The Facebook Ad Redemption

I recently wrote a post about my disappointment with Facebook ads on recent efforts.  However, I recently had and experience that changed my mind.

I have always thought that Facebook ads would work well to feature real estate.  Turns out I was right!  I recently had my first opportunity to work with a local Louisville realtor on a house she wanted to feature.  Here is what we did:

1. Built a landing page featuring only this house, separate from her main website. (to limit distractions).
   

   Actual Photo of the House

2. Set up a Facebook ad with a picture of the house and some simple copy about the house. (note that we got very specific about who we wanted to see the ad: location, education, gender, etc.).
3. Let it run for a week with a budget of only $70 for the week. (less than some print advertising costs)

What did the $70 get us?  Here is what happened during that week:

• 228 people visited the landing page
• 72 people watched the YouTube video of the house

I’m sure your next question is “did the house sell?” Unfortunately, it has not.  First, the Louisville real estate market is in pretty bad shape right now.  Second, she thinks the house might be overpriced by $25,000+ (don’t forget how important price can be in the marketing mix, this could ultimately be the problem). Third, there is a lot of competition in the neighborhood.  As the selling season really picks up in the next few months, I will let you know how things go.

As for me, this experience restored my faith in Facebook ads.  With use of a good picture, good copy, and careful segmentation of your audience, this promotional tool can be an effective one.