Most tradies didn't start out on their own to spend half the day doing marketing. You started your business because you're good at what you do — not because you wanted a career in digital advertising.
But here's the thing: being great at your trade won't fill your schedule on its own anymore. Referrals is still gold, but it comes in waves - particularly when the market slows.
How do the blokes who are always booked solid pull it off? These are the practical moves that shift the needle - no thousands of dollars.
Get Your Digital Profile
When someone Googles "local carpenter" - can they find you? Heaps of trades businesses are running without a proper online profile.
It doesn't need to be something complicated. A straightforward website that has real job photos, mentions the suburbs you operate in, and has a clear way to get in touch - that's your minimum.
A one-page setup showing your work and how to reach you already beats most of your competition.
Google Business Profile - Costs Nothing, Does a Lot
If you haven't claimed your GBP, you're invisible to local searchers. Zero dollars to set up.
Those three local results that appears first when people look for local
services - that's where you want to be. And getting there starts with not leaving your profile half-empty.
- Upload real photos - not stock images
- Get your happy clients to leave a review - this is massive for trust
- Reply to every review - it makes a real
difference
- Keep your hours and contact details up to date
This stuff builds up quietly. The ones who keep it updated consistently outrank the ones who set and forget.
Facebook and Instagram - Don't Overthink It
Forget about being an influencer. The tradies who get results from social media is a lot more basic than you'd think.
Snap a photo before you pack up and leave site. Before and afters get the most engagement by far. A fresh switchboard - that tells the story on its own.
Post it with a short caption and that's it, done. Even once or twice a week is plenty. Every photo you share is another piece of proof.
Homeowners respond to what they can see with their own eyes. Real work on display outperforms a professionally designed ad campaign - because there's no faking it.
Online Advertising - Not a Magic Bullet
Running Google Ads is effective for trades businesses - but it's not a set-and-forget situation. The tradies who get burnt is running ads with no clear target.
Before putting budget behind anything: have a landing page that works. There's no point driving traffic if your site looks like it was built in 2005.
Don't go all-in on day one. Measure results, not just impressions. Put more behind what works and pull the plug on anything that's just burning cash.
Reviews and Reputation - The Stuff That Actually Sells
One thing worth paying attention to: most people checks reviews before making contact. A trades business with strong reviews gets the call over someone with visit this site zero social proof - regardless of price.
Get into the routine to send a quick message asking for feedback. Most customers are happy to help - you just have to ask. Text them the Google review link and the reviews will stack up faster than you'd expect.
If you get a bad review, reply calmly and factually - your response to complaints says more about your business than you'd think.
The Bottom Line
Marketing your trades business isn't overwhelming. Blokes with full schedules haven't cracked some secret code - they set up a few things properly and keep showing up.
Sort out your web presence. Let your jobs do the talking. Build your reputation with real feedback. And if you go the paid route, be strategic about where the budget goes.
Your skills aren't the problem - the growth stuff doesn't take as much as you'd expect once you get the ball rolling.