In the competitive world of modular and prefabricated home construction, driving quality leads through paid advertising is crucial. Builders in this space need to attract serious, ready-to-buy prospects, as well as generate awareness for people earlier in their home-buying journey.
This requires a multi-funnel approach that balances immediate conversions with long-term lead nurturing. Paid advertising, especially when executed strategically, is one of the most effective ways to achieve this.
In this article, we'll explore how modular and prefabricated home builders can drive leads through paid ads by focusing on platforms like Google Ads and Meta (Facebook and Instagram), and how to allocate your ad budget for maximum impact.
Why Google Ads Should Be Your Priority: Bottom-of-the-Funnel Leads
When it comes to driving high-quality leads, Google Ads should be the first platform modular and prefabricated home builders focus on. Why? Because Google Ads captures bottom-of-the-funnel traffic — people who are already searching for terms like "modular home builders near me" or "prefab homes for sale." These prospects are typically more qualified and closer to making a purchasing decision than those found through other platforms.
Why Google Ads Works Best for Bottom-of-the-Funnel Leads
High-Intent Search Queries: Prospective buyers are often using Google to search for specific builders or home types, making them some of the most ready-to-buy leads.
Qualified Traffic: When someone searches for a modular or prefabricated home, they are often much closer to making a decision compared to someone casually scrolling through Facebook or Instagram.
Conversion-Ready: Since Google Ads targets people who are already looking for your product, you’re much more likely to see direct conversions, such as contact form submissions or calls, which can quickly turn into sales.
However, it’s important to understand that this traffic comes at a premium. Google Ads is more expensive than other platforms because it delivers highly qualified leads — people who are actively searching for your product and are likely to convert soon. Cost-per-click (CPC) for home-building-related keywords can be higher, but the return on investment (ROI) is often worth the expense when you land a customer ready to commit.
Maximizing Google Ads Efficiency
Since Google Ads will likely take up a significant portion of your budget, it’s crucial to make every dollar count. Here’s how to maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns:
Focus on Targeted Keywords: Invest in high-intent keywords like "modular home builders," "custom prefab homes," and "buy prefab home." These terms indicate that the user is already researching builders and is closer to a buying decision.
Use Geo-Targeting: Modular and prefabricated homes often have specific geographic markets. Use geo-targeting to focus on areas where demand is highest.
Utilize Retargeting: If someone has visited your site or clicked your ad but hasn’t converted, use retargeting to stay top-of-mind and nudge them toward taking action.
Track Search Impression Share: This metric tells you how many times your ads are being shown compared to how many times they could have been shown. A low impression share indicates opportunities to increase your budget or improve your bid strategy to capture more potential leads.
Balancing Your Funnel with Meta Ads: Building Top-of-the-Funnel Awareness
While Google Ads is great for capturing ready-to-buy leads, it's not enough to only focus on the bottom of the funnel. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Ads are ideal for building top-of-the-funnel awareness. These platforms help you reach a much broader audience at a lower cost, which is critical for long-term lead generation.
Why Meta Ads are Perfect for Top-of-the-Funnel Awareness
Wider Reach: Platforms like Facebook and Instagram allow you to reach a massive audience, including people who may not yet be thinking about modular or prefabricated homes but could be interested in the future.
Cost Efficiency: Compared to Google Ads, Meta ads have a lower CPC, making them a more cost-effective way to build brand awareness and fill the top of your funnel.
Engagement: Meta platforms offer numerous ad formats — from image ads and carousels to video and stories — that encourage user engagement and can build interest over time.
Building Awareness that Converts
The goal of Meta ads at the top of the funnel is to plant the seed of interest, so when potential customers are ready to purchase, they think of your business first. To do this effectively:
Run Educational Campaigns: Use ads to highlight the benefits of modular and prefabricated homes — like energy efficiency, affordability, and customizable design options. These types of campaigns inform and inspire users to learn more.
Leverage Visual Content: Home buyers are highly visual, and they want to see the product. Use high-quality images, virtual home tours, or customer testimonials to show off the beauty and functionality of your homes.
