How to Use Facebook for a Tradie Business

If you’re running a trade or service business, you’ve had some involvement with Facebook marketing. Social media is a part of our daily lives, and with most people having a Facebook account these days, it’s too valuable not to use to the fullest. But how do you use Facebook effectively for a tradie business?

Facebook is a powerful tool for trade businesses to grow a following, establish trust, and generate more leads online. Facebook ads are highly targetable, and active pages are more trustworthy, so it’s important to use both organic and paid strategies.

Using Facebook ads, strong call to actions and regular posting will enable you to get the most out of Facebook marketing. Compared to other advertising channels, like newspaper ads or radio advertising, social media is far more cost-effective for a small business.

Want to find out how to get the most from your social media marketing? Read on to find out how to use Facebook for your tradie business.

Should I Use Facebook For My Tradie Business?

As a tradie, you should absolutely be using Facebook to promote your business! As one of the largest social media platforms, Facebook has many in-built ways to grow your trade or service business.

Although you may hear people say that Facebook has fallen out of favour recently, especially with the younger generations, don’t discount it as a powerful marketing tool for tradies. Facebook has one of the largest active user bases, a dedicated advertising platform and a wealth of resources to help you generate more local leads.

Pros Of Facebook Marketing for Tradies

Facebook is a great way to connect with potential customers and generate leads for your tradie business. Some benefits of using Facebook for a tradie business include:

One Of The Biggest Accessible User Bases – As of 2022, Facebook has close to two million active daily users and this number is still increasing. This means you have access to the world’s largest social media audience, including most of your potential customer base.
High Engagement Levels – Facebook users are highly engaged with the platform. Because of the way Facebook serves posts and ads, users tend to stay more active and more engaged with the content they are seeing, which is great for your tradie business.
Setting Up A Business Profile Is Free – Setting up a business profile on Facebook is free, so you will be able to assess whether Facebook is a good fit for your tradie business. You don’t even need to pay for ads for Facebook to help your business grow.
Paid Ads Are Generally Very Effective – Facebook ads are one of the most effective and affordable ways to reach new potential customers. They are one of the most effective ways of getting your business in front of people who need your services.
Useful For Virtually Any Business – Because of Facebook’s broad reach across demographics, it can be a useful tool for virtually any tradie business. No matter what type of service you have, Facebook can help you reach new customers.
Control Over Ad Targeting – Facebook allows you to target your ads specifically, giving you the ability to target people who are likely to be interested in your services. This ensures that you are not wasting your money on ads that no one will see.
Facebook Builds Trust – Regardless of what you think of the platform, Facebook has a very strong trust factor. Facebook is such a common part of our society that any business without a Facebook presence is often seen as untrustworthy. Interacting on Facebook also helps increase customer loyalty and get more repeat clients.

Cons Of Facebook Marketing for Tradies

Although Facebook has many benefits for tradie businesses, there are a few potential drawbacks to Facebook marketing:

Requires Time To Manage – From your Facebook page to Facebook ads, everything will require time to monitor and manage. Like all social media platforms, the algorithm will reward and promote businesses that are active and posting regularly. This can be hard to budget for, especially for smaller businesses.
Tradie Pages are Less Engaging – Tradie pages, on average, have less engagement than other types of Facebook pages. Facebook rewards content that is engaging and entertaining, which can be difficult to achieve with some businesses. You need a good understanding of what’s popular on social media to get and keep attention.
The Best Advertising Isn’t Free – Although simply being on Facebook is a great way to start building your tradie business’s presence online, paid Facebook advertising is the most effective way to reach new customers and grow your business. If you want to get the most out of the time you spend on Facebook, invest some money into Facebook ads.
Building A Following Can Take Time – Even pages meant to be engaging find it hard to build a following at first. When you first start your tradie business Facebook page, it’s difficult to get people to like and follow your page. You can’t expect to have an instant following, and you will need to be patient as you grow your page.

Having a Facebook presence is still worthwhile for every business, even to build trust with potential customers. Here’s how to get your business set up on Facebook.

How To Set Up a Facebook Business Page

To set up a Facebook business page for your trade business, follow these simple steps:

Press the ‘menu’ button in the top right-hand corner of your Facebook account
Press the ‘page’ button on the right-hand side
Enter the name of your business, choose the appropriate category, and add a detailed description of your company
Press ‘create page’, to make your new Facebook business page live
Go through and optimise your tradie Facebook page by adding photos, information and calls to action.

How To Optimise Your Facebook Business Page

A Facebook business account isn’t well-optimised right out of the box. You will need to make some changes to make it as effective as possible. With just a couple of small tweaks, your business will go from an unknown to a well-known business on Facebook in no time.

Here’s how to set up your Facebook business page effectively:

Add Photos – People are visual, and they will respond better to pages that have photos. Not only do photos make your business appear more legitimate and trustworthy, with logos and branding, but it’s a great way to show off your work.
Add Contact & Business Information – The more information that is on your business page, the better. People want to know when you’re open, how to contact you, and what services you offer. Include your website, phone number, and email address. A business that is reachable and provides valuable information will be more likely to succeed.
Set Up A Call To Action Button – The call to action button is one of the most important features on your Facebook business page. It might seem simple, but a unique or custom call to action button can make all the difference.
Link To Your Website And Other Social Media Platforms – Including links to your website, Twitter, Instagram, or other social media platforms is a great way to keep your audience connected. Not only is it going to increase the legitimacy of your page, but it will also help you build relationships with your followers.
Install An Automated Message Response – Automated message responses are a great way to take the load off of you and your employees. Your customers will feel heard, and you will be able to provide them with the information they need without having to be available 24/7.

