What are some key differences between Facebook Ads and Google Ads? What are the best ads for Realtors?
As a realtor, lead generation is a top priority. Choosing the right platform for your ad campaign is crucial. You don’t want to waste time and money on ads that won’t generate leads, or use the wrong approach with ads on different platforms. For this reason, it is extremely important to learn about, and fully understand, what each platform can offer you and which is best suited to your needs as a realtor.
What are the major differences between Facebook Ads and Google Ads? What are some of the pros and cons of using either as a realtor? Should you choose one over the other? Is there a clear “winner”, or can you leverage the pros of each one to work in your favour?
Let’s face it, both these platforms are behemoths when it comes to reaching large audiences. Google statistics prove, without a doubt, that it is the largest search engine in the world, with more than two trillion searches each year! That breaks down to roughly five billion searches every day. It’s hard to beat those numbers. In fact, no one compares! And Facebook is still the leader when it comes to social media, with 1.4 billion active users, between the ages of 18-34, every day. With numbers like these, it makes sense to try to capture as many leads as possible using both platforms effectively.
When creating ad campaigns, your first consideration should be to look at who is using the particular platform and why. This helps you focus on creating ad campaigns designed to appeal to the users of each platform, by understanding who they are and why they are there.
Here are the pros and cons for both platforms and ways that you can use each to your advantage, depending on your needs as a realtor.
Google Ads and Facebook Ads: The Pros, The Cons, and How to Manage Them as a Realtor
What are the Pros for Google Ads?
Being the biggest search engine in the world is definitely a pro for Google Ads. Aside from the fact that the users are there specifically searching for something, the sheer number of potential leads it can bring you is astonishing.
It’s easy to see how letting this potential go untapped would be a huge mistake!
These are not just users that are browsing, they are users with strong intent and most likely motivated to execute transactions, using highly targeted keyword searches. Capturing leads is easier when you know exactly what they are looking for because they have searched for very specific information, using keywords, that you can target.
As a realtor, you need to design and build your Google Ads to grab the attention of users that are actively looking to buy or sell real estate, and get their information.
Google is also very mobile-friendly, another big plus.
What are the Cons for Google Ads?
Google Ads are more expensive and require more skill and knowledge to master and use effectively.
They are more focused on text or key phrases and there is a steep learning curve. Without the right tools or know-how, this can become a very expensive option that brings you nothing in return. In other words, just a waste of money.
But, if you take the time to learn how to use this platform, and it’s within your budget, it is a worthwhile investment that will bring you hot leads.
What are the Pros for Facebook Ads?
Facebook Ads are less expensive, fairly easy to use, with a strong focus on the visual. Images and videos are key elements on this platform. As a realtor, you already know how important a well-placed, stunning image can be. Great photographs are the cornerstone of successful real estate ads. Facebook’s Carousel Ads lends itself perfectly to your real estate business.
Facebook also has great tools like Custom Audience and Lookalike Audience. These are ad targeting options that help you find your existing audiences from people who are on Facebook or lists of people who “look like” those who are already engaging with your business.
These are great ways to market to your specific audience or “niche” and excellent tools to help you nurture your leads.
What are the Cons for Facebook Ads?
The con with Facebook is that it’s a social media platform and, not necessarily, a place where users go to transact. They are not looking for ads or looking to buy anything. That is not their primary intention. This results in leads that are not ready to proceed to a direct transaction, like with Google. Google users are already at that point in the pipeline, whereas Facebook users are not. They are not leads that bring immediate results or sales.
This doesn’t mean they cannot still be leads. It just means you have to be aware that they are a different type of lead and so, your approach with your ads, needs to be different.
While they are skimming through their feed, you need to be able to grab their attention with striking images and creative, captivating, informative content. Something that will make them stop scrolling, and create such an impression, that they will remember it – and you – when they are ready to buy.
As a realtor, using tools like Carousel Ads and 360-degree videos effectively, helps you stay on the minds of the users in your audience or network. Post beautiful images and videos, be informative, interact with your audience. Look at Facebook as a way to nurture future, potential leads.
Who Wins?
In the end, if you understand the pros and cons of each platform, and learn to use both of them to your advantage, the clear winner is you! The massive numbers of users that both Google and Facebook have mean that you cannot afford to ignore the huge amount of leads both platforms can bring to your door.
Use Google Ads for hot lead generation and Facebook Ads for lead nurturing. Build your ad campaigns to target Google users and Facebook users differently, with the understanding of who they are and what they are using each platform for. This way, it’s a win-win for you.
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