Episode notes
Most home service companies don't have a marketing problem. They have a tracking problem. In this episode of Home Service Roundtable, we sit down with Lou and Andrew from Add Leverage to talk about what it really takes to build a marketing strategy that produces measurable results. The conversation goes beyond generating leads and focuses on tracking the entire customer journey — from the first click and phone call to the booked appointment, sale, and long-term customer value. Lou and Andrew break down why marketing and operations have to work together, how contractors can identify which channels are actually producing profitable customers, and why relying on surface-level metrics like blended ROAS can lead to the wrong conclusions. We talk about:
- Why marketing and operations need to work together
- How to track leads from the original source through the sale
- Why a lead isn't the same thing as a booked job
- The key metrics contractors should track, including booking rate, close rate, average ticket, and customer acquisition cost
- How marketing strategies change as a company grows from $3M to $50M+
- Why contractors shouldn't blindly copy another company's marketing budget
- How Google Local Services Ads and lead aggregators can help smaller companies fill the board
- Why local community involvement and authentic social media can still drive results
- How much home service companies should actually spend on marketing
- Why there is no universal marketing percentage that works for every contractor
- The danger of relying on blended ROAS
- Why branded and non-branded traffic can completely change how marketing performance looks
- How a call center's answer rate can impact marketing performance
- Why contractors need to measure the entire customer journey
- How to maximize revenue from every lead and every neighborhood
- Why existing customers can be one of the most valuable marketing opportunities
- How CRM data can identify aging equipment and reactivation opportunities
- Why retention and reactivation should be part of the marketing strategy
- How outbound departments can turn missed opportunities into additional revenue
- Why speed to lead and continuous testing are critical
- How diversifying marketing channels can create more scalable growth
- Why the cheapest lead isn't always the cheapest customer acquisition
- How smaller contractors can compete without trying to outspend larger companies
- Why authentic, owner-led content can outperform polished advertising
- The importance of tracking every lead back to its actual source
- The marketing KPIs contractors should be discussing every week
Whether you're running a $2 million company trying to fill the board or a $50 million organization looking for the next stage of growth, this episode breaks down how to make smarter marketing decisions using real data instead of assumptions. Watch the full episode and learn how to track your marketing from the first lead all the way through revenue — and build a strategy that can actually scale.