Facebook ads work for tradesmen when you advertise one job you want more of to homeowners in the areas you cover, send them to a simple page for that job, and reply to every enquiry within minutes. Typical lead costs are around £38 in the UK and $27 to $43 in the US, which is small next to a job worth hundreds or thousands.
Most tradesmen who try Facebook ads boost a few posts, get some likes and a handful of tyre-kickers, and decide it doesn’t work. The platform is not the problem. Boosted posts are built for attention, not enquiries, and “we do everything” ads attract people shopping on price. The trades that get steady work from Facebook do the opposite: one clear offer, one area, one simple page and fast follow-up.
What Facebook ads cost for trades
| Where | Cost per lead | Cost per click |
|---|---|---|
| US, home & home improvement | $42.95 | $2.18 |
| US, all industries | $27.39 | $1.80 |
| UK, all industries | £37.80 | £1.18 |
Sources: WordStream Facebook Ads Benchmarks 2026 (US lead campaigns, medians) and Superads UK data, September 2025 to August 2026 (medians).
Those are medians across good and bad campaigns. A focused campaign often does far better. One of my clients has run on £10 a day: £3,209.70 spent, 742 enquiries, about £4.33 each. That is his result, not a promise, but it shows what the right offer and page can do.
The real test is whether a lead is worth more than it costs. If a job is worth £3,000 and you win 1 in 10 enquiries, each enquiry is worth £300 on paper. Paying £40 for one is a good trade. Work out your own numbers with the free Facebook ads cost calculator.
The one-offer plan that works for any trade
- Pick one high-value job. A rewire, a boiler install, a new roof, a kitchen fit. Not your whole service list.
- Choose your area. Target the towns or postcodes you actually want to drive to. Wider is not better if the leads are too far away to be worth it.
- Make an offer. A free quote with a clear next step, a fixed-price survey, or a seasonal check. Give people a reason to act now.
- Use real photos. Your own finished work and before-and-after shots beat stock images every time.
- Send people to a page for that one job. Repeat the offer, show real work and reviews, and ask only for name, phone, postcode and one question.
- Reply in minutes. Set up an instant text reply so no enquiry sits waiting while you are on a job.
Guides for each trade
The plan above is the same for every trade, but the jobs, seasons and offers are different. Pick yours:
- Electricians: rewires, consumer units and EV chargers. See also how to get more electrician leads.
- Plumbers: boiler installs and bathroom refits. See also how to get more plumbing leads.
- Roofers: re-roofs and flat roofs. See also how to get more roofing leads.
- Builders: extensions and renovations.
- Kitchen and bathroom fitters: full fits, not just quotes.
- HVAC: system replacements and maintenance plans.
- Landscapers, painters, pest control and solar installers.
- US contractors: remodeling and renovation leads.
Want your phone ringing with the right jobs?
I build the ads, the job page and the follow-up for trades in the UK and US. Free 30-minute call, no pitch.
Book a free callFacebook ads vs lead sites
Lead sites and directories sell the same enquiry to several trades, so you end up racing to the bottom on price. With your own ads, every enquiry is yours and you build a list of past customers you can market to again. Lead sites still have a place, especially when you are starting out, but most trades that grow move towards owning their leads. I compare them in Checkatrade vs Facebook ads.
Follow-up is where the money is
One widely cited study of around 15,000 leads found that contacting a lead within 5 minutes, rather than 30, made it roughly 21 times more likely to qualify. You can’t answer the phone from a roof or under a sink, so automate the first reply. A missed-call text back turns a missed call into a conversation, and an instant text to every new enquiry offers booking times straight away. Then ask every happy customer for a review, because good reviews make your ads cheaper and easier to trust. See how to get more Google reviews.
Mistakes that waste money
- Boosting posts instead of running a proper leads campaign.
- Advertising everything you do instead of one job.
- Sending people to your homepage, where they get lost.
- Judging it after three days. Give a campaign a couple of weeks and enough budget to learn.
- No tracking, so Meta can’t learn who actually becomes a lead. Set up the Meta Pixel and Conversions API.
- Slow replies. The homeowner is contacting three trades. The first to reply usually wins.
If your ads are running and nothing is coming in, work through why Facebook ads don’t work. Joiners and carpenters have their own guide in Facebook ads for joiners and carpenters, and if you need ad ideas, see Facebook ad examples for contractors. There are also guides for window and door companies, flooring companies and landscapers.
Frequently asked questions
Do Facebook ads work for tradesmen?
Yes, when you advertise one job to homeowners in your area, send them to a simple page for that job and reply to every enquiry quickly. Boosted posts and general “we do everything” ads rarely work.
How much should a tradesman spend on Facebook ads?
Start with a daily budget you are comfortable testing for a few weeks. Many local trades start between £10 and £30 a day. Judge it on the cost of a booked job, not the cost of a click.
How much does a Facebook lead cost for trades?
Median lead costs are about £37.80 in the UK and $42.95 for US home improvement, according to Superads and WordStream. A focused offer and page often does much better.
Are Facebook ads better than Checkatrade or other lead sites?
With your own ads the enquiries are yours alone, so you are not competing with several trades for the same job. Lead sites are simpler to start with. Many trades use both at first.
Should I boost posts or run ads?
Run a proper campaign with a leads or conversions objective. Boosting is built for likes and reach, which rarely turns into booked work.
Related guides
- Facebook ads for electricians: get rewires, not just call-outs
- Facebook ads for plumbers: how to get more boiler and bathroom jobs
- Facebook ads for roofers: a simple plan for more roofing leads
- Checkatrade vs Facebook ads: which is better for tradespeople?
- Facebook ads for joiners and carpenters: win bigger jobs, not odd jobs
- Facebook ad examples for contractors: 10 ideas that get enquiries
- Facebook ads for window and door companies: get more quote requests
- Facebook ads for flooring companies: get more estimates booked
- How to get more landscaping leads: 8 ways that work
Pierce Tagle is a Facebook ads expert and AI automation specialist. He builds the ads, funnels and GoHighLevel follow-up systems that turn clicks into booked calls for businesses in the US and UK. More about Pierce