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Your Strategy Doesn't Have to Be Complicated for Your Revenue to Be Elevated: Ashley Brock on Paid Ads
- Wendy Forsythe
- 8 hours ago
- 8 min read
The search + social framework that turned $3,000 into 3 listings in 30 days—and why most agents are wasting money on the wrong platform
I kept seeing Ashley Brock's content on Instagram.
Paid ads expert. Worked at ad agencies for a decade. Spent $200 million for Fortune 500 companies.
Then she started teaching small business owners how to run ads themselves.
I did what we all do—I clicked, I followed, I kept watching.
Then I signed up for her five-day paid ads challenge.
I learned so much that I reached out and said: You need to come on the podcast.
She agreed. And what she shared is going to change how you think about advertising your real estate business.
The Hesitation Around Paid Ads
Let me start with the question I asked her: Why are people so hesitant to spend money on ads?
Her answer was brilliant.
"The hesitancy comes from a lack of certainty. There's a risk when something's not guaranteed."
We're conditioned for guarantees.
And that uncertainty keeps people stuck.
Ashley referenced Tony Robbins: "Something working just enough is dangerous."
It's comfortable. You're paying bills. You're getting a couple of leads. It's "good enough."
But that comfort zone prevents you from taking the risk needed for real growth.
"It's like trying to explain floating to my son who's never done it," she said. "You just have to do it. You have to feel it for yourself."
The Money Mindset Shift
Before we get into the tactical strategy, we have to talk about how you think about money.
Because that matters more than the amount you spend.
Ashley told me about agents who say: "I'm going to SPEND $500."
Already a problem.
You're not spending. You're investing.
She asked: How much did you spend on your office? Your software? Your team?
Why is the advertising budget always the LAST thing funded?
"Build it and they'll come" doesn't work.
You have to build it AND tell people about it.
"You need a number you can detach yourself from," Ashley said. "And you need to anticipate that good things can come from it."
One bad experience doesn't mean the strategy is broken.
One bad date doesn't mean you won't find the right person.
You keep going. You learn. You adjust.
The Framework: Search + Social
Here's Ashley's core strategy, and it's deceptively simple:
Search + Social.
Not one or the other. Both.
Search = Google. People with intent.Social = Meta (Facebook/Instagram). People scrolling.
Let me break down why this matters.
Why Google First for Real Estate Agents
"If I had 30 days to get 3 listings," Ashley told me, "I'm not going to Facebook and Instagram. I'm going to Google."
Why?
Because people are actively searching for you.
"Best real estate agent near me." "Realtor in [city name]." "Top real estate agent [area]."
They have INTENT. They're raising their hand. They just don't know you exist yet.
Compare that to someone scrolling Instagram looking at vacation photos, dog videos, and memes.
You're hoping to catch their attention in that moment.
Which would you rather invest in?
Someone actively searching for an agent right now?
Or someone who MIGHT be thinking about buying a home at some point?
That's the difference between search and social.
The Critical Mistake: Real Estate vs. Real Estate Agent
Here's where most agents waste money on Google ads.
They target "real estate" instead of "real estate agent."
Those are TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SEARCHES.
"Real estate" = people looking for PROPERTY. "Real estate agent" = people looking for a PERSON.
Ashley sees this constantly.
"Someone tells me 'Google didn't work for me.' I look at their setup and they were spending their budget on people searching for real estate. That wasn't set up right."
If someone's searching "real estate near me," they're looking for property. Who's to say they do or don't already have an agent?
But if someone's searching "real estate agent near me," they're looking for YOU.
That's the search you want to show up for.
Where You Send People MATTERS
The second mistake agents make: sending people to property search websites.
"Shop our listings. Put in your zip code. Search for homes."
No.
People searching for an agent want to see the PERSON.
Ashley put it perfectly: "Do we connect? Do we vibe? Do I trust you? You're trying to get me to plug in a zip code. I don't want to do that. I want to work with a person."
Your landing page should be:
"Hey, I'm [Name]. Here's what I do. Here's why we're different. Here's my family. Contact me."
That's it.
Simple. Personal. Human.
Case Study #1: Bruce Gets 3 Listings in 30 Days
Let me give you a real example.
Bruce is Ashley's father-in-law. He's a real estate agent in Canton, Georgia.
Ashley set up his Google ads.
First 30 days: 3 listings.
Total ad spend: about $3,000.
Here's the breakdown:$1,000 before the first lead. $1,500 before the second lead. $500 for the third lead.
All three converted to closings.
$3,000 = 3 closings.
Compare that to paying 30-40% of your commission to Zillow or realtor.com.
One of the leads came from someone in California searching for an agent in Canton, Georgia for their mom.
They saw Bruce's landing page: "Hey, I'm Bruce. Here's what I do. Here's why we're different. Here's my family."
They messaged him. He responded within 24 hours. Met with mom the next day. Perfect fit.
"Findability does not have to be hard," Ashley said.
Bruce's landing page was simple. It showed him as a person. It built trust immediately.
That's all it took.
Case Study #2: The McDonald Group (Dallas/Fort Worth)
The McDonald Group is a mother-daughter real estate team in Dallas/Fort Worth.
They started running Google ads.
Got absolutely nothing.
Why?
They were targeting "real estate" instead of "real estate agent."
Ashley helped them fix the targeting.
Now? Their phone rings off the hook.
5-10x return on every dollar they spend.
They even tested owning a specific high-net-worth radius.
"If someone's searching for an agent right HERE in this area, these would be huge commissions."
It worked.
