As of Q2 2016, Facebook had 1.71 billion monthly active users, according to statista.com.

This large group of active users can be reached through Facebook’s many advertising offerings. But agents who aren’t familiar with those offerings may not know how beneficial they could be for their real estate business – or, worse, they may have been exposed to some common misconceptions about Facebook advertising. Below, we’ve highlighted some of those misconceptions with the intention of setting the record straight:

1. It takes thousands of followers on Facebook to be beneficial for marketing. Of course you want to have a large following on Facebook, but your audience size does not dictate how successful your social marketing efforts will be. It’s better to have a small target audience that matches your demographics than a large group of followers you hardly know.
2. My audience doesn’t use Facebook. As the most popular social network worldwide, it’s safe to say your target audience probably uses Facebook in some capacity. Remember, Facebook is no longer a network used solely by a 25-and-under demographic – the fastest growing demographic on Facebook today is 35 years old and older.
3. I don’t have the budget to advertise on Facebook. A benefit of Facebook advertising is that you control how your money is spent at every turn, from ad placement to ad type to dollars spent each day. If your budget is tight or you’re looking to put a small amount of money toward a tester ad, you can run a campaign on Facebook for as little as $1 a day.
4. Boosting my posts is the best way to reach my audience. Yes, boosting posts on Facebook is quick and easy, but it’s not necessarily the most effective way to reach your audience. Boosted posts promote engagement, such as liking, sharing or commenting, but these ads don’t drive traffic to your site to convert a lead. Facebook offers a wide variety of ad types that are more beneficial and worth the money spent, such as Facebook’s sponsored News Feed ad, which is strategically placed for users to see as they scroll through their feed. With a professional image and engaging copy that prompts consumers to click through and enter their email for more information, this type of Facebook ad is a great lead generation tool.