Facebook Ads For Real Estate Sellers: 8 Campaign Strategies In Dubai

If you’ve run Facebook ads for real estate in Dubai, you already know two things: competition is fierce, and Meta’s policies make it harder every year to get real results. Even if you’ve worked with a skilled media buyer who knows how to navigate Facebook’s strict real estate ad policies, you’ve probably still faced challenges like:

1. Too many low-quality leads. You’re getting high volume, but most of them aren’t serious buyers.
2. Generic ad copy attracting the wrong audience. Clickbait headlines pull in curious passersby who never convert.
3. Bad creatives that fail to pre-qualify leads. Generic stock images or low-effort visuals lead to clicks from window shoppers instead of serious investors.
4. Other agents and sellers clicking through. Competitors are using your ads to study the market instead of making inquiries.
5. Slow follow-ups leading to lost deals. By the time your sales team reaches the right prospect, they’ve already gone cold—or worse, bought from someone else.

With high competition and rising ad costs, you can’t afford to run campaigns that drain your budget without delivering real results. Every dirham spent needs to work smarter, not harder.

The good news? With the right strategies, you can filter out weak leads, improve conversion rates, and make every ad dirham count.

In this article, we’ll cover 8 proven Facebook ad strategies that work in Dubai’s real estate market, including:

• How to maximize your ad spend and avoid common money traps
• How to break through with creative that attracts serious buyers
• How to target qualified leads that are actually in the market to buy
• Strategies for lead qualification so your sales team only deals with high-potential prospects
• Retargeting tactics that bring back warm leads and convert them into buyers

If you’re serious about getting real, high-quality leads from Facebook ads in Dubai, these strategies will help you cut through the noise and get real ROI. Let’s get into it.

• Laser-Targeted Audiences

Broad targeting burns money when you’re selling real estate. You need to focus on high-intent buyers—the ones actually looking to buy, not just window shopping.

You probably already have a database of leads—past inquiries, people who were on standby, or potential buyers who didn’t go through with a purchase but still qualify. You also have those who engaged with your ads, visited your website, or reached out but never took action.

If you don’t have this yet, don’t worry—we’ll cover that later.

Use Your Data to Build Smarter Audiences

Take the leads you already have and create Custom Audiences in Facebook Ads Manager. Then, use these to build Lookalike Audiences, letting Facebook find people with similar profiles to your best prospects.

How to divide your spend across audiences:

• Retargeting (warm leads, past inquiries, website visitors): Put at least 40% of your budget here. These are people who already know you.
• Lookalike Audiences: Another 40% should go toward reaching new people who resemble your warm leads.
• Cold Audiences: The last 20% should be used to test interest-based targeting and find fresh leads.

Filter Out Competitors & Unqualified Clicks

Not every click is a good click. Real estate ads often attract job seekers, other agents, and competitors checking out what’s working. To avoid wasting money:

• Exclude job titles like “Real Estate Agent,” “Property Consultant,” or “Broker.”
• Exclude competitor followers—they’re unlikely to be buyers.

Refining Targeting with Income, Interests & Expat Profiles

Not all buyers fit the same mold. The right targeting makes all the difference.

• Luxury buyers follow brands like Rolls-Royce, Cartier, and high-net-worth banking services.
• Younger buyers resonate more with Tesla, Nike, and digital-first brands.
• Investors look at rental yields, ROI, and appreciation. They respond to ads focused on financial returns.
• End-users want lifestyle, family-friendly communities, and amenities.

If you’re selling to both investors and end-users, separate your ad sets. Mixed messaging won’t work.

The same goes for expats and UAE nationals. Expats often look for payment plans and rental yields, while UAE Nationals buy in cash and hold properties long-term. Speak to each group differently, or risk losing both.

• Retargeting Campaigns

People rarely buy on the first click. A smart follow-up strategy is what separates wasted ad spend from actual conversions. Retargeting ensures your ads stay in front of high-intent prospects—those who showed interest but didn’t take action.

Retarget Based on User Behavior

Not every visitor is the same, so your retargeting shouldn’t be either. Track how users engage with your listings and tailor follow-ups accordingly:

• If they viewed a specific listing, show them a follow-up ad featuring that exact property.
• If they watched 50% of a property tour video, retarget them with another video or a testimonial from a buyer in the same area.
• If they opened a lead form but didn’t submit, hit them with an ad that says, “Still searching for a home in Dubai?”—simple, direct, and makes them feel seen.

Make the Second Touch Stronger

The second time a prospect sees your ad, they need more than just another generic property listing. Use a stronger CTA to move them further down the funnel:

• Free consultation call—for those unsure about their options
• WhatsApp chat—for quick, low-commitment engagement
• Limited-time deal—to push urgency and get them to act

Use Dynamic Targeting

Facebook’s dynamic targeting can automatically show users the exact property they previously clicked on. When they see it again with a more compelling offer, they’re much more likely to engage.

The goal isn’t just to remind them. You need to offer more value on every exposure. That’s what turns interest into actual sales.

• Use Lead Forms and Landing Pages in the Right Place

Each has its place. Most advertisers use them interchangeably. You won’t. If you know the difference, you’ll use them the right way.

Facebook lead forms are best for easy conversions inside Facebook. If you’re selling low-ticket properties in high volume, use them. They’re quick, convenient, and bring in leads fast.

Landing pages are better for off-plan projects and luxury buyers who need more details before making a decision. A landing page gives you more room to line out the details, build credibility, and position the property properly. Lead forms work for convenience, but they don’t carry the same weight for high-ticket buyers.

If you’re unsure which to use, test both.

• Sometimes lead forms bring in cheaper leads, but landing pages get higher-quality prospects.
• Compare cost per lead (CPL) and lead-to-close ratio to see what works best.

