Solved: FB/IG Ads Generating Poor Leads, How to Improve?

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! I've had a look over the situation with your Facebook and Instagram ads for your cleaning company. It's good that you're seeing some revenue, but it sounds like you're right to question the approach. Getting messages from people who aren't actually interested is a classic sign that the campaign's foundations are a bit shaky.

I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance. The good news is that the problems you're describing are very common, and very fixable. It's not about needing a flashier video; it's about fundamentally rethinking who you're talking to and what you're asking them to do. You've got some positive signals, but we need to turn that into a reliable system for getting proper, qualified leads, not just tyre-kickers.

We'll need to look at why you're paying Facebook to find non-customers...

This is probably going to sound a bit harsh, but it's the most important thing you need to hear: your current ad setup is actively telling Facebook to find you the worst possible audience for your service. You've set the objective to get messages, and Facebook's algorithm is brilliant at doing exactly what you ask of it, for the lowest possible price.

Think about it from the algorithm's perspective. Its job is to get you the most "results" (in your case, messages) for your £50/day. Who is most likely to tap a "Send Message" button without much thought? People who are bored, scrolling aimlessly, maybe mildly curious but with zero intention of ever actually hiring a cleaner. They aren't in high demand from other advertisers, so their attention is cheap. The algorithm finds them, serves them your ad, they tap the button, and boom - Facebook reports a "result". You get a notification, and the algorithm gets a pat on the head. Everyone's happy except you, because you're left with an empty conversation and no new business.

You are, quite literally, paying the world's most powerful advertising machine to find people who will waste your time. This is a common trap. People see "messaging" or "engagement" or "reach" as good things, but in reality, for a service business that needs actual paying customers, they're vanity metrics. Awareness is a byproduct of getting great customers who rave about you, not a prerequisite for making a sale.

The fix? You need to change your campaign objective. You must tell the algorithm to optimise for an action that signals real commercial intent. Instead of 'Messages', you should be running a 'Leads' campaign that sends people to a dedicated landing page with a proper quote request form, or a 'Sales' (conversion) campaign optimised for that form submission. This forces the user to take an extra step. They have to leave the comfort of Facebook, visit your page, and fill in their details. This small amount of 'friction' is a powerful filter. It weeds out the 99% of people who aren't serious and leaves you with the 1% who are. Yes, your 'cost per result' will look higher. A lead might cost you £5 or £10 instead of £0.50 for a message. But that £10 lead is from someone who actually wants to hire a cleaner, whereas you might need 50 of those cheap messages to find one person who's even vaguely interested. The maths quickly works in favour of quality over quantity.

I'd say you need a message they can't ignore...

You mentioned your video ad was just "bland cleaning footage". This is another huge area for improvement. People don't buy cleaning services; they buy back their time. They buy peace of mind. They buy a feeling of relief when they walk into a spotless home after a long week. Your ad needs to sell that feeling, not the act of scrubbing a floor.

Right now, your ad is probably focused on you: "We are an LLC, we clean things, here is a video of us cleaning." Nobody cares. They care about their own problems. You need to flip the script and make the ad about them. A powerful framework for this, especially for services, is called Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS).

1. Problem: You start by hitting on a pain point they feel deeply. You hold a mirror up to their frustration.
Example: "Tired of spending your entire Saturday catching up on cleaning instead of relaxing with your family?"

2. Agitate: You pour a little salt in the wound. You remind them why this problem is so frustrating and what the consequences are.
Example: "The dust bunnies are multiplying, the bathroom needs a deep clean, and you just don't have the time or energy. It feels like a never-ending cycle, stealing your precious free time."

3. Solve: Now, and only now, you introduce your service as the clear, simple solution to that agitated problem.
Example: "Imagine walking into a sparkling clean home without lifting a finger. [Your Company Name] gives you your weekends back. Get a free, no-obligation quote in 60 seconds. Click below to reclaim your free time."

See the difference? This message speaks directly to the customer's nightmare, not your company's features. You're not selling cleaning; you're selling the feeling of relief and the gift of time. This is what gets people to stop scrolling and actually consider your service. This structure works for video scripts, for image ad copy, for everything. Your video doesn't need to be a Hollywood production. A simple video of you talking to the camera, following this framework, can be incredibly effective. Or you could show a 'before' shot of a messy room (the problem), then a satisfying 'after' shot of it being spotless (the solution).

I remember one campaign we worked on for a home cleaning company. Their cost per lead was around £5. They achieved this by moving away from generic ads and focusing their message on solving the deep frustration of their ideal customers—busy people who wanted their free time back. It was the same service and price, but the message connected with the audience's real motivation.

You probably should figure out what a customer is really worth...

You said "My ROI looks good, but honestly, I’m not tracking like I should be." This is the key that unlocks everything. Right now, you're guessing. You're operating on a vague feeling that the £8k in revenue is good against the £2.5k in spend. But is it? How many of those customers will book you again? How many will sign up for a recurring weekly or bi-weekly clean? Without knowing this, you have no idea how much you can actually afford to spend to get a customer.

