Google Ads catches people who are actively searching for your service right now. Facebook Ads do something different: they put your business in front of homeowners who need your service but have not started searching yet. Done right, Facebook Ads generate cheap leads and build brand awareness in your service area. Here is how to set them up.

Why Facebook Ads Work for Contractors

Facebook has more data about its users than any platform on earth. You can target homeowners by zip code, age, income level, home value, and even homeownership status. For a contractor, this means your ad can appear exclusively to people who own homes in your specific service area. That is incredibly powerful targeting for a fraction of Google Ads cost.

The average cost per click on Facebook is $1 to $3 for most contractors, compared to $8 to $30+ on Google. The leads are typically earlier in the buying cycle (awareness vs ready to buy), but the volume and cost make it a strong complementary channel.

Campaign Setup Step by Step

1. Choose your objective: For lead generation, select “Leads” as your campaign objective. Facebook will optimize to show your ad to people most likely to fill out a form
2. Set your budget: Start with $5 to $10 per day. This gets your ads in front of 500 to 1,500 people daily in a local market. You can always increase once you see results
3. Create your audience: See the targeting section below
4. Design your ad: See the creative section below
5. Choose your lead form: Use Facebook’s Instant Form so people can submit their info without leaving Facebook. Ask for: name, phone number, email, and service needed. Keep it short. Every extra field reduces conversions

Targeting That Works

This is where contractor Facebook Ads get powerful. Layer these targeting options:

• Location: Your service area radius (15 to 25 miles typically). Target “people who live in this location” not “everyone in this location”
• Age: 28 to 65+ (homeowners skew older)
• Homeowner status: Under Detailed Targeting, search for “homeowner” under Demographics > Home > Home Ownership. This eliminates renters who are not your customer
• Home value: If available, target by home value range. Higher home values typically mean higher budget projects
• Interests (optional): Home improvement, DIY, HGTV, Home Depot, Lowe’s. These indicate people thinking about home projects

Ad Creative That Converts

Contractor Facebook Ads that work share common traits:

• Use real photos: Before and after photos of your actual work outperform stock photos by 3 to 5x. Use a carousel ad to show multiple before/after pairs
• Lead with a clear offer: “Free Estimates in 24 Hours” or “$50 Off Your First Service” or “Same Day Emergency AC Repair”
• Short, direct copy: “Need a reliable plumber in [city]? Licensed. Insured. Same-day service available. Book your free estimate today.”
• Include social proof: “4.9 stars on Google with 100+ reviews” or “Trusted by 500+ homeowners in [area]”
• Use video if possible: Even a 15-second time-lapse of a job from start to finish gets excellent engagement

Budgeting and Expectations

Results vary by market and trade, but these ranges are typical for well-targeted contractor campaigns. Give any campaign at least 7 to 14 days before judging performance. Facebook’s algorithm needs time to learn who engages with your ads.

The Biggest Mistake

Not following up on leads fast enough. Facebook leads go cold faster than Google leads because these people were not actively searching. They saw your ad, thought “hmm, I do need my gutters cleaned,” and submitted a form. If you call them 48 hours later, they have already forgotten. Call within 5 minutes. The contractors who follow up fastest win the most Facebook leads.

More Resources for Home Service Businesses

• Professional Website Design
• SEO Services
• Google Ads Management
• Google Business Profile Optimization