What is Facebook advertising (and how it will help you sell your Lancaster and Morecambe home)

This is Facebook advertising.  It is a very clever marketing tool which works based on a combination of your recent online behaviour and sophisticated online targeting.  We use it in our estate agency, to help sell our clients' homes.  

Facebook is a very modern way of marketing.  It is the fastest-growing way to advertise and market your home for sale.  It is also becoming one of the most effective ways.  We still use traditional ways such as local press - after all Lancaster and Morecambe are both a traditional city and town.   We still use Rightmove, Zoopla and Prime Location.   These forms of advertising though rely on a person going to those websites.   Used correctly,  Facebook adverts go direct to them.   Facebook turns advertising on its head. 

Please note Facebook advertising is not just uploading your property to your profile or even your estate agents business page.  It is a lot more than that. Here are just a few things you need to look out for……

Create an advert

First of all your property needs an advert.  Facebook has lots of options on how to do and also display this.   The main thing is that your advert needs to be eye-catching.  Here are some things to consider.

• A stand out image or video
• A great headline title
• Keywording that makes the reader want to click
• Use Emoji’s to help grab attention
• A link back to your property details on your agent's website

Next, create an audience

You and your estate agent need to think about to whom your home is going to appeal.  Your audience can be created by location,  by age range,  even by interests, habits and behaviours. Here are some examples…

• A family home close to excellent primary schools -  aim this advert at families with children aged under 10 years
• A 2-bed bungalow close to local shops  - aim this advert at semi-retired people, within the local area aged 55+
• A barn conversion with 5 acres of fields - this could be aimed at people with equestrian interests, small holdings,  even those that like the good life.  You can even ask Facebook to show it to people who have an interest in 4x4 vehicles.  

Set a budget

Facebook charges to use their advertising.  They are after all a business.  Facebook adverts though can start from as little as £1 a day.  The amount you spend per day, per advert is down to you and your estate agent.  It doesn’t need a big budget to achieve great results.

Share, share, share

Once your advert is live,  remember sharing is caring.   Share it yourself and ask your friends and family to share it too.   The more people that see your advert and the more engagement it gets encourages Facebook to show it more widely. 

When choosing an estate agent,  take a look closely at their social media usage and also skills.  Find out if they create videos for their homes.  Facebook loves video and gives it preference over still photos - if your home has a video, quite simply put it will be seen by more people.   

There is so much more to Facebook advertising than just this,  I have many more tips to share with you. This guide, however, is a useful starting point for you. If you would like to know more about how Facebook advertising can help sell your home, please just get in touch with me.

The author Michelle Gallagher of JDG Estate Agents is currently rated No.1 in the UK for social media engagement in estate agency ( source Zoopla Power 100 leaderboard )