Facebook ads for contractors, for the jobs people plan ahead

If your phone rings because something broke, Meta isn’t where those customers are. A burst pipe at 2 a.m. sends people to Google, not to their feed. Same with a dead furnace in a cold snap.

For emergency work, that money belongs in Google search ads or Local Services Ads. An emergency plumber might use a small Meta budget for bigger planned jobs, like water heater swaps or a bathroom repipe. That’s about it.

I’d rather tell you that now than take your money and find out together.

Meta works when the job is something people think about for a while before they call. It lets you show your work to people in your area before they ever search for anyone.

Remodeling

People take their time with remodels. A 2015 industry survey, cited by Consumer Reports, found about half of kitchen renovators gathered ideas for six months or longer. Six months is a long time to stay in front of someone. Photos of your finished kitchens and baths in their feed is how you do it. More on remodeling marketing.

Concrete

Concrete is a visual product. A clean driveway, a stamped patio or an RV pad sells itself in a photo. There’s also no concrete category of its own in Local Services Ads, so Meta does more of the work here than it would for a plumber.

Timing matters too. The American Concrete Institute treats air temperatures below 40°F during the protection period as cold-weather concreting, which changes how you pour. I’d run ads ahead of your season so the calendar fills before the weather turns. More on concrete marketing.

Roof replacement

Storm repair is a Google search. A full replacement is a bigger decision, and homeowners are wary. After a storm, even local roofers warn homeowners not to sign anything at the door. A local roofer showing real Utah roofs in someone’s feed looks a lot different from a stranger with a clipboard. More on roofing marketing.

Retargeting

Some people visit your website and leave without calling. Retargeting shows your work to them again on Facebook and Instagram. It’s a small budget, and it works for almost any trade with jobs bigger than a service call.

Here’s what nobody selling Meta ads tells you. Meta’s lead forms fill in a person’s name, phone and email from their profile. Tap, tap, done. Some people submit without really meaning to. Then you call and they don’t remember you.

Meta offers two kinds of forms. “More volume” is built to be quick. “Higher intent” adds a review step so people confirm their info before they submit.

Here’s how I set them up:

• Higher intent forms, not the quick ones.
• One or two real questions. What’s the project? When do you want it done? What’s your ZIP code? A tire-kicker skips those. A real customer answers them.
• Fast follow-up. A Meta lead goes cold quick. If you can’t call back right away, automatic follow-up texts buy you time.

You’ll get fewer leads this way. I’d rather send you fewer leads you’ll actually quote than a pile you have to sort through.

Real photos. Stock photos of smiling guys in hard hats look like every other ad in the feed. Your actual jobs, your trucks, your crew. Phone photos are fine.

You also need a Facebook Page, since Meta ads run from one. If you don’t have one, I’ll help you set it up in your name.