Generate Leads: $30 From Facebook

How to Generate Leads for $30 Each Using Facebook Ads: My Proven Marketing Playbook

How does a construction company generate leads for around $30 each without relying on an expensive marketing agency? Is that even possible?

I’m here to tell you that it’s possible!

This week, I’m sharing my tried-and-true marketing method that has delivered leads at that price point for years—across multiple businesses.

If you're looking for my article on buying a construction company, don’t worry; it’s coming next week. But for now, let me take you back to 2016 and show you how I cracked the code on affordable lead generation using Facebook (META) ads.

The Backstory

In 2016, I was partner in a solar company that generated leads through telemarketing, employing a call center of 70 employees and a sales team of 25. We were installing several thousand systems annually with around $42 million in sales.

Yes, I said that right, telemarketing—my partner was brilliant at it, he made millions running call centers for various products—but then, regulations changed. Suddenly, telemarketing became a sinking ship thanks to the “Do Not Call” list and the iPhone. Our reliable lead generation dried up, and we had to rethink everything.

Enter Facebook. I didn’t have time to waste, so I dove deep into understanding the platform’s algorithm. A friend of mine who worked at Facebook set up a crucial meeting with one of their ads experts, and after investing heavily in that learning process, I walked away with some priceless insights that changed the course of my business.

And they might change yours too.

Key Lessons from Facebook Ads:

1. Narrow Your Offer, Expand Your Reach

Meta ads are most effective when your product or service is tightly defined. It’s counterintuitive, but the more focused your ad, the broader its appeal. For construction businesses, this means zoning in on one specific offering in your ads. You don’t need to overhaul your entire service line—just feature one specific product or service that will get people’s attention.

For example, instead of promoting “house painting” (which can be costly and oversaturated), a painter I know found success running ads for “rain gutter repair and painting.” The targeted niche drew in more interest, and once he was on-site, he could upsell his other services. It’s all about the foot in the door.

In retrospect it’s intuitive. He went from being one painter among hundreds to one gutter painter among one. But not so fast…

2. Test, Don’t Assume

Every market is different, even for seasoned pros. Every state is different, every city is different. Trust me on this.

You have to test multiple ideas and offerings, spending small amounts to gauge what works. I’m talking about $1,000 during the testing phase—far less than the $3,000-$15,000 monthly spend many agencies recommend. The key is testing consistently and iterating based on results.

Think you know your market? Test anyway. Again, trust me, it’s better than having an agency spend your money based on assumptions.

Before I started at Liebo Builders, they were spending upwards of $60,000 a month some months on ads. Not any longer. We cut that down to a fraction of that.

3. Spend Time, Not Just Money

Many construction entrepreneurs hand over a big budget to a marketing agency, sit back, and expect results. Then they’re shocked when the leads are too expensive or nonexistent. I recommend taking control of your ad process—spend at least one hour each day writing ads, analyzing performance, and refining your approach. This hands-on strategy will save you money and frustration in the long run.

If you don’t have time to learn this and you want this done for you, I suggest reaching out and I’ll help you find someone. We are inviting marketers we have worked with to our community members.truebuilder.com. It’s launching soon, but if you jump in now it’s free.

Bonus Strategies to Supercharge Your Marketing

Local SEO:

Your website is your digital storefront. Make sure it’s optimized for local searches by using keywords relevant to your services and location. Keep your Google My Business listing updated and ask happy clients to leave glowing reviews. This boosts your visibility and credibility in local search results.

I have been testing several AI SEO plugins lately. I am gathering my results and will bring them here in an article very soon. If you know of any you want me to test, please reach out.

Content Marketing:

Position yourself as an expert in your field by producing content that resonates with your audience. Tweets on X, Instagram or YouTube how-to videos, and case studies not only attract leads but also give potential clients a reason to trust you before they even reach out.

My partner, Joe Liebowitz @liebobuilders on IG, absolutely kills it on organic (non-paid) content on Instagram. Make no mistake, this reduces our ad cost considerably. I’ll write a future article on this also.

Network Locally:

Don’t forget the old-school way. Ads are great, but getting in front of people is still the fastest way to build trust.

Create relationships with real estate agents, architects, and designers. Referrals from other professionals can provide a steady stream of high-quality leads. “Paid ads” is a system, it takes time to implement and get right. Word-of-mouth is critical to keeping the lights on in the meantime. Don’t sleep on it.

As always I am here to help.