The metric you need to become obsessed with is your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). This isn't some complex bit of corporate maths; it's a simple calculation that tells you the total profit you can expect to make from an average customer over the entire time they do business with you. The real question isn't "How low can my Cost Per Lead go?" but "How high a Cost Per Lead can I afford to acquire a truly great customer?"

Let's break it down for a cleaning business.

1. Average Revenue Per Customer (per month): How much does a typical customer pay you each month? Let's say a bi-weekly clean is £80, so that's £160 per month.
2. Gross Margin %: What's your profit after supplies and any staff costs? Let's say your margin is a healthy 70%.
3. Monthly Churn Rate: What percentage of your regular customers do you lose each month? If you keep a customer for an average of 2 years (24 months), your churn rate is about 1/24, or roughly 4% per month.

The calculation is: LTV = (Average Revenue Per Customer * Gross Margin %) / Monthly Churn Rate

In our example: LTV = (£160 * 0.70) / 0.04 = £112 / 0.04 = £2,800.

That is a game-changing number. Each recurring customer is worth £2,800 in profit to your business. Now we can work backwards. A healthy business model often aims for a 3:1 LTV to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio. This means you can afford to spend up to £2,800 / 3 = £933 to acquire one new recurring customer.

If you know that 1 in every 5 qualified leads you get becomes a recurring customer, your maths changes again. You can afford to pay up to £933 / 5 = £186 for a single qualified lead. All of a sudden, worrying about a £10 or even £50 CPL from Facebook seems trivial, doesn't it? It looks like a bargain. This is the maths that lets you advertise with confidence. It frees you from the tyranny of cheap, useless leads and allows you to invest in finding the right customers who will stay with you for years.

To make this real for you, I've built a little calculator below. Play around with the sliders. Put in your own real numbers (or your best estimates) and see what your LTV and allowable cost per lead actually are. This is the first step to running your ads like a proper business investment, not a slot machine.

You'll need an offer they can't refuse...

The final piece of the puzzle is your offer. Right now, your offer is essentially "message me". This is high friction and low value for the user. They have to do the work, start a conversation, and wait for you to reply. It positions you as just another cleaner. To really stand out and make your ads effective, you need a stronger Call to Action (CTA) and a better offer on your landing page.

You need to solve a small, real problem for them for free to earn the right to solve the whole thing. Your offer’s only job is to deliver a moment of value that makes the prospect sell themselves on your service. For a cleaning company, this could be several things:

• An Instant Online Quote Calculator: Instead of "message me," the CTA is "Get Your Free 60-Second Quote." On your website, you have a simple form where they enter the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and their postcode, and it instantly gives them a price estimate. This is automated, provides instant value, and captures their details as a lead for you to follow up with. This is a much better experience for them and a much better lead for you.
• A Lead Magnet: You could offer a valuable piece of content in exchange for their email address. Something like "The Ultimate Pre-Move-Out Cleaning Checklist" or "5 Pro Cleaning Hacks to Make Your Home Sparkle." This positions you as an expert and starts to build a relationship. You can then follow up with them via email to offer a discount on their first clean.
• A Compelling First-Time Offer: Don't just offer your service; package it. "Get 20% Off Your First Deep Clean" or "Book a Weekly Clean and Get Your First Two Hours Free." This creates urgency and gives them a reason to act now rather than later.

The point is to move away from a passive "message me" and toward an active, value-driven offer that makes it a no-brainer for a qualified prospect to take the next step. When you combine this stronger offer with a better campaign objective (Leads/Conversions) and a more persuasive ad message (Problem-Agitate-Solve), you create a powerful, consistent system for generating high-quality leads. It's not about one magic bullet; it's about getting all three of these core components working together. Your ads will start attracting the right people, the message will resonate with them, and the offer will make it easy for them to become a customer. This is how you move from "okay" results to a predictable engine for growth, filling up your schedule on those quiet days and building a sustainable business.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below in a table to give you a clear, actionable plan. This is the exact approach we take when we start working with a new service-based business, and it's built on years of seeing what actually moves the needle.

I know this is a lot to take in, and it represents a significant shift from how you're currently doing things. It can feel a bit daunting to rebuild a campaign from the ground up, create a proper landing page, and get the tracking right. It's not just about flicking a few switches in Ads Manager; it requires a strategic approach that aligns your advertising with your actual business goals.

This is where expert help can make a huge difference. Instead of spending months on trial and error (which can get very expensive very quickly), a specialist can implement this proven framework for you, tailored specifically to your business and local area. We can help you build the landing page, write the ad copy that converts, set up the campaigns correctly, and ensure the tracking is watertight so you know your exact return on investment for every pound spent.

If you'd like to chat through this in more detail and see how we could apply this strategy to your business, we offer a completely free, no-obligation 20-minute strategy session. We can have a look at your current ads together and map out a clear plan of action. It's a great way to get some direct, actionable advice without any commitment.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh