It is a game changer. Definitely worth figuring it out.
Lots of money can be wasted if you do it wrong as well.
Can't set it and forget it. Always be tweaking and improving, try new things etc.
Google analytics is worth learning as well. It becomes a numbers game. I can tell how many people see my ad vs how many people click on the ad and at what cost, and then how many people make a phone call(Google can display a trackable phone number on your website). So I know exactly what a phone call costs. Know your average sale per job and how many phone calls it takes to sell a job and decide if it is worth it or not.
A lot depends on time of year and amount of competition for keywords.
There are companies that will set up and manage your campaign for you. I would be cautious. I don't think most understand our industry well enough to do a good job.
What he said! We used it heavily a while back (maybe 5 years?) & it's amazing! You really have to play w/ it or hire someone who knows how (what we did at 1st). Then we fine tuned it & now don't need it anymore b/c business is good. HIGHLY recommend it. Although it may be better or worse for certain industries...