BlueSmith
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What we build Video AdsFilmed on your jobs. Written and edited by us.Project Pages + EstimatorsYour work, a price range, a booking calendar.Speed-to-Lead + BookingInstant replies, reminders, and follow-up.
How it works The Acquisition EngineAttention × Offer × Sales × System.How It StartsFive steps, no surprises.Free ToolsLead value, break-even CPL, ad budget.
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Lead marketplaces vs your own ads for contractors

Angi, HomeAdvisor, and Thumbtack get the phone ringing fast. Your own ads and funnel take longer to build, and you keep what you build.

Show me where I’m losing jobsFree 2-minute assessment · No pitch, no obligation

By the BlueSmith team · Updated

SIDE BY SIDE

Lead marketplaces vs Your own ads + funnel

Lead marketplacesYour own ads + funnel
Who else gets the leadOften sent to several competing prosComes to you only
Time to first inquiryFast once your profile is liveSlower: ads, pages, and follow-up to build
Who the homeowner choseThe platform first, then a proYou, after seeing your crew and work
How you payPer lead or per contactAd spend, plus building and running it
Control over who comes inPlatform categories and filtersYour offer, your questions, your area
Data you keepMostly stays on the platformYours: customer list, pixel data, audiences
Winning the jobOften comes down to who calls firstYou set expectations before the first call
If you stop payingLeads stop and little carries overLeads stop, but your videos and pages stay
HOW TO CHOOSE

Pick by situation, not by hype.

Choose Lead marketplaces when…

  • You need inquiries this week and have nothing built yet.
  • You sell smaller, quick-turn jobs where speed beats brand.
  • Someone on your team can call every lead within minutes.
  • You want to test a new service before investing in it.

Choose your own ads + funnel when…

  • You sell bigger projects where trust decides the job.
  • You’re tired of racing other contractors to the same homeowner.
  • You have finished work worth showing.
  • You want the customer data and the brand to be yours.
Our honest take

Marketplaces have a place. Some contractors run them alongside their own ads to fill slow weeks. The problem is building a business on leads you share and can’t keep. We build the version you own: your ads, your pages, your follow-up, your data. It takes longer to start, and every month of it stays yours.

RUN YOUR NUMBERS

Missed lead calculator: what are slow callbacks costing you?

Every lead that waits too long or never gets a real call is a job you paid for and never got a shot at. Put a number on it.

30%
35%
30%

Revenue slipping per year: $378,000

Revenue slipping per year$378,000
Revenue slipping per month
$31,500
Signed jobs slipping per month
1.3

40 leads a month, 30% not worked fast, at your normal 35% booking and 30% close rates.

See what we’d build for these numbers

Starts with example numbers. Change them to yours. Arithmetic only, not a promise of results.

Open the full missed lead calculator

KEEP GOING

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STRAIGHT ANSWERS

Questions we hear.

Are Angi and HomeAdvisor leads exclusive?

Usually not. Many are sent to more than one pro, and terms vary by platform and product. Check exactly how your account works before you compare costs.

Why do shared leads feel worse?

Because the homeowner is getting several calls at once. The first contractor to reach them has the edge, and price becomes the easy way to choose.

Can I run both?

Yes. Plenty of contractors keep a marketplace running for steady small jobs while their own ads bring in the projects they really want.

How long does an owned funnel take to start?

Longer than signing up for a marketplace. Filming, the pages, booking, and follow-up all have to be built and tested before launch.

Your crew is ready for the next job. Is your calendar?

Seven questions. Two minutes. See the one part of your engine holding your projects back.

Show me where I’m losing jobsFree 2-minute assessment · No pitch, no obligation

Avg response time 2.5 minutes