Facebook Ads for Land Clearing: What’s Working Right Now

If you run a land clearing company and you’ve written off Facebook ads, this one’s for you. I sat down with Jacob Neffendorf of Rise Online Advertising / Land Clearing Growth. He’s actively running ads for 125+ land clearing clients nationwide and we went deep on what’s actually driving profitable jobs (not vanity metrics).

Below are the biggest takeaways you can implement this week.

Myth = “Boosting posts didn’t work.”

Truth: Boosting is a money pit.
If you’re still tapping “Boost” on your page, you’re paying for likes and low-intent attention. Real results come from Ads Manager, not the “Ad Center” on your Page. You need proper campaign structure, lead forms, creative testing, and follow-up systems to turn spend into booked jobs.

Yes, Big Jobs Come from Facebook

Real outcomes from Jacob’s clients:

• 350-acre solar farm clearing from a Facebook ad
  
  
• $425,000 interstate right-of-way clearing from a Facebook ad
  
  

Why it works: video lets prospects see what you can actually do—scale, speed, and capability. A mulcher shredding a trunk communicates more value than any headline.

The Campaign That Wins (Template)

Account: Ads Manager (not Boost)
Objective: Leads
Placement: Advantage+ placements (let Meta find the inventory)
Targeting: Location only (yes, really) let the creative do the qualifying
Destination: Native Facebook Lead Form (fast, mobile-first, no website friction)

Lead form fields to include:

• Full name
  
  
• Email + phone
  
  
• Property location (address or nearest road)
  
  
• What needs to be done? (short description)
  
  
• Acreage / size
  
  

Winning creative (talking-head + B-roll):

• Hook: call out who and where (“Summit County landowners…”)
  
  
• Show equipment in action (mulcher, dozer, mini-ex, piles being processed)
  
  
• Promise the outcome (safer, cleaner, hunting-ready, defensible space, site-ready)
  
  
• Soft CTA: “Tell me about your property in the form below. We’ll review and get you a quote fast.”
  
  

Script skeleton you can steal:

1. Hook (you + location): “Summit County landowners…”
   
   
2. What you do: “We clear land the modern way—forestry mulching, trails, ROWs, and full site preps.”
   
   
3. Why it’s better: “Faster, no burn piles, less haul-off, and it looks clean when we’re done.”
   
   
4. Social proof: “We handle everything from small acreage to ranch projects and subdivisions.”
   
   
5. CTA: “Click the form, drop your address and acreage, and we’ll send a price range + next steps.”
   
   

Jacob’s data: person-to-camera videos outperform voiceover or photo-only creatives on cost per lead and quality.

Targeting in 2025: Go Broad (On Purpose)

Meta is pushing away from interest/demographic micro-targeting. Jacob’s team now runs location-only audiences and feeds Meta’s AI with specific copy and specific on-camera language (county names, project types, acreage, outcomes). The platform finds the right people cheaper when your message is specific.

Do this: Make separate ads per county (e.g., “Summit County Landowners,” “Eagle County Landowners”) instead of one vague “and surrounding areas” ad.

Lead Volume, Close Rates & Daily Budgets

• Power spenders at $100–$150/day see ~100 leads/month sustainably
  
  
• Close rate depends on model:
  
  
  • Big-iron ops: ~10–12% of total leads (cherry-picking large jobs)
    
    
  • Multi-skid steer shops: 40%+ (lots of smaller, fast-turn work)
    
    

Remember: those close rates are against total leads, not just estimates sent.

Math check: Spending ~$3,000/mo to land even one $30–40k job is a win. And many months will be better.

Speed to Lead = Money

• Call new leads within 60 seconds (Harvard stat Jacob cites: contact in 60 sec boosts close odds by 391%)
  
  
• 5 minutes max—after that, interest decays
  
  
• Expect ~7 contact attempts on average before you truly connect
  
  
• In-person estimate beats phone, which beats text. But never withhold info—get them something fast.
  
