Real estate agents advertise in two ways at once: they promote each listing, and they promote themselves to win the next one. The usual channels are mail to a farm area, social lead ads, search ads, open house promotion, short video and signs. Most agents use a few of them together, all under the same Fair Housing rule.
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Two jobs: the listing and the agent
Listing advertising has a short life. It runs from the day a home goes on the market until it is under contract, and its job is to bring buyers and their agents to the home. Agent advertising runs all year. Its job is to make sure that when someone in your area decides to sell, your name is the one they remember.
| Channel | Mostly for | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Postcards and letters | The agent, in a farm area | Real estate mailers |
| A farm area campaign | The agent, in one neighborhood | Real estate farming |
| Facebook and Instagram lead ads | Both, with a form inside the app | Facebook lead ads for real estate |
| Google search ads | Both, for people already searching | Real estate PPC advertising |
| Open house promotion | The listing, for one weekend | Open house advertising |
| Short video | Both | Real estate video ads |
| Billboards and signs | The agent or team name | Real estate billboards |
Mail and farming
Mail is still how many agents reach a neighborhood. A postcard lands on every doorstep on the route, whether the household is online or not. Run on a steady schedule to the same streets, mail becomes a farm: a neighborhood where the agent’s name shows up again and again, backed by social ads and a page about the area.
Social ads and lead forms
Facebook and Instagram ads reach people while they scroll. Lead ads add a short form inside the app, so someone can ask for a price opinion without leaving. Housing ads there have limited targeting options because of a 2022 federal fair housing settlement, so the picture and the offer do most of the work.
Search ads
Search ads on Google show when someone types a search, such as homes for sale in a town or an agent’s name. Google decides which ads show with what it calls Ad Rank, using factors including your competition, the context of the person’s search and your ad quality at that moment. Google does not let housing ads target by age, gender, marital or parental status, or ZIP code in the US; agents target cities or a radius.
Open houses, video and signs
An open house is an ad in itself, and promoting it with signs, social posts, search ads and mail to the nearby streets brings more people through the door. Short video, from a listing walk-through to an agent intro, works in feeds and on YouTube. Signs and billboards keep a name in view on the roads people drive every day.
The free channels
Not all advertising is paid. Google says it doesn’t cost any money to appear in Google Search results, and real estate agents, as individual practitioners, can have a Google Business Profile of their own when they are public-facing and can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours. A page of your own, an honest review from each client and your sphere of past clients and friends cost time, not ad money.
The rules that apply to every channel
Fair Housing check
Every channel above is covered by the Fair Housing Act. Section 3604(c) bars housing ads that indicate a preference, limitation or discrimination based on a protected trait, and HUD’s rule covers words, photographs and where the ad is placed. The guide to Fair Housing advertising rules explains it.
- Your state’s real estate license rules on advertising also apply, including how your brokerage name appears.
- Check your brokerage and MLS rules before advertising a listing.
- Automated calls and texts to leads need the right written consent; check with a lawyer.
- Marketing email must include a valid physical postal address and honor opt-outs within 10 business days.
How agents put it together
- One farm area, reached by mail on a steady schedule.
- Social ads and lead forms in the same area.
- Search ads for the agent’s name and towns.
- Each listing promoted with photos, video and an open house push.
For more on choosing ideas inside that plan, read real estate ad ideas.
Want a plan that ties your channels together? Send the form and an independent agency can reply with one in writing.
Questions agents ask
How do real estate agents advertise?
Through mail to a farm area, social lead ads, Google search ads, open house promotion, short video and signs, usually several together, plus free channels such as a Google Business Profile.
Do real estate agents still use postcards?
Many do. A postcard reaches every household on the route, and a steady schedule to the same streets is the core of farming.
Can agents target ads by age or ZIP code?
Not on Google: housing ads there cannot target by age, gender, marital or parental status, or ZIP code in the US. Facebook and Instagram housing ads also have limited targeting options.
Is a Google Business Profile free for an agent?
Yes. Google says there is no way to pay for a better local ranking, and an agent who can be contacted directly at the verified location during stated hours can have a profile.