource guide or a hot sheet of listings.
No matter what you choose, just remember, that the lead magnet you use matters very little as long as the messaging is right.
For example, running traffic to a listing ad trying to sell a luxury penthouse to first-time home buyers is going to fall flat.
The target market and messaging don’t connect with the ad offer.
Make sure your ads align with the needs of your target market and invest time in market research to get it right.
Mistake #8: Skipping Over Top-of-Mind Awareness
The human brain can only think about two or three names in any category at one given time.
For example, if I say running shoes, the first brand you probably think of is Nike.
So, when someone thinks real estate, you want them to think of you.
This is top of mind awareness – breaking through the noise to become the only name a potential client associates with real estate.
Most agents use ads to target the 3% of people who are currently buying now.
But by then, most people are past the point of hiring a real estate agent.
And your ad doesn’t convert.
Instead, you need to be targeting people before they’re ready to buy or sell.
This gives you the opportunity to nurture them, share your expertise, and bring them through your customer journey.
Mistake #9: Neglecting Omnipresence
This next mistake goes hand-in-hand with creating top of mind awareness.
Once you’ve captured leads through your ads, the real work begins.
This is where your nurture or your omnipresence kicks in.
Omnipresence is your ability to consistently show up wherever your audience is.
But it’s not about constantly bombarding them with sales pitches and marketing.
To achieve omnipresence, own your audience’s news feed. Fill them using email campaigns, retargeting campaigns, and organic content.
The goal is to make it seem like you’re everywhere they look by pushing out good quality content that’s highly relevant to them.
Without omnipresence, your leads stop at your lead magnet.
They might grab the resource or listing sheet you offered but then move on because they don’t know you, and you’re quickly forgotten.
That’s why your content needs to follow them, guiding them through every stage of their journey.
With omnipresence and relevancy, you create a seamless, natural presence that builds the familiarity and trust necessary to position you as their go-to real estate expert.
Mistake #10: Expecting Immediate Results
Patience is crucial when it comes to Facebook advertising.
Many agents expect immediate results.
They’ll have their ad turned on for 30 days and assume the ad isn’t working because they haven’t seen a jump in conversion.
But the reality is everyone is at a different stage in their customer journey.
While some leads will be ready to buy after 30 days, others may need 60 or 90 days of nurturing before they’re ready to take action.
The key is to create a long-term strategy that constantly fills your pipeline with new leads. From there, each lead can move through the nine-point psychological journey at their own pace.
This is why nurturing is so important.
Your goal isn’t just to generate leads. It’s to gently guide them from stranger to getting to know you and trust you to finally feeling seen by you.
The Right Way to Approach Real Estate Facebook Ads
To avoid common mistakes and build a successful real estate Facebook ad strategy, focus on creating a cohesive approach.
Your organic presence, targeting, and messaging should work together to nurture leads and move them along the customer journey.
The most important thing that you can do is take that cold lead and get them to a point where they know you, like you, trust you, and want to work with you.
This is where your retargeting campaigns, emails, and organic content come in, nurturing them and moving them down your funnel.
By consistently showing up with relevant content, you’ll turn cold leads into qualified prospects who are excited to work with you.
But if your organic presence is weak, your ads will fail.
A successful real estate ad strategy needs a strong organic presence, effective targeting, and a clear plan for nurturing leads.
This way, you build relationships and trust, leading to better ad results and a steady pipeline of quality leads.
At the Listings Lab, we give you everything you need to know about running effective Facebook ad campaigns.
We teach agents exactly what type of campaigns to use, effective targeting options, and give them copy templates to attract high-quality leads.
Are you ready to stop struggling with your real estate ads?
Book a FREE call with our team today and discover exactly what you need to improve your ad performance and turn cold leads into loyal clients who are eager to work with you.
