Solved: High CPL on Meta Ads for Roofing & Real Estate

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out!

I've reviewed your enquiry and have some initial thoughts for you, as I've got a fair bit of experience with service-based businesses and lead generation. It sounds like you're in that tricky growth phase, which is both exciting and a massive headache. You're right to think about bringing in specialist help, but I reckon the problem you're facing is a bit deeper than just finding a media buyer who can press the right buttons on Meta.

The core issue, from what I can see, isn't just a slightly high CPL or finding a good freelancer. It's a fundamental mismatch between your clients' services, their budgets, and the platform you're using. We can definitely get that CPL down, but it'll involve rethinking the whole approach rather than just tweaking the ad campaigns. I'll walk you through it.

First, let's kill the idea of "guaranteed results"...

I want to tackle this head-on because it’s the biggest misconception in the advertising world, and it’s what gets a lot of agency owners into trouble. When you ask for a "guarantee," you're signalling to experienced professionals that you might not fully grasp the nature of paid advertising, and you're opening the door for cowboys and charlatans to promise you the world.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, can guarantee results. Not me, not the best agency in London, not even Mark Zuckerberg himself. Here's why:

• We don't control the platform. Google and Meta are constantly changing their algorithms. An update tomorrow could completely change campaign dynamics. What worked last week might not work next week.
• We don't control the market. Are your competitors suddenly doubling their ad spend? Has the housing market cooled, making seller leads harder to find? These external factors are completely out of a media buyer's control.
• We don't control the creative. An ad that resonates with an audience today can suffer from "ad fatigue" in a month and stop performing. Creative testing is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix.
• We don't control your client's sales process. This is the big one. A media buyer can generate hundreds of high-quality leads, but if your client takes three days to call them back or is terrible on the phone, those leads will go cold and the entire campaign will be deemed a failure. The conversion from lead to customer is where the real money is made, and that happens after the click.

So, what should you look for instead of a guarantee? You should be looking for a track record of success in similar niches (case studies), a transparent and logical process for testing and optimisation, and a clear understanding of your business goals. You're not hiring a magician; you're hiring an expert who uses data to navigate an unpredictable system. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you a fantasy.

Your biggest enemy isn't your CPL, it's your clients' budget...

Right, let's talk about the $40/day budget. I know it's what the clients are willing to pay, but you need to understand how badly this is hamstringing your efforts. In the world of Meta ads, data is fuel. The algorithm needs a steady stream of data (clicks, conversions, etc.) to learn who your ideal customer is and how to find more of them. This is called the "Learning Phase".

With a budget of $40/day, you are starving the algorithm of fuel.

Think about it. If your target CPL for a roofer lead is, say, $50, you might not even get one lead per day. The algorithm needs around 50 conversions per week to exit the Learning Phase and start optimising effectively. At one lead per day (if you're lucky), you'll never give it enough data to do its job. You'll be permanently stuck in the inefficient, expensive Learning Phase, where costs are volatile and results are unpredictable.

It's like trying to drive a lorry from London to Manchester on a fiver's worth of petrol. You'll spend the whole time sputtering along, never getting up to speed, and you'll probably break down before you even get out of the city. You're not saving money; you're just guaranteeing an inefficient journey.

This is a conversation you need to have with your clients. You have to reframe their thinking from "What's the minimum I can spend?" to "What's the minimum investment required to get a predictable return?". I’ve seen campaigns for consumer services where a CPL of around $10 was possible, but for something more competitive like home services, it's often much higher. I remember one campaign we ran for an HVAC company in a competitive area, and they were seeing a CPL around $60. At $40/day, they wouldn't get a single lead. They'd just be burning cash.

I'd say you're fishing in the wrong pond for roofers...

This is probably the most important piece of advice I can give you for your roofing and remodelling clients. You are focusing your efforts on Meta (Facebook/Instagram), which is a platform for demand generation. You're trying to create demand where it doesn't necessarily exist. You're interrupting someone scrolling through pictures of their niece's birthday to say, "Hey, thought about your roof lately?". For most people, the answer is no.

Roofing and remodelling are high-intent, need-based services. People don't think about them until they have a problem. Their roof is leaking, their kitchen is falling apart, they need an extension. When that happens, where do they go? They go to Google. They search for "emergency roofer near me" or "kitchen remodel cost". This is demand capture. The demand already exists; you just need to be there to capture it.

Your number one priority for these clients should be Google Search Ads, and possibly Google Local Service Ads. This is a complete strategy shift, but it's one that aligns with customer behaviour.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Keyword Targeting: You bid on keywords that signal immediate commercial intent. Not "how to fix a roof," but "roof repair company [city]". Not "kitchen ideas," but "get a quote for kitchen installation".
• Ad Copy: Your ads need to speak directly to the searcher's urgent problem and offer a clear solution. "Leaky Roof? 24/7 Emergency Repairs. Call Now for a Free Estimate."
• Landing Page: The page they land on must be ruthlessly efficient. A clear headline that matches the ad, bullet points about why you're the best choice (licensed, insured, great reviews), and a massive phone number and a simple contact form. No distractions.
• Call Extensions & Call-Only Ads: For many emergency services, people just want to talk to someone. You can set up ads where the primary call to action is to call you directly from the search results.

