Social Media for Tradespeople: What Is Actually Worth Doing

You have been told you "need to be on social media". Then you post a few photos, get four likes from your mum and your mates, and wonder what the point was. Here is a realistic view of what it is good for and how to do it without it eating your evenings.

What social media does well

• Proof. A customer who has been given your name will often look you up. A page with recent photos of real jobs tells them you are active and good.
• Staying in mind. Past customers who follow you see your work now and then, and think of you when a friend asks for a recommendation.
• Local groups. People ask for trade recommendations in local Facebook groups every day. Being the name others tag is valuable.

What it does not do well

It rarely reaches people who are searching for a tradesperson right now. Those people are on Google. Social media supports your reputation. It does not replace being found in search.

Pick one platform

• Facebook suits most trades. It is where local groups, older homeowners and recommendations live.
• Instagram suits visual trades: landscapers, decorators, kitchen fitters, joiners, tilers.
• TikTok and YouTube can work if you enjoy making videos, but they take real time.

One platform kept up is far better than four abandoned ones. A page with its last post from two years ago looks worse than no page.

What to post

• Before and after photos. The single best thing you can post.
• Work in progress. People like seeing how it is done.
• A finished job with one line about it. "New consumer unit fitted in Sale today."
• Reviews. A screenshot of a good one, with thanks.
• You and the team. People hire people.
• Availability. "Space for two more jobs before Christmas" gets responses.

Mention the town in the post. It helps locals recognise you are nearby.

How often

Once or twice a week is plenty. Take the photo when you finish the job and post it from the van before you leave. Ten minutes a week, done consistently, beats a burst of daily posts followed by silence.

A few rules

• Ask before posting someone's home, and never show house numbers or anything that identifies the address.
• Keep it professional. No rants about customers, other trades or politics on the business page.
• Reply to messages. Enquiries arrive through social media too, and an ignored message is a lost job.
• Use real photos. Stock images and AI pictures of perfect kitchens fool nobody.

Use the photos twice

Every photo you post can also go on your website and your Google Business Profile, where it helps you get found in search. If you are already taking the pictures, get the full value from them. Here is how to take ones that do your work justice.

Is a Facebook page enough on its own?

For some, for a while. But it will not show you to people searching Google, and you do not control it. We go through that in do tradespeople still need a website.