In this episode of Trades Secrets: Contractor Marketing, we break down the question contractors ask constantly: where do I even start with paid media, especially if you have tried ads before and felt like they didn’t work. We walk through the major channels contractors get pitched, and explain why you do not need to spend everywhere at all times to win with paid.

Amanda shares the decision framework they use to choose the right platform for a specific contractor, and why the first step is almost always understanding the business, the goal, and any historical results before spending another dollar. A major theme is avoiding order takers in paid media, using proper landing pages instead of driving expensive clicks to a homepage, and recognizing how recent AI improvements in platforms like Meta and Google Ads are changing what is possible when campaigns are set up and optimized correctly.

Key Takeaways:

• Start with the question: where should my 2026 budget go and do not assume a platform is dead just because a past test failed.
• The channel list is huge, so simplify to the most common ones first (examples mentioned include Angi, Meta, LSA, display, and YouTube).
• Do not hire an order taker for paid media. A real partner audits what you have done, studies the data, and then recommends what to run and why.
• Landing pages are a lever. One of the biggest mistakes they see is sending expensive service keywords to a homepage instead of a focused landing page, which can dramatically improve results.
• The core principle: match the platform to the objective. Optimize for the outcome you actually want (example mentioned: booked estimates, not just lead forms).

Missed an episode? Catch up with our full playlist of Trades Secrets podcasts found here:

• https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-v2ElYWOqX8jZlaKuHz1krepsTZVY1As

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Trades Secrets: Contractor Marketing is for home services contractors and who are looking for easy to implement marketing tips and strategies. This podcast is for you if you're looking for actionable marketing tactics that are not over your head, and apply to ALL trades. We'll keep you apprised of what's new, and what should be on your radar for all things digital marketing.