Should you run Facebook ads for your construction business?

Customer acquisition is a topic brought up a lot when I talk to builders about social media. I have even been told that Facebook Ads don’t work. Actually, when you first start out, they probably don’t work because of one reason or another. Marketing your construction company is a multifaceted platform where your customer lifecycle lives. In this lifecycle of your customer you need many parts in place that could include social media business profiles, a website with a blog, YouTube channel, podcast, PPC, Facebook ads, and the list is limitless.

Facebook Ads are one of the most popular because of the 2.7 billion monthly active users is why. Yes, statistically your customer is on Facebook and it’s a great platform to advertise on if you have a plan.

Types of posts to promote your construction business

Awards your company has won. This is a great promotion and shows that others think highly of your company. It doesn’t matter what the award is for, what matters is you are showing your audience that you are a winner.
Before and After of projects (consistently performs well). This helps people imagine how their construction project will look like.
Testimonials are the best way to gain trust from potential customers.
Contests are a great way to promote your services.
Blog Posts will show your audience that you are the expert and help drive new traffic to your Contractor Website.

Tips for a great Contractor Facebook Ad

Identify your audience in your opening sentence by asking qualifying questions examples could be:
- Are you ready to replace your old worn-out deck?
- Thinking about building your dream home?
Keep it simple with just enough information to grab their attention, then send them to your landing page or website.
Attention-grabbing imagery is needed, where it stops people from scrolling past. If your using video then have a scroll-stopping thumbnail. Keep with your business branding when choosing an image. Past completed projects and before & after photos are very effective to grab the attention of your potential customer.

Types of Facebook Ads you can run for your Construction Company

Photo Ads are by far the most popular way to advertise on Facebook. Simply upload an image that represents the message and link it back to your website. Completed projects are a great subject matter for a construction Facebook ad. This is a great starting point as it’s the most straightforward.

Video Ads will by nature get more engagement but are also more difficult to create a high-quality product. Unless you are going to take the time to learn to create high-quality video, then you are better off sticking to other ad types. If you decide to run video ads for your construction company then we recommend clearly displaying your product or service, be clear about your offer, and keep it fast and short.

Carousel Ads are a step up from photo ads because you can display up to 10 photos each linking to a different page of your construction website. This ad option is nice because you can use multiple photos to take your customer on a journey.

Lead Ads allow you to collect information about people that are interested in knowing more about your product or service. An Instant Form will allow you to collect an interested customer’s name, email, phone number, and more. You can also include custom questions to help understand your potential customers better.

Boosted Posts are ads created out of your organic posts. Boosting is a way to expand your organic post reach and get more people to interact with your brand. This is not a lead generating way to spend your marketing budget. Boosting is really only for reach, engagement, and reaching new people. When someone states that Facebook Ads don’t work, most likely they tried boosting a post and did not get the results they wanted.

Landing pages for your construction ad campaigns

Your contractor advertisement will need to point to a website, preferably a landing page specific to that ad. If your ad says click here to learn more about decks, and you send them to your home page most people will bounce. When someone clicks on an ad about building a deck, they want to see a webpage about building decks(colors, sizes, materials, photos, how to buy, etc). This is one of the first steps we take when running a Facebook Ad Campaign for a Remodeler is to build the landing page.

The Landing Page is also where you should be converting them with a good call to action. Writing up good sales copy to get them to take the next step is critical on the landing page. Once you get them to your website you want to convert them and that is what the landing page is for. Having a good form to capture their information is the conversion.

A lead capture form is a must on a home builder landing page. Getting the potential customer to fill out the form is more difficult than you may think. Forms have been the subject of study from many companies. Having fewer spaces to fill out can increase the conversion rate. Only ask for pertinent information for better results and conversions.

Keep in mind when spending advertising dollars, Facebook will show your ad to people in your audience that are the most likely to take action. Facebook wants you to continue to spend your advertising dollars to market your Construction Company, so they want to give you results.
Also see Google Ads For Contractors

Contractors: get a free social media analysis

Your a skilled trades worker, a craftsman not a Facebook marketer so save yourself the trouble and get a free Social Media Analysis from Bartholomew Media Group. See how you can save time and get more ROI on your social media campaigns with our Contractor Marketing Services.