Plenty of trades business owners didn't pick up a tool to sit around chasing leads. You got into it because you're good at what you do — not because you wanted a career in digital advertising.
Here's what nobody mentions though: being great at your trade won't fill your schedule on its own anymore. Referrals still matters, but it dries up - mostly when work drops off after a busy run.
So what actually works? Below are the straightforward moves that get results - without a fancy agency.
Get Your Online Footprint
When someone Googles "plumber near me" - can they find you? Heaps of tradies haven't set up any real web presence.
Nobody's saying you need something complicated. A clean website that displays what you actually do, lists where you work, and has a clear way to get in touch - that's where you start.
A one-page setup showing your work and how to reach you already beats the blokes relying on Facebook alone.
Google Maps - Costs Nothing, Does a Lot
If you're not on your GBP, you're handing work to your competition. It costs nothing.
Those three local results that pops up before everything else when a homeowner needs a tradie - those spots get the most calls. And getting there is mostly about not leaving your profile half-empty.
- Upload real photos - not some generic handshake pic
- Get your happy clients to leave a review - reviews are everything for local
search
- Engage with what people write - Google notices and so do customers
- Keep your hours and contact details up to date
These small things builds up quietly. Blokes who put 20 minutes a month into this beat out the ones who set and forget.
Facebook and Instagram - Don't Overthink It
You don't need to become an influencer. The tradies who get results from social media is a lot more basic than you'd think.
Snap a photo when you finish a job. Before and afters perform better than anything. A new deck or pergola - that tells the story on its own.
Post it with a short caption and that's it, done. Consistency helps but don't stress about a schedule. Each post is another piece of proof.
People trust photos of real work. A genuine job photo outperforms any amount of fancy marketing - because there's no faking it.
Paid Ads - Not a Magic Bullet
Running Google Ads is effective for trades businesses - but you can't just throw money at it. The common mistake is paying for clicks that go to a dodgy website with no clear call to action.
If you're going to invest in ads: ensure there's a clear way for people to contact you when they click through. All the clicks in the world won't help if people can't find your phone number.
Start with a small budget. Measure results, not just impressions. Double down on the winners and pull the plug on anything that's just burning cash.
Your Online Reputation - The Stuff That Actually Sells
One thing that doesn't get talked about enough: the majority of homeowners looks at what other people have said about you first. A other info trades business with strong reviews gets the call over a tradie with none - even if their prices are higher.
Build it into your process to ask for a review after every job. People generally don't mind - they just need a nudge. Make it as easy as possible and the reviews will stack up faster than you'd expect.
Don't ignore or argue with bad feedback - how you handle criticism says more about your business than you'd think.
What It All Comes Down To
Marketing your trades business shouldn't be a second full-time job. The busy ones aren't marketing geniuses - they got the fundamentals right and stuck with it.
Get your online profile in order. Let your jobs do the talking. Collect reviews. When you put money into advertising, make sure the numbers add up before you scale.
The quality of your work speaks for itself - the growth stuff is easier than most tradies think.