Solved: Facebook Ads not working for Bathroom Remodeling

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. I've put together some detailed thoughts on your situation, as getting advertising right for a high-ticket local service is a bit different to selling a t-shirt online.

You've got a great position – a superior product at a competitive price. The trick isn't just to get in front of people, but to get in front of the *right* people at the *right* time, and with a message that makes them feel they've found the only logical choice. Most businesses in your spot make a few predictable (and costly) mistakes right out of the gate. We're going to walk through how to sidestep them.

Let's get this sorted.

We'll need to look at your channel strategy first... because you're probably starting in the wrong place

I know you asked about Facebook ads, but I have to be brutally honest here: for a service like yours, it's almost definately the wrong place to start. It's probably the single biggest mistake businesses like yours make.

Think about the customer's journey. Nobody wakes up in the morning, scrolls through photos of their cousin's holiday, and suddenly thinks, "You know what, I'm going to drop $15,000 on a new shower today." It just doesn't happen. A bathroom remodel is a considered purchase, driven by a specific need or trigger event—a leak, a safety concern for an elderly parent, or just finally getting fed up with that avocado-green tub from the 70s.

When that trigger happens, what's the first thing they do? They go to Google and type in "bathroom remodelers near me," "one day shower installation cost," or "walk-in shower for seniors."

This is what we call 'high-intent' traffic. They are actively looking for a solution to their problem, right now. Facebook, on the other hand, is 'interruption marketing'. You're trying to distract them from what they're doing. It can work, but it's a much harder, and usually more expensive, way to find customers initially. You're trying to create demand, whereas on Google, you're just capturing demand that already exists.

I remember one campaign we're currently running for an HVAC company. It's a similar model: high-ticket, local, needs-based. If their boiler breaks in winter, they aren't browsing Instagram for a solution, they're frantically Googling for an emergency repairman. Your business is the same. Start where the pain is most acute. That's Google Search.

So, priority number one: set up a Google Ads campaign targeting keywords that your ideal customers are searching for. Think about phrases like:

• → "[Your City] tub to shower conversion"
• → "One day bath remodel [Your Area]"
• → "Walk-in shower installation"
• → "Best Bath Fitter alternative"

This is how you get your foot in the door with people who have their wallets out, ready to solve their problem.

I'd say you need to fix your offer before you spend a penny

Let's assume you get the targeting right. You've got someone with a cracked, leaking shower on your website. What happens next is arguably more important than the ad itself. This is where your offer comes in, and the standard "Get a Free Quote" is lazy and unpersuasive.

"Request a Quote" is what everyone else does. It signals a sales process, not a solution. It's high friction. The customer thinks, "Great, now I have to schedule a visit, get a hard sell from a salesperson, and then get a price that feels like it was plucked from thin air." It creates anxiety and hesitation.

You have a higher quality product at the same price. Your offer needs to reflect that quality and de-risk the decision for the customer. You need to give them value *before* you ask for the sale. This is how you differentiate yourself from the Bath Fitters of the world.

Instead of a "Free Quote," consider a value-first offer like:

• "Get a Free 3D Design & Exact Price Quote": This is a huge step up. It's tangible. They can visualise their new bathroom. 'Exact Price' sounds firm and trustworthy, unlike a vague 'estimate'. You're no longer just a contractor; you're a design partner.
• "Use Our Interactive Project Cost Calculator": You could build a simple tool on your website. The user answers a few questions (size of shower, type of materials, accessories) and gets a realistic price range instantly. This builds immense trust and qualifies the lead for you. People who go through this process and still call are serious buyers.
• "Download Our Free Remodel Planning Guide": A PDF that walks them through the process, what to look for in a contractor, material comparisons, etc. You capture their email, establish yourself as an authority, and can nurture them until they're ready to buy.

Your offer's only job is to provide so much value upfront that they feel foolish going anywhere else. It moves the conversation from price to value and expertise.

You probably should sell the solution, not the service

Once you have the right channel and the right offer, you need the right message. Nobody buys a bathroom remodel. They buy a solution to a problem, an end to a frustration, or the feeling they'll get from the finished product.

Forget listing features. You need to get inside the head of your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and speak directly to their 'nightmare scenario'. Your ICP isn't just "homeowners aged 45-65 in the suburbs." It's far more specific and emotional than that.

Let's break down a few potential ICPs for your business:

1. The Worried Daughter (Safety & Peace of Mind): Her mum is getting older and she's terrified she'll slip in the old high-sided tub. Her nightmare is getting that phone call. She isn't buying a "walk-in shower"; she's buying peace of mind and her mother's continued independence.
   Your Ad Message: "Is your old tub a constant worry? Give your parents the safety they deserve with a beautiful, ultra-low step-in shower. Installed in as little as one day for your peace of mind."


2. The House-Proud Host (Embarrassment & Status): They love entertaining, but they cringe every time a guest asks to use the bathroom with the stained grout and dated fibreglass shell. Their nightmare is the silent judgment of their friends and family. They aren't buying a "new shower"; they're buying pride and the "wow" factor.
   Your Ad Message: "Tired of that dated guest bathroom? Go from embarrassing to stunning. Our high-quality, grout-free walls and modern fixtures create a spa-like retreat your guests will talk about. Get your free 3D design."


