There are 2.32 billion active monthly users on Facebook with 63% of real estate marketers creating video ads to target segments of this audience. This focus on real estate video ads is for a good reason: more people are watching videos on Facebook than on YouTube. Plus estimates show that 78% of all mobile data will be video by 2021.

With so much exposure and the proven success of video, it’s worth incorporating video into your ad campaign to stand out and capture your audience’s attention. In fact, real estate videos have become a way for agents to get more leads. For example, research shows that properties with videos result in 4X more leads than properties without videos.

To help you get more leads, here’s a deep dive into how to create real estate video ads and how to use them to drive more traffic back to your website.

Why video marketing matters in real estate

Before we get into how to create real estate video ads, let’s look at why you need these types of ads in the first place.

People spend 5X longer watching video on Facebook than reading other types of posts. In fact, even though Facebook’s organic reach has dropped in recent years, videos still have a higher reach than standard text and image posts.

What’s great about videos is they’re inexpensive to create. You don’t need expensive equipment—a phone to film your footage and a tripod to keep the phone steady are all you need to get started. You can even use Facebook’s Mobile Studio to add creative elements, like graphics and bold font, to make videos more engaging and to get people to stop scrolling and watch.

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To make video marketing work for you, the first step is to have a clear picture of what types of clients make up your target audience. This way you can create relevant real estate video ads that they will respond to. Start by creating buyer personas. Ask yourself questions like:

• What type of property is my ideal client looking for?
• What’s their budget?
• What areas appeal to them?
• What amenities are important to them?
• What types of incentives get them to take action?
• What are their main concerns in their home search?
• What are their main concerns with selling their home?

The answers to these questions will help you create lots of different types of ads that cater to each buyer persona you come up with. The more specific your real estate video ads are, the better your chances of attracting hot leads.

Also, keep in mind that the first three seconds of your video ads have to quickly grab attention and build interest. For example, share the main pain point each buyer persona faces so that the value of the video ad is immediately clear. This makes sure viewers know why they need to watch and stop scrolling.

To get people to pay attention to the first few seconds of your video ad:

• Use a bold statement.
• Add a striking image.
• Share an important stat.
• Ask a leading question.
• Include a testimonial.

The point here is to show viewers why you’re the best choice to work with by immediately tapping into what matters most to them.

How to create your first real estate video ad

Once you have decided on your buyer personas, developed a script, and created your videos, you’re ready to make your real estate video ads. There are two ways to create video ads on Facebook. You can promote videos published on your Facebook page or upload videos using the Facebook Ads Manager. Here’s how each option works.

Promote video posts

This option is great for one-off video posts that you want a large segment of your audience to see. They’re quick and easy to create once you’ve set up an Ads Manager account.

To start, upload a video to your Facebook page. This can be a video of a new listing, a customer testimonial, a new service you offer, or an event you’re promoting.

Once you click publish, a “Boost Post” button appears at the bottom right corner of the post. Click this to get started:

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You’ll have the option to select your target audience, confirm your budget, and specify your audience and size. All of the prep work you did beforehand to create buyer personas comes in handy here.

To stay organized, create a list of the types of videos you’ll boost. Let’s say one of your buyer personas is millennials between the ages of 25-35 who value condo amenities. Your list of videos to boost might include videos of fitness rooms, pools, and party rooms.

For another group, like families buying larger homes and in the research stage of their customer journey, your list of videos might include you talking about your services—like property quotes or discounted home staging.

The benefit of having lists is they act as guides for the types of posts to boost. Anyone on the team managing the company Facebook page can step in and help as needed.

Facebook Ads Manager

When you log into your Facebook Ads Manager account, the first step is to choose an objective. Your objective is based on the outcome you want for your video. For example:

• If the goal for your ad is to reach as many people as possible, choose “Reach.”
• If your goal is to get as many people in your target audience to watch your video ad, choose “Video Views.”
• If your goal is to share a new service you’ve launched, choose “Brand Awareness.”

Based on the objective you choose, Facebook will automatically optimize your ads to get as many views as possible to match that objective.

Also note that at the bottom of the objective selection page, you can also decide if you want to:

• A/B test features like audience and placement.
• Optimize your budget to spread across multiple ad sets to get more results.

The next few steps of the ad setup—audience, ad placement, and budget—are the same steps you’d use for image ads. We’ve put together a comprehensive guide for you on how to set up ads. Read it here: How to Set Up Your First Facebook Real Estate Ad.

The next part of the ad setup is where you get to be creative. First, you choose what type of video you’d like to upload. There are six types of videos to choose from.

• Short videos and GIFs – These short ads can also be used as promoted posts on your page. The most successful videos have high-quality images and animations and are no more than 8 MB in size.
• Vertical videos – These are full-screen video ads that are designed for mobile since over 50% of Facebook videos are viewed on mobile. Facebook users are receptive to vertical videos and see brands that use them as innovative. Vertical videos also make it easier for you to direct where viewers look and pay attention by zooming in or scrolling to a section.
• IG Stories – If you also have a strong following on Instagram, you can even share real estate video ads there by editing the placement. Since Facebook also owns Instagram, creating ads for both platforms is simple when you use the Ads Manager.
• Carousel – You can include two or more videos with each one showing its own headline and CTA. This video type is great for showcasing multiple features or amenities at once for properties you’re trying to sell.
• Collection – This ad type lets you combine images and video to make it easier for people to explore and research before they reach out to you. The benefit of this ad type is viewers get to see lots of relevant information at once.
• In-stream videos – These videos are a little longer than the ones above and target people who are already watching lots of videos from Facebook publishing partners.

Once you’ve chosen which video type to use, upload your video(s) and make sure that they follow the referenced specs:

Next, add in any extra content you feel will help attract viewers. For example, add in a quirky welcome message to make viewers feel good about stopping to watch your video.

Add a CTA like Get Directions, Book Now, Call Now, or Request Time based on the content of the ad. If you want viewers to book an appointment to see a featured property, use the Request Time CTA. When you’re creating your video, consider adding in “soft” CTAs throughout. This can be simply saying something like, “if you want to be one of the first people to see this hot new listing, give me a call to schedule a viewing.” Or flash a “Call Me” CTA on the screen halfway through the video.

Preview your ad before you publish it. Check to see what it looks like in different placements. For example, check to see how the ad looks on mobile and on desktop news feeds where videos automatically start playing when users scroll to them. If everything looks good, click confirm to submit the ad to Facebook to approve. Once the ad’s approved, it’ll be published for your audience to see.

Keep track of how your ads are performing in the Ads Reporting view. This is where you can create custom reports, dig into insights, and export data to share with your team.

Reports update automatically, so it’s easy to know which ads to keep running and which ones to pause because they aren’t getting views or clicks.

Best practices for high-converting real estate video ads

To help get your creative juices flowing, here are four major best practices—and examples—your real estate video ads need. These will help get them noticed and encourage viewers to click on them to find out more.

Include text overlay

78.2% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. Make your video ads easy to follow if users watch them without sound by using a combination of text overlays and images that help you tell a story. This way your videos make sense even when there’s no sound.

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Throughout this video ad, there’s a combination of text and agents being interviewed. The text punctuates the points being made, and the black, white, and red color scheme really stands out as unique and modern.

Keep videos short

The optimal length of a video ad is 15 seconds or less. As a result, short videos need to get your points across quickly. Put your offer first in the video, so viewers don’t have to guess at what you’re offering and don’t click away before hearing it.

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This ad is less than 15-seconds long but does a good job of outlining the types of homes the agency specializes in. The white font stands out against the professional images, which are a great way to get people to stop and spend a few short seconds watching the video. The headline “Find your perfect home before anyone else” also appears at the end of the video. This reinforces the agency’s main objective.

A/B test different versions

Testing multiple variations helps you see which videos have the best engagement—likes, shares, and comments—and the most click-through rates. Once you zero in on the types of video ads that work for your buyer personas, you can create more of the same videos to meet your campaign objectives.

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In this example, there are lots of customer testimonials throughout the video. There’s even a testimonial in the ad headline. A/B testing audience responses—like calling an agent—would have shown that this agent’s particular audience is more likely to reach out to her when they hear about the experiences of other clients firsthand.

Use 360 videos for promoted posts

Since short videos work well for promoted posts, use 360 videos to give viewers as much insight into what you’re advertising in a short amount of time. For example, you can quickly show certain rooms in a house to pique audience interest. This might be the kitchen or master bathroom depending on audience preferences. This approach lets buyers quickly explore interesting homes before reaching out to book a formal viewing appointment.

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What’s great about this post is that it uses a 360 video as a virtual tour. These types of videos are convenient because people don’t have to leave the comfort of their home to search for new houses. By the time they reach out to you, they’re further along their customer journey because they’ve already seen inside the house and have a good idea of whether it’ll meet their needs.

Get started with your real estate video ads

Now you have what you need to start creating and sharing real estate video ads that stand out and get you leads. Remember, it might take some time to find out what works best for your buyer personas, but once you know, you’re on your way to building a solid customer base.

Keep testing and experimenting to find new and interesting ways to engage your audience and to make them stop scrolling and pay attention for a few seconds. Video on Facebook is competitive, but if you keep at it, you’re sure to be successful.