Following up Facebook leads fast: the system trades need
You are up a ladder. A lead lands. By the time you are down, washed and have found your phone, it is two hours later and the homeowner has booked the other bloke who answered. That is the whole problem with Facebook leads for trades, and it is fixable with a system that does not depend on your hands being free.
The five-minute cliff
A Facebook lead is not like a referral. A referral has been told you are good and will wait a day for you to call. A Facebook lead was scrolling, saw an ad, tapped, and has already half forgotten. Their interest decays by the minute.
Agencies that track this for trades see the same shape over and over. Contact within five minutes and most leads answer and remember. Contact after an hour and you are into voicemail territory. Contact the next day and a meaningful share will say they never enquired.
You cannot call within five minutes from a loft. So the system has to do it for you.
Layer one: the instant text
The moment a lead submits, they get a text. Not from a robot voice. From a number that looks like yours, in words that sound like you.
Something like: 'Hi Sarah, it's Mark from Mark Lewis Plastering. Got your message about the hallway ceiling. I'm on a job till about 4 but I'll ring you after. If it's easier, text me a photo of the ceiling here and I can give you a rough idea tonight.'
Three things that message does. It confirms you are real and local. It sets an expectation so they stop shopping. And it gives them something to do (send a photo) that deepens their commitment. Every lead gen platform and most agencies can wire this up; it is the single highest-return piece of automation in trades marketing.
Layer two: the call attempt
The text buys you time, not a sale. Someone still has to ring. The question is who and when.
If you are a sole trader, pick two windows a day and stick to them. Lunchtime and 5pm, say. Every lead from the previous window gets a call in the next one. Leads know from the text when to expect you, so a four-hour gap is fine. A four-day gap is not.
If you have an office or a partner at home, the rule is simpler. Call every lead within 15 minutes of the text going out, during working hours. Out of hours, the text holds them until morning.
Firms with a few vans sometimes hand this to the agency. Some of the agencies on our best Facebook ads agencies for trades in the UK list build call-handling or AI qualification into the offer. Ask exactly who speaks to the lead and listen to a recording before you agree.
Layer three: the chase sequence
No answer on the first call is normal, not a lost lead. Build a short sequence and run it every time, without thinking about it.
| When | What | Message |
|---|---|---|
| 0 min | Automatic text | Confirmation, expectation, ask for a photo |
| Next window | Call | If no answer, leave a 15-second voicemail with your name and town |
| +2 hours | Text | 'Tried to catch you. When suits a quick chat, or shall I just pop round Thursday?' |
| Day 2 | Call | Different time of day from the first attempt |
| Day 3 | Text | One line with a 'from' price or a photo of a similar job |
| Day 7 | Text | 'Still want me to take a look at the ceiling? No bother if you've sorted it.' |
| Day 30 | Move to quiet list | Occasional seasonal message, no more chasing |
What to say on the call
Not 'I'm ringing about your enquiry.' Ring like a tradesperson, not a call centre. 'Hi, is that Sarah? Mark the plasterer, you messaged about the hallway. What's it doing, cracking or sagging?'
Get to a diary date in the first two minutes. The goal of the call is a visit or a quote, not a chat about plaster. 'I can come Thursday after 4 or Saturday morning, which is better?' Two options, both yours.
If they are not ready, do not push. Ask when would be a good time to check back, and put that date in the system so the chase sequence pauses and resumes on the day.
The quote is a lead too
Here is where even well-run trades leak. You visit, you send the quote, and then nothing. The homeowner has three quotes on the kitchen table and yours is the one nobody followed up.
Treat a sent quote like a new lead. Text two days after sending: 'Did the quote come through alright? Happy to talk through any of it.' Call at day five. Text at day ten with an availability nudge. Unsigned quotes are the cheapest work you will ever win because you have already paid for the lead and the visit.
Some agencies now sell this as a separate service. Our profile of Rated Media describes one that builds post-estimate follow-up into its system, and our opinion piece on why trades ad campaigns fail in the follow-up makes the wider argument.
The tools, without the jargon
You need three things and they can be cheap. A place the lead lands that is not your Facebook inbox, so you can see status at a glance. An automation that sends the first text. And a reminder system for the chase sequence.
That can be a proper CRM, a lead-gen platform's dashboard, or a spreadsheet plus a texting app for a sole trader who is disciplined. The tool matters far less than the habit. Many of the Meta ads agencies with no contract for trades we have reviewed bundle a basic version; ask what happens to the data if you leave.
Missed-call text-back is worth adding whatever else you do. If a lead rings and you cannot answer, they get a text within seconds saying you will call back. It catches the people who would otherwise ring the next name on the list.
Measuring the system, not the ads
Track four numbers every month. Speed to first contact (median minutes from lead to text or call). Contact rate (percentage of leads you actually spoke to). Quote rate (percentage of leads that became a visit or a quote). Close rate (percentage of quotes won).
If speed is bad, fix automation. If contact rate is bad, fix your call windows or your voicemail. If quote rate is bad, the leads are poor or your call is weak. If close rate is bad, it is price or the quote follow-up. Each number points at a different fix, and none of them is 'spend more on ads'.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly should I respond to a Facebook lead?
Within five minutes with an automated text, then a call in your next free window the same day. Interest drops sharply after the first hour.
What should the first text to a Facebook lead say?
Your name and business, confirmation of what they asked about, when you will call, and a small ask such as sending a photo of the job.
How many times should I chase a lead that does not answer?
A mix of around six touches over seven days, alternating calls and texts, then stop chasing and move them to an occasional seasonal message.
Should I follow up quotes I have already sent?
Yes. Text at day two, call at day five and nudge at day ten. Unsigned quotes are the cheapest jobs to win because the lead and visit are already paid for.