The Purpose of Ads: Setting Clear Objectives for Your Advertising Strategy
Every day, we have agents reaching out, eager to dive into the world of online advertising. While the enthusiasm to get started is great, the first and most critical step in the journey is to clarify what you want to achieve with ads. Without a clear objective, even the best ads may fall short of delivering real value to your business.
Why Run Ads? Understanding the Goals
Ads can serve a variety of purposes, depending on the needs of your estate or letting agency. The most common goal is to generate leads — prospects who can eventually be converted into paying clients. But lead generation is just one of the many outcomes ads can achieve. Another key purpose of advertising is to build brand awareness, which is essential for establishing credibility and visibility in a competitive market.
The clearer you are on the goal of your ads, the more effectively you can target and tailor your campaigns. Here’s a closer look at the primary objectives agents should consider:
Lead Generation: Finding New Prospects
If your agency’s goal is to bring in more prospective clients, then a lead generation campaign is the way to go. These ads are designed to attract people actively searching for services like yours, allowing you to collect valuable contact information that your sales team can follow up on. The advantage here is precision: lead generation ads can be customized to reach a specific target audience or “avatar” (such as landlords, sellers, or investors) based on demographics, interests, and location. This way, you don’t just collect names and emails — you attract high-quality leads that are genuinely relevant to your business.
Brand Awareness: Making Your Name Known
For agencies looking to build a reputation, brand awareness ads can be highly effective. These ads are less focused on immediate lead capture and more on putting your name in front of potential clients. Whether it’s introducing your agency to new areas, showcasing your expertise, or highlighting unique services, brand awareness campaigns can help you establish a foothold in your market. Over time, these ads build familiarity and trust, so when potential clients are ready to make a move, your agency is top of mind.
Customer Retargeting: Re-engaging Past Visitors
Another powerful approach is retargeting, which involves showing ads to people who have previously visited your website or engaged with your brand online. These campaigns work well for reaching people who showed interest but didn’t take action, keeping your agency visible as they continue their search. Retargeting can be especially effective for higher-value clients, such as landlords or property investors, who might require multiple touchpoints before converting.
Education and Engagement: Adding Value to the Customer Journey
Sometimes, ads are best used to educate and engage rather than directly sell. Content-driven ads that offer insights or advice can position your agency as a helpful resource. For example, a video explaining the current rental market trends or a downloadable guide for first-time landlords can attract an audience interested in learning more. This type of content is a great way to nurture leads over time, gradually moving them closer to conversion.
Key Considerations for Running Effective Ads
Before launching any ad campaign, take the time to identify exactly what your agency needs and who your ideal audience is. Here are a few tips to get started:
Define Your Ideal Customer: Who are you trying to reach? For letting and estate agents, this might include avatars like landlords, tenants, vendors, or investors. The clearer you are on your audience, the easier it is to create tailored ads that resonate.
Choose the Right Platforms: Different platforms work best for different goals. For example, Facebook and Instagram are excellent for brand awareness and visual engagement along with volume of leads, while Google Ads are effective for capturing high-intent leads actively searching for your services.
Track and Adjust: Use lead tracking and analytics tools to monitor ad performance closely. By measuring click-through rates, conversion rates, and other key metrics, you can fine-tune your ads for better results. Regularly reviewing this data is essential to understanding what’s working and where improvements can be made.
In Summary
Whether your objective is generating leads, building brand awareness, or re-engaging past visitors, every ad should have a clear purpose. A focused approach allows you to create campaigns that not only reach your target audience but also align with your business goals. By setting clear objectives and using data to guide your strategy, you can maximise the value of your ad spend and drive meaningful growth for your agency.