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Heartland Creative Agency logo.

Your walkthrough

Here's exactly how we're going to grow your business — start to finish.

Everything we talked about on our call, laid out in one place. Every step, every deliverable, and exactly who handles what — so you can see how this comes together and how little of it lands on your plate.

About a 6-minute read. Worth every one of them.

of our clients' leads book an estimate
78%
of our clients' leads book an estimate
qualified lead ratio
80%+
qualified lead ratio
average client return on investment
9x
average client return on investment
typical time to first leads after launch
24 hrs
typical time to first leads after launch

Sound familiar?

You built a good business. Now it needs a system that grows without you.

You're doing solid numbers. The work is good, the crews are busy, and the reviews prove it. But you're still the one quoting jobs, running crews, answering the phone, and trying to figure out marketing at 10 o'clock at night. Getting from where you are to $100K or $200K a month doesn't come from working harder — it comes from a steady stream of the right leads and a system that catches every one of them.

The problem is that building that system yourself means learning ads, video, copywriting, websites, CRMs, and automations all at once. Hiring someone full-time to do it gets expensive fast, and you'd be lucky to find one person who's good at even two of those things.

That's the gap we fill. We plug in the entire marketing machine — the website, the ads, the creative, the lead follow-up, and the tracking — and run it for you every month. You keep doing what you're great at.

Your time stays on the jobs

You give us about an hour on filming day. We handle the rest.

A full team, not one hire

Strategy, scripting, filming, editing, ads, web, and CRM under one roof.

Built to scale with you

More budget, more creative, more booked estimates.

The Home Service Scaling System

Nine stages. One team. Zero guesswork.

Here's the whole road from signed agreement to booked estimates. We'll walk through each stage below.

First ads live in ~2 weeks

Once your ads go live, most clients see their first leads within 24 hours.

Stage 01

First, we build the home base every lead lands on.

Here's how homeowners actually shop. They see your ad, or a neighbor mentions your name, and before they ever pick up the phone they look you up. If what they find is outdated, slow, or missing, they move on to the next guy. Your website is where a homeowner decides whether you're the real deal — so we build one that answers that question in about five seconds.

What you get

  • A custom, mobile-first website designed and built by our team
  • All website copy written for you, aimed at the homeowners you want to work with
  • On-page SEO so you show up when people search Google for your services
  • AI search optimization so you show up when people ask ChatGPT and other AI tools for a recommendation
  • Lead forms that route straight into your CRM and your phone
  • Conversion tracking connected to your Meta ads so we know exactly which ads drive real leads
  • Setup guides for your Google Business Profile and Bing listing
  • Photos and video from filming day used throughout the site, so it shows your real crew and your real work

Why it matters

Your ads create the interest. Your website closes the trust gap. When those two work together, the phone rings and the estimates get booked.

Stage 02

We lock in your offer and get crystal clear on who we're going after.

Before a single ad gets written, we sit down with you and dig into the business. What jobs do you actually want more of? Who's your best customer, what neighborhoods are they in, and what's keeping them up at night when they think about hiring a contractor? We use all of it to build an offer that makes the right homeowner raise their hand — and makes the wrong one scroll past.

What you get

  • A kickoff and onboarding session with our team
  • Offer development and positioning so you're not competing on price
  • Ideal client profile: who they are, where they live, what they want, and what they're afraid of
  • Service area and targeting plan
  • Access setup for your Meta Business Manager, ad account, page, and Instagram (we walk you through it step by step with our own guides)
  • Google Business Profile and Bing Business access
  • Full campaign strategy mapped out before anything launches

Why it matters

The best ad in the world can't fix a weak offer. We get this part right up front so your ads actually land with your target customer.

Stage 03

We write every script — built to sell, not just look good.

This is where most agencies wing it, and it's where we're the most disciplined. Every script we write follows a proven structure we've refined across home service and contractor campaigns. We know which callouts stop the scroll, which pain points hit home with homeowners, and how to present your offer so it feels like a no-brainer.

