There’s been a recent change in Facebook and Instagram ads, but this time, for the better!
Before December 2020, if you wanted to advertise a listing, you could get as specific as the first three digits of a postal code as well as narrowing the age range and adding particular interests.
After the rules changed, Meta required that any ad connected to a real estate page had to be identified as a special ad category (housing) in order to be approved and start running. As a result, any ad was going out to users over 18 in a 15 mile radius. You could narrow down your focus with broad interests such as ‘real estate’ or ‘financial planning’, and this was about as good as you could get. You still reached people who were interested in what you were posting, but you could not narrow down the distance.
This wasn’t the end of the world if you worked a large geographic area, but if you farmed a specific neighbourhood, you were out of luck.
But no more! The rules have been softened a little, and now if you’re offering tips related to homeownership or home buying, market news, or something that isn’t directly related to a housing opportunity (see full list below), you can get more specific with your audience.
This includes again having the ability narrowing it down by the first three digits of a postal code, age, gender, and specific interests. For instance, you could advertise to women between 35 and 55 who live in M3J and like lululemon.
Does it work?
I tested it with one client recently and we spent $5. The ad was approved and we reached over 740 people who fit a specific age range and postal code.
If you want to have a chat about Facebook ads or creating custom audiences, please get in touch!
What constitutes a housing opportunity:
• Sale, rental or temporary housing listings
• Homeowners insurance offers, including insurance bundles
• Renters insurance offers, including insurance bundles
• Mortgage insurance offers, including insurance bundles
• Financing options, including mortgage loans
• Home equity or appraisal services
• Real estate and house hunting services
• Aggregator services
