Facebook Ad Basics for Real Estate Agents: Boosting a Post

Digital advertising on Facebook offers real estate agents and brokers a targeted and effective way of reaching potential clients. But getting started with Facebook advertising may seem a little intimidating to some. It doesn’t have to be.

What Does it Mean to “Boost” a Post?

Boosting a post is an easy, cost-effective way to advertise your marketing content, listings, and services on Facebook. In this post, you’ll learn about the basics of boosting a post and you’ll get some actionable ideas that you can use to reach your audience on Facebook. For Facebook business Page users, you’ve probably noticed the blue button at the bottom right hand corner of your posts that says “Boost Post.”

That’s where we’re going!

Related: Want to get better at marketing your real estate business on social media? Get 40 actionable tips in our Social Media Growth Guide! What is a boosted post anyway? A boosted post is a type of advertising that allows you to pay to make your content reach a broader audience on Facebook than it would normally. Because Facebook limits the content that users see in their news feed, it makes sense to boost your best posts to ensure they reach as wide an audience as possible. By boosting a post, “you’re taking part in an auction to reach” your audience; you’re paying Facebook to place your post “higher in News Feed…, so there’s a better chance your audience will see” it. Sounds like something you could use, right?

Boost Basics

Before you boost your post, take some time to review the post and your audience:

Proofread and edit: Since Facebook does not let you edit the post during the boosting process, proofread your post and decide if any changes need to be made to it prior to boosting. Try to limit the amount of text that appears in your image as this may limit the reach of your boosted post, and make your post look like it’s part of the natural Facebook experience.
Include a call to action: You want people to do something when they see your post (like your Page, call you, click a link, visit your website, download an ebook, etc.), so make it easy for them to know what to do.
Know your audience: Visit the “Insights” tab at the top of your business Page. Click “People” off to the left and look at the kinds of people who are engaging with your Page. This will help you target the best audience for your boosted post.
To boost a post, start by clicking the blue “Boost Post” button at the bottom right hand corner of the post.

Next, decide what kind of button you’d like to include and enter a link for the button if applicable. Note: Including a button is optional, but it does give people clear direction about what to do after they’ve seen your boosted post.
Select an audience (these are the people you’re targeting…you want these people to see your post).
Choose a budget and duration for your boosted post and verify your payment information. Note: For our purposes we’re looking at the basics of boosting a post. After the budget and duration sections, you may see a section about choosing a “Pixel.” This provides a way for you to get more information about the results of your boosted post. If you want this kind of information, click here to learn more about the Facebook Pixel. If not, you can skip this section.
Review your post to see how it will look in News Feed and how it will look on mobile devices.
Click the blue “Boost” button at the bottom right-hand corner of the window.
You’re done! Facebook may need to review your ad, but you should receive a notification if it’s approved and running or if any changes need to be made.

Ideas for Boosted Posts

Listing Presentation/Visual Tour
Choose a high-priority property from your inventory that you really want to get more exposure on. Use visual marketing software to create a professional listing tour, then share that tour on Facebook as a boosted post.
Video Post
Video is a great way to market your business on Facebook. Use your smartphone to create a quick video highlighting a home-maintenance tip (you could even invite a local business to join in). Make sure to include your contact information.
Housing Report
Create a monthly local housing-market report and share a link to it on Facebook. This is a great way to share helpful information with potential clients and establish yourself as a local market expert.

Get in the Advertising Game

So there you have it. Advertising on Facebook can be as easy as boosting a post. So do a little research about your followers, and create an entertaining, helpful, and engaging post. Then boost it! Let us know about how your foray into Facebook advertising went in the comments section below. Want to get better at marketing your real estate business on social media? Get 40 actionable tips in our Social Media Growth Guide!