How To Do Facebook Ads For Pest Control: Jake Sheldon

Apr 2, 2025

If you’ve ever run Facebook ads for pest control, you probably know they're powerful but tricky. Luckily, I recently sat down with Jake Sheldon, a true legend in pest control marketing, to dive deep into how to make Facebook ads genuinely effective for pest control businesses.

Jake founded Pest Customers Fast and quickly scaled it to 368 clients before selling the agency. He now partially owns nine home-service businesses, including a million-dollar pest control operation. In short, he's spent millions on Facebook ads and learned precisely what works.

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Why Facebook Ads Matter for Pest Control

Jake emphasized that Facebook ads, when executed properly, can deliver hundreds of sales annually, entirely separate from SEO or Google Ads. Jake himself regularly sees 500 to 750 pest control sales each year purely from Facebook. So, what's the secret?

Key Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistakes Jake sees are:

Poor Targeting

Many businesses use boosted posts or awareness ads, effectively "burning money." Instead, Jake recommends lead generation (lead gen) ads because they allow hyper-specific targeting—age, gender, zip codes, interests—which is crucial for pest control.

Weak Offers

Generic offers like "$50 off" aren't compelling enough. Instead, Jake advises creating irresistible offers—so good people feel silly passing them up. His own breakthrough offer was a $67 initial pest control service if customers signed up for a recurring yearly service, dramatically undercutting standard $200+ offers. He was willing to lose money initially because the long-term value far outweighed the short-term loss.

Creating Irresistible Ads

Jake shared two crucial components for successful pest control ads:

Strong Visuals

Use striking images or videos showcasing pests vividly—think spiders crawling, ants swarming, or hornets buzzing. This captures immediate attention and sparks urgency.

Disruptive Marketing

Since pest control isn’t an exciting purchase, ads must be disruptive—something that stops scrolling immediately. Jake calls this disruptive marketing, akin to the "purple cow" strategy popularized by Seth Godin. Make your ads unique, memorable, and disruptive enough that people can't help but notice.

Ad Management and Structure

Jake clarified that complex setups aren’t necessary. Instead, the key is rigorous A/B testing:

Campaign Level: Acts like a folder.
Ad Set Level: Defines demographics, targeting specifics.
Ad Level: Visuals, copy, and lead forms.

Constantly test different versions to optimize results.

Understanding "Creative Fatigue"

Regularly refreshing ads is essential to prevent "creative fatigue," where audiences become numb to your ads. Jake recommends changing creatives frequently, especially videos, to maintain strong performance.

Retargeting Strategies

Jake explained retargeting, emphasizing its critical role. Key retargeting strategies include:

Facebook Pixel: Track website visitors and retarget them specifically.
Lead Form Abandonment: Target users who began filling out your form but didn't finish.

Retargeting dramatically increases conversions by reaching people who already showed interest.

Essential Tools: Go High Level

Jake stressed the importance of immediate lead follow-up, known as "speed to lead." His go-to tool for managing this process is Go High Level, which automates instant notifications, text follow-ups, and detailed tracking. His company even calls leads three times daily for five days—a rigorous strategy that maximizes conversions.

Realistic Expectations and Results

Jake revealed realistic performance metrics:

Cost per Acquisition (CPA): $75–$150 per customer is strong.
Lead Costs: Typically range from $10 to $40, depending on the region and season.
Close Rates: Average Facebook lead close rates range from 20% to 40%. Expecting higher is unrealistic and often leads to disappointment.

Final Insights and Recommendations

Jake underscored the importance of patience and persistence. Facebook ads require time, money, and continuous optimization. Spend at least $600 monthly to effectively rank in Facebook's ad auctions and allow algorithms to build quality audiences over time.

Want More Expert Guidance?

Jake and Jonas Olson run Pest Control Millionaires, an elite training program teaching pest control business owners real-time strategies they're currently using to scale multi-million-dollar companies. From Facebook ads to SEO, door-knocking, and SOPs, this program covers everything you need to dominate in pest control marketing.

Check it out at PestControlMillionaires.com.

Stay tuned as I’ll soon release my exclusive SEO course within their program too!

Jake’s insights on Facebook ads aren't just theory—they're proven methods tested across hundreds of pest control businesses. Whether you're new or seasoned in pest control marketing, these strategies can dramatically boost your results. Give them a try, and watch your business scale.

P.S. Watch the full episode here: