How Real Estate Agents Can Dominate with $1/Day Facebook & Instagram Ads
- Jerad Larkin
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
Introduction
If you're a real estate agent or mortgage lender who’s been wondering how to stay top of mind in a crowded market without breaking the bank, you’re in the right place. In this blog post, I’m walking you through one of the most cost-effective, scalable, and underutilized marketing strategies I teach in my classes: $1/day Facebook and Instagram Ads for Brand Awareness.
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this method is all about consistency, visibility, and building trust at scale. It's not about complicated funnels or aggressive lead gen — it’s about showing up for your audience in a way that keeps your name front and center, all year long.
Why $1/Day Ads Are a No-Brainer for Real Estate Pros
Let’s start with the big picture. Real estate is a repeat and referral-based business. So the million-dollar question becomes:
How do you stay top of mind with your database, your sphere, and your community — without being annoying, time-strapped, or overwhelmed by the algorithm?
Answer: Run Meta brand awareness ads for $1/day.
These ads let you:
Build brand familiarity at scale
Stay visible to past clients and prospects
Warm up your audience for future conversions
Increase your perceived authority
Do all of the above with minimal effort and budget
In my opinion, if you’re not doing this, you’re missing out on one of the easiest ways to grow and maintain your business.
What Are Meta Ads?
Meta Ads = Facebook + Instagram Ads (since both platforms are owned by Meta)
When we talk about Meta ads, we’re referring to the ability to create targeted campaigns that show up in people's feeds, Stories, and Reels on both Facebook and Instagram.
But here's the key difference: we're not running aggressive lead ads — we're running brand awareness campaigns that slowly and consistently remind people who you are and what you do.
This is especially powerful in a world where:
The average adult sees over 400 ads a day
81% of home sellers hire the first agent they talk to
71% of buyers only interview one real estate agent
Social media platforms are pay-to-play
Your goal? Be the first name that comes to mind.
Why Boosting Posts Isn’t Enough (and May Hurt You)
You’ve probably clicked that little “Boost Post” button before. It’s tempting. It’s easy. And it's also a waste of money if you want true results.
Boosted posts limit your targeting, don’t allow custom audience uploads, and—if you’re using your iPhone to boost—Apple takes a 30% cut of your ad spend.
Instead, you want to run your ads through the Meta Business Suite, where you can:
Upload your custom audience (past clients, agents, leads)
Track reach and frequency
Control every detail of your campaign
Avoid the algorithm and pay less per impression
Step-by-Step: How to Set Up $1/Day Real Estate Ads
Let’s break this down in a practical, step-by-step format:
Step 1: Set Up Meta Business Suite
Go to business.facebook.com and create a Business Manager account. You’ll need to:
Connect your Facebook Business Page
Connect your Instagram Professional Account
Set up your Ads Manager and payment method
✅ Pro Tip: Use a laptop or desktop — NOT the Facebook or Instagram mobile apps.
Step 2: Convert to an Instagram Professional Account
This unlocks analytics, ad capabilities, and better visibility.
To do this:
Open Instagram
Go to “Edit Profile”
Scroll down and click “Switch to Professional Account”
Choose your category (e.g. Real Estate Agent, Mortgage Broker)
Step 3: Create a Facebook Business Page
Even if organic reach is minimal, your page is required to run ads. Plus, it allows you to run ads through the Meta Business Suite with access to all targeting features.
Step 4: Build Custom Audiences
This is the secret sauce.
You can create a custom audience from:
Past client lists (upload emails + phone numbers via CSV)
Website visitors
People who engaged with your Instagram or Facebook
Followers of your Facebook Page
Users in your farm area (via Title Toolbox)
🎯 Pro Tip: Use tools like Title Toolbox to pull emails and phone numbers by zip code, property type, or mortgage data — and target those homeowners directly.
Step 5: Choose Your Campaign Objective
For brand awareness ads, your goal is simple:
➡️ Select “Awareness” as your campaign type.