Create Lookalike Audiences: Use Meta's powerful targeting options to create lookalike audiences based on your existing customer list or website visitors. This allows you to target people who are more likely to be interested in your offerings.
Retarget Interested Users: If someone engages with your ad, but doesn’t take immediate action, use retargeting ads to stay in front of them. Retargeting is a powerful tool to help users who may have forgotten about your brand move further down the funnel.
Allocating Your Budget Strategically
Now that you understand the roles of Google Ads and Meta Ads in your lead-generation strategy, the question is: How do you allocate your budget effectively?
Step 1: Prioritize Google Ads
Since Google Ads delivers the most qualified leads, it should get a significant portion of your budget. To determine how much to allocate:
Research Industry CPC: Look at the average CPC for keywords related to modular and prefabricated homes in your market. Expect higher CPCs for bottom-of-the-funnel terms like "modular home builders," but remember that these are highly qualified searches.
Evaluate Search Volume and Demand: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to understand the search volume for your target keywords. High search volumes might justify a larger budget to capture a higher share of this traffic.
Optimize Based on Search Impression Share: If your ads aren’t being shown as frequently as they could be, you might want to increase your bid or budget to improve your impression share and capture more leads.
Step 2: Supplement with Meta Ads
While Google Ads should take up the bulk of your budget, it's essential to allocate enough funds to Meta Ads to build brand awareness and keep your funnel full. Here's how to approach this:
Allocate Budget for Brand Awareness: Dedicate a smaller percentage of your budget to Meta Ads, particularly for top-of-the-funnel activities like generating brand awareness and driving traffic to your website.
Test and Scale: Start with a modest budget for Meta ads and test different ad formats, messages, and audiences. Once you identify which campaigns are driving engagement, increase your budget to scale those efforts.
Step 3: Track Performance and Adjust
No ad strategy is static. Regularly monitor your campaigns across both Google and Meta platforms to see which ads are driving the most leads at the lowest cost. Adjust your budgets accordingly:
If Google Ads is generating a high conversion rate, you may want to shift more budget toward it to capture as many bottom-of-the-funnel leads as possible.
If Meta Ads are driving strong engagement and traffic, but not conversions, you might need to tweak your targeting or messaging to align more with what resonates with potential buyers.
Conclusion: A Balanced Strategy is Key
Driving leads through paid ads for modular and prefabricated home builders requires a thoughtful approach that leverages the strengths of different advertising platforms. By focusing on Google Ads for high-quality, bottom-of-the-funnel leads and using Meta Ads to generate cost-effective top-of-the-funnel awareness, you can create a balanced marketing funnel that captures prospects at every stage of their journey.
With a strategic allocation of budget — prioritizing Google Ads while supplementing with Meta Ads — builders can maximize their return on ad spend, ensure a steady flow of qualified leads, and drive growth for their business. Remember to continually monitor your campaign performance and make adjustments as needed to optimize your results.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is Google Ads more expensive than Meta Ads? Google Ads targets high-intent searchers who are already looking for your products, which makes it more expensive but also more likely to convert into sales.
How do I decide my Google Ads budget? Start by researching the cost per click for industry-specific keywords and evaluate your search impression share. Allocate enough budget to ensure you're capturing a good share of the market.
What is search impression share, and why is it important? Search impression share indicates how often your ads are shown compared to how often they could be shown. A low share suggests opportunities to increase your budget and capture more potential leads.
What types of ads work best on Facebook and Instagram for modular home builders? High-quality images, video home tours, and testimonials are excellent for engaging users and building interest in modular homes.
Should I use retargeting ads? Yes, retargeting ads are a highly effective way to capture users who have previously interacted with your website or social media but haven’t converted yet.
How often should I review and adjust my ad strategy? Regular reviews are essential — check your ad performance at least monthly and
Want to learn more about Good Growth?
We help tiny home and modular construction businesses implement marketing systems that generate more leads at a better cost. We're a lead generation PPC advertising agency specializing in Google Ads and Meta Ads, but we do so much more (like lead nurturing, sales enablement, SEO, web design, etc.). We fill pipelines with highly qualified leads, lower your cost per acquisition, and drive real business outcomes.
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