By shifting to Google, you stop trying to convince people they have a problem and start presenting your clients as the solution to people who already know they have one. The leads you get will be far more qualified, and even if the CPL is higher than you'd like on Meta, the lead-to-customer conversion rate will be exponentially better, which is what actually matters for ROI.

You'll need a better plan for Real Estate seller leads...

Now, for your real estate clients, Meta can actually be a very effective platform. This is a situation where you can generate demand, as people might be passively considering selling. However, the approach is absolutely critical, and it's where most agents and agencies go wrong.

Delete the "Free Home Valuation" Offer

The first mistake is the offer. Nearly every agent runs ads with the same boring, low-value call to action: "Find out what your home is worth!" or "Get a free home valuation!". This is a terrible offer. It's commoditised, every other agent is offering it, and it screams "I want to get my foot in the door to give you a sales pitch." Prospects are wise to this. It offers them very little tangible value and positions the agent as just another salesperson.

Your offer’s only job is to deliver a moment of undeniable value. You must solve a small, real problem for free to earn the right to solve the big one (selling their house).

Better offers could be:

• A guide: "Download our free guide: The 5 Costliest Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your [City] Home."
• A checklist: "Get our 20-Point Checklist for Maximising Your Home's Sale Price."
• A report: "Get the latest [Neighbourhood] Property Market Report: Is Now the Right Time to Sell?"

These offers provide genuine value. They educate the homeowner, build trust, and position your client as an expert authority, not just a salesperson. The lead you get from someone who downloads a detailed guide is far more qualified than someone who clicked a generic valuation button.

You need to build a real funnel, not just run an ad

Getting the lead is only step one. Leads from Meta are notoriously "top of funnel." They are not ready to sign a listing agreement today. They need to be nurtured. Your success will be determined by your client's follow-up process.

A successful funnel looks like this:

1. The Ad: A compelling ad (often a video of the agent giving a quick tip) promoting the high-value offer. The ad copy should agitate a pain point, like "Worried about leaving money on the table when you sell?".
2. The Lead Form: A Meta Lead Gen Form to make submission as frictionless as possible. Ask for name, email, and phone number. Maybe one qualifying question like "What is your timeframe for selling?".
3. Instant Follow-up: The moment the form is submitted, two things must happen automatically. First, an email is sent delivering the promised guide/checklist. Second, a notification is sent to the agent to call them.
4. Nurture Sequence: The lead is then entered into an automated email/SMS sequence that provides more value over the next few weeks—more tips, case studies of successful sales, market updates.
5. The Call: The agent needs to call within 5 minutes. Not tomorrow, not in an hour. Five minutes. The call shouldn't be a hard sell. It should be, "Hey, I saw you downloaded our guide on selling mistakes. Just wanted to make sure you got it and see if you had any initial questions. My goal is just to be a helpful resource for you."

This process weeds out the tyre-kickers and builds a relationship with genuine prospects. It takes more work than just running an ad and hoping for the best, but it's the only way to get a consistent, profitable ROI from real estate leads on Meta.

So, this is how to find a proper expert...

Now we circle back to your original question: how to find a good media buyer. Armed with the knowledge above, you can now have a much more intelligent conversation and properly vet potential partners.

Forget asking for guarantees. Here's what you should be doing:

• Demand to see case studies. And don't just glance at them. Dig in. Are they for similar niches? What platforms did they use? What were the actual business results (e.g., ROAS, cost per acquisition), not just vanity metrics like clicks or impressions? A good case study tells a story: here was the problem, here was our strategy, here's how we executed it, and here are the results.
• Book a strategy call and ask tough questions. Don't let them just give you a sales pitch. Turn it into a consultation. Describe your roofing client and ask them, "What would be your 90-day plan for this client?". If their first answer is "We'll test some more creatives on Facebook," they're out. The right answer should be a series of questions back to you about the business, followed by a suggestion to explore Google Ads. Their answers will reveal the depth of their strategic thinking.
• Look for an educator, not a vendor. The best partners will teach you along the way. They'll explain *why* they're making certain decisions. They'll push back on you and your clients when a budget is too low or a strategy is flawed. Tbh if a potential partner just agrees with everything you say, they're probably desperate for the work and lack the conviction of a true expert.
• Check their reviews and testimonials. This is basic due diligence, but it's still important. See what past clients say about their communication, transparency, and results.

Essentially, you're looking for proof of expertise, not a promise of results. The expertise is what leads to the results. We, for example, always offer a free initial consultation where we'll go through an existing ad account and give our honest assessment and a bunch of actionable advice. That way, a potential client gets a real taste of the expertise they'd be paying for. It builds trust far more effectively than any empty guarantee ever could.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

This is a lot to take in, I know. It's a shift in thinking from "find someone to run my ads" to "develop a winning strategy for each client type". To make it more concrete, here is the actionable advice I have for you:

Trying to implement all of this while also running your agency, managing clients, and trying to grow is a monumental task. The strategic side of paid advertising—choosing the right platforms, developing the right offers, building the right funnels—is where the real value is created. It's also the most time-consuming part and requires a depth of experience that takes years to build.

This is where partnering with a specialist consultancy can make a huge difference. We don't just manage campaigns; we build the entire growth engine around them to make sure they're profitable.

If you'd like to chat through any of this in more detail, we offer a completely free, no-obligation strategy session where we can take a proper look at your specific situation and give you a clear, actionable plan. It might be the most valuable 30 minutes you spend on your business this month.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh