Trades Advertising - Tips to Book Steady Jobs and Half the Hassle
A lot of tradespeople didn't get into the game to spend half the day on the phone quoting. You went solo because you're bloody good at your trade — not because you wanted a career in marketing yourself online.
The reality is: doing quality work won't fill your schedule on its own anymore. Referrals still matters, but it comes in waves - particularly when work drops off after a busy run.
What are the busy tradies doing differently? Below are the straightforward things that shift the needle - no massive budgets or marketing degrees.
Set Up a Proper Web Presence
If a homeowner Googles "local builder" - can they find you? A surprising number of trades businesses are running without a proper online profile.
Nobody's saying you need a $10k custom site. A straightforward website that shows photos of your work, mentions the suburbs you operate in, and makes it dead easy to call or message - that's the baseline.
A one-page setup with your services, contact details, and a few photos already beats the tradies who have nothing.
Google Maps - Still the Easiest Win
If you haven't claimed your GBP, you're missing the easiest free leads going. It costs nothing.
Those three local results that shows up at the top when someone searches for a trade - that's where you want to be. Showing up there is mostly about filling out your listing properly.
- Add pictures from actual jobs - not some generic handshake pic
- Build up your review count with genuine feedback - reviews are everything for local
search
- Respond to reviews, good and bad - it makes a real
difference
- Make sure your phone number and service area are correct
This stuff builds up quietly. Blokes who put 20 minutes a month into this end up above the ones who set and forget.
Social Media - Don't Overthink It
Forget about being an influencer. The tradies who get results from social media keep it dead simple.
Take a quick pic of a completed project. Before and afters are absolute gold. A finished bathroom reno - that's content.
Add where the job was and what you did and that's it, done. Consistency helps but don't stress about a schedule. Each post shows potential customers you're the real deal.
Customers believe actual results over polished ads. An honest before-and-after outperforms paid ads nine times out of ten - because there's no faking it.
Online Advertising - When They Make Sense
Spending money on online ads can absolutely work for tradies - but it's not a set-and-forget situation. The common mistake is running ads with no clear target.
If you're going to invest in ads: have a landing page that works. All the clicks in the world won't help to a site that doesn't load properly.
Test with a modest spend. Pay attention to what generates real enquiries. Scale the campaigns that convert and pull the plug on anything that's just burning cash.
Your Online Reputation - What People Check resource Before They Call
One thing a lot of tradies underestimate: the majority of homeowners checks reviews before making contact. A tradie with 50 genuine reviews will win the job over a tradie with none - even if their prices are higher.
Build it into your process to send a quick message asking for feedback. Satisfied clients will do it - they just need a nudge. 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 - how you handle criticism is just as important as the positive ones.
The Bottom Line
Marketing your trades business isn't a second full-time job. The busy ones aren't doing anything magical - they got the fundamentals right and stuck with it.
Get your online profile in order. Post your work. Ask happy customers to back you up online. If you run ads, make sure the numbers add up before you scale.
Your skills aren't the problem - the growth stuff is easier than most tradies think.