Forum Discussion

mlozi89's avatar
mlozi89
Contributor 2
1 day ago

Is paid advertising on Google and Meta worth it if your home service business already runs on referrals?

"To advert or not to advert?" That's the million dollar question!

Hey guys,

I have been running my business on a corporation for 3 years now. We have had some amazing growth! 100% the first year 50% on average so far for this year. But, I have been hearing from some analysts that I've hired (and some that have wanted to purchase the company) that I am missing out on the some massive growth and scalability by not using Google and meta ads.

We are basically fed by recommendations, which is great! But, what are your thoughts? What do you guys use? Is the ROI worth it?

how to grow your business

3 Replies

  • travisshepherd's avatar
    travisshepherd
    Contributor 4
    22 hours ago

    That is the classic "scaling wall." You’ve built something great on referrals, but now you’re hitting the ceiling of what word-of-mouth can do. 

    ​Referrals provide trust, but Ads provide control. You can’t "turn up the volume" on referrals, but you can with ads.

    ​Start with Google LSA (Local Service Ads): You pay per lead, not per click. It’s the closest thing to a referral because these people are already looking to hire.

    ​Use Meta for visual proof: Run ads featuring your best before-and-after transformations to create demand rather than just capturing it.

    ​My advice: Don’t stop your referrals; treat ads as "insurance" to keep your schedule full year-round. Start with a small budget ($500–$1,000) and track your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). If the math makes sense, scale it. If not, cut it.

  • PestFreeCanada's avatar
    PestFreeCanada
    Contributor 5
    16 hours ago

    You can set a budget on Google and just pump out some stuff to stay relevant. Show people that you are out there are active online. Budget what you are comfortable with and just let that ride.

  • AnthonySalazar's avatar
    AnthonySalazar
    Jobber Ambassador
    13 hours ago

    Paid ads is fuel to the fire that's already working. If you have a referral system that's bringing in a lot of customers, paid acquisition channels will only make your endless chain of referrals grow even faster.