Why adverts fail to generate jobs

Identify four different points of failure

Look at impressions, complete enquiries, conversations with suitable customers and accepted quotations. Each stage has a different cause. No forms may indicate a weak offer, creative or destination. Plenty of unsuitable forms suggests poor qualification. Many quotes but few jobs may indicate availability, pricing or trust issues.

• Record the actual number of enquiries received.
• Separate out-of-area requests from eligible jobs.
• Count quotes issued and accepted.

Audit the first response

Homeowners often contact several contractors. Leaving an enquiry unanswered for three days can waste any value created by the advert. Establish a simple routine: acknowledge receipt, attempt contact, request photographs or measurements, and follow up appropriately if there is no reply. Avoid promising dates before checking capacity.

Cheap enquiries do not always mean good enquiries

Twenty poor-fit enquiries can consume more time than five detailed quotation requests. Worked example: £300 in spend generates 12 enquiries at £25 each, but only three meet the job criteria. Your cost per suitable enquiry is £100. This is a calculation example, not a forecast for a particular construction firm.

A seven-day improvement plan

On day one, test the form and notifications. During the week, log every new enquiry and response time. At the end, compare sources, postcodes, work types and quotations. Then change the creative, budget or area based on evidence. Changing every variable at once makes it harder to learn what helped.