Door 3 of the Five Door Method – Targeting That Actually Converts

You’ve picked your platform. You’ve built strong creative. But your ad performance is still flat.

If you’re getting clicks but no leads—or leads that ghost—you’re probably facing a targeting problem.

Welcome to Door 3 of the Five Door Method: Targeting.

“Even the best ad on the right platform won’t work if it’s aimed at the wrong people. Great targeting is how you stop wasting money and start printing leads.”
— Drew Larison, Visionary and CEO at Five Door Media

Let’s walk through how home service businesses can stop hoping and start hitting the right audience—on purpose.

What Is Targeting?

In paid ads, targeting is how you decide who sees your message. It includes:

• Geography (zip code, radius, city)

• Demographics (age, gender, income level)

• Behavior (purchase history, homeowner status)

• Intent (search keywords, website visits, lead form activity)

The tighter and smarter your targeting, the better your return.

Common Targeting Mistakes in Home Service Marketing

1. Targeting too wide.
   Running a 50-mile radius? You’re wasting your budget on people who will never buy.

2. Ignoring homeowner status.
   If your offer is lawn care or HVAC installs, renters are the wrong audience.

3. Not excluding past leads or customers.
   Why show a first-time discount to someone who’s already bought?

4. No audience segmentation.
   Everyone gets the same ad, whether they’re 25 or 65. Not good.

5. Forgetting intent signals.
   Running Facebook ads without layering in behaviors like “recent homebuyer” or “likely to move.”

Targeting by Service Type

Let’s break it down for the top industries we work with:

HVAC Companies

Best Targeting Tactics:

• Radius-based Google Search + LSAs (10–20 miles max)

• Layer in income or home value if using display/social

• Retarget site visitors + estimate requests

• Use weather/event-based targeting during heat waves or cold snaps

Avoid:

• National targeting (unless you're franchised)

• Interests-only targeting on Meta without layering in behaviors

Cleaning Companies

Best Targeting Tactics:

• Meta: Homeowners, age 28–55, within 10–15 miles

• Behaviors: Recent move, parents with young children, online shoppers

• Lookalike audiences from past customers

• Google LSAs for recurring terms like “weekly cleaning,” “move-out cleaning”

Avoid:

• Relying on interest-based targeting like “home decor” or “real estate”

• Leaving frequency uncapped → ad fatigue kills performance

Lawn & Landscaping

Best Targeting Tactics:

• Zip code targeting of high-income neighborhoods

• Meta behavior filters: “likely to move,” “homeowners,” “landscape design”

• Search based on seasonal terms: “spring cleanup,” “irrigation repair,” “sod installation”

Pro Tip: Upload your client list and build a lookalike audience. That’s where the money is.

Signs Your Targeting Is Off

• 📉 Low CTR

• 📉 High CPC

• 📉 Poor quality leads

• 📉 Low conversion rate

• 📉 People saying “I’m not in your area” or “I rent”

These are red flags. And they’re expensive.

How to Tighten Your Targeting

On Google:

• Use phrase-match keywords to avoid broad waste

• Geo-limit to your service zone

• Layer audience signals (in-market for HVAC, etc.)

• Schedule ads for business hours only (faster response = higher close rate)

On Meta:

• Start with homeowner status, age, and location

• Layer in “likely to move,” “recent mortgage”

• Retarget site visitors and video viewers

• Exclude past customers or unqualified leads

On TikTok:

• Narrow by age and gender

• Focus on behaviors and hashtags

• Target creators your audience follows (for example, mom influencers for cleaning services)

Watch Out for Targeting Fatigue

Even great targeting wears out.

If your cost per result is rising and engagement is dropping, your audience might be overexposed. Time to:

• Refresh creative

• Expand radius or segments

• Rebuild lookalikes from new data

Targeting Isn’t Set-and-Forget

You should be reviewing audience performance every 2–4 weeks at minimum.
Look at:

• Lead quality

• Cost per result by audience

• New vs. returning customers

If you’re not analyzing who you’re showing ads to, you’re flying blind—and probably wasting 30–50% of your ad spend.

“Targeting isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about being exactly where your next best customer is scrolling, searching, or swiping.”
— Drew Larison, Visionary and CEO at Five Door Media

Want Us to Audit Your Targeting?

Let’s do it. On a quick discovery call, we’ll walk you through your campaign settings, targeting structure, and real-time results.
We'll show you how to fix wasted spend and zero in on the people who are most likely to convert.