One of the most common questions roofing contractors ask when running Facebook or Instagram ads is: “Can I actually target homeowners?”
The answer is yes—but not in the way most advertisers think. While Meta (Facebook’s ad platform) no longer allows direct targeting by homeownership status due to privacy updates, there are still smart ways to reach homeowners using behavioral signals, interests, and data layering.
In this article, we’ll break down how to target homeowners with Meta Ads, which filters actually work, and how to build high-converting roofing campaigns that find the right people—without wasting ad spend.
Why Targeting Homeowners Matters for Roofers
When you run ads for roofing services, you don’t want clicks from renters, job seekers, or DIYers—you want to get in front of people who own the home and make the decision.
That’s why targeting is so important. The more precise your audience, the higher your lead quality and conversion rate. And Meta’s platforms (Facebook and Instagram) remain two of the best places to reach homeowners—if you know how to structure your targeting.
Can You Still Target Homeowners on Facebook?
Not directly. Meta removed housing-specific targeting categories, including explicit filters for homeownership status, as part of its compliance with anti-discrimination policies. But that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck.
You can still target homeowners indirectly using a mix of smart strategies, interest filters, behaviors, and geographic data.
How to Target Homeowners with Meta Ads
1. Geographic and Demographic Filters
Start by narrowing your audience to the locations you serve and the age range most likely to own homes.
- Location: Zip codes, cities, or a radius around your office
- Age: 30–65+ (most likely to be homeowners)
- Gender: All (roofing decisions are often made jointly)
Best practice: Use the “people living in this location” setting—not “recently in”—to avoid targeting travelers or out-of-area users.
2. Home-Related Interests and Behaviors
While you can’t directly target “homeowners,” you can use Meta’s detailed interest and behavior targeting to reach people likely to own homes based on their activity.
Suggested interests to include:
- Home improvement
- HGTV
- DIY home projects
- Yard work or landscaping
- Home insurance
- Mortgage loans
These aren’t guarantees, but when combined with location and age targeting, they form a strong proxy for homeownership.
3. Use Lookalike Audiences Based on Customers
If you have a list of past customers, uploaded leads, or people who visited your website, you can create a lookalike audience based on them. Meta will find new users who behave similarly—many of whom are likely homeowners too.
Lookalike audiences are one of the best ways to scale your roofing campaigns without sacrificing quality.
4. Retarget Website Visitors to Service Pages
Not every homeowner converts on their first visit. Set up Meta Pixel tracking on your website and retarget people who:
- Visited pages like “roof repair,” “storm damage,” or “roof replacement”
- Watched your roofing testimonial videos
- Opened but didn’t submit your quote form
This allows you to stay top-of-mind with potential clients and improve your conversion rate over time.
5. Use Intent Data to Reach In-Market Homeowners
At HOWL, we go beyond basic Facebook targeting. We plug in intent data—real-time behavioral signals from homeowners actively researching roofing services across the web.
These users are:
- Searching terms like “roof repair cost” or “hail damage roof inspection”
- Visiting contractor websites
- Engaging with storm damage or insurance content
We feed these signals into Meta to create “super audiences” of in-market homeowners. The result? Higher lead quality and lower cost per click.
6. Use Creative That Speaks to Homeowners
Your ad copy, images, and calls-to-action should speak directly to homeowner concerns. Even if your targeting is solid, you’ll lose them with the wrong message.
Examples of homeowner-focused messaging:
- “Own a home in [City]? Storm damage? Book your free roof inspection.”
- “Worried about a roof leak? We help homeowners fix it fast—before it gets worse.”
- “New roof for $0 down—financing available for qualified homeowners.”
Make your value clear and your next step obvious.
Audiences You Should Exclude
To improve performance, exclude audiences who are unlikely to become paying roofing customers:
- Renters: Use interests like “apartments.com” or “rental property” as exclusions
- Job seekers: Exclude interests like “Indeed,” “ZipRecruiter,” and “roofing jobs”
- DIYers (if not your market): Exclude users interested in “roof repair kits” or “how to fix a roof” if you’re only targeting service leads
How HOWL Targets Homeowners with Meta Ads
At HOWL, we manage high-performance Facebook and Instagram campaigns for roofers across the U.S. We combine:
- Geographic targeting of service areas
- Custom and lookalike audiences built from customer and site data
- Intent signals showing when homeowners are researching roofers
- Exclusion lists to eliminate junk traffic
- Click-to-call and lead form campaigns optimized for conversions
The result? Exclusive roofing leads from real homeowners—not just likes, shares, or wasted clicks.
Final Thoughts: You Can Still Target Homeowners—If You Know How
Even without a direct “homeowner” targeting option, Meta Ads can still be a powerful tool for lead generation. With the right combination of filters, custom audiences, intent data, and smart creative, you can reach the homeowners who need you most—before your competitors do.
Apply to work with HOWL and let us build you a Meta Ads system that gets your roofing company in front of the right people—so you stop guessing and start closing.