Social Media ads vs Google ads; Which Is Better For Realtors?

“Should I go for social media or google ads?”. 

This is one of the more common questions we get from our clients when they decide to run ads for their new launches. We usually tell them that the answer varies based on what their budget and campaign intentions are. 

But if we’re being honest, we do have a preference. One with powerful lead generating abilities and high return on investment. 

But instead of telling you which you should opt for right off the bat, let’s first discuss the pros and cons of each strategy, before we cover our recommended platform. 

Without much further ado, let’s dive into the topic! 

Just like how we use social media to connect with others and maintain these relationships, you can use the same concept to understand what running ads on these platforms can do for your real estate business.

But let’s put things into perspective and take a look at some of the advantages of running social media ads; 

Social media helps businesses reach, connect, and engage with their target audiences. While increasing engagement rates doesn’t directly translate to sales, it does prepare buyers to take the necessary steps to purchase the home. 

Think of it as a warm up – social media ads essentially help warm up audiences to the idea of your new condo launch or the amenities that come with it. This increases a prospect’s interest in your campaign and encourages them to reach out with questions or comments, ultimately boosting your post to a larger audience number.  

Pro tip: If you’re not interested in using social media ads, but just the platforms themselves, be sure to post fresh and interesting content regularly to catch the attention of your target market. 

With a wide number of Singaporeans using social media platforms on a daily basis, tapping into the ads these sites offer are one of the best ways to not only promote your listings, but also get the name of your property marketing agency out there. 

Appearing in people’s social media feeds can do wonders for increasing your brand visibility as well as helping your business stay fresh in people’s minds – even if it’s on a subconscious level.

With so many people using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, advertising on these sites is a marketing strategy you do not want to miss out on. But nothing comes without their disadvantages – and social media is no exception. 

So, here are the cons to running social media ads; 

One of the things people love about social media is the freedom it gives you – and while this offers loads of personal benefits, it can become somewhat of an issue under professional circumstances. 

When competitors refuse to be professional or a random troller spots your property ads, it’s easy for things to quickly go south – because all it takes is a single comment to tarnish the reputation and impression you worked so hard to build. 

If a customer sees anything negative online about your new launch, listings, or services, they could easily lose trust in your brand and instead, opt for your competitor. 

Anyone who has used social media apps are no stranger to the fact that your security and privacy is not guaranteed on these platforms. 

With the rise of technological advancements, also comes the rise of hackers, unethical people, and those with malicious intent. Unfortunately, this is something that’s out of our control – no matter the promises the creators of these sites make on tighter protocols and better protection. 

Let’s be honest; A security breach is the last thing you want to deal with when you’re trying to get the most out of your real estate marketing effort on social media. The simple truth is nobody wants to risk their business, marketing budget, time, and effort in the hands of unreliable platforms.

If you’ve done your research on online advertising, we’re sure you would have come across Google Ads – Google’s paid advertising (PPC) services.

Now, let’s explore the advantages of this platform;  

When was the last time you searched something online and where did you go to find this information? 

We bet you Google-ed it. 

Just like that, harnessing Google Ads puts your real estate services and property campaigns on display to anyone who searches anything related to it. 

This means when you advertise your properties on Google, you’re advertising to hundreds or thousands of buyers who have already made a search with the intention of buying! 

Now, that’s a powerful tool to have when you’re looking to quickly generate leads and earn your comms. 

With Google Ads, you’re not just shooting in the dark to anyone who is there. Instead, you’re making carefully calculated moves to put your property ads in the line of sight of people who would find your ad appealing enough to click on it and leave behind their contact details. 

So, if you’re selling a luxury condo or an affordable 2-bedder flat, you can easily target the demographic of people who can afford these varying options with Google Ads! 

And now onto the cons of Google Ads; 

The first – and most commonly considered disadvantage of having a Google Ads paid campaign is that you have to pay for every click. 

What does this mean? 

Well, in simple words, you pay whenever someone clicks on your property ads, regardless of whether that click converted or not.

But this point is a little tricky because it’s hard to truly consider this a con when you’re narrowing down your expenditure to people who are most likely interested in what you’re offering. 

Just think back of the last time you clicked on an ad, but left without converting; weren’t you interested in learning more about the offer? Your interest probably just stopped short at actually making the purchase, right?   

This means users who left without converting might either be on the fence of buying, still considering their options, or simply intrigued by the offer. But regardless of what the reason really was, this is still a good marketing attempt because it at least got your agency’s name out there. 

So, while we ended up putting down this point as a con, we encourage you to take it with a grain of salt!  

Other than crafting attractive ad copies, you also have to take into account the page your buyers land on once they’re hooked on your ad’s bait. 

You see, marketing is a process. This means there are multiple steps to getting a hot lead. And buyers in general are slippery enough to get out of your grasp if the next step doesn’t make a good enough impression, just like your ad did. 

This means realtors will have to pay extra attention to their landing pages if they want to turn those clicks into leads. 

Pro tip: Hiring a digital marketing agency with experiences in creating as well as optimizing your property landing page should take care of this problem for you! 

Simply put, when you plan on buying a product, nobody thinks to first hop on apps like Facebook and Instagram in search for it – they choose Google instead. 

Now put yourself in the shoes of buyers; if you don’t even use social media apps for products, we’re betting you never even considered buying a home via these sites, right? 

Don’t get us wrong, we like social media ads. 

But they’re good for promoting, not making sales. There’s simply little to no ‘buying-intent’ when people use social media. 

Google on the other hand has incredible exposure opportunities as the biggest search engine on the planet. So long as you’ve done your research on your buyers and you’re aware of the keywords as well as search phrases you’re targeting, you’ll be on your way to generating quality leads in no time! 

Looking for Google ads experts to help you create attractive, high-converting, and click-worthy ads? Look no further than SellMoreCondos (SMC)! Within just 2.5 years, we’ve helped over 80 realtors across Singapore generate thousands of leads on their campaigns and even earn $30,000 to $180,000 more in comms. But that’s not all we’re capable of – our creative team are also well-versed in crafting landing pages and property microsites tailored to the needs of our clients and their respective campaigns with the help of our range of affordable packages. Sounds too good to be true? Get in touch with us and see our work for yourself!