5 Strategies to Source Different Property Types with Facebook Ads

"Facebook Ads are the most targeted form of advertising we have ever had; they offer the ability to reach your exact audience based on demographics, interests, behaviour, and more." Gary Vaynerchuk

If you own a Deal Sourcing business, mastering the art of targeted advertising is key to growing your business, building your portfolio, and keeping your investors happy. With the vast reach and precision targeting options available on Facebook, Deal Sourcers can hone in on specific property types and attract motivated sellers effectively. In this five part guide, I’ll explore five strategies to leverage Facebook ads to target different property types, from single-family homes to multi-unit properties like HMOs. Make yourself a coffee and strap yourself in, this guide is meaty.

Key fundamentals - your target Avatars

The one thing that I always preach is the importance of training your Facebook algorithm. Over time Facebook will learn your audience, their interests, their goals - if you only want to target homeowners that drive a red car and own a white Siamese cat Facebook will know who they are. I refer to these people as your target avatars.

The difficulty is matching what Facebook knows about its users with your intended avatars, they’re two individual groups. Over time, Facebook will learn who is most likely to engage with your ad, so it will place your ad in front of them and other users with a similar avatar. This is the key principle. You can only control this with time, and budget.

1. Know Your Target Audience

To effectively target the owners of different property types with Facebook ads, it's crucial to have a deep understanding of your target audience. This may seem obvious, but the other four strategies in this guide are built around you having a strong understanding of your audience. Start by breaking down the demographics and characteristics of potential sellers of the property type you hope to source. Are they landlords looking to offload rental properties, or are they homeowners seeking to sell their family homes quickly? Understanding their motivations for selling and pain points will inform your marketing strategy and messaging.

Doing it well:

A Deal Sourcer targeting owners of single-family homes in the outskirts of Manchester finds that its mainly tired landlords within the ages of 60-75 (looking to retire) that are likely to sell. They use Facebook Audience Insights to identify homeowners in specific post codes with a high likelihood of selling.

Doing it not so well:

A Deal Sourcer targets a broad audience of homeowners without narrowing down their demographics or interests. As a result, their ad campaign fails to resonate with the target audience, leading to low engagement and poor conversion rates.

2. Deploy a relatable creative - Stop your intended sellers scroll

Visual appeal is essential when it comes to capturing the attention of your target audience on Facebook. Utilise high-quality images or videos showcasing the specific property type you're targeting. For example, if you're focusing on unconverted HMO properties, feature visuals of well-maintained shared living spaces and individual rooms to entice potential sellers. Images of landmarks in the local area also work well!

Using generic stock photos without customisation probably won't work. My favourite technique is to run carousel style ads with the front face of previously sourced properties with the headline offer statement.

Finding this content helpful? Consider signing up to my FREE Newsletter where I publish weekly tutorials teaching you how to market your Deal Sourcing Business: Subscribe | The Deal Sourcer's Dispatch (beehiiv.com)

3. Write a highly relatable Ad Copy & Offer niche to the property type

Authoring enticing ad copy that resonates with your target audience is essential for driving engagement and conversions. Tailor your messaging to address the unique selling points of selling their specific property type quickly and hassle-free. For instance, for HMO properties, consider using copy such as "Sell Your HMO Property Fast for Cash" to grab the attention of landlords or property owners in this niche.

Be direct and specifically call out the property type within the ad copy- “We buy 4 bedroom terraced houses in the Leeds area”. Don't be generic - Niche down.

An example of an offers for a property sourcer targeting HMO owning landlords may be:

"Sell Your HMO Property Stress-Free: We Buy HMOs in Any Condition! Get a Cash Offer within 36 hours."

"Maximise Your ROI: Sell Your HMO Property Quickly and Hassle-Free. Discover Our Fast and Reliable Selling Process."

4. Qualify your leads - stop wasting time!

I always deploy a two part qualification process, it saves time and stops my clients from driving to a ‘motivated’ seller that doesn't actually have any interest in selling. All Deal Sourcers using any type of digital ads should do something similar - it's important you do this with every online lead, or you'll find yourself getting your time wasted.

Step 1 - Start by using Facebook lead forms, these are built in forms tailored to gather relevant information about the lead, and in your case the property type and the seller's situation. Include questions about the type of property they own, their selling timeframe, and any specific requirements you may have. This will help you qualify leads more effectively and tailor your follow-up strategy accordingly.

Step 2 - If the lead passes your first test and they’re in your pipeline, follow up with a manual phone call. This may seem basic but the amount of Sourcers that just jump in the car and charge for what they think is a potential deal would surprise you. Score your leads, this will help you prioritise which warrant your time most.

5. Time, Budget, and Testing

Patience and strategic budget allocation are crucial when running Facebook ads and targeting a specific property type. Set realistic expectations for the time it takes for Facebook's algorithm to optimise your campaigns and generate results. Allocate a sufficient budget for testing different ad variations and targeting options to identify what resonates best with your target audience. Monitor performance metrics closely and be prepared to iterate and refine your strategy based on the data.

You need to be realistic. Facebook's algorithm needs time to learn your audience, don't give up after 3 days of not generating results. The higher the budget the more potential leads it can test it with. Set yourself a barrier that once you hit you'll implement changes (£60 may be a good starting point). Don't just go for the fire and forget method - make sure to test variations of your ad copy and creatives. After a week of testing you might find one ad copy variation is generating you sellers of the property type, double down on this.

It's a mental battle - at my Lead Generation agency, Digital to Vendor, we cover the ad spend meaning our clients don't get the shivers when they’ve Invested £150 into Facebook ads with no meaningful result. If you want to understand the benefit of outsourcing your online lead generation to a specialised agency then get in touch at [email protected].

Finding this content helpful? Consider signing up to my FREE Newsletter where I publish weekly tutorials teaching you how to market your Deal Sourcing Business: Subscribe | The Deal Sourcer's Dispatch (beehiiv.com)

Summary

Mastering Facebook ads to target different property types is a game-changer for Deal Sourcers looking to expand their reach and attract motivated sellers. By following these five strategies and crafting compelling offers tailored to specific property niches, you can effectively generate leads and drive business growth in the UK’s deal packaging market.