TL;DR — Key Takeaway
Average cost per lead, ROAS, and conversion rates across construction, home services, restaurants, beauty, and professional services — based on real local campaign data.
When you're running Facebook or Instagram ads for your local business, context makes all the difference. A $30 cost per lead might seem high — until you see that the typical range for your industry is $35–$50. A 2x ROAS might seem low — until you learn that most businesses in your vertical average 1.5x. Without benchmarks, it's difficult to know whether your results represent a strong campaign or one that has room to improve.
Every number below is built from real local campaign data — not platform-wide averages that mix in national brands and e-commerce. Use the numbers as a starting point for conversations with your team or your agency.
High-ticket remodeling tends to live at the upper end of cost per lead, but closes at higher value. Roofing and general contracting fall in the middle. Specialty trades like windows or siding vary widely based on offer.
Seasonal demand swings drive a lot of variance in these categories. Pre-season campaigns (early spring for cooling, early fall for heating) tend to produce the lowest cost per lead.
Restaurant and café success is measured differently than lead generation. Track offer redemptions, online order revenue, and event/catering inquiries rather than pure form fills.
Beauty businesses depend heavily on repeat visits, which means a slightly higher cost per acquisition can still produce strong long-term ROAS if your service and rebooking experience are dialed in.
Professional services have longer sales cycles and higher average customer values, which changes what a strong cost per lead looks like. A $150 CPL is expensive in HVAC and cheap in law or accounting.
Start by comparing your current metrics to your industry's range. If your cost per lead is above the upper end, it's worth examining targeting, creative, or landing page for optimization opportunities. If you're inside or below the range, that's a strong signal — and the room to scale is real.
Your numbers won't match exactly. Every market, offer, and campaign is different. But these ranges give you a realistic baseline to evaluate against businesses with profiles like yours.
Jared Saucier
Founder & Creative Director at Allora Media. Running paid advertising campaigns and producing professional media content for Connecticut businesses.
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