Intro
A few days ago I talked to a guy who owns a water damage restoration company. Leads from other sources were drying up (no pun intended) and he was wondering if Facebook Ads was a good route for him to go.
He mentioned that his wife, a lawyer, was successfully getting personal injury clients through Facebook. “But,” he said, “when somebody has a water damage emergency I can’t see them going to Facebook.”
I smiled, nodded, and told him he had hit the nail right on the head! For emergency situations, Facebook normally isn’t the way to go. There are ways to get water damage leads effectively, but not for heat-of-the-moment disasters.
To understand how to properly use Facebook Ads to get leads and customers, you need to understand how a remodeling transaction actually happens as a result of a Facebook Ad. So let’s start there.
Step 1: Understand How Facebook Ads Find Your Customers
Let’s take a look at two different customers: Mary and Kate. Mary has just had her basement flooded from a drain pipe dislodging, and Kate is looking for a remodeler to do her kitchen.
Mary gets home from taking the kids to soccer practice. It’s a normal, routine day. She remembers that she put a load of laundry in before she left, and heads downstairs to the basement to transfer the load. To her horror, she sees the floor of her finished basement soaked in water (the drain pipe on her washer has come loose from where it attaches at the base.)
Within the span of just under 117 seconds, Mary pulls out her phone, searches for a water damage company, and is listening to the ringing on the other end. A contractor shows up at her house within 1 hour and 16 minutes, and she hires him on the spot.
Now let’s look at Kate.
Her and her husband are planning to remodel their kitchen this spring. They have been talking about it for what feels like ages, and Kate is excited that they’re finally going to do it.
Even so, she hasn’t gotten around to calling a contractor yet. Between her part time job, household chores, and taking care of her 3 year old she hasn’t found the time.
Even if she does have time, the thought of researching and contacting local remodelers induces some anxiety. She’s heard more than once to “always get three quotes.” So, while she’s excited about remodeling her kitchen, she keeps putting it off. She does, however, browse Pinterest and watch YouTube videos to get some ideas.
After a long day, with her 3-year-old in bed, Kate relaxes on her couch and scrolls through Facebook. A picture of a modern kitchen with white shaker cabinets catches her eye and she stops scrolling to look at it.
She reads the post and sees that it’s a remodeling company advertising in her area. In the ad, there’s a call-to-action saying to click on the learn more button for a free estimate. She clicks Learn More, and is prompted to put in her contact information.
Although Kate hesitates for a moment, she decides she’s put this off for long enough. She wants to get it done. Plus, it doesn’t feel like she’s really committing to anything. She’s just putting in her name, email, and phone number, and answering a question or two about her project. And after the 67 seconds it takes to do that, she can keep relaxing on the couch.
The remodeler calls her the next day and sets up a visit. With the process now in motion, Kate does also search for two more remodelers in her area to get quotes form. After two weeks of visits, discussing design ideas, and reviewing quotes, Kate decides to hire the remodeler she saw on Facebook.
Now, here’s why the ad was shown to her in the first place.
Facebook uses powerful artificial intelligence to show ads to the right people based on their behavior. For example, I’ve had times where I’ll research a topic, or even just talk about it with my phone close by, and then I’ll see a Facebook Ad about it a day later.
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So, after Kate’s online research, and her discussions about the kitchen with her husband, she didn’t have to find the remodeler - the remodeler’s ad found her!
This is how Facebook Ads work.
Step 2: Know Your Unique Offering
If I asked you what your remodeling company’s unique selling points are, what would you say? Pause, think about your answer, and then keep reading.
When I ask this question, about 95% of remodelers tell me “quality and service.” But, if everyone’s unique selling point is quality and service, then truly no one’s unique selling point is quality and service.
But every company has a unique position they can sell from. If you’re a smaller remodeling company with a few subs, your selling point is that your customers get to work directly with the owner.
If you’re a well established company with 37 employees, 15 years in business, and a trusted network of regular subs, your selling point is completely different. Your selling point is that you have a well established company, a growing reputation, better warranties, free 3D designs, and whatever else.
The point is that the bigger business can’t sell the fact that customers get to work directly with the owner. And the smaller business can’t sell that they have a well-established reputable business.
But here’s the good news: your crowd is out there! Customers will prefer one type of business over the other. Don’t try to be all things to all people. Think about what you’re good at, admit what you’re bad at, and use that to understand your unique position within the market.
And that position might change. But don’t worry if you can’t sell like the big company yet. Own where you’re at, and use it to your advantage. Then you’ll be ready to write ads that attract the right people.
Step 3: Write Ads to Attract the Right People
Use your unique selling position to reach the right people. If most remodelers in your market are booked out for 6 months, and you have immediate availability to take on kitchen projects, you could use a headline like “We’re looking for new kitchen projects to start right away!”
