From an Underperforming Ad Account to 57 Qualified Leads at Just $6.41 Each — in 6 Weeks

How O’Briens Plumbing & Air Conditioning turned 30+ years of trusted trade expertise into a high-performing lead funnel — partnering with us to build a consistent, measurable flow of enquiries across heating, cooling, plumbing, and gas services across Wangaratta and North East Victoria.

Real results. Six weeks. One region.

These weren’t tyre-kickers or price shoppers. They were Wangaratta homeowners and North East Victoria businesses actively hunting for a trusted local tradie. And they enquired.

Qualified leads
in 6 weeks

Average cost
per lead

$ 0 .41

People reached
across campaign

Weeks to
full results

30+ years of trusted workmanship – but a digital presence that wasn't filling the calendar.

O’Briens had built a rock-solid reputation across Wangaratta and North East Victoria through word-of-mouth, loyal repeat customers, and an award-winning team of qualified plumbers, gas fitters, electricians, and refrigeration specialists. But the business was leaving serious growth on the table.

Inconsistent enquiry flow from digital channels
No structured Meta (Facebook / Instagram) advertising presence
No clear system for capturing and qualifying leads from ads
Reliance on referrals made forward planning a guessing game
Ad spend without a measurable return

What frustrated them most: generic “leads” that wasted the team’s time. They needed real enquiries from people ready to book — for installations, repairs, heating and cooling, hot water, plumbing, and gas services.

In a regional market where trust and local reputation are everything, O’Briens needed more than visibility. They needed a reliable, scalable system that matched the quality of their workmanship.

In trades, trust and timing win – not the loudest ad.

Heating and cooling, plumbing, and gas services are big decisions. Homeowners in Wangaratta aren’t scrolling Facebook looking to impulse-buy a new ducted system. But when their heater dies, or a pipe bursts — timing and trust are everything.

The first thing we told O’Briens: “Most agencies sell you clicks and leads. We build you a system that turns those clicks and leads into high-value booked jobs.”

We identified three levers that would drive real enquiries for O’Briens:

Targeting homeowners and businesses in Wangaratta and surrounding North East Victoria towns already in-market for heating, cooling, plumbing, or gas services
Leading with trust signals — 30+ years experience, VBA licensed, ARC certified, Master Plumbers member, Daikin Specialist Dealer, Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Dealer
Optimising campaigns around enquiry quality and lead cost — not vanity metrics like reach or impressions

These insights shaped every campaign decision.

The Strategy

We took O’Briens from scattered digital activity to a structured performance engine — in four phases.

Digital foundations and trust signals

Why this mattered:

Trade buyers in regional Victoria check before they call. Strong trust signals — 30+ years, multiple brand dealerships, licensing, and local team photos — reduce price shoppers and attract higher-intent enquiries.

Service-specific demand capture

Dedicated campaigns for O'Briens' core services: split systems, ducted heating & cooling, plumbing, hot water, gas, and emergency repairs
Messaging tailored to residential and commercial buyers across Wangaratta and North East Victoria
Ad copy designed to pre-qualify — filtering out tyre-kickers before form submission

Outcome:

Cleaner enquiries entering the funnel, matched to the services O'Briens wanted to grow.

Creative testing and audience refinement

Result:

57 qualified leads at a stable $6.41 cost per lead across 6 weeks — reaching 13,995 people in the region.

Scale, sales alignment, and reducing the owner's burden

Outcome:

Less manual follow-up, less admin, and a structured growth engine — so O'Briens' owner can focus on running the business and keeping the team busy, not chasing enquiries.

Qualified leads
in 6 weeks

Average cost
per lead

$ 0 .41

People reached
across campaign

Weeks to
full results

Predictable enquiries. Real revenue. A business that grows without relying on luck.

After just six weeks, O’Briens had a functioning digital acquisition engine — with consistent, cost-effective enquiries flowing across their core service lines.

These metrics confirmed what mattered most: real buyer intent from local people, not inflated numbers.

The Impact

From Referral-Dependent to Digitally Scalable

O’Briens is no longer reliant on luck or word-of-mouth alone.
They now have:

What was once a business reliant on referrals is now a measurable, repeatable growth channel — without compromising the quality and local reputation O’Briens has spent over three decades building.

The Conclusion

This case study demonstrates how a structured, intent-focused digital strategy can transform a regional trade business.

By prioritising lead quality, continuous optimisation, and keeping the cost per lead consistently low, O’Briens Plumbing & Air Conditioning achieved a reliable flow of new enquiries — while protecting the trusted local brand they’ve built across Wangaratta and North East Victoria for over 30 years.

Is your trade or home service business ready for more consistent, predictable results like this?

If your plumbing, heating, cooling, or gas business is struggling with inconsistent enquiries, low-level bookings, an underperforming ad account, or too much reliance on referrals — the right digital strategy can transform your pipeline into a predictable, cost-effective flow of qualified leads.