Most retargeting advertisements from contractors say a version of “you visited us, come back”. That tells the viewer nothing they do not know and gives them no reason to act now, which is why the format has a reputation for being ignored.
The viewer already knows who you are
This is the whole difference between a retargeting advertisement and a search advertisement, and it changes what the words have to do.
In search you are competing for a stranger’s attention against several firms they are seeing for the first time. In retargeting they already visited, already read something, already formed a rough impression. Repeating your introduction wastes the one advantage you have.
What they lack is a reason to act today rather than eventually.
Give them the thing that was missing
Somebody left your site without calling. Usually for one of a small number of reasons, and each has an advertisement that answers it:
- They were not sure it was affordable. A monthly figure, or the fact that estimates are free.
- They were not sure you could come soon enough. Availability, plainly stated.
- They were not sure about you. A review with substance, a licence, a photograph of finished work in a place they recognise.
- They were shopping around. What is included that a cheaper quote will leave out.
- It was not urgent. A reason it is worth doing before it becomes urgent, which is the seasonal argument.
Any one of these beats a reminder, because it addresses the reason they did not call rather than restating that they could.
Say something specific about the place
Local specificity does more than personalisation features do. A photograph of work in a recognisable street, a reference to the housing stock, a note about a condition particular to the area: hard water, coastal weather, the age of the pipework in a district.
This reads as a business that works here, which is exactly what a homeowner is trying to establish, and no targeting setting can manufacture it.
Personalisation has a ceiling, and it is lower than the tools suggest
Platforms offer to insert names, locations and the exact page somebody viewed. For home services, most of that is a mistake.
Naming the specific service they read about announces a private matter back to them on a screen other people can see. Inserting a name reads as automated rather than personal. The useful personalisation is not about the individual at all; it is about matching the message to the kind of job and the time of year, which requires no personal data and carries none of the risk. The full argument is in where retargeting starts to feel creepy.
Write for a screen being scrolled past
These advertisements are seen at speed, on a phone, usually without sound. That imposes real constraints: the point has to survive being read in a second, the important words cannot be in the video’s audio, and text has to be legible at thumbnail size.
A single clear sentence and a real photograph outperform a designed layout with several messages competing in it.
Frequently asked questions
What should a retargeting ad say?
Whatever was missing when they did not call: price shape, availability, proof, or what is included. They already know who you are, so an introduction is wasted.
Should I mention the service they looked at?
Not for anything private or expensive. Naming it puts somebody’s household problem on a screen others may see, and the specificity gains you little.
Do personalisation features help?
Less than they promise. Inserting names reads as automated; the personalisation that works is matching the message to the job type and season, which needs no personal data.
How long should the copy be?
Short enough to land in a second while somebody scrolls, and legible without sound. One clear sentence with a real photograph beats a layout with several competing messages.
Where to start
Read your current retargeting advertisement and ask what a visitor learns from it that they did not already know. If the answer is nothing, that is the reason it is being scrolled past.
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.
