YouTube Ads for real estate – a guide to getting results
10-second summary:
- There are several types of ad formats with YouTube, but skippable in-stream ads tend to provide the best value for money for real estate businesses.
- Prices are based on a number of factors, including ad format, bidding parameters and the goals of your campaign.
- YouTube ads can drive engagement and revenue for your business. But there are other pay per click platforms that tend to be more effective for real estate – such as Google and Instagram.
Thinking about creating YouTube Ads for your real estate business? Here are some quick considerations for making sure your ads help to drive revenue for your business.
YouTube. Not just a place for entertainment, but the world’s second largest search engine – with up to three billion searches completed every month.
That should tell you all you need to know about people’s receptiveness to video content. And with YouTube’s advertising tools, it’s easy to get your brand in front of the watching masses. Best of all? You don’t need Hollywood powers of scriptwriting to generate leads for your business.
Here’s some quick pointers.
Before we start…
Pay per click advertising campaigns can generate transformative revenue for your property investment business. You just need to know which tactics get results. At Adbetter we sepcialise in real estate lead generation. We help ambitious brands make smart PPC decisions to generate returns fast – skipping the anxious testing stage and going straight to the bit where your campaigns are generating a predictable flow of high-intent leads for your business.
Ask us for a free proposal and we will outline the results you can expect within 90 days of working with us.
“Since working with Adbetter, our digital paid media channels have grown to be one of our most consistent generators of high-quality leads. Our lead volumes from paid media channels have increased over 1,400% whilst maintaining a low cost per lead.”
Matthew Fawl, Director, Alesco Investment Property
5 types of YouTube Ads for real estate
YouTube puts a small arsenal of advertising tools at your fingertips. Below are some of the most effective ad types for property investment business.
1. Skippable in-stream video ads
Skippable in-stream ads can appear before, during or after the main video. Once the first five seconds of the video have been streamed, the viewer has the option to skip the rest.
2. Non-skippable in-stream video ads
Exactly the same as the above but – you guessed it – the viewer cannot skip the ad. These ads typically run for around 20 seconds.
3. Bumper ad
Got a punchy message? Bumper ads last a maximum of six seconds – placed before, during or after the main video – and cannot be skipped.
4. Video discovery ads
Video discovery ads are the YouTube equivalent of sponsored results in Google search. Your video will appear as a clickable thumbnail search result when someone searches for content related to your video.
5. Companion banner ads
Companion banner ads are clickable thumbnail images displayed adjacent to your video ads on desktop devices – including skippable in-stream ads, non-skippable in-stream ads and bumper ads.
What’s the best type of YouTube Ad for promoting real estate?
Skippable ads give advertisers a clear advantage. With these types of ad, you only pay if the viewer watches the first 30 seconds (or the whole video if it’s less than 30 seconds) – or if they click the call to action through to your website.
If someone skips at 29 seconds or fails to click, then your ad will be displayed for free. The price you pay for YouTube Ads is driven by a number of factors – including ad format, your bidding parameters, your overall budget and the goals of your campaign.
What makes a great YouTube Ad for real estate?
Creating video content for YouTube can feel daunting – not least due to the vast amount of people using the platform. But it’s crucial to remember that your video doesn’t have to resonate with everyone. It just has to capture the interest of people who are likely to be interested in your services. And reaching them comes down to smart audience targeting and following a tried and tested formula for your ad structure.
- Define the problem. What problem do your property investment services solve?
- Agitate the problem. Dramatise the problem to demonstrate that you empathise with the reader.
- Show how your services overcome the problem. Explain how you provide an answer to the problem and showcase your expertise.
- Talk about the outcome. Explain what result the viewer gets as a result of engaging with your business.
- Provide a clear call to action. Explain clearly what the reader should do next – providing an incentive to do so.
- Bonus – add social proof. If you have a great Trustpilot score, a quality customer testimonial or have been recommended by any well-known industry publications, consider adding it to your video ad.
In terms of the length of your ad, our data suggests the sweet spot is around 15 seconds. The file size of your video cannot (and really shouldn’t anyway) exceed one gigabyte. Supported file formats include AVI, MP4, MPEG and Windows Media.
YouTube Ads for real estate: should you use them?
Yes and no.
YouTube Ads can drive engagement and revenue for your business. However, there are other pay per click platforms that tend to be more effective – such as paid search and social media advertising.
Therefore we would advocate exploring those channels first as it’s likely to generate faster and more positive returns. For a deep dive into the best practice for lead generation across pay per click channels, take a look at the articles below.
>> Best practices for Google pay per click real estate campaigns
>> Facebook ads for real estate: tips to grow revenue
>> How to boost revenue with Instagram ads for real estate
>> Display ads for real estate: a short guide to success
>> TikTok ads for real estate: should you bother?
>> 6 expert tips for real estate retargeting ads
Let us unlock revenue for your business?
As a lead generation mechanism, pay per click works. It really works. But to get the transformative results and drive revenue for your business, you have to know the blend of tactics to use and how to continually optimise your campaigns.
At Adbetter we have that knowledge – and help to drive sustainable business growth for our clients. Here’s how we could do the same for you. Take a look at our case studies. Or ask for a free proposal outlining the results you can expect from us within the first 90 days of working together.
Take a deeper dive into lead generation for real estate and property
>> 8 tips to nail real estate lead generation
>> Revenue-boosting PPC for real estate investors
>> A smarter way to supercharge your property investment leads
>> 13 lead generation tactics for property developers
>> How to get more real estate leads – for new agents
>> A guide to getting better returns with commercial property advertising
>> Lead generation services for real estate businesses
>> The best lead generation strategy for real estate businesses