Or, if your company offers 3D designs for bath projects, and you know other local remodelers don’t, use that. “Remodeling your bathroom? Get a free consultation and 3D design so you can be confident about your new bathroom before you get started!”
Another effective headline we used before is “Get a quote without dealing with pushy salesmen!” This one is great if the owner will be personally working with customers and you have a sales process that isn’t high pressure.
Also, keep in mind what’s important to different types of customers. A lower to middle class customer who’s interested in a $12,000 shower installation will probably respond well to a $1000 discount or a financing offer. But to a customer who’s interested in a $70,000 kitchen with custom cabinets and a double oven, a $1000 discount isn’t going to persuade them to reach out to you.
Step 4: Write Ads to Attract People at The Right Time
You can’t force people to suddenly become interested in remodeling their kitchen. You can, however, join the conversation they’re already having with themselves. The key is to join the conversation with the right people.
If you want to attract customers who are close to making a buying decision, you might run an ad that says “Remodeling your kitchen? Get a quote and consult from ABC Remodels!” This headline would be more likely to pull customers who have already made the decision to remodel their kitchen and are looking for the right contractor.
On the other hand, if you want to attract prospects who have just started thinking about remodeling their kitchen, you might run an ad that says “Considering a kitchen remodel?” Of course, this is only recommended if you have a sales process that can accommodate and nurture those “slow burn” sales.
Step 5: Use Images That Make Sense
Similar to wording, different types of images will attract different types of people.
The middle to lower class customer probably won’t respond to an ad with a sleek $98,000 kitchen with a waterfall countertop on the island. On the flip side, the high-end customer probably won’t click on the picture of a $25,000 kitchen with a more modest design.
It doesn’t really matter whether you use stock images or real images. Both are effective. That being said, the pictures you use should feel tangible to your target customer. They should look nice, but not so luxurious that they feel out of reach. The pictures you use should also align with the caliber of work you do.
Also, in our experience, graphics kill performance. Your ideal customers will stop to look at the remodels in the ad and try to picture how it would look in their own home. You don’t need to convince them to. But when you have graphics that make it look like an ad, people are more likely to immediately scroll past.
Using simple pictures of completed remodels, or before and after photos, is not only easier but results in the best response rate.
Step 6: Lightly Qualify
In almost all cases, I find that my ads produce better quality leads if I have at least one qualifying question. For example, “How soon are you looking to remodel your bathroom?” or “What type of addition are you looking for?”
This qualifying question isn’t for you, it’s for the lead. Sometimes people put in fake contact information because they want more info but don’t want you to call them yet. The qualifying question slows down these impatient personalities and they click off of the ad.
That being said, I don’t recommend asking more than one or two qualifying questions. Too much friction will discourage even the best leads. This will make your lead cost more expensive with no real benefit.
Step 7: Develop Your Sales Funnel
Your sales funnel is the system you have in place to turn prospects into paying customers. Even if you’ve never written down this process, think about the steps you take with each customer. Chances are, you repeat similar steps over and over again with each new prospect. This is your sales funnel!
A good sales funnel means that you’re able to walk with the customer as they get closer to their decision to buy. For low-funnel customers, this means that you’re able to provide an estimate quickly and potentially a design. For mid-funnel customers, this means your follow-up is strong and you’re able to work with the customer over a few weeks or months until they’re ready to buy.
I once had an HVAC client who we got great results for in their first month with us. If I’m remembering correctly, they were at around $40,000 in sales. Then all of a sudden, even though they were still getting leads, they stopped making sales from our program. It was like a faucet had turned off.
I remember sitting in a zoom meeting with one of the managers and seeing the confused look on his face. Seeing that leads were still coming in, I was also a bit confused. So I asked him if there had been any major changes in the company or its processes. “Well,” he said. “We have a different guy running the calls, but I don’t think that would affect anything.”
Personally, I think that was exactly it.
When a good marketing funnel and a good sales funnel line up, that’s when the magic happens!
Here are some items to consider for your sales funnel:
- Call your new leads quickly and often.
- Every few months, call back through your list of prospects to set appointments with customers who are closer to a decision.
- Work texting into your follow-up process, to connect with prospects who prefer that type of communication.
- If possible, provide 3D renderings to customers who you sense need reassurance about the project.
- If possible, provide quotes on this spot (this is doable for acrylic shower installations, but may not be possible for more complex jobs).
- For customers you can’t quote on the spot, set up a follow-up meeting. This call can be over zoom, over the phone, or in person. This is when you can present to the customer and provide your quote.
- Nurture your customers long term with design ideas, maintenance advice, and other tips via email.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, the best way to use Facebook Ads is to understand what your unique selling position is, find your best customers, and join the conversation they’re already having with themselves.
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