Steal This $250K Holiday Lighting Facebook Ads Playbook (Dominate Your Market This Season)
Holiday lighting is one of the biggest untapped revenue opportunities for landscapers looking to boost their income during the slower winter months. Some of our clients treat it as a seasonal add-on to their main landscaping business — while others have made it their full-time focus, generating multiple six figures each year just from Christmas light installs.
The demand is exploding. Homeowners are searching earlier, booking faster, and spending more — but with that comes more competition.
Unfortunately, most of the advice out there is generic. Throw up some before-and-after photos. Run a quick ad. Hope for the best. That might get you a few jobs, but it’s not going to help you stand out or scale.
This guide is different. It’s a deep dive into the exact strategies our clients use to go from a few installs here and there… to fully booked out for the entire season.
If you’re ready to dominate your market, this is how you do it.
1. Content That Builds Trust
The bottom line is this: content is no longer about just displaying the finished product. It’s about giving homeowners a glimpse of who you are and why they should choose you over the countless other ads filling their feed. When you shift your approach from faceless photos to authentic, trust-building video, you immediately separate yourself from the pack.
2. Messaging and Offers That Attract the Right Buyers
The second piece of a winning holiday lighting campaign is your messaging. What you say in your ads matters just as much as the visuals you use, and this is where many contractors stumble. Too often, we see ads filled with copy that looks like it was copied straight out of ChatGPT without a second thought. Homeowners can tell when something is generic, and the result is that they scroll right past.
Instead, your ad copy should feel personal, specific, and relevant. One of the simplest but most effective ways to start an ad is with what we call an If–Then Statement. This technique immediately qualifies the person reading and makes them stop for a moment to see if the ad applies to them.
For example: “Attention Tampa homeowners: If you’re planning to install Christmas lights this year, read this.”
That one line does two important things. First, it grabs attention by calling out the exact audience you’re trying to reach. Second, it sets the stage for the rest of your message by making it clear that the ad is speaking directly to them. It filters out the noise and gets your ideal customer leaning in.
Once you’ve pulled them in, your copy needs to highlight benefits rather than just a list of services. Homeowners don’t just want “installation” or “removal” — they want peace of mind knowing they won’t have to climb a ladder in the middle of November. They want the convenience of a professional team handling everything from setup to takedown. And above all, they want the pride of pulling into their driveway each night and seeing their home lit up beautifully. That emotional payoff is what drives them to book, not a technical list of what you provide.
Just as important as the message is the offer itself. Many contractors default to discounts, thinking price is the only way to attract attention. But lowering your price attracts the wrong kind of customers and positions your service as a commodity. A stronger approach is to offer something with high perceived value that costs you very little to deliver. The most effective example we’ve seen is a free design consultation, positioned as a $197 value.
This isn’t just a quote. During the consultation, you can show homeowners exactly what their house would look like once it’s lit up. Tools like Jolly Lights or even simple AI image editing can create a mock-up of their home with lights added along the roofline, peaks, and windows. Once they see their own home transformed, they get excited — and excitement is what drives sales. In fact, this step often leads homeowners to increase their order because they can visualize the impact of adding more features.
Strong messaging paired with a compelling, value-driven offer does more than generate leads. It ensures those leads are the right type of buyers: people who care about quality, convenience, and design. And those are the customers who will make your season not just busy, but profitable.
3. Use the 50/30 Rule to Plan Your Budget
The next major piece of the puzzle is knowing how much to spend on Facebook ads. This is where a lot of holiday lighting contractors either overspend chasing leads that don’t convert, or underspend and wonder why their phone isn’t ringing. The truth is, your ad budget shouldn’t be a guess — it should be based on your goals, your average job size, and realistic conversion rates.
That’s why we use what we call the 50/30 Rule. It’s a simple framework that helps you reverse-engineer your budget by working backward from the revenue you want to generate. Here’s how it works:
• About 50 percent of the leads you generate should turn into booked in-person estimates.
• Of those estimates, around 30 percent should close into actual paying jobs.
Let’s put that into context. Suppose your average holiday lighting project brings in $1,000. If your goal is to add $20,000 in revenue this season, that means you need 20 completed jobs. Following the 50/30 Rule, you would need roughly 60 estimates to close those 20 jobs. To get those 60 estimates, you’d need about 120 leads from your ads.
Now let’s connect this to your ad spend. If your cost per lead averages $20 using Facebook lead forms — which is a reasonable benchmark in most markets — then 120 leads would cost you about $2,400 in ad spend. That $2,400 fuels $20,000 in booked revenue.
This math is powerful because it shifts your mindset from “How much should I spend?” to “How much do I want to make, and what do I need to invest to get there?” It also keeps your expectations grounded. Many contractors assume every lead will turn into a customer, and they’re disappointed when the numbers don’t work out. By using conservative estimates, you’ll avoid nasty surprises and plan for realistic outcomes.
The beauty of the 50/30 Rule is that it scales up or down depending on your situation. If your average project size is higher — say $1,500 or $2,000 — you can hit the same revenue target with fewer jobs and less ad spend. On the flip side, if you’re aiming for a bigger season, you can use the same formula to calculate what kind of budget it will take to get there.
Ultimately, this rule gives you clarity. Instead of throwing money at ads and hoping something sticks, you’ll know exactly what it takes to reach your revenue goals. And when you combine that with strong content and a compelling offer, you’re setting yourself up for a season where every dollar you put into Facebook comes back multiplied.
4. Choose Campaign Types That Actually Convert
Once you know how much to spend, the next question becomes: what type of campaign should you run? This decision alone can make or break your results because the type of Facebook campaign you choose directly impacts both the cost per lead and the quality of those leads.