  1. 01

    Callout

  2. 02

    Hook

  3. 03

    Pain Point

  4. 04

    Offer

  5. 05

    Qualifier

  6. 06

    Social Proof

  7. 07

    Damaging Statement

  8. 08

    Desired Outcome

  9. 09

    Call to Action

Every ad is built modular. We write multiple hooks for the same body, so one filming session turns into a lot of ads we can test against each other.

What you get

  • Custom ad scripts written by our team for every round of creative
  • Multiple hook variations per script so we can find winners fast
  • Callouts that speak directly to your ideal homeowner
  • Messaging that addresses the fears homeowners have about hiring a contractor
  • Your offer, reviews, and real results woven into the scripts
  • Clear, strong calls to action that drive the next step
  • Scripts sent to you ahead of filming so there are no surprises

Why it matters

We're not making content to make anyone feel good. We're making ads that generate leads. That's the only scoreboard we care about.

Stage 04

We come to you. You give us about an hour.

~1 Hour of your time

Filming day is the only day we really need you, and we keep it easy. Our crew shows up with the gear, the scripts, and a plan. We'll coach you through every line in front of the camera — most owners are surprised how quickly it comes together. Your part usually takes about an hour and is very easy.  You just show up, read the teleprompter and you're done! We then spend the next hour or two capturing B-roll of your crews out on the job and grabbing any photos we need for your website and ads.

  1. Hour 1

    You on camera.

    We run through your scripts with you, coach the delivery, and get multiple takes so we have options.

  2. Hours 2–3

    Your crew in action.

    B-roll of your team working, your equipment, your finished projects, and the details that show your quality.

  3. Same day

    Website & ad photos.

    Anything we need for your site and ads, captured while we're there.

What you get

  • Professional, on-location video production with cinema-grade gear
  • On-camera coaching and scripts via a teleprompter so you don't have to memorize lines.
  • B-roll of your crews, equipment, and finished work
  • Photography for your website and ads
  • Filming days scheduled as needed to keep fresh creative in your campaigns

Not comfortable on camera? We've got options — a team member from your company, a local actor, or AI-made ads.

Why it matters

Real footage of your real crew builds more trust than any stock video ever could. Homeowners want to see who's showing up at their house.

Stage 05

We turn filming day into a full lineup of ready-to-run ads.

Up to 6–10 ad variants / month

Our editors take the footage and build it into scroll-stopping ads cut specifically for Facebook and Instagram. Depending on your ad spend, you'll typically get anywhere from 6 to 10 ad variants every month, or as many as we need to keep your campaigns fresh and keep finding new winners.

What you get

  • Up to 6–10 edited ad variants per month (as needed, based on your ad spend)
  • Edited for vertical and feed placements across Facebook and Instagram
  • Captions, text overlays, and on-screen hooks
  • Multiple hook versions of the same ad for testing
  • Music and pacing built to hold attention
  • 4K exports of every finished ad

Why it matters

Ads fatigue. The business owners who win on Meta are the ones who keep fresh creative in front of their market — and that's exactly what we keep doing for you.

The finished cuts.

01 / 04
QC Paint Pro
Valley Outdoor
Flynn Construction
Acri Company

Stage 06

We build, launch, and run your entire Meta ad account.

This is where it all goes live. We build your ad account the right way from day one, set up every campaign and audience, write all the ad copy, and install the tracking that tells us exactly what's working. You don't need to log into Ads Manager once.

What you get

  • Full Meta ad account build-out and setup
  • Campaign strategy and structure built around your offer and service area
  • Audience targeting for your ideal homeowner
  • All ad copy written for you — primary text, headlines, and descriptions for every ad
  • Meta Instant Forms with qualifying questions, so the leads you get are serious
  • Pixel and conversion tracking installed and tested
  • Retargeting campaigns that follow up with people who engaged but didn't act yet
  • Ongoing monthly campaign management
First ads live in ~2 weeks

Why it matters

SEO can take months to kick in. Ads put you in front of homeowners the day they launch. Most of our clients see their first leads within 24 hours.

Stage 07

Every lead hits your phone the second it comes in.

Leads in 24 hrs

Speed wins jobs. The contractor who calls back first usually gets the estimate. So we built a system that makes sure you never miss a lead, never lose a lead, and never let one sit cold. The moment a homeowner fills out a form, you know about it — and our automations are already following up for you.

New lead

  • Text alert to your phone
  • Email notification
  • Your Slack channel
  • Your HCA Portal & KPI dashboard
  • Automatic text + email follow-up to the homeowner

What you get

  • Lead capture funnels and Meta Instant Forms
  • Full CRM build-out with every lead organized and tracked
  • Instant lead notifications by text, email, and Slack
  • Automated text and email follow-up sequences so leads hear from you right away
  • Every lead loaded into your HCA Portal automatically

Why it matters

You can't scale what you can't keep up with. This is the part that turns leads into booked estimates, even on your busiest day.

Stage 08 · Built just for our clients

Your entire marketing system — right on your phone.

We custom-designed and built the HCA Portal specifically for home service and contractor clients. It's an app that lives on your phone, because that's where you live — on the job site, in the truck, between estimates. You can see every lead, every dollar, and every result in one place, and update your leads in a couple of taps. No clunky software, no logins you'll forget, no spreadsheets.

Your KPI dashboard.

See exactly where every dollar of ad spend goes and what it brings back. Ad spend, cost per lead, qualified leads, booked estimates, close rate, revenue — all of it.

Track every lead to the close.

Mark whether they answered, whether they're qualified, when the estimate's scheduled, the estimate amount, and what you closed. It takes seconds.

Your website numbers.

Views, clicks, and form fills from your website feed right into the same dashboard.

Built for the truck, not the office.

Designed from the ground up for phones. Big buttons, fast loading, and simple enough to update from a job site.

HCA Portal Lead Tracker — Demo Roofing Co. screen

Demo account shown. Your portal is set up with your real data during onboarding.

Why we track all of this: when you update your leads, we see the full picture — not just how many leads came in, but which ones booked, which ones closed, and how much revenue they brought in. That's how we know which ads are actually making you money, and it's how we keep making your campaigns better every single month.

Stage 09

Every month, we cut the losers and pour fuel on the winners.

Launching is just the beginning. Every month we dig into your numbers — all the way down to booked estimates and closed jobs — and make your campaigns better. Ads that aren't pulling their weight get cut. Ads that are winning get more budget. And we keep fresh creative coming so your market never gets tired of seeing you.

Review the data
Cut the losers
Scale the winners
Refresh the creative

What you get

  • Monthly ad refreshes with new scripts as needed
  • New ad variants edited and launched every month
  • Ongoing testing of hooks, offers, and audiences
  • Budget shifted away from underperformers and into winners
  • Monthly strategy call with our team to review results and plan next month

Why it matters

Most marketing gets set up and forgotten. Ours gets sharper every month because we're tracking all the way to revenue, not just clicks.

What happens next

From handshake to booked estimates in about two weeks.

  1. Day 1

    Kickoff.

    Onboarding, offer strategy, and access setup.

  2. Week 1

    Scripts & Filming.

    We write your scripts and come film. About an hour of your time.

  3. Week 1–2

    Build.

    Website, ad account, campaigns, CRM, automations, and your HCA Portal.

  4. ~Week 2

    Launch.

    Your first ads go live.

  5. Within 24 hrs of launch

    First leads.

    Leads start hitting your phone.

Website builds may finish on their own timeline; your ads don't wait on it.

Who does what

Here's how the work splits up.

Notice which list is longer. That's on purpose.

