I'm based in Oklahoma City, and most of the contractors I talk to are owner-run shops around the metro. Roofers, HVAC, plumbers, remodelers, concrete and hardscape crews, lawn care, Christmas lights. Here's how I'd approach Facebook ads for a contractor around here.
Set your service area like a person, not a map
Facebook lets you target by city, ZIP code or a radius around a point. Don't just draw a 50-mile circle around downtown.
Think about where you actually want to drive. A lot of OKC contractors work the core metro plus a few suburbs: Edmond, Moore, Norman, Yukon, Mustang. Some won't go south of the river, some don't want Norman traffic every day. Target the places where you want jobs, and leave out the ones you'd turn down anyway.
Paying for leads you'd never take is the fastest way to waste a budget.
Plan around Oklahoma's seasons
Oklahoma weather drives a lot of home service work. Your ads should be ready before your busy season, not after it starts.
- Roofing: spring storm season brings hail and wind damage. Have inspection ads and creative ready before the first big storm, not after.
- HVAC: summer heat and winter cold snaps. Tune-up offers work well in the mild months right before each.
- Plumbing: hard freezes mean frozen and burst pipes. Prep content on protecting pipes before the cold hits.
- Lawn care and landscaping: spring is when people decide who's doing their yard for the year.
- Christmas lights: people book in the fall. If your ads start in December, you're late.
The slow months are for filming new content and testing offers, so you start each season ready.
Local beats out-of-town
After a big storm, Oklahoma homeowners get a wave of out-of-town crews knocking on doors. A lot of people are wary of that, and with good reason.
That's your advantage. Show that you're local. Film your crew in neighborhoods people recognize (without showing anyone's address). Have the owner on camera saying where you're based and how long you've worked here. Show your trucks with your name on them. If your trade requires a license or registration, show it.
People want to know the company will still be around if something goes wrong next year.
Offers that work for contractors
Most homeowners won't commit to a big project from an ad. Give them an easy first step:
- Free estimate or quote.
- Free roof or storm damage inspection.
- Seasonal tune-up.
- Free design consult for remodels and hardscapes.
Keep the same offer across the ad, the landing page and the follow-up text so nobody is confused about what happens next.
Film real jobs
Video of your crew doing the work beats any stock photo of a house in another state. Before and after clips of a patio, a new roof or a finished remodel are some of the strongest ads a contractor can run. I go deeper on this in what to say in a video ad.
Answer before the next guy does
Homeowners often reach out to two or three contractors at once. Whoever responds first has a big head start. When you're on a roof or under a house, you can't pick up, so set up automatic texts that reply for you. Read more on speed to lead and missed call text back.
Where to start
If you're a contractor in the OKC area and want to see what this would look like for you, book a free strategy call. Here's more on how I work with home service businesses.