What is Google and Facebook retargeting and how does it work for the property market?

If seeing a banner ad while browsing the internet has ever convinced you to book the flight or buy the shoes you’ve been considering - then you’ll understand the power of retargeting (also known as remarketing).  

Retargeting is all about using simple banner ads to remind the vaguely-interested that you exist and convert them into paying customers.  

If you are running, or planning to run an online markeing campaign for lead generation, remarketing is a must. We explain what it’s all about… 

Google and Facebook retargeting

What is retargeting?

Retargeting boosts your digital real estate marketing by showing your adverts to people who have already visited your website, as they continue to browse the internet or their social media accounts.

Study after study has shown that the more familiar a brand or product, and this is especially true for real estate agents, the more likely consumers are to send an enquiry or book a valuation.

So, it’s no surprise that many real estate agents capitalise on retargeting by advertising the properties a user has browsed, after they have left the agent’s website.  

what is google retargeting

How does retargeting work?

Set your site up for retargeting, and every individual visit made to your website is recorded by a code known as a cookie. Cookies are available from both Google (including YouTube) and Facebook (including Instagram) and are the foundation stones of any retargeting campaign. They allow you to compile lists of the type of visitors you receive. In the case of estate agents, this could be landlords, tenants, vendors, or those interested in purchasing a specific type of property. 

There are two type of retargeting:  

Facebook Pixel

1. Pixel-based retargeting

With pixel-based retargeting, you need to place a piece of code (a pixel) on your website. Every time a potential customer visits your pages, the pixel adds a cookie to their browser, which tells Google or Facebook, to target the customer with the right type of advert.

Pixel-based retargeting works because it means your ads will be seen by the people already looking at your site, whether they are buyers, vendors, landlords or tenants. Plus, it happens instantly, meaning your potential customers could start seeing your ads straightaway.

2. List-based retargeting

This form of retargeting uses lists of your existing customers, or visitors to your website who have provided you with their email address. List-based retargeting requires you to upload the list of contacts to the retargeting platform you wish to use.

Is there a difference between retargeting and remarketing?

Nowadays the two words, retargeting and remarketing, are used pretty much interchangeably. Technically, retargeting refers to the pixel-based approach, which creates banner ads on the platforms used by your customers. Remarketing is more about following up with leads, whose email address you already have. Confusingly, Google AdWords refers to both methods as remarketing.

remarketing

Why Is retargeting especially crucial for estate agents?

Buying (or renting) a property is one of the biggest decisions anyone is likely to make. Homebuyers and tenants can spend days and weeks researching locations, prices, and the types of homes available before contacting an estate agent to book a viewing. The same goes for landlords and vendors before booking a valuation.  

What are benefits of retargeting for estate agents?

Retargeted ads put your properties and services at the front of your potential customers’ minds. The results may not be immediate - with such big purchases or decisions your target audience may need to view your ads a few more times - but you are likely to see the impact over time.  

Retargeting will increase awareness of your brand, plus it gives the impression that your real estate business is bigger than it is and that it’s proactive. Your visitors will see your ads on sites they visit, even if those sites have nothing to do with property. The idea is to multiply your touch points with every prospect, increasing your return visits and enquiries. And, if your competitors aren’t using retargeting, it also puts you ahead of the game. 

Need Help Setting Things up?

We setup and run remarketing campaigns for estate agents  as part of their online marketing strategy.


If you want to give remarketing a go, we can help you get up and running in no time. 

How to create great retargeting campaigns:

1. Set goals

Decide who your audience is and what you want your retargeting campaign to achieve as part of your online marketing campaign. You may want to attract more landlords or vendors and promote your free valuation service. Or, you may want to attract more buyers and tenants by showing them your available stock and enticing them to book a viewing. 

2. Find your platform

Decide the most appropriate platform for your target audience. Use Google AdWords to target people browsing the web, or Facebook Ad Manager for Facebook and Instagram. Both platforms are very effective when used for the correct demographic.    

3. Set yourself up

Add the correct code to your website - visit the help sections of Google AdWords to find out how to add the Remarketing Tag or Facebook AdManager for full instructions on how to add the Facebook pixel.     

By having the correct tracking mechanism installed you will be able to measure the effectiveness of your advertising by understanding the actions people take on your website.

4. Segment your audience

Create buyer persona profiles of your target audiences – are they first-time buyers looking for a city centre flat or families searching close to a sought-after school, for example? This sets you up for delivering the right messages through your ads and will deliver much better results for your real estate marketing.      

5. Test your message

Change your ads and measure which have the most impact. Don’t overload your audience to the point of annoying them - cap the frequency at a maximum of less than 10 ads per month.      

Facebook retargeting ads

Facebook’s dynamic product ads (DPAs) help businesses promote relevant products to people who have visited its website or mobile app. Estate agents can now remarket to buyers or tenants with the exact properties viewed on their website.

The advantages of DPAs include the ability to:      

  • Set up your campaigns once and continually reach people with the properties they looked at on your website, if they haven’t booked a viewing yet.
  • Reach targets with adverts on any device they use, regardless of their original touch-point for your business.

DPAs are popular with companies trading online. However, they can also benefit businesses where sales take place off-line, such as estate agents.

At Art Division, we run dynamic remarketing campaigns for real estate agents, which not only increase the chance of conversion from a website visitor to a viewing request but also provide a point of difference when talking to potential vendors and landlords. So, a remarketing campaign can help your real estate business increase your viewings AND attract more stock.  

Google retargeting ads

Google retargeting ads

Google AdWords retargeting enables businesses, such as real estate agents, to show targeted ads to users who have already visited their site. Past visitors will see these ads while they are browsing the web, watching YouTube videos or reading news sites, ensuring your brand remains familiar to them. This will entice visitors to come back for more.

As with Facebook, you can use this approach to encourage buyers, tenants, vendors or landlords to return to your website and take action; be it filling in a form or calling your office.

You can create different Google remarketing lists. For example, you can choose to go after people who have searched your properties for sale with ads, showing them the exact properties they have looked at and inviting them to book a viewing. Or you can go after vendors who have visited your sales-related pages with a banner inviting them to book a valuation.  

What are the drawbacks?

The obvious limitation of retargeting ads is that they only work with people who already know about you - they won’t bring in new users. For this reason, retargeting needs to be used alongside a content marketing strategy aimed at raising awareness of your business and ultimately, for lead generation.   

Find out more

We can help with the set up and running of a retargeting campaign - contact us to find out more.    

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