No matter which one you use, follow up instantly. If your response time is slow, you’re letting the lead cool off. They’ll move on, forget, or get scooped up by another agent.

• WhatsApp Click-to-Chat Ads

WhatsApp beats email in Dubai. People here expect real-time replies—not delayed responses.

Testing should always be part of your strategy. Use lead forms and landing pages, but don’t ignore WhatsApp Click-to-Chat ads—they work especially well for off-plan sales, virtual tours, and pre-launch offers.

This isn’t for every lead, though. Casual leads won’t want to chat instantly. Keep WhatsApp for follow-up campaigns or serious inquiries—the ones who’ve already engaged through lead forms and are further along in their decision-making.

To stay efficient, set up automated instant replies with preset questions:

• What’s your budget?
• What project are you interested in?
• What area are you looking to buy in?

WhatsApp campaigns let agents jump on hot leads within minutes instead of waiting hours or days, like with lead forms. Faster responses = higher conversion rates.

• Use Short-Form Video & Reels to Sell the Experience

Static images have their place later in the funnel, but if you’re trying to capture attention for a new project or unit, video is what stops the scroll—especially in Dubai, where people buy into the experience as much as the property itself.

Showcase the lifestyle. Leave the details and features for virtual or in-person tours. To get a cold lead interested, you need to show them what they’re missing out on or position the property as the answer to a need they have right now. That’s why knowing your ideal buyer matters. If you don’t understand where they are in life, you won’t create the vision that actually moves them.

Keep it fast-paced. The first 3 seconds need to hook—don’t start with a generic, polished, impersonal 3D render that people scroll past.

If it’s a fix-and-flip property, before-and-after transformations work perfectly. Show renovations in quick snippets. The contrast immediately highlights the property’s value.

Test voiceovers or agent walkthroughs—a human element makes the experience feel more personal and engaging.

• Adapt Your Ad Creative to Your Audience

Since we covered laser-targeted audiences, your ad creative should match them.

With Facebook’s algorithm, broad targeting and highly specific creative built for a certain buyer persona will often outperform generic copy and precise targeting. If your creative is sharp, the algorithm will find the right audience and allocate the budget efficiently.

How to Target the Right People

The level of targeting depends on your approach, but at the basic level, focus on broad segments that match your offer:

• Luxury buyers
• Expat investors
• First-time buyers
• Buyers in decision mode (those who will act on a limited-time offer)

This will get decent results, but you can go further by targeting psychographics and lifestyle.

For example:

Not all luxury buyers are the same. How you position the property should match why they’re buying.

• UHNWI with a family moving to Dubai after establishing a business. Their focus is status, comfort, and making a statement. The home should reflect a seamless transition into the luxury they had back home—or even better.
• Young entrepreneurs who made their money in Dubai and are now buying their first high-end property. The move is about leveling up. Your creative should highlight how far they’ve come, the lifestyle they’ve built, and why this home is the next step.

The more specific your messaging, the stronger your results.

Always Test Multiple Creatives

Even if you get the messaging right, execution matters.

• A carousel ad might work better than a video, or vice versa.
• A simple image with a strong headline might outperform an expensive cinematic video.
• The format, tone, and style of your ad can completely change the outcome.

There are no universal best practices—test, analyze, and adjust.

• Lookalike Audiences Based on Real Buyers

Don’t let your database of past buyers sit there unused. Leverage Facebook’s algorithm to find more people like them.

Upload a list of actual clients who purchased, and Facebook will build a lookalike audience based on spending habits, interests, and online behavior.

This works far better than generic interest-based targeting, where you’re guessing and hoping for the best. With lookalikes, you already know your original audience bought property, and Facebook’s algorithm is good at recognizing behavioral patterns. It will figure out who else matches your buyers.

Why Lookalike Audiences Work

• You’re not starting from scratch—you’re working with data that has already converted.
• You’re scaling a winning formula, not experimenting blindly.
• It gives you a steady flow of qualified leads while you test new audiences.

If you want to target completely cold audiences, you can—but lookalikes keep your pipeline steady while you do that.

For a full-funnel strategy, combine lookalike audiences with custom audiences—but exclude existing clients so you’re not wasting ad spend on people who won’t buy again anytime soon.

• Using Urgency & Scarcity to Drive Action

It’s a classic approach, but it works when done right.

Urgency and scarcity can push hesitant buyers to act, but it only works if the scarcity is real. If every campaign says, “This offer expires in 2 weeks” and the offer is still available afterward, people stop believing it.

Ways to Use Urgency in Real Estate Ads

• Pre-launch pricing ends soon – Drives early-bird sales. (You can show the price increase after launch.)
• Only 2 units left at this price – Makes buyers act before they lose the deal.
• Get a free 2-year service fee if you buy before [date] – Adds extra incentive to close now.

Who This Works For

• Off-plan & price-sensitive buyers respond best to limited-time offers and financial incentives.
• Luxury buyers respond more to exclusivity—the fact that someone else could take the property first.

Scarcity works, but only if it’s real. If an offer never really expires, it loses its power.

That’s the Only Playbook You Need

If you apply these strategies—or better yet, find the right combination of multiple strategies—you’ll break through the noise that’s flooding Dubai’s real estate market. Right now, buyers are overwhelmed with more ads and listings than they can even sift through.

That’s why so many people shut down and stick to their familiar agent or go through referrals—they don’t know who to trust. If your ads don’t stand out, they won’t even register.

If you think executing all of this sounds like a lot, you’re right—it is.

At MediaHolic, we’ve worked with real estate agencies and developers across Dubai, testing and refining these strategies through real trial and error—so you don’t have to. Instead of wasting time figuring out what works, you can skip straight to the results.

Click this link and book a consultation call and let’s get started.