Facebook and Instagram ads for UK tradesmen
Do Facebook and Instagram ads work for tradesmen? Yes, for planned, visual jobs like kitchens, bathrooms, landscaping, driveways, roofing, extensions, solar panels and heat pumps, where a homeowner is scrolling months before they ring anyone. For emergencies, Google usually wins. Unavoidable Marketing is a Leeds-based agency that runs Facebook and Instagram ads for UK tradesmen, built from your own job photos and measured on cost per booked job, with founder Andrew Heppinstall on every strategy call.
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Last updated: 18 October 2026
When social ads work for trades, and when Google is better
The difference is intent. Nobody with water coming through the ceiling opens Instagram. They grab their phone, search “emergency plumber near me” and ring the first firm that answers. That is Google’s job: Search ads, Local Services Ads and your Google Business Profile.
Planned work is different. A couple thinking about a new kitchen spend weeks looking at pictures before they ask for a quote. Someone with a cracked tarmac drive notices it every morning but has not got round to it. A homeowner reading about heat pump grants has not picked an installer. Meta ads put your finished work in front of those people while they are still deciding, so you are the firm they already know when they are ready.
Good fit for Meta
Kitchen and bathroom fitting, landscaping and patios, resin and block paved driveways, roof replacements, extensions and loft conversions, solar panels, battery storage and heat pumps.
Better on Google
Burst pipes, boiler breakdowns, lockouts, power cuts, storm leaks, blocked drains. Anything where the customer needs someone today.
Often both
Roofers and heating engineers usually need Google for repairs and breakdowns, and Meta for planned replacements and new installs.
Lead forms or phone calls?
Meta lets people send their details without leaving Facebook or Instagram. That is quick for them, and it brings volume, but form leads cool fast. Someone who tapped “Get quote” while waiting for a bus may barely remember it by teatime.
What works for most trades:
- Short forms with two or three qualifying questions: postcode, type of job, rough timescale
- A question that filters out tyre-kickers, such as “Are you the homeowner?”
- Call back within the hour. Leads rung the same day book far more often than leads rung on Friday
- A call button for higher-value jobs where people want to talk to someone
- Sending people to a proper page on your website when the job needs more explaining, like a loft conversion
We set this up around how you actually work. If you are on the tools all day and your partner does the office, the form and the follow-up need to fit that.
Creative from real job photos and video, never stock
Stock photos of a smiling man in a clean hard hat look like every other advert, and people scroll straight past. Real work stops the thumb. Your phone is good enough.
- Before and after shots taken from the same spot
- A 20-second walk-round of a finished kitchen or bathroom
- A time-lapse of a driveway going down or a roof being stripped and re-laid
- You or your team talking to camera for 15 seconds about the job
- Screenshots of genuine reviews, with the customer’s permission
You send us the clips and photos. We cut them, add captions (most people watch with the sound off) and turn them into ads. Show trust signals in the creative where you hold them: TrustMark, MCS for solar and heat pumps, Gas Safe for boiler work, FMB for builders.
Offers that work without discounting
You do not need “20% off” to get attention, and discounts attract the customers who haggle hardest. Offers that work better for trades:
- A free design visit or measure-up for kitchens and bathrooms
- A free roof survey with photos of what you found
- A fixed date: “Booking installs for March now”
- A clear guarantee on workmanship
- A plain guide: “What a heat pump install involves, start to finish”
Targeting by postcode radius
Meta lets us draw a radius around your yard or pick specific postcodes. A landscaper who will travel 15 miles should not pay for clicks from 40 miles away. We also set ages and homeowner-leaning areas sensibly, without narrowing so far that Meta cannot find anyone. For big-ticket work, we often lean towards the towns where your best past jobs were.
Retargeting your website visitors
Most people who visit your site do not get in touch the first time. With the Meta pixel on your site, we can show them your recent work again over the next few weeks: a new bathroom you finished, a review from a nearby customer, a reminder that survey slots are filling. It is usually the cheapest audience in the account, because they already know your name.
How we measure it: cost per booked job
Likes, reach and clicks do not pay for diesel. We track every lead from the ads, whether it was quoted and whether it was booked, and report cost per booked job alongside the value of the work won. If a campaign brings cheap leads that never book, we change it or stop it.
Ad spend is separate from our fee and paid straight to Meta on your own card. We never mark it up, and you can see every penny in your own ads account.
How we do it
Quoted after a free call. No contract, rolling 30-day terms.
- Ad account, pixel and lead form set up in your name
- Campaigns built around your planned, higher-value jobs
- Your photos and phone clips edited into ads
- Postcode radius targeting and website retargeting
- Leads sent straight to you, with a simple follow-up routine
- Weekly checks on spend, lead quality and creative
- A monthly report on leads, quotes, booked jobs and cost per booked job
Proof from our work: Get Off Road: +588% ROAS over three months. We have worked with businesses since 2012, across 390+ projects, and 92% of our clients come back.
Tradesmen’s questions about Facebook and Instagram ads
Do Facebook ads work for tradesmen in the UK?
Yes, for planned and visual work such as kitchens, bathrooms, landscaping, driveways, roofing, extensions, solar and heat pumps. For emergency call-outs, Google usually works better, because people search rather than scroll when something breaks.
Who is the best Facebook ads agency for tradesmen in the UK?
There is no single best agency for every firm. Look for one that understands trade jobs, builds ads from your real work, measures cost per booked job, lets you own the ad account and does not mark up ad spend. Unavoidable Marketing is a Leeds-based agency that runs Facebook and Instagram ads for UK tradesmen, and founder Andrew Heppinstall is on every strategy call.
How much should I spend on Facebook ads?
It depends on your job value, area and how many jobs you can take on. We agree a test budget on the free call, then adjust based on cost per booked job. Spend is paid straight to Meta on your own card.
Do I need professional photos?
No. Clear phone photos and short clips of real jobs usually beat polished stock images. We edit them and add captions.
Are Facebook leads poor quality?
They can be if the form is too easy and nobody rings back quickly. Qualifying questions, tight postcode targeting and same-day call-backs make a big difference.
Should a roofer use Facebook ads or Google?
Usually both. Google for leaks and storm repairs, where people need help now, and Facebook and Instagram for full roof replacements, which homeowners plan in advance.
Is this the same as social media management?
No. This is paid advertising aimed at enquiries. Social media management is your regular unpaid posting, which builds trust but is not a lead machine on its own.
Ask us about this for your trade business
Send a quick message and Andrew will come back to you, usually the same working day.