They use both Google search ads AND local service ads. Plus Facebook and Instagram for retargeting.
Case Study #3: $700K Listing in First Week
Cape San Blass, Florida.
An agent ran an Instagram ad.
She stood outside a house. Arms up. Beautiful property behind her.
"Three reasons when you work with our brokerage it's different."
That's it.
Local radius targeting. Simple ad.
$700,000 listing in her first week.
Ashley's favorite line (and mine too): "Your strategy doesn't have to be complicated for your revenue to be elevated."
You don't need a 10-page funnel.
You don't need some complex automation.
You need clarity. You need the right targeting. You need a message that connects.
The Social Side: Remindability
So Google gets people to find you.
But what about Facebook and Instagram?
That's where "remindability" comes in.
(Yes, Ashley made up that word. I love it.)
Here's how it works:
Someone searches on Google for "real estate agent near me."
They see your ad. They click. They look at your page.
Then they hit the back button and look at a few other options.
Maybe they liked you. Maybe you were their third choice.
But then they open Instagram.
And there you are again.
"Hey, it's Bruce. If you're still looking for the right agent to help you buy or sell, my name is Bruce. I've sold over $20 million in real estate. I'd love to help you."
Now you're top of mind.
"You don't want to be just easiest to find," Ashley said. "You want to be most top of mind."
Findability + Remindability = Success.
Google is the first touch. Meta is the second touch.
You went on one date. They saw you once. They forgot about you.
The whole point is being top of mind consistently.
Not All Leads Are Equal
Here's something most agents don't understand:
Not all leads cost the same. And they shouldn't.
Ashley gave an example of an 8-figure pest control company she consulted with.
Their reps don't get to touch Google leads until they've closed at least 100 Meta leads first.
Why?
"Meta is lower quality. If you can close the lower quality leads, imagine what you can do with the higher quality ones."
Google leads have higher intent. They're actively searching for an agent RIGHT NOW.
Facebook leads? They might be interested. They might be scrolling. Lower intent.
You should be willing to pay MORE for Google leads.
Bruce's first lead cost $1,000. His second cost $1,500.
But both became closings.
That's a phenomenal cost of acquisition compared to what you'd pay third-party lead companies.
How Much Should You Spend?
This is the question Ashley gets constantly.
Her answer: It depends on what you're selling.
For real estate agents, your average commission might be $10,000 to $50,000+ depending on the market.
You have to be willing to invest accordingly.
Bruce was hesitant at $400 with no lead yet.
Ashley told him: "Pappy, your commission could be $10,000 to $50,000. You have to be willing to pay more to acquire that customer."
They got to $1,000 before the first lead.
Think about the lifetime value of the customer.
What's the upper limit you're willing to pay?
Then work backwards from there.
Ashley's Entrepreneurial Journey
The tactical stuff is brilliant.
But what I really loved was Ashley's personal story.
She started with a fight over guacamole at Chipotle.
Her husband brought her a bowl. He added guacamole ($3 extra).
Ashley fought about it. "You wasted $3. I didn't want that. Avocado costs 69 cents at the store."
That was her money mindset. Scarcity. Everything was about money. They fought about money constantly.
Couldn't afford the house they wanted. Everything came back to money.
Then she had a rocky period in her marriage.
She realized: "I cannot attach my value to another human. I need to create my own value."
She heard someone on a podcast say: "You can want more for yourself for no other reason than because it makes your heart happy."
She decided: "I do want more. I want my body to feel better. My relationships to be better. My finances to be better."
So she started a business.
Three Failed Businesses Before This One Worked
Network marketing: didn't work.Travel "Cash with Ash" page: didn't work.Course on getting a job in digital marketing: didn't work.
Three strikes in.
Then she asked herself: "What if I just do the thing I'm best at?"
She'd been at ad agencies for 10 years. She'd spent $200 million for Fortune 500 companies.
She knew ads.
So she started teaching ads.
But here's the interesting part:
She'd only ever run ads for OTHER people.
Even after 10 years and $200 million, she still didn't know if it would work for HER.
"It's different when it's for you," she told me.
When she found out it worked? "This is game over. I've got to teach the world this."
The Investment That Changed Everything
Ashley's philosophy on investing in yourself is what accelerated her growth.
"Indecision is a prison. You gain traction when you take action."
She doesn't sit on the fence. She decides and goes.
She invested in mentors. She paid for skills. She paid for speed.
But most importantly: She paid for energy.
"When someone's energy ignites you, you need to pay for that energy," she said.
"I realized I paid for the energy and conviction they have. It transferred. I caught that energy too."
Every investment paid off tenfold.
She paid to learn a skill → had her first six-figure day.She paid six figures → had a seven-figure day.
Nearly 8-figure business in less than three years.
My Takeaways
This conversation reinforced something I already believed:
Strategy doesn't have to be complicated to be effective.
Search + Social.Google + Meta.Findability + Remindability.
That's the framework.
But execution matters.
Target "real estate AGENT" not "real estate."Send people to YOU, not property listings.Be willing to pay for quality leads with intent.Use social ads to stay top of mind after they find you.
And if you're hesitant to invest in ads, remember:
How much did you spend on your office? Your software? Your team?
Why is advertising always the last thing you fund?
"Build it and they'll come" doesn't work.
You have to build it AND tell people about it.
Follow her on Instagram: @adswithashley
She runs a 5-day paid ads challenge that walks you through this step by step.
And if you're already running ads but not seeing results, this episode just gave you the roadmap to fix it.
Let’s grow,
Wendy
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