Generating 385 Real Estate Leads at Healthy CPL: A Manta Bay Case Study

Measuring Success in High-Ticket Real Estate Lead Generation

AdsLap Campaign Auditor flagging optimization opportunities automatically

Generating leads for luxury real estate developments requires more than just high-quality imagery; it demands a rigorous strategic framework that balances cost-per-lead (CPL) with lead quality. In the competitive landscape of UAE real estate, the Manta Bay campaign stands as a benchmark for performance marketers. By generating 385 high-intent leads at a sustainable cost, the campaign demonstrated how technical precision and creative testing work in tandem to drive ROI.

For media buyers, documenting these successes is often the hardest part of the job. While manual workflows in tools like Canva or Google Slides can take hours to compile metrics and blur sensitive data, using a platform like AdsLap allows you to prove your results as a freelance media buyer in under 60 seconds by generating verified, public-shareable case studies directly from your data sources.

The Campaign Objective: Scaling Interest for Manta Bay

The primary goal was to capture interest for Manta Bay, a signature residential project. The technical challenge involved identifying high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) across different geographical markets while maintaining a healthy CPL that allowed for scaling. Unlike low-ticket e-commerce, real estate leads require a longer nurturing cycle, making the initial lead quality metric the most critical KPI for the media buying team.

Phase 1: Multi-Platform Diversification

A verified AdsLap case study — generated in seconds from imported campaign data

Diversification is the cornerstone of modern performance marketing. Relying on a single platform like Meta Ads can create a single point of failure. For Manta Bay, the strategy involved a cross-platform approach across Meta (Facebook & Instagram) and Snapchat Ads.

Meta Ads Strategy

Meta remains the powerhouse for real estate due to its granular interest targeting and sophisticated lookalike models. For Manta Bay, we utilized a mix of Lead Forms and Landing Page conversions. Pro Tip: Lead forms generally provide more volume at a lower price point, but require extra qualification questions to ensure the lead is actually interested in the specific price bracket of the property.

Snapchat Ads for Real Estate

Often overlooked, Snapchat offers a significantly lower CPM than Meta in the UAE and GCC regions. We’ve seen this before in other campaigns, such as achieving an AED 32 CPL on Snapchat for luxury real estate. For Manta Bay, Snapchat was utilized to capture a younger demographic of investors and local residents who are highly active on the platform. Unlike manual reporting tools that require you to jump between Snapchat Ads Manager and Meta Business Suite, AdsLap brings all this performance data into a single, unified dashboard for instant comparison.

Phase 2: Auditing Performance with Automated Tools

Successful campaigns aren't just about the initial setup; they are won in the optimization phase. During the Manta Bay campaign, we frequently audited the account structure to identify wasted spend. Traditionally, this involves exporting spreadsheets and spending hours looking for patterns. Unlike manual audits in spreadsheets, AdsLap’s Automated Campaign Auditor flags broken funnels and weak creatives automatically, ensuring every dollar is moving the needle.

By understanding how an automated campaign auditor finds what you're missing, media buyers can pivot away from failing creative sets before they erode the overall campaign ROAS. For Manta Bay, this meant cutting underperforming carousel ads in favor of high-performing video walk-throughs that saw a 22% higher CTR.

Phase 3: Deep Dive into the Numbers

The final tally of 385 leads was not a random occurrence. It was the result of hitting industry benchmarks for the real estate vertical. To understand if your own campaigns are on track, it is essential to know how to calculate your true CPL, CPC, and ROAS with accuracy.

Total Leads: 385

Primary Market: UAE and Intl. Investors

Average CPL: Within the 'Healthy' range for luxury developments (AED 45 - AED 75)

Top Creative Format: Vertical Video (9:16) with direct call-to-action

Comparing Benchmarks

When presenting these results to stakeholders, context is everything. Showing a CPL of $20 is meaningless unless the client knows the industry average is $50. AdsLap provides built-in industry benchmarks by vertical, allowing you to show clients exactly how your performance ranks against competitors on Meta, Google, and Snapchat. This level of transparency is what separates top-tier performance marketers from those who simply "run ads."

