Nearly all of this advertising is seen on a phone, so “optimising for mobile” is not a refinement applied afterwards; it is the only version that exists. The question worth asking is what happens in the two seconds around the tap.
The advertisement is seen without sound
Video in a feed autoplays silently by default. An advertisement whose message is spoken is an advertisement whose message is not received.
Whatever matters has to be visible: captions, or text on screen, or simply a clip that makes sense mute. A technician explaining something to camera works well in this format, but only if the explanation is also written down.
It is seen at thumbnail size, at speed
Assume a small rectangle passing quickly under a thumb. That rules out a good deal of what looks fine on a desktop screen: several lines of text, a wide photograph with the subject in the middle distance, a logo carrying the message, a before-and-after pair too small to read.
One subject, close up, and no more words than can be taken in at a glance. Vertical or square formats occupy substantially more of a phone screen than a landscape image does, which is free prominence.
What happens after the tap decides everything
The most common mobile failure is not in the advertisement. It is that the tap leads somewhere slow.
Somebody in a feed is not committed. A page that takes several seconds on a weak connection loses a share of them immediately, and you have paid for every one of those taps. Landing pages carrying large hero images and a stack of tracking scripts do this reliably, and the cost is invisible because the click was counted.
Check what your retargeting advertisements actually point at, on a phone, on a poor connection. It is a more valuable check than anything about the creative.
Consider not sending them to a page at all
For a trade the conversion is usually a call, and formats that dial directly from the advertisement remove the page from the path entirely.
That is not right for every campaign: somebody weighing a replacement wants to read something first, but for repairs and urgent work, sending a person to a page so they can then find a phone number adds a step to a journey that could have had none.
Mis-taps are a real cost
A thumb on a moving feed is imprecise. Small targets close together produce accidental taps, and an accidental tap is billed exactly like an intentional one while the visitor leaves immediately.
This also distorts your figures: clicks rise, time on page collapses, and the campaign looks like it is attracting interest it is not.
Match the moment
Someone scrolling in the evening is not in the same state as someone searching at eight in the morning with no hot water. Feed advertising catches people between other things, which suits work that can be considered and does little for work that must be done now.
That is an argument for what you advertise there rather than how you design it: the replacement, the seasonal check, the plan, not the emergency call-out.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need captions on video ads?
Yes. Feed video autoplays silently, so anything conveyed only in speech is not conveyed at all.
What format works best on a phone?
Vertical or square, since they occupy far more of the screen than landscape. One close-up subject and very few words.
Why do my mobile ads get clicks but no calls?
Usually a slow landing page, or mis-taps from a moving feed. Both produce clicks you paid for and visitors who never really arrived.
Should mobile ads link to a page or dial directly?
For repairs and urgent work, dialling directly removes a step. For replacements, people want to read something first, so a fast page is the right destination.
Where to start
Tap your own retargeting advertisement on your phone, away from wifi, and count the seconds before the page is usable. That number, not the creative, is where most mobile retargeting budget is lost.
Real Time Marketing has worked with home service contractors since 2016: plumbing, HVAC, roofing, electrical and other trades, nationwide, from our office in Bradenton, Florida. Agreements are month-to-month. See our pay-per-click management or book a strategy call.
