How to Set Up a Meta Video Funnel Ad Campaign (Step-by-Step Tutorial)
- Jerad Larkin
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
If you're in real estate and you're not using Meta's ad platform to retarget your audience with video content—you’re leaving serious opportunity on the table.
In this post, I’m breaking down how to set up a video ad funnel using Meta Business Suite.
This strategy allows you to serve ads in a sequence—only to people who’ve already shown interest by watching a prior video. Whether you're hosting a local event, promoting your brand, or driving traffic to your site, this is one of the most efficient ways to build engagement while keeping costs low.
Let’s dive into it.
🎯 What Is a Meta Video Funnel?
A video funnel on Meta (Facebook & Instagram) is a marketing campaign where you sequence your ads so that people who watch one video are retargeted with a second, more focused ad—and so on.
For example:
Ad 1: A broad awareness video to your full sphere
Ad 2: Retargets only those who watched 3+ seconds of Ad 1
Ad 3: Retargets only those who watched Ad 2
Each step becomes more intentional, more engaged, and more cost-effective.
🧠 Why Should Real Estate Agents Use This?
This strategy works especially well if you’re:
Hosting an event (like an open house, workshop, or charity tournament)
Building your personal brand
Running educational series or local market updates
Want to stay top-of-mind in a specific geographic farm
You’re not just blasting ads to cold leads—you’re moving interested people through a curated journey.
🛠️ Step 1: Get into Meta Business Suite
Before anything else, log into your Meta Business Suite (business.facebook.com).
➡️ Click the menu icon in the top right.
➡️ Select “All Tools” > then Ads Manager.
➡️ Make sure you're inside the correct business account—not your personal one.
Pro Tip: If you manage multiple ad accounts (like I do), always double-check you're working in the right one. Meta can be glitchy here.
🎬 Step 2: Create Your First Campaign (Awareness Ad)
Start by creating a new campaign and choose the objective: Awareness or Video Views.
✅ Name it something clear like Awareness 2025 – Video Funnel
✅ If your ad is real estate-related, select the Housing Category under special ad categories.
✅ Click Next to move into the Ad Set level.
🧩 Step 3: Set Up Your Audience
This is where the magic begins.
You can target:
Email lists (sphere, agents, lenders, etc.)
People who engage with your Facebook or Instagram pages
People who watched videos
Website visitors (if you’ve got the pixel installed)
In this example, I used:
My Realtor and Lender database
Facebook followers
Instagram page engagers
Top 5,000 lenders
A radius around Denver and Colorado Springs (15–20 miles)
The key is casting a broad net for the first video—because we’re going to filter later.
📍 Step 4: Define Your Location Targeting
Since this was for an event in Littleton, Colorado, I set:
Primary radius: 15–20 miles around Denver
Secondary: 20 miles around Colorado Springs
Even if your event is hyper-local, I recommend expanding your radius. Some agents might drive for a good event—or, they’ll just remember your name later.
💰 Step 5: Budget & Schedule
Keep it light at first. I often start with:
$3.50 per day
Launch time: 1 hour after setup (to avoid Meta glitches)
End date: One day before your event or deadline
Small daily spend = low risk and high testing flexibility.
🎞️ Step 6: Select Your Video Ad
Here’s where we load the actual video.
I recommend using an existing post from your Facebook or Instagram account (as it builds organic engagement and shares).
✅ Click “Use Existing Post”
✅ Select your video (in this case, a funny blooper reel from a past event)
✅ CTA: Use “Sign Up” or “Learn More” and link to your RSVP page, Eventbrite, or landing page
Boom—Ad 1 is now ready to go.
🔁 Step 7: Duplicate and Create Your Retargeting Ad (Ad 2)
Here’s where it gets fun.
Duplicate the Ad Set and Ad from your first campaign
Rename it to Ad 2 – [New Video Name]
Replace the video with a second one (for example, a hype video, highlight reel, or testimonial)
Adjust your budget as needed
Now it’s time to retarget people who watched Ad 1.
👥 Step 8: Create a Custom Audience (Video Views)
To do this:
➡️ Go to Audiences > Create New Custom Audience
➡️ Choose Video as your source
➡️ Select “People who watched at least 3 seconds”
➡️ Pick the video from Ad 1 (even better: include both the organic post + the ad version)
Name it something clear like:👉 Dodgeball Video A – 3+ Seconds Watched
Save that audience.
🚫 Step 9: Add Audience Exclusions
Now head back into your Ad 1 and exclude that audience so people don’t keep seeing it once they’ve watched.
➡️ Click Edit Ad Set
➡️ Scroll to Exclusions
➡️ Add the “3+ seconds” audience
This ensures people move from Ad 1 to Ad 2—and not stay stuck seeing the same content.
Do the same for Ad 2 once people begin watching it, and so on for Ad 3, Ad 4, etc.
🎥 Step 10: Repeat the Funnel
Once you’ve got Ad 2 live and retargeting Ad 1 viewers, repeat the process:
Duplicate Ad Set + Ad
Change the video
Create a new “3+ Seconds Watched” audience
Exclude that group from seeing previous ads
This way, you're building a video journey where people move through your content based on their interest.
🧪 Bonus: Switch Up Ad Copy
I always recommend tweaking your ad copy between videos to keep things fresh.
Even small changes like:
Adjusting your hook
Changing up emojis
Moving the second sentence to appear above the fold
…can make a big difference in engagement.
📈 Why This Strategy Works
✅ Laser-targeted: You only spend money on people who are actually watching
✅ More efficient: Exclude people automatically as they watch
✅ Higher conversion: By the time someone sees your third ad, they’ve seen your face 2–3 times
✅ Real estate-specific: Perfect for class invites, event RSVPs, or local farming
💬 Final Thoughts
If you're a real estate agent or industry pro and want to get serious about your video marketing, this is one of the most powerful strategies out there.
It’s scalable. It’s smart. And it respects your budget.
Whether you’re promoting your next workshop, driving leads to your open house, or building long-term brand recognition—Meta video funnel ads are a game-changer.
📌 Questions? Contact:
Jerad Larkin
📞 303.630.9430
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