Solved: Combining Facebook Ad Sets for Different Houses

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! I had a look over the situation you've described with your Facebook ads for the two housing developments. It's a common and frustrating spot to be in when the leads dry up, and the platform's own advice just adds to the confusion.

Happy to give you some of my thoughts on it. Straight off, that suggestion from Facebook to combine ad sets when you only have one is a classic example of why you should take the platform's automated recommendations with a huge pinch of salt. It's a generic response from the algorithm when it feels it doesn't have enough data to work with. It's not a tailored piece of strategic advise.

The real issue, from what you've described, is much deeper than ad sets. You're trying to sell two completly different products, to two different types of people, who are 80km apart. The fact they are both "houses" is where the similarity ends. We need to stop thinking about this as a tactical ad set problem and start thinking about it as two entirely separate marketing strategies. Let's get into it.

Why you should ignore most of Facebook's automated suggestions...

Let's get this out of the way first. That "combine ad sets" notification is junk. It's a bot's solution. When a campaign is underperforming or isn't spending enough to exit the 'learning phase' quickly, the system's default logic is "not enough data". Its crude solution is to tell you to consolidate your audiences to get more data points through one ad set faster. It doesn't have the context that you only have one ad set to begin with, or that your two campaigns are for fundamentally different products.

Following this advice would be a mistake. In fact, the real solution is the complete opposite: you need more separation, not less. Treating these two developments as one marketing problem is likely why your leads have stopped. The messaging that might attract a first-time buyer for an affordable home will actively repel a high-net-worth individual looking for a luxury property, and vice versa. You're sending mixed signals, and as a result, the algorithm doesn't know who to show your ads to, performance suffers, and costs rise.

Think of it like fishing. You wouldn't use the same bait and tackle to catch a mackerel in a harbour as you would to catch a salmon in a highland river. They're both fish, but the approach has to be entirely different. Right now, you're using mackerel bait in the river, and wondering why you're not getting any bites.

We'll need to look at... Rebuilding Your Audience Targeting from Scratch

This is where the real work begins. We need to create two distinct customer profiles, or 'avatars'. Forget just basic demographics for a moment. We need to think about their mindset, their problems, their aspirations, and where they spend their time online. Your ICP isn't a demographic; it's a problem state.

Audience 1: The Affordable Housing Buyer

This person's nightmare is the rental trap. They're likely in their late 20s to late 30s, maybe a young couple or a new family. They see their rent money disappearing into a black hole every month, building their landlord's equity instead of their own. They feel priced out of the market and are actively looking for a way onto the property ladder. Their problem is urgent and financial.

How to target them on Meta:

• Interests: Target interests like 'Rightmove', 'Zoopla', 'Help to Buy scheme', 'Mortgage calculator', 'First-time buyer'. You can also target users who have shown interest in furniture brands like IKEA or Dunelm, or baby-related brands, signalling a life stage change.
• Behaviours & Demographics: Use life event targeting like 'Newly engaged', 'Newlywed', or 'Parents with young children'. Set a sensible age bracket, like 25-40.
• Location: This is absolutly critical. You need to use tight geo-fencing. Target a 10-15km radius around the development's postcode. Crucially, select 'People living in this location', not the default 'Living in or recently in'. You don't want to waste money on commuters or visitors.

Audience 2: The Luxury Property Buyer

This person's motivation isn't solving a financial problem; it's fulfilling an aspiration. They are likely older, 40+, with a high income and significant assets. They aren't looking for a 'house'; they're looking for a 'lifestyle'. They value privacy, exclusivity, and status. Their purchase is driven by emotion and achievement, not necessity.

How to target them on Meta:

• Interests: This is where you think about signals of wealth. Target interests like luxury car brands ('Porsche', 'Bentley', 'Tesla Model S/X'), high-end watch brands ('Rolex', 'Patek Philippe'), financial publications ('The Economist', 'Financial Times', 'Wall Street Journal'), airlines ('British Airways First Class'), and luxury travel destinations. Think about high-end hobbies like 'Golf', 'Sailing', or 'Polo'.
• Behaviours: Use behaviours like 'Frequent international travellers' or target users of the latest high-end Apple devices.
• Location: You can go much broader here. While you should target the area around the development, you should also target affluent postcodes in major nearby cities. Someone might be looking for a weekend retreat or to move out of the city. A 50-80km radius, specifically targeting postcodes known for wealth, is a valid strategy here.

Here’s how different these two profiles look when you put them side-by-side:

You'll need... A Message They Can't Ignore

Once you have the right audience, you need to speak their language. The ad copy and creative for these two campaigns should look and feel like they come from different companies. The carousel ad you mentioned is a good format, as it lets you show multiple aspects of the property, but the images and text need to be laser-focused.

Messaging for Affordable Housing: Problem-Agitate-Solve

You need to tap into their pain points directly. Don't just show a picture of a house; sell the solution to their problem.

