Facebook ads for plumbers need to command enough attention that they get users to stop scrolling down their feed long enough to comprehend what the ad is, what it’s selling, and determine whether or not they should slow down to get more information.
It’s something that needs to occur in a split second or less. Consumers have so much noise in their Facebook feed, from posts from friends and family to ads from consumer brands and local businesses all vying for that split-second of attention.
It’s extremely competitive, but some tips can help you create an effective Facebook ads campaign for a plumbing company that drives awareness and even allows you to attribute service calls and leads to your Facebook ads through retargeting and remarketing efforts.
While very few if any Facebook users sign in and think, “I hope I come across an ad from a plumber.” However, this doesn’t mean you cannot generate leads and service calls by running targeted Facebook campaigns.
Effective Facebook ads for plumbers accomplish a few specific things:
1. They Solve a Problem
Keep your plumbing Facebook ads focused on the problems you solve, and not just about how great your company is. Nobody is turning to Facebook when they have a plumbing emergency, so your ad copy needs to solve a common problem that many have, yet still haven’t found a solution to.
Using an attention-grabbing image and then ad copy that solves a problem can draw in attention and then push the user to click over to your website. Some examples of problem-solving ad headlines are:
- “Still have a leaky sink? Let our expert plumbers fix it once and for all!”
- “Sick of your garbage disposal not working? We can be there in 30 minutes to fox it!”
These are common problems a large number of consumers have, and know they have, yet haven’t taken action to solve the problem. With a direct and to the point Facebook ad you can create a situation that causes the consumer to take action to fix the problem because you placed a solution directly in front of them.
2. They provide a Clear CTA
You cannot expect someone to know what you want them to do next, especially if they had no intention of hiring a plumber before seeing your ad. Your call-to-action needs to give them detailed instructions. Something like “Call us now to schedule your service call” or “Fill out the service request form to secure an appointment.”
This will depend on how your company handles inbound inquiries and service requests. Whatever the princess is, make sure your CTA explains it thoroughly.
3. They are Visually Appealing
Since they are ads for a plumbing company and service you need to use visual elements to grab the attention of users as they are scrolling through their Facebook feed. Visual elements are also beneficial because consumers remember more than 60% of the visual information they see as opposed to just 10% of text-based information.
Some users might skim past your ad, but remember it the next time they are faced with a plumbing emergency. This is an added benefit of creating visual content for your ads. Flooded rooms, overflowing toilets, etc. – images that are outrageous and extreme are more likely to get someone to stop or at least slow down enough to take in your marketing message.
Plumbing Facebook Ad Formats
There are several different ad formats that you can use to create Facebook ads for your plumbing business. With more than ten different options within Facebook’s Ad Manager, it’s important to know what ones apply to a plumbing business. Here are the best three ad formats to focus on when starting a Facebook ad campaign for a plumbing business.
Lead Form: This is a great way to build your pipeline and fill it with prospects. The great thing about lead form ads is the fact the user doesn’t have to leave Facebook to submit his or her information. Since they don’t have to click over to your website and fill out forms the conversion rates are typically higher than normal. Facebook sends your CRM the users’ names and contact details directly from their Facebook profile. This also eliminates the possibility of submitting an incorrect email address.
Offer: Above, when we explained that your ads need to solve a problem there were a couple of examples given, and those are perfect examples of what to use for Offer ads. This is a very direct offer and you can use incentives to improve your conversion rate. Discounts, on-site arrival within a specified period, etc.
Image Ads: These are the standard visual ads that when clicked redirect the consumer back to the website URL of your choice. Your images need to be captivating and high quality. Don’t make a common mistake some plumbers make and use stock images or poor quality images that have nothing differentiating about them.
Where to Run Plumber Facebook Ads
Facebook offers several positioning options, allowing you to test different locations. Using the same targeting options, you can include or omit the following popular locations for your ads.
Standard Feed: This is the main news feed and ads here are marked as “Sponsored.” Feed ads are shown on both desktop and mobile Facebook feeds.
Right Column: These ads are considered a lot less intrusive as they don’t disrupt browsing and scrolling through the feed. They sit idle on the right of the screen (on desktop devices) and if the user finds them interesting can click on them. Otherwise, their session isn’t interrupted.
Messenger: These ads can be good for remarketing, and it’s a little more personal than just in the feed as it’s viewed as a message. The recipient is likely to open it and at least read the message, so your ad copy needs to be very strong and features a CTA that is hard to pass up.
Stories: This allows you to place ads in the users’ Stories feed between the clips from the people they follow. You can also include Instagram, further expanding your reach. Instagram and Facebook use the same ad targeting platform, so all of the audiences and targeting works for both platforms.
Final Thoughts
Running a Facebook ads campaign for a plumbing company requires compelling visuals and an approach that presents solutions to common problems. Since nobody is turning to Facebook to solve a plumbing emergency it’s best to target common nuisances like a leaky faucet or jammed garbage disposal.
These types of solutions can trigger consumers to take action, and then when you combine great visual branding it allows you to attract business on the backend when consumers need a plumber and your business comes to mind because of your previous ad.
Setting up and managing a Facebook advertising campaign isn’t an easy task, as it requires a lot of platform understanding to bid correctly and set up the targeting and remarketing efforts. If you would like to learn more about our plumber Facebook ads management services please contact us to set up a time to speak. Our team of Facebook ads experts will be more than happy to explain the strategies we use to help plumbing companies all over the country drive new customers and service calls using this exciting advertising platform.
See More Helpful Tips