Meta Ads
Quick-Start
Guide
7 steps to set up a lead generation campaign that actually brings in jobs — not just clicks.
I built Tradie Pulse to give tradies a real marketing system — not just ads. This guide is what I'd tell any tradie starting out with Meta ads today.
These are your two options for collecting leads. They produce different results — pick based on what matters most right now.
Fewer leads, but higher quality. People leave Meta to visit your page — more intent, less tyre-kickers.
More volume, faster to set up. Fields pre-fill from Meta profile — easier to submit, easier to get junk leads.
Tradie Pulse take: Start with Instant Forms to get volume fast, then switch to a Landing Page once you know your ads are working.
Your form should pre-qualify leads before they hit your CRM. Think about what you'd want to know in the first 30 seconds of a call.
Keep it to 3–5 questions max. Too many questions = people drop off. Enough questions = you stop wasting time on bad leads.
Don't run broad location targeting. Lock in the specific suburbs you actually want to be working in — the places where jobs are worth your time.
In Meta, add suburbs one by one under Locations. Use a 10–20km radius around your home base OR manually drop pins on the areas you want.
Don't overthink it. You need enough variety for Meta to test, but not so much that your budget gets spread too thin.
Headline formula: "[Service] in [Suburb]? Get a Free Quote Today." Simple, local, direct.
Meta runs a learning phase on every new campaign. It needs data before it knows who to show your ads to. If you change things too early, you reset the clock.
You can pause or turn the ads off if you're booked out. Don't keep spending if you can't handle more work.
The ad gets the lead. The follow-up system closes the job. Without automation, you're relying on yourself to respond fast — and that rarely happens after a long day on the tools.
Speed to lead matters. Respond within 5 minutes and your chance of booking doubles. Respond the next day — and they've already called someone else.
Meta will distribute your ads across Facebook, Instagram, Reels, Stories, and Marketplace. Let it do its job. Restricting placements manually usually increases your cost per lead.
Once you've had leads coming in for 2–3 weeks, check your placement breakdown. Cut what's costing the most and converting the least.