Is Facebook or Google Ads Better for Real Estate?
28/10/2024Reaching prospective buyers and sellers in the cutthroat real estate market requires efficient web advertising. Facebook Ads and Google AdWords are two of the most widely used advertising networks.
Selecting the appropriate platform can have a big impact on your marketing success even though each have their own advantages.
To assist you in choosing the best option for real estate advertising, we’ll compare Google Ads vs Facebook Ads in this post.
1. Audience Targeting
One of the primary considerations when choosing between Facebook Ads and Google Ads is how each platform targets its audience.
Facebook Ads: Facebook is a social platform where users engage with content based on interests, behaviors, and demographics. Real estate agents can take advantage of Facebook’s powerful targeting options, allowing them to narrow down their audience by age, location, interests, and even homeownership status. For example, if you’re advertising a property in a specific neighborhood, you can target people who have shown interest in real estate in that area.
Facebook also owns Instagram, so you can extend your ads to Instagram users, increasing your reach to a younger demographic that often uses Instagram to explore home décor and lifestyle ideas.
Google Ads: Google Ads, on the other hand, is intent-driven. Users search for specific keywords, indicating that they are actively looking for a product or service. For example, when someone searches “homes for sale in [city]” or “real estate agents near me,” Google displays relevant ads. This makes Google Ads highly effective for capturing leads that are ready to make a purchase or hire an agent.
Which is better for real estate? It depends on your goal. If you’re looking to raise awareness and target a broad audience based on demographics and interests, Facebook is the way to go. If your focus is on capturing high-intent leads who are actively searching for homes or real estate services, Google Ads is more suitable.
2. Cost-Effectiveness
Facebook Ads: Facebook Ads are generally known for being cost-effective, especially for industries like real estate, where visuals and engaging content can capture attention. Facebook operates on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) model, meaning you can pay only for clicks or for views depending on your goal. Since you can fine-tune your audience targeting, you can minimize wasted ad spend on people who aren’t interested in real estate.
Google Ads: Google Ads tend to be more expensive, particularly for real estate, where keyword competition is high. Real estate agents often bid on high-intent keywords like “buy a house” or “real estate agent,” which can drive up CPC rates. However, Google Ads can yield a higher return on investment (ROI) due to the quality of leads.
Which is better for real estate? For agents working with a limited budget and focusing on brand awareness or broader audience engagement, Facebook Ads may offer better cost-efficiency. However, if you are focused on lead generation and willing to invest in high-quality leads, Google Ads can be worth the higher CPC rates.
3. Ad Formats and Creativity
Facebook Ads: Facebook excels in creative flexibility, offering various ad formats such as carousel ads, video ads, slideshow ads, and more. For real estate, showcasing properties through high-quality images and virtual tours can be incredibly effective. Agents can run video walkthroughs of homes, post engaging property slideshows, and even leverage user-generated content to build trust with potential buyers.
Google Ads: While Google offers different ad formats, including text, display, and video ads (through YouTube), it’s more limited in creative flexibility compared to Facebook. The standard Google search ad is text-based, meaning you won’t have the same visual appeal as Facebook. However, Google Display Ads and YouTube video ads offer options for visual engagement.
Which is better for real estate? For visually-driven campaigns that showcase the beauty of a property, Facebook Ads offers superior creative options. Google Ads can work well for informational or text-heavy campaigns aimed at people already deep into the research phase.
4. Lead Quality
Facebook Ads: The leads generated by Facebook Ads are often in the research phase or are interested in learning more about real estate. They may not be ready to make a decision right away. Therefore, Facebook works better for top-of-the-funnel strategies, where the goal is to capture interest and nurture leads over time.
Google Ads: Google Ads typically generate higher-quality leads since users actively search for real estate services or properties. These leads are often more ready to take action, such as contacting an agent, scheduling a home viewing, or requesting more information about a property.
Which is better for real estate? Google Ads generally wins in terms of lead quality. If you’re looking to convert leads quickly, Google Ads might be more effective. Facebook Ads are better for building relationships and staying top of mind with potential clients.
5. Remarketing Opportunities
Facebook Ads: Facebook’s robust remarketing tools allow real estate agents to reconnect with users who previously interacted with their ads, visited their website, or engaged with their content. You can create custom audiences based on users’ actions and send them targeted ads to push them further down the sales funnel.
Google Ads: Google also offers remarketing through its Display Network and YouTube. This is helpful for staying in front of users who searched for real estate-related terms but didn’t take action. Google’s remarketing ads can follow users as they browse other websites, which can serve as a reminder of your real estate services.
Which is better for real estate? Both platforms offer effective remarketing options. If your audience spends more time on social media, Facebook is ideal. If your audience is more active on the web, Google’s Display Network could be a better fit.
Conclusion
Choosing between Facebook Ads and Google Ads for real estate depends on your goals, budget, and target audience. Facebook Ads are excellent for visually showcasing properties, targeting specific demographics, and building brand awareness. On the other hand, Google Ads are better for capturing high-quality leads from users with strong purchase intent.
Ultimately, a combination of both platforms could provide the best results, allowing you to build awareness through Facebook Ads while capturing intent-driven leads through Google Ads.
Experimenting with both and analyzing performance metrics will help you decide which platform aligns better with your real estate marketing strategy.
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