  

Pro tip: “Book a meeting from a meeting.” If they don’t close, set the next touch on the calendar before you hang up. Automate 3-5-7-day follow-ups, then weekly.

Pricing: Day Rate vs. By the Job

Jacob pushes by-the-job pricing so you can protect margin and charge for efficiency.

Typical day-rate landscape (varies by market & machine):

• Skid steer mulching: ~$2,000/day (some markets $1,750–$2,250)
  
  
• High-flow/dedicated heads: $2,250–$2,500/day
  
  
• Big dedicated mulchers (CMI/Fecon): ~$3,000/day
  
  
• Large iron / multi-machine crews: $4,000–$5,000+/day
  
  

Owner’s edge: If you quote a 4-day job and finish in 2 because you’re dialed, that efficiency belongs to you. “That’s called winning.”

The Sales System (Simple, but Strict)

1. Instant automation: lead gets a text/email right away
   
   
2. You call within 60 sec (5 min max)
   
   
3. Qualify fast (service area, rough scope, ballpark range)
   
   
4. Site visit within 48 hours when warranted
   
   
5. Price on-site when possible (bring the dirt bike, side-by-side, or walk it all)
   
   
6. If not on-site, quote within 72 hours max
   
   
7. Follow-up cadence: 3, 5, 7 days → weekly
   

Collections discipline: Do Money Mondays—review AR, resend invoices, call, stay on the line while they open and pay.

Niche Down to Scale Up

Both of us have lived the “shiny object” loop. The operators growing fastest have picked a lane and built systems around it:

• Land clearing is a high-ticket service. You don’t need HVAC-style recurring to win if your acquisition is predictable.
  
  
• Within land clearing, specialize (e.g., forestry mulching, ROW, fire mitigation, septic installs for excavators).
  
  
• Your content, testimonials, estimates, and equipment all align—authority compounds.
  ‍

It’s better for you and your clients when you do one thing exceptionally well.

Show Your Prices (At Least Ranges)

Contractors fear pricing transparency, but data says it increases leads ~3x when prospects can self-serve to an estimate range. Jacob’s favorite pattern: an on-site or web-based price guide that lets owners toggle scope (acres, density, haul-off vs. mulch in place, access issues) to see ranges, not quotes.

Benefits:

• Filters out tire-kickers
  
  
• Handles objections before your visit
  
  
• Attracts serious buyers who appreciate clarity

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Content Tips That Lower Your CPL

• Face the camera. Person-to-camera outperforms VO/photo-only.
  
  
• Kill the “millennial pause.” Record in short lines; chop gaps in editing.
  
  
• Hook + 3 bullets + CTA. Script the hook & CTA; riff the middle.
  
  
• Say the county on camera and in copy. Feed the algo.
  
  
• Post real jobs. Big iron, piles disappearing, trail before/after.
  
  
• YouTube works at small scale. Hyper-niche videos won’t go viral, but they bring right-fit clients (and authority).
  
  

Quick Start Checklist (Do These This Week)

• Create a Lead campaign in Ads Manager (not Boost)
  
  
• Record a 30–45s vertical video with the county callout
  
  
• Build a native lead form (name, phone, email, address, acreage, description)
  
  
• Target location only; one ad per county
  
  
• Set up instant SMS/email to new leads + call within 60 sec
• Block site-visit slots on your calendar (48-hour aim)
  
  
• Quote on-site when possible; otherwise within 72 hours
• Start a price-range page or estimator on your site
  
  
• Schedule Money Monday for AR + follow-ups
  
  

Final Word

Facebook ads absolutely work for land clearing when you run real campaigns, show real capability, and follow up like a pro. Whether you’re running a single skid steer or multiple dedicated mulchers, the playbook is the same: specific creative, fast response, clear pricing, and a tight sales system.

Want to win big land clearing jobs like Jacob’s clients?

‍👉 Watch the full episode on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts.

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