This tells Meta: “Show my ad to as many people as possible within my target audience who are most likely to pay attention.”
This is NOT a conversion or lead gen campaign. It's about staying visible.
Step 6: Set Your Budget
Set your daily budget to $1/day — yes, really.
I typically run these for 30 days at a time, spending $30/month per campaign.
At $1/day, I regularly get:
100 to 200+ impressions
Reach in the thousands over 30 days
Frequency of 3–5x per person
And all for the cost of a cup of coffee.
Step 7: Select Your Ad Content
Your ad can be:
A talking head video
A testimonial graphic
A 5-star review
A screenshot of your Google Business page
A Reel or short-form video
A listing promo
A buyer or seller guide lead magnet
🎥 Video performs best, especially when YOU are in it.
Your goal? Remind people you’re the trusted professional they should call when the time comes.
Best Audiences to Target for Real Estate Ads
Here are the top audience ideas I recommend you start with:
1. Past Clients
Upload emails and phone numbers in a CSV and retarget them with brand awareness content. Stay top of mind.
2. Instagram Engagers
Target everyone who’s interacted with your Instagram in the past 365 days.
3. Facebook Page Followers
Use your Facebook Page engagement to your advantage. Invite more friends to follow your Page, then run ads to them.
4. Real Estate Agents (if you’re a lender)
Upload your database of agent contacts. Send them weekly tips, marketing ideas, and co-branded content.
5. Farm Area or Geographic Targeting
Use Title Toolbox to pull homeowner data in a zip code or neighborhood. Upload it. Run your video ad. Boom — you’re farming digitally.
Real Estate Advertising Rules: Special Ad Categories
Because we’re in real estate, Meta restricts targeting.
To comply:
Select “Housing” under Special Ad Categories every time you run a campaign
Your radius must be at least 15 miles
You cannot target by age, gender, or zip code
BUT you can still use custom audiences to get around most of this. Just upload your list.
What Metrics Should You Track?
Keep it simple:
Reach: Number of unique people who saw your ad
Impressions: Total times your ad was seen
Frequency: How many times each person saw your ad (aim for 4–6/month)
💡 If someone sees your face every week, they’re more likely to remember you when they need your service.
What Should My Ads Look Like?
Use Canva or CapCut to create:
Short talking head clips (30–60 seconds)
Tip videos: “3 Mistakes Sellers Make in 2025”
Review graphics
Market updates
Open house invites
Event recaps
Property promos
Key tips:
Add captions
Include your contact info or website
End with a soft CTA (e.g., “Reach out if you have questions about the market!”)
Content Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
Here’s the thing: the ad doesn’t need to be fancy — it just needs to be consistent.
I’ve helped agents:
Run selfie videos with no editing
Use Canva templates with a quote and their logo
Promote Homebot, CMAs, and free guides
Done is better than perfect. Get visible. Stay visible.
The Power of Frequency
Marketing is a game of frequency and familiarity.
According to Gary Keller’s book The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, it used to take 33 touchpoints a year to stay top of mind.
That was in 2004. Now? Probably double.
If your organic content only reaches 10% of your audience, your Meta ads can fill in the gap and help you scale your touchpoints without lifting a finger.
Real Success Stories
I’ve personally run these ads to real estate agents for over 6 years — and they work. Here’s what I’ve seen:
✅ Agents landing listings in farm areas after consistent ad exposure
✅ Lenders booking meetings with agents they hadn’t connected with before
✅ Past clients referring new business after seeing a friendly reminder ad
✅ Brand authority skyrocketing simply because “people keep seeing your face”
Final Thoughts
If you’re a real estate agent, mortgage lender, or industry pro who’s tired of playing by the algorithm’s rules — or worse, doing nothing — it’s time to take action.
Start simple. Start smart. And start today.
$1/day can change the game for your business.
Questions? Contact:
Jerad Larkin
Sales Executive, Chicago Title Colorado
📞 303.630.9430
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