What we handle

  • Campaign strategy and offer positioning
  • Scripting, filming, editing, and launching your ads every month (up to 6–10 ad variants, as needed)
  • Full Meta ad account setup and management
  • All ad copy — primary text, headlines, and descriptions
  • Pixel tracking and retargeting
  • Lead capture funnels, Meta Instant Forms, and CRM build-out
  • Text and email follow-up automations
  • Instant lead alerts to your phone, email, and Slack
  • Your custom website, SEO, and AI search optimization
  • Your HCA Portal and KPI dashboard
  • Monthly optimization and creative refreshes
  • Monthly strategy calls

What you handle

Short on purpose
  • Show up for filming day (about an hour)
  • Call leads as soon as they come in
  • Book estimates and sell the jobs
  • Update your lead tracker in the HCA Portal
  • Show up to our monthly strategy calls
  • Keep communication open with our team

You run the business. We run the marketing.

Why HCA

Why home service owners choose us.

01

Built for home services. That's all we do.

Most agencies take on anyone who'll sign — dentists, restaurants, e-commerce, you name it — and run the same cookie-cutter playbook for all of them. We don't. We only work with home service businesses and contractors: builders, landscapers, remodelers, and the trades. And we know the Midwest market, because we live and work in it. When we write your hooks, build your offer, and set up your follow-up, we're not learning your business on your dime. We've already done it, and we already know what your buyer responds to.

02

A complete system, not one piece of the puzzle.

Most shops do one thing. A videographer shoots video. An ad guy runs ads. A web designer builds a site. Someone else sets up your CRM. And when leads dry up, everybody points at everybody else. We handle all of it — content, ads, website, CRM, and automations — so when something needs fixing, we fix it. The only parts we don't control are the quality of your work and your sales process, and we give you tools to help with that one too.

03

Creative that actually generates leads.

We've got a talented team writing scripts with sharp callouts, scroll-stopping hooks, real pain points, irresistible offers, social proof, and strong calls to action. Our modular system lets us test a ton of variations fast and find what works. We don't make vanity content that just looks pretty. We make ads that put booked estimates on your calendar.

04

Speed. Leads in days, not months.

You're not waiting four months for SEO to maybe kick in. Once you sign on, we can usually have your first ads live within about two weeks, and most of our clients see their first leads within 24 hours of launch. You're up and running, booking estimates, and generating revenue fast.

05

Executive-level strategy with small-shop attention.

HCA is led by Phil Dodds, a former Chief Marketing Officer at a billion-dollar mortgage company. That's high-level marketing experience across all kinds of markets, paired with a hands-on videographer, content creator, and editor who's still on set. Add a tight local team right here in Iowa, and you get big-company strategy without getting lost in a big-company client list.

06

We know how homeowners buy.

Homeowners are scared of getting ripped off. They're worried about paying a deposit and never seeing the crew again, or hiring someone who does sloppy work. We write ads that speak to those fears head-on and show why you're the safe choice. That's why our clients' leads trust them before they ever call — and why our clients book 78% of their leads into estimates.

Do the math

Cheaper than a full-time hire. More capable than ten of them.

FeatureFull-time hireTypical AgencyThe System
HCA
Ad strategy & offer positioningPartialPartial
Script writingPartial
On-location filming & editing
Meta ads setup & managementPartial
Website, SEO & AI searchPartial
CRM, lead alerts & follow-up automations
Custom client portal app & KPI dashboard
Only works with home services & contractors
Salary, benefits, training & turnoverYou carry it
One team accountable for results

One hire might cover one or two of these. We bring the whole team.

The scoreboard

What this system does for our clients.

average share of leads booked into estimates
78%
average share of leads booked into estimates
qualified lead ratio
80%+
qualified lead ratio
average return on investment
9x
average return on investment
typical time to first leads after launch
24 hrs
typical time to first leads after launch

Leads that already trust you, booking estimates on your calendar, tracked all the way to closed revenue.

Common questions

Questions we hear a lot.

Ready when you are

You've seen the whole system. Let's go build it.

You've got the business, the crews, and the reputation. We'll bring the ads, the creative, the website, and the follow-up system that turns attention into booked estimates. Let's get your first ads live and leads hitting your phone.

Questions about anything on this page? Reply right to the text or email this link came from.