Marketing for tradies, in plain words

Marketing has a bad name with tradies. Fair enough. Too many agencies talk in circles and charge like wounded bulls. So here it is in plain words. Marketing is just how people find you, trust you and call you.

The three things that matter

Forget the rest until these three are sorted.

• A website that works on a phone. This is your shopfront. Most people will check it before they call, even when a mate recommended you.
• Google. Your Google Business Profile and your reviews. This is where the jobs come from when nobody knows your name yet.
• Proof you do good work. Photos of real jobs and reviews from real customers.

What you can skip, for now

You do not need to dance on TikTok. You do not need a newsletter. You do not need to post every day. Those things can help later, once the basics are bringing in work. Doing everything at once is how blokes burn money and give up.

How much should you spend?

A rough rule. A sole trader should put a few hundred a month into getting found, once the website is up. A crew chasing bigger jobs might spend $1,000 or more. The test is simple. If $500 a month brings in one extra job, it is working. If it brings in nothing after a fair go, change something.

The bit nobody tells you

Marketing gets the phone to ring. It does not answer it. The fastest way to waste good marketing is to miss calls, quote slow, or never ask for the review. Sort the basics on your end and the marketing works twice as hard.

Where to start

Start with the website and Google. Get those right and everything else gets easier. Barry does both for a fixed price, and will tell you straight if you do not need the rest yet.

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