The Conversion Funnel: From Impression to Lead

The Manta Bay campaign utilized a three-stage funnel structure:

1. Awareness (The Hook)

Using wide-angle drone footage of the development site and coastal views. This was aimed at high-level interest targeting (Real Estate Investment, Luxury Goods, Frequent International Travelers).

2. Consideration (The Details)

Retargeting users who watched at least 50% of the awareness video. These ads featured specific floor plans, pricing starting points, and payment plan highlights. This is often where we saw the highest conversion rate from the 385 leads.

3. Conversion (The FOMO)

Limited-time offers or "Last Units Remaining" messaging. This drove the final urgency required to get the user to submit their contact information. If you're struggling to move users through this stage, check out our guide on going from a $411 CPL to scaling success.

How to Build Your Own Verified Real Estate Portfolio

If you've managed campaigns like Manta Bay, you need to showcase them. Most media buyers fail here because they send messy screenshots or links to a Google Drive folder. This looks unprofessional and compromises client privacy. Unlike manual case studies in Notion that take a full afternoon to build, AdsLap generates a verified, public-shareable portfolio in seconds, complete with auto-blurred sensitive data to keep your clients safe.

A strong portfolio doesn't just list what you did; it proves it with verified data. When a client sees an AdsLap Skill Score and a verified data-import from Meta, the trust barrier is removed immediately. For more inspiration, take a look at these 5 campaign case study examples that won real clients.

Common Pitfalls in Real Estate Ad Campaigns

Even with a success like Manta Bay, there are constant traps that can derail a campaign:

Over-segmenting audiences: In the current automated bidding era, too many small ad sets prevent the algorithm from learning.

Ignoring Lead Quality: 1,000 leads at $2 are useless if none of them can afford the property. Always prioritize qualified leads over raw volume.

Fragmented Reporting: If you are looking at Meta and Snapchat in separate tabs, you're missing the cross-platform influence.

By using a platform that auto-imports your data, like importing Meta Ads data directly into AdsLap, you maintain a source of truth that helps you avoid these manual reporting errors.

Conclusion: The Future of Media Buying Intelligence

The Manta Bay case study proves that with the right combination of multi-platform strategy and automated auditing, achieving 385 real estate leads is not just possible—it’s repeatable. To win more business in 2026 and beyond, you must move away from manual reporting and embrace campaign intelligence. You need to follow a proven framework to win more clients that highlights your technical ability and your data-driven results.

Stop wasting time on Canva. Start building your legacy with verified data and automated insights. Your next 385 leads are waiting for the right strategy to find them.

"Performance marketing is no longer just about clicking buttons in Ads Manager; it's about the intelligence you extract from the data to drive the next dollar of profit."

FAQ: Real Estate Lead Generation

What is a healthy CPL for UAE real estate?

A healthy CPL (Cost Per Lead) typically ranges from AED 40 to AED 100 depending on the luxury level of the project. For ultra-luxury properties, a higher CPL is acceptable if the lead quality and high-net-worth indicators are present.

Should I use Lead Forms or Landing Pages for real estate?

Both have their place. Meta Lead Forms generally provide higher volume and lower CPL due to reduced friction, while Landing Pages usually provide higher intent leads. The best strategy is often to test both using an automated auditor to see which delivers better downstream conversions.

How do I prove my campaign results to a new client?

The most effective way is through a verified, public-shareable case study. Using AdsLap, you can import your campaign data directly from Meta or Snapchat, which builds instant trust because the data is verified against the platform's API rather than being manually typed into a slide deck.

How many platforms should I use for a real estate launch?

We recommend starting with at least two—typically Meta (for reach) and either Snapchat or Google Search (for intent). You can compare their performance in a single view using AdsLap’s cross-platform dashboard to see where your budget is most efficient.

Is Snapchat effective for high-ticket investments?

Yes. Many media buyers ignore Snapchat for luxury real estate, but our data shows that the lower CPMs often result in a highly competitive CPL among the local and expat millennial populations in the GCC who have significant purchasing power.