We have already discussed the SMM in one of our articles, and it’s only logical to continue with another important part of social media strategy—targeting and paid ads. The main difference between SMM and paid ads is that the first one makes your presence and builds community, while the second one drives new users to your account. Let’s discuss how paid ads and targeting can boost your home service business on platforms like Meta and TikTok.
What Are Targeting and Paid Ads?
Targeting and paid ads work together. Targeting is a tool to reach a certain audience by their location, age, interests, behavior and so much more. Paid ads are like a door to this audience. This allows you to reach more new non-followers than usual posts. And with targeting you reach not just random new people, but those who you want to reach at this exact moment. For home service businesses targeted paid ads can be especially effective because they allow you to focus your efforts on local customers who need your services now.
Why Is Targeting and Paid Ads Important for Home Service Businesses?
Discover the main benefits of targeted paid ads:
- Local Customer Reach. This is one of the most important factors. With paid ads, you can precisely target people in your service area. For home service in San Jose you can choose the San Jose location. This ensures you're not wasting money reaching people who can’t hire you.
- Increased Visibility. Paid ads can guarantee the number of users that will see your post. It allows significantly large reaches and increases visibility to the potential customers. Whether someone needs an emergency plumber, refrigerator repair, or HVAC installation, your ads can make sure you're the one they find when they need help.
- Control Over Your Budget. Set daily or lifetime budgets and track performance to adjust your spendings as your business needs. This allows you to try different tactics before investing a lot of money into campaigns and choose the best one. This makes paid ads an affordable marketing option with great ROI.
- Drive Specific Actions. Paid ads are a little bit more than visibility and new followers. It encourages users to call you, fill out contact forms, schedule an appointment or anything else you need. A clear call to action (aka CTA) becomes a guide for users how easily to get, for example, an HVAC installation in their area.
- Measurable Results. The results of paid ads are not pig in a poke. You can see all the metrics on how exactly your ads work and who was reached. You can monitor clicks, conversions, impressions, and engagement to make improvements whenever you need them.
How Does Targeting and Paid Ads Work?
Now that we know why targeting and paid ads are essential, let’s break down how they actually work on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Meta Business Suite (Facebook and Instagram)
Meta offers one of the most robust advertising platforms, giving you the ability to target specific demographics and interests. Here’s how targeting and paid ads work on Meta:
- Setting Up Your Campaign
- Objective: First, you choose the objective of your campaign. Do you want more website visits? Leads? Calls? Choosing the right objective ensures your campaign has a clear goal.
- Audience: This is where targeting comes in. You can specify who sees your ads based on:
- Location: Target specific cities, counties, or even zip codes where your services are available.
- Age and Gender: Narrow down who sees your ad based on demographics.
- Interests: If someone has shown an interest in home improvement or emergency repairs, you can target them.
- Behavior: Meta also allows you to target people based on behaviors, such as those who are likely to need HVAC or plumbing services.
- Creating Your Ad. You can create eye-catching ads with photos, videos, or carousel ads to showcase your services. Any home service ad could feature before-and-after photos of an installation or maintenance process, with a strong CTA like "Get Your Free Estimate Today."
- Budgeting and Bidding. You control how much you spend. You can set a daily or lifetime budget and choose how you want to bid. Meta offers options like "Cost Per Click" (CPC) or "Cost Per Thousand Impressions" (CPM), allowing you to choose the most cost-effective method for your goals.
- Analyzing Results. After your campaign runs, you can use the Meta Business Suite to track its performance. This includes checking your ad reach, engagement, and conversions, which helps you optimize future campaigns.
TikTok Ads
TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, with millions of users engaging daily. For home service businesses, TikTok offers a unique opportunity to create fun, engaging, and educational content that captures the attention of your target audience. Here's how targeting and paid ads work on TikTok:
Targeting
- Similar to Meta, TikTok allows you to target users based on location, interests, and demographics. You can target specific regions to ensure you're reaching customers in your local area who need plumbing, HVAC, or appliance repair services.
- You can also use interest targeting to reach people who are interested in home improvement, DIY projects, or other related topics.
Ad Formats. TikTok offers several ad formats, including:
- In-Feed Ads: These ads appear in users' main feeds, making them ideal for reaching potential customers as they scroll.
- Branded Hashtag Challenges: This is a fun way to engage users. You can create a branded challenge related to home services, like a "DIY plumbing fix" challenge, which can drive awareness.
- TopView Ads: These full-screen ads appear when users first open TikTok, making them an excellent choice for home service businesses looking to grab attention.
Budgeting and Analytics. TikTok Ads also gives you control over your budget and performance. You can track key metrics like impressions, click-through rates, and conversion rates to measure your ad’s success and adjust strategies accordingly.
How Can 4PMix Help Your Home Service Business with Targeting and Paid Ads?
At 4PMix, we understand how crucial it is for home service businesses to target the right audience and maximize their advertising efforts. Our team of social media marketing experts can create and manage targeted paid ad campaigns on platforms like Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and TikTok, tailored specifically for your HVAC, plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, or appliance repair business.
Whether you need help setting up a campaign on Meta Business Suite or want to take advantage of the growing popularity of TikTok, 4PMix is here to help you boost your brand’s online presence and reach your local customers with precision.
Contact 4PMix today to discover how our targeting and paid ad strategies can help your home service business grow.