• Problem: "Tired of paying someone else's mortgage?"
• Agitate: "Another year of rent increases, and still nothing to show for it? Your dream of owning a home feels further away than ever."
• Solve: "It doesn't have to be. Discover [Development Name], a new community of high-quality, affordable homes. With the Help to Buy scheme, you could own your own 3-bedroom home with just a 5% deposit. Stop renting, start owning. Click to download your free brochure and see the floor plans."

Your carousel images should show happy families, kids playing in the garden, a modern but accessible kitchen, and information about the local schools and amenities. It's about community, security, and a smart financial future.

Messaging for Luxury Housing: Before-After-Bridge

Here, you're not solving a problem; you're selling a dream. You paint a picture of their current (Before) life and the elevated (After) life your property provides.

• Before: "The city is loud. Your neighbours are too close. Your space no longer inspires you."
• After: "Imagine waking up to the sound of birdsong, enjoying your morning coffee on a private terrace overlooking acres of woodland. Hosting friends in a home designed for entertaining, with every luxury at your fingertips."
• Bridge: "[Development Name] is the bridge to the life you've earned. An exclusive, gated collection of architect-designed homes just 45 minutes from the city hustle. This isn't just a new house; it's a new standard of living. Click to book your private, confidential viewing today."

Your carousel images must be impeccable. Use professional, high-end architectural photography. Show off the 'wow' features: the designer kitchen with the marble island, the home cinema, the landscaped gardens, the sweeping views. No stock photos. No clutter. Just pure aspiration.

I'd say you... Need to Fix Your Offer and Your Lead Capture

A huge reason campaigns fail, especially for high-value sales, is a weak Call to Action (CTA). Simply sending people to your website's homepage and hoping they'll fill out a generic "Contact Us" form is asking for failure. It's high friction and low value for the user.

You need dedicated landing pages for each development, and each landing page needs a compelling, low-friction offer. The goal is to trade a piece of high-value content for their contact details, qualifying them in the process.

Stronger Offers:

1. Download the Exclusive Brochure & Floor Plans: This is the classic for a reason. It's a low-commitment way for interested parties to get detailed information. Your lead form to access this should ask for Name, Email, and Phone, but also a qualifying question like "What is your timeframe for moving?" or "Do you have a property to sell?".
2. Book a Private Viewing: This is a higher-intent CTA for those further down the funnel. Your ad copy can drive directly to this, but it should link to a simple booking calendar (like Calendly) integrated into a landing page, not a clunky form.
3. Interactive Tools: For the affordable housing campaign, a mortgage affordability calculator is a fantastic lead magnet. It provides genuine value to the user and captures their details in the process.

Here's a simple, interactive calculator you could embed on a landing page. It provides immediate value and serves as a powerful tool to capture qualified leads who are actively assessing their financial position.

You probably should... Rethink Your Budget and Expectations

Selling a house isn't like selling a t-shirt. The sales cycle is long, and the value is extremely high. This means you need to be realistic about your Cost Per Lead (CPL). You won't be getting leads for £5. I remember one campaign we ran for an HVAC company in a competitive area, and they were seeing costs around $60 (£45-£50) per qualified lead. For property, especially luxury property, I would expect it to be higher, potentially in the £75-£200 range for a well-qualified lead (e.g., someone who books a viewing).

This sounds expensive, but it's all relative. The question isn't "How cheap can I get leads?" but "How much can I afford to spend to sell a property?". This is where understanding your numbers is vital. If the profit margin on an affordable home is £20,000 and for a luxury home it's £100,000, your allowable acquisition cost is vastly different for each.

This is the maths that unlocks intelligent ad spending. It shifts the focus from cost-cutting to investing in growth. Use the calculator below to get a rough idea of what your return could look like.

The Action Plan: Your Path Back to Quality Leads

To sum up, you need to stop tweaking a broken machine and instead build two new, efficient ones. It's more work upfront, but it's the only way to get consistent, predictable results in a market this complex. This is the main advice I have for you:

This is a lot to take in, I know. But getting paid advertising right for high-value assets like property requires a level of strategic depth that goes way beyond just boosting a post or following Facebook's automated tips. The difference between burning through cash and building a predictable pipeline of buyers lies in this upfront strategy work.

It involves a deep understanding of audience psychology, technical platform skills, and a rigorous, data-driven approach to testing and optimisation. For a busy team focused on selling houses, dedicating the required time and expertise can be a major challenge.

This is often where bringing in a specialist can make a significant difference. We live and breathe this stuff every day, so we can build, launch, and manage these kinds of complex campaigns far more efficiently, avoiding costly mistakes along the way.

If you'd like to chat through this in more detail and have us take a look at your setup, we offer a completely free, no-obligation initial consultation. We could walk through your specific challenges and map out a more detailed plan. Feel free to get in touch if that's of interest.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh