That's flipped. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has rebuilt how it chooses which ads to show to whom. The new system is called Andromeda, and it rolled out across 2024 and 2025. Now the ad itself is what finds the right people. What you say, what you show and who's in the video tell Meta who it's for.

For trades, this is good news. You don't need a marketing degree to set up targeting. You need good, real footage of your work, and plenty of it.

What changed, in plain terms

Meta now looks at thousands of ads for every person scrolling, and picks the ones it thinks that person is most likely to act on. It works this out mainly from the content of the ad: the images, the words, the people, the setting.

What that means in practice:

  1. Broad targeting usually beats narrow targeting. Set your area and let Meta find the people. Piling on interests often makes results worse.
  2. More variety wins. Meta wants several genuinely different ads to choose from. Changing the headline on the same photo doesn't count.
  3. Simpler campaign setups work better. One campaign with a handful of strong, different ads usually beats lots of small campaigns split by age or interest.
  4. Your creative is your targeting. A video of you fitting a kitchen in a period terrace will find different people from a video of a new-build bathroom. That's the point.

Why this suits trades

Big brands struggle with this, because they need polished content for every angle. You don't. Real, phone-filmed footage of real jobs often does better than polished adverts, because it looks like something a neighbour shared, not an ad.

And you're already on site every day. The footage is there. You just need to capture it.

What kinds of ads work for trades

Aim for four to six genuinely different ads at any time. Mix these types:

1. The before and after

The simplest and most reliable. A dirty conservatory roof, then the clean one. A tired kitchen, then the new one. Keep it short: a couple of seconds of "before", then the reveal.

2. The walk-through

You, walking through a finished job, explaining what you did and why. Thirty to sixty seconds. People hire people, and this shows them who'll be turning up.

3. The "did you know"

A quick tip that shows you know your stuff. For example:

  • "Three signs your gutters need clearing before winter"
  • "Why your combi boiler loses pressure"

It's useful, it builds trust, and it gets saved and shared.

4. The customer reaction

A happy customer saying a sentence or two on camera, with their permission. Nothing beats it.

5. The process

Speeded-up footage of the job happening: the prep, the work, the clean-up. Great for showing care and tidiness.

6. The offer or reason to act now

Seasonal and specific works best, for example "Booking autumn gutter clears in Epsom and Leatherhead now, three slots left this month." Use it sparingly, alongside the others.

How to film ads on your phone

You don't need kit. Follow these rules and you'll have usable footage:

  • Film vertical (portrait). Almost all Facebook and Instagram viewing is on phones.
  • Use natural light. Face the light, not away from it. Avoid filming straight into a bright window.
  • Hook in the first two seconds. Start with the most striking shot or a question, not "Hi, I'm Dave from…"
  • Film three takes of anything you say to camera. Pick the best later.
  • Get before, during and after on every decent job. Even ten seconds of each.
  • Keep the sound clean. Turn off radios and step away from machinery when talking.
  • Get permission before filming a customer, their face or their home, and avoid showing house numbers or car registrations.

Then add captions (most people watch with the sound off), a clear line about what you do and where, and one simple call to action.

Budget and setup basics

  • Budget: For a local trade, £10 to £25 a day is a sensible starting range. Run it for at least two to four weeks before judging, because Meta needs time to learn.
  • Area: Set the towns or radius you actually work in. Then leave the age and interest targeting broad.
  • Objective: Choose leads (an instant form inside Facebook) or messages (WhatsApp or Messenger). Instant forms are quick for customers, but add a question or two, such as postcode and job type, to filter out time-wasters.
  • Don't just "boost" posts. Boosting is easy but gives you much less control and usually poorer results than setting up a proper campaign in Ads Manager.
  • Respond fast. A Harvard Business Review study of 1.25 million leads found businesses that replied within an hour were nearly seven times more likely to have a proper conversation with the customer than those that waited even an hour longer.

Common mistakes

  • Running one ad for months. People get bored of it and results drop. Add fresh videos every few weeks.
  • Over-targeting. Five interests plus a narrow age range usually means fewer, pricier leads.
  • Ten versions of the same ad. Different headlines on the same photo don't count as variety. Change the actual content.
  • Stock photos. They look like ads, and people scroll past them.
  • Not tracking jobs. Count jobs and revenue, not just leads.

Facebook ads or Google ads?

They do different jobs:

  • Google catches people already searching for a trade. Intent is high, so it's best for urgent and specific jobs.
  • Facebook and Instagram put your work in front of people before they search. Best for visual trades, seasonal services and jobs people put off (gutters, driveways, kitchens, landscaping).

Many trades do best with both: Google for "I need this now", Facebook to stay front of mind for "I should get that done".

How we do it

Our ad management includes directed video. Each month we send you short scripts with hooks, a shot list and a one-page filming guide. You film on your phone while you work, upload the clips, and we edit them into ready-to-run vertical ads with captions, music and a call to action. You come across as yourself, and there's always fresh footage coming in.

The fee is based on your monthly ad spend, with no tiers. Accounts are in your name and spend is never marked up. See Facebook & Instagram ads for details.

Not sure if ads are right for you yet? Get a free video audit and we'll tell you honestly.