As you may have heard, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is cracking down on Facebook and their advertising platform to make sure that advertisers aren’t able to use their platform to discriminate against any protected groups in the housing realm. In fact, more than 5,000 ad targeting options are being removed from the Facebook platform to ensure that misuse is not occurring.
WHY THIS IS A GOOD THING
Now, before you press that panic button let’s talk about what this means for real estate pros who are currently leveraging Facebook/Instagram advertising. The bottom line is that, if you’re using Back At You Media, you can always be confident that you’re above board. During the process of becoming a partner in the National Association of REALTORS®’ Member Benefits® program, we worked closely with the NAR to ensure that every bit of our service would be in compliance with the Fair Housing Act.
HOW WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK
Truth is, we’ve been ahead of this stuff for years. Over the past handful of years, you may have noticed we removed the ability to target by gender and, more recently, income before Facebook removed them as options. We never want you to be at risk of violating these laws so we keep a close eye on relevant updates and make sure that you’re ahead of the game when you advertise with us.
LOOKING FORWARD
A few months ago, Facebook implemented a “certification” requirement for those using Facebook advertising for real estate purposes which asked users to agree to abide by Fair Housing rules while running ads. (If you’re currently using our service, we took care of that for you after a conversation with Facebook.) It sounds like they’re going to roll out a similar certification to all advertisers in America in the coming months so keep an eye out for that if you haven’t already certified.
So, how can you still create successful, effective ads without the large number of targeting options that are going away? We have always been proponents of casting a wide net when advertising on Facebook. For example, if you’re advertising a listing priced at $1.2 million and only targeting Facebook users who make over $750,000, you’re probably not targeting the assistant, the extended family, and the friends of an individual who could be a great buyer for your listing; you’re only trying to target the individual. When someone is in the market, their friends and family usually know that and love to send them listings that they think would make a great fit. By casting a wider net, you’re increasing the chances that your listing gets in front of the ideal buyer.
NOT USING BACK AT YOU YET?
If you’re not using our full-service system yet, we should talk! We have packages for every budget/goal and the experience you need in this ever-changing world of online marketing. Schedule a call today: Our Calendar.
You can read a bit more about this story in the REALTOR® Magazine.