8 real estate ad ideas to help you get creative

In the competitive world of real estate, you can’t afford to let the quality of your ads be the reason you’re not seeing new leads. 

Potential buyers are plugged in and overwhelmed with options. To grab their attention, you need high-quality ad copy and images. Here are 8 inspiring examples to help you uplevel your marketing campaigns and attract more leads on every platform.

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8 effective real estate ads to help boost lead generation

To put it simply:

Ads that convert are ads that connect.

Digital marketing trends move fast, especially in real estate. To keep you a step ahead, we’ve gathered a range of examples for every platform, plus practical insights on why they work.

1. Use photos, videos, and reviews in your Google ads

You already know that listings with high-quality photos sell, but The Bizzarro Agency team takes its ad imagery to the next level by incorporating photos of the real estate professionals who make up their team, plus compelling customer testimonial videos.

The New York-based team bakes an extra layer of credibility into its Google Local Services Ads (LSA) with social proof to the tune of 700+ Google reviews. In a single glance, their audience immediately knows that this is a brand that can be trusted.

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2. Invest in high-quality images for sponsored property listings

The best ads say a lot with a little. Take this sponsored listing from Tahoe Luxury Properties, for example.

This ad immediately gets viewers to stop scrolling, with breathtaking photos of the Lake Tahoe area and the many jaw-dropping properties it has to offer. The viewer can immediately tell that the real estate team at Tahoe Luxury Properties put time and effort into creating quality images for new listings.

3. Use lifestyle content in your Facebook real estate ads

This impressively shot aspirational ad from the real estate team at Engel & Volkers Aspen puts potential new homeowners right there on the slopes. 

While the actual $12M home listing is impressive in its own right, taking a more interactive and authentic approach to your Facebook real estate ads can help your ad campaigns stand out above the real estate listings flooding the platform.

4. Level up Instagram ads with professional videography

It doesn’t get more inspiring than this clever video ad from Robert Slack LLC. The ad combines compelling storytelling with stunning videography to celebrate the team and stand out as a brokerage that has over a decade’s experience.

5. Answer the question ‘why us?’

This straightforward ‘why us’ ad from Gary Ashton of Nashville-based Ashton Real Estate Group strikes the perfect conversational tone. No frills. No fluff.

Just the owner of the team sharing a clear answer to the number one question in a potential new customer’s mind: Why should I work with you? In this case, the answer is simple: If you have a problem, Gary and his team have the resources to solve it.

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6. Be specific in your ad copy

The Linkedin ads from Lisa Wolschina and Associates are great examples of ads that speak directly to the specific needs of its target audience. 

The ad copy starts with a simple question: “Relocating for a new job?” This makes it easy for LinkedIn users who have just gotten a new job to click into the in-feed ad and get the process started.

7. Take advantage of seasonal real estate ads

With the rise of video, there’s so much more you can do than the traditional carousel ad. 

This YouTube ad from Engel & Volkers Vail Valley Real Estate gives home buyers a real taste of what it might feel like to be a part of the local community. It’s family-oriented and paints a perfect picture of a winter wonderland. This type of Hallmark style seasonal ad is guaranteed to make its target audience feel something.

8. Add a dash of humor to your video ads

If it feels authentic, the combination of humor and video can work wonders for growing brand awareness on all the right social media platforms.

This video from the Wydler Brothers of Compass might be the single funniest real estate video ad on the internet. When a user searches for ‘real estate agents near DC’ on Google Maps, it comes right up. And in less than 3 minutes, this ad leaves the viewer with an impression they’ll never forget. (Be sure not to miss the bloopers at the end! 😂)

How to make real estate ads that work

Ads that convert are ads that connect. This is the case for any industry, but real estate in particular is grounded in personal stories of home, family, and belonging. 

The goal is to move your audience and capture their hearts right away. Do that, and they’ll know  they can trust you with the largest purchase they may ever make.

Here are some best practices to keep in mind as you start scaling your ad campaigns.

• Get clear on your audience: Find out who they are, what they're looking for and most importantly, how they want to feel after working with you.
• Set the right ad goals: Before spending more money on advertising, take time to understand what success looks like for your business and which metrics matter most.
• Measure your results: Create a system for tracking your leads, appointments, and total deals booked for each channel and campaign.

How Follow Up Boss helps you track your best campaigns

Now that your ad creative is optimized and up-to-date, how do you know which lead sources are delivering the most value? 

In Follow Up Boss, the marketing report tracks lead traffic to help you decide which platforms to focus on.

Usually, Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Facebook Ads already include UTM information that we can use to add this data directly into the marketing report. But you can also add your own UTM codes to any ad campaigns you run. 

FUB users can also set the report to view the first touch (where the lead originally came from) or all touch (showing all events tied to a lead) to help you understand where new leads are generated or how they travel through the real estate funnel.

Inside the marketing report, you’ll see easily scannable columns for:

• Platform: By clearly marking the name of the marketing source, you can view all your top channels at a glance.
• Leads: Easily see the number of contacts per marketing source, or simply click the number to view a list of contacts.
• Appointments: See the number of appointments made from each marketing source.
• Deals Closed: Know exactly how many deals were closed from each source.
• Deal Value: See the total sum value of the deals closed.

Don't be afraid to test and keep testing until you find what works for your target audience. With ad creative that resonates and centralized reporting to view your results, you can easily pinpoint which channels and ad campaigns deliver the best ROI. From there, it’s just about doing more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

Get more out of your real estate marketing

For decades, real estate advertising has been one of the key ways agents and teams connect with new buyers and sellers. But it’s no longer about black-and-white newspaper ads, handwritten CMAs, or a dictionary-length MLS.

With the rise in digital advertising, it can be hard to stand out and win leads. But just because it’s tough doesn’t mean it’s impossible. With the right approach and the right creative, you can get more out of your real estate advertising.

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