Social Media Online Marketing Tips for Trade Businesses

Written by Rachel Richards

Whether you’re a plumber, landscaper, cleaner, carpenter, or any kind of tradesperson, your days are already filled with repairing and building your customers’ homes. In years past, word of mouth was the primary way to drum up new opportunities. But now, potential clients are turning to Google to search for tradespeople they want to hire. How can you encourage these potential customers to find your trade business and choose you over the competition? To guide you in the right direction, here are some proven online marketing tips for trade businesses that increase your digital visibility and client acquisition.

Key Takeaways about Online Marketing for Trade Businesses

Potential clients now use Google to find tradespeople instead of relying solely on word of mouth, making digital visibility essential for trade businesses to attract new customers.
A high-performance website serves as your digital foundation and must feature attractive design, compelling service content, and strong search engine optimization for better rankings.
Google evaluates websites using Core Web Vitals that measure loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability, which directly impacts how high your trade business appears in local search results.
Trade businesses must optimize for multiple ranking factors including mobile responsiveness, relevant content, quality links, and security features like HTTPS to improve their online visibility.
Google Business Profile acts as a free digital storefront for your trade business, allowing you to display essential information and receive priority in local searches when potential customers look for services near their location.
With 83% of Canadians actively using social media, trade businesses should identify which platforms align with their target audience rather than spreading resources too thin across multiple channels.
Effective social media content for trade businesses includes before-and-after project photos, home improvement tips, and customer testimonials that address specific customer challenges.
Online customer reviews drive modern business growth for tradespeople, and responding promptly to these reviews builds trust with clients while sending positive signals to Google’s ranking algorithms.
TopDraw recommends measuring specific metrics tied to your trade business goals, such as increasing online ad impressions, social media engagements, or website contact form conversions by targeted percentages.
Trade businesses should review their performance indicators monthly to identify effective marketing tactics and adjust strategies to improve lead generation results.

Create a High-Performance Website That Attracts and Converts Customers

Your website is the core digital foundation of how you connect with your audience. It needs to feature an attractive web design, compelling service-focused content, and strong search engine optimization. A professional website presents a credible image to your potential customers while making it easy for them to find you on Google and interact with your business through multiple contact points.

In 2020, Google released its Core Web Vitals, which are specific metrics that measure a website’s user experience. If your trade business site performs well on these technical factors, search engines will favour your pages and feature you higher in their local rankings, leading to more customer inquiries.

Google’s Core Web Vitals measure:

How fast your website loads for visitors (Largest Contentful Paint)
How easy it is for users to interact with your site (First Input Delay)
How stable elements behave when pages load (Cumulative Layout Shift)

Other page experience factors that Google considers important for trade businesses are:

Mobile responsiveness across different devices and screen sizes
Relevant and up-to-date content about your trade services
Quality internal links and backlinks from reputable industry sources
Optimized keywords for local trade services
Having no intrusive pop-ups or malware that disrupt user experience
Security features like HTTPS to protect user data
And much more!

SEO is a long-term game, so focus on making these technical improvements over time, and you’ll start to see organic traffic and qualified leads come in for your trade business.

Boost Your Local Visibility with Google Business Profile for Trade Services

Getting listed on Google Business Profile acts as a powerful digital storefront for your trade business. Free of charge, it allows you to list essential business information, such as your physical address, phone number, operating hours, and website URL. You can also customize your Google Business Profile with your company logo, project photos, and special service offers to help you stand out from competing tradespeople.

When local users are searching for keywords related to your trade business (like “plumber in edmonton” or “landscaper near me”), your Google Business Profile will be given priority in local search results. This enhanced visibility makes it much more likely for potential customers to reach out and hire your trade services!

With 83% of Canadians actively using social media, it’s a strategic move to market your trade business on one or more of these digital platforms. However, you should take a targeted approach to get the most return from your marketing efforts.

First, you need to identify which social media platforms align with your trade business audience. Rather than spreading your resources too thin, pick one to three platforms that are popular with your target customer demographic. For example, Facebook is effective for reaching older homeowners who want to be part of a community. Instagram is popular with younger property owners who are looking to explore inspirational project photos and videos.

How to Create Social Media Content That Solves Your Trade Customers’ Challenges

Next, you need to create social media content that directly addresses your customers’ home improvement challenges and answers their trade-specific questions. Determine how many times per week you can post consistently, and adhere to that schedule (for example, two to three times per week). Some valuable trade business content examples include:

Before-and-after photos/videos of your completed trade projects
Home improvement tips and professional advice related to your trade
Customer reviews and testimonials from satisfied clients

Finally, don’t neglect the “social” component of social media marketing! When you receive comments and direct messages from potential customers, respond to them in a prompt and professional manner. You can even follow industry-related hashtags or join relevant local trade Facebook groups. These digital spaces are the perfect places to start conversations with potential customers who need your trade services.

Build Trust Through Customer Reviews and Prompt Professional Responses

Word of mouth referrals are still king in the trades industry, but it’s online customer reviews that drive modern business growth. When researching trade companies on Google or Facebook, potential clients look to your ratings and reviews as a signal of professional legitimacy and customer satisfaction.

From your trade business website and social media profiles to follow-up emails and digital invoices, encourage your satisfied customers to leave an online review across a variety of marketing touchpoints. You can even provide direct links to your review profiles to make it as easy as possible for them to share their positive experiences.

Once you start receiving customer reviews, be sure to respond to them promptly! Thank customers for their feedback and professionally address any concerns that come up. You’ll build trust with your client base, and you’ll send positive signals to Google that you value your customers—which will also drive your trade business higher in local search rankings.

How to Measure Success with Key Performance Indicators for Trade Marketing

Measuring your digital marketing performance is one of the biggest advantages of online promotion for trade businesses. But with the wealth of analytical data available, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Instead, focus your energy on two or three specific metrics that are directly tied to your trade business goals.

List out your digital marketing goals to get started

To get started with measurement, list out your specific digital marketing goals for your trade business. Make sure they’re specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely (SMART). This structured approach will allow you to direct your marketing activities and accurately track your success. Some examples for trade businesses include:

Boost brand awareness: Increase online ad impressions for your trade services by X% in X months
Build a social media community: Increase local customer engagements by X% in X months
Drive leads: Increase website contact form conversions by X% in X months

Measure these specific metrics on Google Analytics and your social media platform analytics. Review these performance indicators at least on a monthly basis so you can identify what marketing tactics are working and what elements you need to change to improve your lead generation results.

Take Your Trade Business to New Heights with Professional Marketing Help

Looking to set up your trade business for comprehensive digital marketing success? These strategic tips are a great starting point, but our marketing experts can create a dynamic, trade-specific strategy that takes your business to the next level of growth. Reach out to us for a free consultation today.