Seán Murphy Tired of the cookie-cutter approach to real estate advertising?
For the past three years, I’ve been navigating the complex world of paid media, often navigating the rigid rules of Meta’s housing ads category. But recently, a project with Knight Frank Rural challenged the norm.
This client isn’t just about buying and selling property; they’re experts in optimising rural land. From biodiversity to regenerative agriculture and forestry management, they offer a unique suite of services to farmers and estate owners to make the most of their land. It’s a niche industry, but one with huge potential if marketed correctly.
The key to this campaign’s success? Breaking free from the housing ad category. This strategic move opened up a broader range of targeting tools, which made a huge difference in our ability to reach a highly specific audience.
In this article, I’ll showcase how we approached the campaign, the results we achieved and the lessons I’ll be taking into future work.
Stepping outside the housing ads box
If you’ve ever run campaigns in regulated industries like housing, you know how limiting the restrictions can be. For good reason, Meta applies strict rules around targeting for housing, employment and credit ads, restricting options like demographic filters and detailed interest targeting.
When we started working with Knight Frank Rural, our campaigns had always been categorised as housing ads because they related to land and property. But for this project, we took a closer look. Since their services focused on consultancy, helping landowners optimise their land rather than buying or selling property, we realised we could skip the housing category entirely.
This was a game-changer. Suddenly, we had access to more granular targeting tools, which allowed us to create a much more tailored campaign.
Defining a niche audience
Reaching the right audience was critical for this campaign. We weren’t just looking for people generally interested in rural topics; we needed to connect with farmers and rural estate owners who could genuinely benefit from the client’s consultancy services. By leveraging Meta’s targeting options, we crafted an audience profile that aligned with these goals.
Here’s how we approached it and how we could further refine it in the future:
- Broad farming and landowner focus
Instead of zeroing in on hyper-specific interests, we targeted broader categories that included farmers, rural landowners and those working in agriculture. This ensured we reached people directly involved in managing or owning rural land, keeping the focus wide enough to capture all relevant prospects. - Professional and industry targeting
We included job titles like agricultural managers, estate managers and land consultants, as well as industries related to farming and rural land management. This added a layer of precision and helped us reach key decision-makers. - Geographic relevance
Knight Frank Rural’s services are especially relevant in rural areas, so initially we focused on the entire of the UK with an intention then to refine our targeting to regions with large rural populations and agricultural activity. We plan to do this by seeing which areas have the highest level of engagement with our activity and then refine activity to these locations. - Custom and lookalike audiences
Once we have built up a significant user base we can use a custom audience of past leads, to create lookalike audiences to reach people with similar profiles.
Crafting the right message
Once we knew who we were targeting, the next step was figuring out what to say—and how to say it. This audience wasn’t going to respond to hard sales tactics or generic messaging. They needed to feel that the client understood their challenges and could genuinely help.
Here’s how we structured the creative:
- Authentic visuals: We used imagery that felt real and relatable—think lush vineyards, restored natural habitats and sustainable farms. The visuals helped landowners imagine the possibilities for their own property
- Highlighting tangible benefits: Each ad answered a key question: “What’s in it for me?” Whether it was improved profitability, tailored services for farms and rural estates, environmental benefits, or access to grant funding, the ads made the benefits clear
- Tailored messaging for specific services: Instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach, we crafted ad variations that spotlighted different aspects of the client’s services, such as viticulture or biodiversity net gain. This allowed us to connect with users based on their unique interests and needs
Maximising impact with advanced targeting
Not being restricted by the housing ads category allowed us to fully utilise Meta’s advanced tools and it made a significant difference in the campaign’s performance.
- Niche interest targeting
We targeted interests that would’ve been off-limits in the housing category, like specific farming occupations and Farmers journals. This precision ensured that we weren’t wasting budget on irrelevant clicks. - Demographic and behavioural targeting
With no restrictions, we could use demographic filters like education level and profession to home in on key decision-makers. - Dynamic text optimisation
To maximise engagement, we created multiple variations of primary text, each with different tones and messaging angles. Meta’s algorithm then optimised in real-time, serving the version most likely to resonate with each user at any given moment. This dynamic approach allowed the campaign to adapt continuously, ensuring the highest possible engagement for each ad impression.
The results: building awareness and trust
The primary goal of this campaign wasn’t about generating immediate leads or closing deals, it was about raising awareness. We wanted to ensure that farmers, estate owners and rural professionals knew about our client’s expertise in rural consultancy and the valuable services they offer. By focusing on visibility and engagement, we successfully laid the groundwork for future conversations and relationships.
Here’s what we achieved:
- Boosted brand visibility beyond expectations
The campaign exceeded expectations in increasing awareness across the target market. Thanks to precise targeting and engaging content, we reached a highly relevant audience, including many who were previously unaware of the client’s consultancy services. Notably, the campaign delivered 398% more impressions than initially forecasted, demonstrating the effectiveness of the strategy in amplifying the client’s presence within the niche.
- Strong engagement metrics
The content resonated with the audience, driving high engagement rates, including clicks and social interactions. This indicated that the messaging was hitting the mark and sparking genuine interest as we exceeded our clicks projection by 15%. - Wider reach across niche audiences
Thanks to the freedom to target niche interests and behaviours, we reached not only farmers and estate owners but also professionals in related fields who could become advocates or referrers. - Positioning the Knight Frank Rural as a thought leader
By delivering value-driven content, we positioned them as a trusted advisor in rural consultancy. This awareness will be instrumental as the audience considers future land optimisation projects.
Key takeaways for paid media in niche markets
This campaign reinforced a few lessons that I think are important for anyone running paid media in niche industries:
- Understand the rules (and when you can work around them)
The housing category is restrictive, but if your service doesn’t actually involve transactions, you might not need to be in it. A careful review of Meta’s policies can open up more opportunities. - Deep audience knowledge is everything
Niche campaigns live and die by how well you know your audience. Invest time in understanding their needs, challenges and goals to craft messaging that really resonates. - Focus on value-driven messaging
The messaging we used focused on driving interest by highlighting the value of the client’s services. The ads were designed to spark curiosity and encourage users to click through, where they could then explore detailed educational content on the landing page. This balance between engagement and information ensured a seamless user journey. - Use all the tools at your disposal
When you have access to detailed targeting, through interests and behavioural targeting, use them to refine your approach and make every penny count.
Wrapping up
Running this campaign was a great reminder of why I love working in paid media. It’s not just about running ads, it’s about solving problems, reaching the right people and delivering results that matter.
If you’re navigating digital advertising in a niche market, success comes down to truly understanding your audience and making strategic use of platforms like Meta. It’s about leveraging the right tools and targeting options to reach the people who matter most while crafting messaging that resonates. With the right approach, even the most specialised industries can benefit from digital campaigns that drive awareness and build meaningful connections.
Want to learn more about how to effectively market your niche industry? We’re here to share our expertise and help you achieve your goals.