Here’s where many contractors go wrong. They see that Messenger campaigns or “Send Message” objectives can generate $5 leads, so they jump in thinking they’ve cracked the code. At first glance, it looks like a win. But when you dig deeper, you realize most of those “leads” aren’t serious buyers at all. They’re people who clicked a button by mistake, tire-kickers who never reply, or homeowners who were just curious but never had any intention of booking an install. Cheap leads aren’t valuable if they don’t convert.
On the other end of the spectrum, some contractors send traffic straight to a website or landing page. While this can work, it usually comes at a much higher cost per lead. Facebook doesn’t like pushing people off the platform, and homeowners are less likely to wait for an external page to load — especially on mobile. You end up paying more per lead and, unless your landing page is highly optimized, you may not see enough conversions to justify the spend.
That’s why we recommend Facebook lead forms as the sweet spot for holiday lighting campaigns. Lead forms keep the entire process inside Facebook, which means they load instantly, they’re mobile-friendly, and they’re designed to be easy for homeowners to complete. With the right setup, you’ll see more volume than a landing page and better quality than a Messenger campaign.
The key is in how you structure the form. If you only ask for a name and phone number, you’ll likely get a flood of low-quality leads. But if you pile on too many questions, you’ll scare people away. The right balance is to capture the essentials — name, email, phone number, and address — while adding one or two qualifying questions that help you gauge intent.
For example, asking about the type of installation they’re interested in (“roofline only,” “roofline plus peaks,” or “full package”) or when they want the project completed (“as soon as possible” versus “before December 1”) can help filter out unqualified prospects without slowing down the form too much.
By choosing the right campaign type and dialing in your lead form questions, you create a steady stream of affordable, qualified leads that your sales process can actually convert. Instead of wasting time chasing ghosts or overpaying for website clicks, you’re feeding your business with the kind of opportunities that turn into real jobs — and that’s the whole point of running ads in the first place.
5. Speed to Lead, In-Person Estimates, and Local Boosters
Generating leads is only half the battle. What separates the contractors who hit their goals from the ones who struggle is what happens after a homeowner fills out that form. If you can’t follow up quickly, present estimates effectively, and maximize each booked job, you’ll leave thousands of dollars on the table.
The first principle here is speed to lead. When a new lead comes in, time is everything. Homeowners are often submitting requests to more than one company, and the first contractor to respond almost always has the upper hand. That’s why we recommend calling within five minutes whenever possible.
Even a delay of a few hours can dramatically reduce your chances of connecting. If you’re busy on installs and can’t realistically make those calls yourself, it’s worth having an appointment setter or using a CRM with built-in automations to bridge the gap. A quick text saying, “Hi Sarah, saw your request come through. When’s a good time to chat about your holiday lighting project?” can keep the lead warm until you get them on the phone.
This is where a strong CRM system becomes non-negotiable. Tools like Jobber or GoHighLevel give you a central hub where every lead is tracked, every follow-up is recorded, and nothing slips through the cracks. They also allow you to set up instant notifications, so no lead goes unnoticed. When you’re spending thousands of dollars on ads, this level of organization pays for itself many times over.
Once you’ve booked an estimate, the way you deliver it makes all the difference. Too many contractors default to emailing a quote after a quick site visit. It feels efficient, but it kills your close rate. Homeowners receiving an email often delay their decision, shop around, or forget about it entirely. The better approach is to present your estimate in person.
Here’s how that can look in practice: you arrive at the property, do your walk-through, and take your measurements. Then you step aside, maybe into your truck, to calculate the numbers. Within 15–20 minutes, you’re back at the homeowner’s kitchen table with a clear proposal in hand.
You can walk them through the design options, answer questions on the spot, and build excitement around how their home will look once the lights are up. If you really want to increase your close rate, pair this with a same-day booking incentive. Frame it as an “efficiency discount” — a small bonus for making a decision immediately, which saves you both time on follow-up.
Finally, don’t stop once the job is booked. Every install is an opportunity to multiply your results. Simple local boosters can stretch the return on your ad spend without costing much extra. Put a branded yard sign on the lawn (where allowed). Knock on a few doors nearby and let neighbors know you’re already working in the area. Drop off a handful of door hangers with before-and-after photos. These small touches create a snowball effect, turning one ad-driven customer into several more jobs in the same neighborhood.
When you combine speed to lead, in-person estimating, and local amplification, you’re not just running ads — you’re building a system. A system that captures attention online, converts it into trust at the doorstep, and expands it into whole streets of glowing homes. That’s how you move from a handful of installs to a fully booked season.
Final Thoughts
Holiday lighting is one of the most profitable opportunities for contractors who know how to market it the right way. But success doesn’t come from generic before-and-after photos or copy-paste ad text. It comes from a structured approach:
• Creating authentic content that builds trust and cuts through the noise.
• Writing ads with clear, benefit-driven messaging and pairing them with a high-value offer like a $197 design consultation.
• Using the 50/30 Rule to reverse-engineer a realistic budget based on your revenue goals.
• Running Facebook lead form campaigns that balance cost with quality.
• Following up within minutes, presenting estimates in person, and using each job to generate more business in the neighborhood.
• Treating ads as part of a holistic system that builds your reputation and sets you up for long-term dominance.
Contractors who follow this playbook regularly add $10,000 to $100,000 per month in booked jobs during the holiday season. More importantly, they don’t just survive the competition — they stand out, scale up, and build a reputation that carries over year after year.
Holiday lighting will always be competitive. The question is whether you want to blend in with everyone else, or build a system that ensures your company dominates the market.
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