3. The "Finally Me" Remodeler (Frustration & Reward): The kids are gone, they've paid off the mortgage, and they're finally ready to get rid of the bathroom that has annoyed them for 20 years. Their nightmare is living with a space that doesn't feel like a reward for all their hard work. They aren't buying "materials"; they're buying a personal sanctuary.
   Your Ad Message: "You've waited long enough for the bathroom of your dreams. It's time to replace that old, worn-out tub with a luxurious shower you'll love stepping into every morning. You've earned it."

See the difference? We're not talking about acrylic vs. composite. We're talking about fear, pride, and reward. This is how you write ad copy that connects and converts. Use the 'Before-After-Bridge' framework. Show them the frustrating 'Before' state, paint a picture of the desirable 'After' state, and present your service as the 'Bridge' to get there.

You'll need to understand the numbers: What a Lead is Really Worth

This is the final piece of the puzzle and it answers your budget question. You can't know what to spend until you know what a customer is worth. Business owners often get scared when they see a high Cost Per Lead (CPL), but for a high-ticket service, a high CPL is perfectly normal and, more importantly, very profitable.

Let's do some back-of-the-napkin maths. You said the average project is $12,000 - $15,000. Let's use $13,500 as the average revenue per customer.

You're not keeping all of that, of course. You have material costs, labour, overheads. Let's be conservative and say your gross margin is 40%.
Gross Profit per Project = $13,500 * 0.40 = $5,400

So, each new customer you acquire is worth $5,400 in gross profit to your business. This is your Lifetime Value (LTV) for a single project.

A healthy, sustainable business model aims for at least a 3:1 LTV to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio. This means you can afford to spend up to a third of your gross profit to acquire that customer.

Maximum Affordable CAC = $5,400 / 3 = $1,800

You can afford to spend $1,800 to get one new remodeling job and still have a very healthy business. Now, let's work backwards to find your target CPL.

What's your lead-to-sale conversion rate? Let's say you're decent on the phone and in person, and you can close 1 out of every 10 qualified leads you get. That's a 10% closing rate.

Maximum Affordable CPL = Maximum CAC / Number of Leads to Make a Sale
Maximum Affordable CPL = $1,800 / 10 = $180

Suddenly, that $60 CPL we saw with that HVAC client I talked about doesn't look so scary, does it? It looks like a bargain. You could be paying $100, even $150 per lead, and it would still be massively profitable for you. This calculation is the key to scaling your ads with confidence instead of fear.

To make this more practical for you, I've built an interactive calculator below. Play around with your own numbers for project value, margin, and closing rate to see what your true affordable CPL is.

As for an initial budget, once you know your target CPL, you can decide how many leads you want per month. If you want 20 leads and your target CPL is $80, you need an ad spend of $1,600/month. I'd say a starting budget of $1,000 - $2,000 per month on Google Ads is a sensible place to begin testing and gathering data.

Okay, So When Should I Use Facebook?

I'm not saying Facebook has no place. It's just not the *first* place. Once you have a steady stream of high-intent leads coming from Google, you can use Facebook very intelligently to amplify your results. Here's how:

1. Retargeting (This is non-negotiable): Anyone who visits your website from your Google Ad (or any other source) but doesn't fill out a form should be followed around on Facebook and Instagram with ads. You've already paid to get them to your site; don't let them forget you. Show them testimonial videos, before-and-after galleries of your best work, and remind them of your unique value proposition ("Higher quality than the big guys, at the same price."). This is a relatively cheap and highly effective way to bring people back to convert.

2. Prospecting with Lookalike Audiences: This is the holy grail of Facebook advertising for businesses like yours. Once you have a list of, say, 100+ past customers, you can upload that list to Facebook. Facebook will then analyze the tens of thousands of data points on those people and build a brand new audience of millions of other users in your area who are incredibly similar to your best customers. This is the most powerful prospecting tool on the platform. Advertising to a "Lookalike of Past Customers" will almost always outperform any interest-based targeting you could come up with.

Only after you've maxed out these two strategies would I even consider broader interest targeting (e.g., people interested in "Home Improvement" or "HGTV"). Start with the hottest audiences first.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

This might all seem like a lot, but it's a proven framework. Rushing to spend money on ads without getting these foundational pieces right is how you end up with a high ad spend and zero new jobs to show for it. Focus on quality, intent, and value first.

Here’s a summary of the action plan I'd propose.

Getting this right involves quite a few moving parts – from the technical setup of conversion tracking to writing compelling ad copy and constantly optimising based on the data. It's a specialist skill, and it's easy to waste a lot of money learning on the job.

If you'd like to go over this in more detail and have an expert look at how this strategy could be specifically applied to your business and service area, we offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation. We can audit your current setup (if any) and give you a clear roadmap for what needs to be done to start generating profitable leads.

Either way, I hope this has been genuinely helpful and gives you a much clearer path forward.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh