What Home Improvement Brands Teach Us About Targeted Ads
Discover how home improvement brands master targeted ads and how you can apply their strategies to boost your own marketing campaigns effectively.
Home improvement brands are among the wisest when it comes to getting to the right audience with the right message. Though they play in a very competitive arena, their marketing strategies are worth paying attention to by businesses in many different industries. Pay attention to how these brands use targeted advertising and how it can help marketers hone their game and target prospects better.
Perhaps the most compelling part of marketing in the home improvement category is how adeptly these brands know their customers. Whether homebuilders and renovators or first-time buyers looking to put their stamp on the property, successful campaigns speak to each requirement head-on. Such personalisation does not happen by accident. It is the result of gathering, analysing, and acting on granular customer data.
Businesses outside the industry can apply the same principle. The more you know about your customers’ habits, lifestyle, and preferences, the more relevant your ads become. This goes far beyond basic demographics. It includes interests, purchase history, online behaviour, and even emotional triggers.
Home improvement brands often excel at delivering ads when customers are most likely to act. For instance, spring and summer tend to be peak seasons for renovations. This awareness of timing helps brands capitalise on customer intent and increase conversion rates.
These trends can teach marketers in any sector. Think about the seasonal habits of your own customers. Are there certain times of year when they will most likely be seeking out your products or services? Planning your advertising campaign based on these trends can significantly enhance campaign performance.
Successful home improvement commercials usually include colourful before-and-after photos, walking videos, or mood boards that incite imagination. These images do not simply highlight products; they motivate people to act by allowing them to imagine how their lives can be enhanced.
Regardless of whether you're marketing software, events, or learning services, the message is plain: visuals count. Effective imagery or design can say what words may fail to. Spend money on top-shelf images that are evocative and inspire aspiration. That's what moves people to buy.
Not all channels are created equal, and home improvement brands know that. They don't spend money advertising on every platform out there—they choose platforms that are where their target customers congregate. For instance, Pinterest and Instagram are great for attracting design enthusiasts, and Google Ads do a great job at intercepting search intent from users who are already looking at a specific solution.
This strategy works for all businesses. Rather than diluting your budget across all channels, prioritise the ones that work. Are your customers going to engage through search, social, or email? Test and learn what performs best, then bet big on your highest-performing platforms.
It's not just a matter of presenting the correct ad to the correct person—it's presenting it in the correct context. Home improvement brands do especially well with placing their ads within content that the customer is interested in, like DIY guides, real estate websites, or lifestyle sites. This natural integration creates the ad as more of a helpful recommendation than an in-your-face sell.
Even industries far removed from construction or design can borrow this technique. Consider placing ads within content that complements your offerings. If you’re a tech company, partner with innovation blogs. If you run a wellness brand, align with fitness or lifestyle media. The result is a more natural interaction with your audience.
Home improvement campaigns typically have clear goals—whether that’s booking a consultation, downloading a renovation guide, or requesting a quote. Monitoring these results enables marketers to refine their approach and spend more money on what is effective.
Companies get distracted by vanity metrics such as clicks or impressions, but true success is in conversions and engagement. By having specific goals and tracking relevant outcomes, your ad campaigns are more effective and powerful.
Even though your business might not be selling tools, tiles, or paint, the principles behind a great home improvement still apply. Consider how a brand might advertise a house extension project—by appealing to the desire for more space, better comfort, and a lifestyle upgrade. That emotional connection can be mimicked across sectors. Consider how your product or service enhances lives, and write your ads based on that narrative.
The marketing initiatives of home improvement brands provide something more than a blueprint—they show a mindset transformation. Target advertising succeeds not by using sophisticated data, but through thoroughly knowing the customer, acting in the right moment, and crafting a visual and emotional narrative. Whether promoting financial services, education, or technology, there's much to learn from such brands' powers of being personal, purposeful, and compelling.
© 2025 | All Rights Reserved | The Defectors