Retargeting Ads for Realtors®: Setups, Budgets, and Creatives That Win the Second Chance
Most website visitors bounce without calling you. Retargeting brings them back with useful reminders tied to what they viewed. Set the pixel, build the right audiences, and run creative that earns clicks without burning goodwill. For foundational promotion mechanics, see Listing Marketing: Promoting Properties for Maximum Visibility.
The Second Impression Advantage
Retargeting, also called remarketing, is structured repetition. Someone checks a listing, reads your bio, then leaves. Your ads follow with context that matches that visit. It’s the practical way to meet the Rule of Seven and keep your name top of mind across a six to twelve month cycle.
Most agents put almost all spend into new clicks and skip the 97 percent who left. That’s where compounding begins. Measure visits, build audiences, rotate creative on a simple calendar, and cap frequency so you stay helpful, not noisy. Need content ideas that stay fresh? Tap Best Real Estate Content Marketing Ideas for 2025.
Intent beats interest. Retargeting points budget at people who already proved intent on your site. Costs drop. Response rises.
Pixels and Events without the Jargon
Pixel = digital guest book. Add the Meta Pixel for Facebook and Instagram, and the Google Tag for Display and YouTube. Install once, site-wide. Verify with the Meta Pixel Helper or Tag Assistant.
- Create the pixel/tag in Events Manager or Tag Manager.
- Install globally, including listing detail pages, lead forms, and your bio.
- Verify events fire when you load key pages.
Audience Segments that Print Value
The warmest traffic
Build 30, 90, and 180 day windows. Micro-segment by property page or category. “Viewed 123 Maple St” deserves a specific ad. “Condos in River North” gets a condo-specific reminder. To capture more local intent, strengthen pages with Local SEO for Realtors®: How to Dominate Search in Your Neighborhood.
The hottest list
Upload past clients, open-house sign-ins, and lapsed leads as a custom audience. Refresh monthly, then create a lookalike to find new people similar to your best clients.
The engaged
Target people who watched at least 50% of a listing or brand video. Invite a showing, offer a quick market update, or point to a saved search setup.
Creative That Stays Fresh
Dynamic Listing Ads
Show the exact property someone viewed. One strong image, a direct headline, and a simple CTA.
Agent as the Brand
Short face-to-camera clips. “Still thinking about the Maple St house? I can answer questions and get you inside.”
Carousel / Slideshow
Three to five homes or a mix of two homes and quick client quotes.
Soft Touch
Non-sales posts that still help: tax tips, quarterly pricing notes, or school boundary changes.
Budgets that Scale without Guesswork
Starter • $300/mo
Aim it at your 30-day website audience with one strong brand video. Keep weekly frequency around 2–3. Retargeting CPCs should sit below cold traffic.
Mid-Range • $750–$1,500/mo
Run Dynamic Listing Ads, keep brand video always-on, and add CRM plus video-viewer segments. Rough split: 60% listings, 30% brand, 10% soft-touch education.
Allocation rule: dedicate ~20% of total digital ad spend to retargeting. It’s your most responsive audience.
Two Creative Briefs You Can Ship Today
Brief 1: Listing Retargeting
Goal: send visitors back to a property page they viewed.
Audience: 30 and 90-day visitors for that URL.
Creative: Dynamic unit or a single hero image of the best feature.
Headline: Still on Your Mind? [Address] Is Waiting.
CTA: View Listing Now.
Brief 2: Brand Retargeting
Goal: build trust with one local insight.
Audience: CRM list, 90-day site visitors, and 50% video viewers.
Creative: a 15-second tip about a hyper-local change.
Headline: Don’t Buy Blindly. Get Local Insights.
CTA: Get the Free Market Report.
Wire the pixel once. Keep audiences clean. Rotate creative every 30–45 days for brand and every 14–21 days for listings. Cap frequency so you stay welcome in the feed.
What Successful Realtors® Are Reading
FAQ
How long should I run a retargeting ad before refreshing the creative?
Can I use retargeting ads to find sellers, or are they only for buyers?
What’s the difference between retargeting and a Lookalike Audience?
If I stop paying for the ads, does the pixel stop collecting data?
What is “frequency” in retargeting, and why does it matter?
Which platform is better for retargeting: Google (Display/YouTube) or Meta?
Can I retarget people who visited my Zillow or Realtor.com profile?
Complete Multi-Channel Marketing Program
- Custom-branded marketing assets featuring you and your brand
- Branded social media: your services & testimonials (3/week)
- Listing social media: Just Listed • Open House • Pending • Sold
- Email campaigns personalized to you and your area
- Digital retargeting & contextual ad campaigns to your area
- Direct mail campaigns (scope & frequency set by you)
- GEO farm / niche marketing: direct mail & email campaigns
- Database formatting & research (priced per name researched)
- Consulting, strategy, coaching & accountability sessions