Once your page is set up and looking good, you can get started growing your business page’s following.

How Can I Promote My Trade Business on Facebook?

Facebook has made it easier than ever for businesses to advertise on social media, in a way that is both cost effective and efficient. With an affordable investment of time or money, your business can reach a wide audience through the app.

Here are some of the best Facebook marketing strategies for tradies:

Create New Engaging Content

Creating engaging content is the key to promoting your trade business on Facebook. You want to post content that is interesting, informative, and shareable.

If you can get people to engage with your content, they will be more likely to remember your business and return to you when they need your services.

Even as a tradie business, you can still create engaging content by being creative with your posts. Showing before and after photos of your work, or pictures of strange or unusual aspects of the job, helps to give your followers a behind the scenes look at what you do, which can make your business appear more relatable and trustworthy.

As a platform, Facebook wants to keep people engaged and on the app for as long as possible, so it’s in their best interest to show people content they will find interesting. If your content is good, not only will people keep coming back, but Facebook will organically promote it too.

Remember to strike a balance. You can’t spend your entire time posting specials and promotions and other sales posts, you need to mix it up with fun and engaging posts so your audience doesn’t get turned off of your page, and by extension your business.

Get Reviews From Existing Clients

Getting reviews from your existing clients is a great way to promote your business on Facebook. When people see that you have happy customers, they are more likely to want to use your services.

That’s why getting more online reviews is one of the top tips to grow your trade or service business.

When looking for a tradie, reviews are the first thing that people are going to look for. By having positive reviews from your existing clients, you are going to show people that you are reputable and can be trusted. This is especially important for tradies like plumbers and tilers, who often work in people’s homes.

Budget Time for Social Media

Setting aside a bit of time every day to update your Facebook page, think of new ideas and share photos is a great use of your time, and helps prevent the platform from feeling overwhelming.

Although consistent posting is necessary, you don’t need to be active everyday. Allocating an hour a week to create and schedule content to go live every day can help reduce the stress of continuing to post on the platform. You can sit back as your posts go live when you want them to, and all you have to do is respond to messages as you get them.

Part of the time you allocate to social media can be researching social media trends. Looking at what other tradies around the country and even around the world are doing can help you get ideas for what to post and how to further engage with your potential client base.

Invite People to Like Your Page

This one may seem obvious, but it’s important to invite people to like your page. More likes will only add to the legitimacy of your business. Not only will people trust you more, but Facebook may also promote your content more.

You can invite large amounts of people to like your page at once, making it a quick and easy process. Friends and family members looking to support your business can also invite their friends to like the page, which will help future likes come in more organically.

Run Promotions on Your Facebook Page

Another great way to promote your tradie business on Facebook is to run promotions. Facebook users, like all people, love a good deal; so if you’re running a promotion, be sure to promote it on your page.

Some business owners have reservations about running promotions and giveaways, especially when your business is smaller and still finding its feet. But running a promotion can actually help to bring in new customers and increase brand awareness.

Although you are giving away your services for free, or at a significantly reduced rate, not only are you investing in what could be a long-time customer, but you are also advertising your business to a wider audience. People who enter the promotion will remember and recognise your business.

In addition, when the promotion winner calls you to claim their prize, they are likely to recommend your excellent work to people they know. One free service can lead to brand new circles of satisfied customers.

Engage & Collaborate with Other Businesses

When it comes to marketing your tradie business, collaborating with other businesses is a great way to get ahead. By working with businesses in complementary industries, you can help to increase your reach and tap into new markets.

For example, if you’re a plumber, you could team up with an electrician to offer a complete home safety inspection. Alternatively, you could offer referral programs, giving customers discounts if they have come from a partnered business.

Being able to reach new people through an already established business is a great way to legitimise your own business and attract new, diverse customers.

Take Advantage of Facebook Groups

These days, every suburb, town and local community has a dedicated Facebook group. These groups are used to buy and sell things locally, ask questions and promote local events.

By joining these groups, you can become a part of the local community and promote your business to a wider audience organically. It’s a great way to advertise your business locally for free.

When people are posting looking for recommendations for local tradies, you can comment a bit about your business. Tagging previous clients as a reference will make your business look like an even better local option. Most people prefer to support small businesses if they do quality work.

Simply being active in these groups is a good way of building a reputation with your local client base. Answering questions, tagging friends and leaving comments as your business Facebook page all significantly help get your name out there, and into people’s minds.

Consider Using Facebook Ads

Facebook ads are one of the most effective ways to get your business in front of your target audience. You can target your ads to people based on their location, age, and even demographics.

Plus, with Facebook’s targeting capabilities, your ads will be effective by only showing them to people who are likely to need your services. If you collect customer data from your client base, you can use this information to target your ads to similar groups.

For a smaller business, it’s difficult to allocate the necessary budget for TV or radio advertising, so social media marketing is a great way to kick-start your business. Facebook ads are generally cheaper and more cost-effective, so you’ll be getting more out of each dollar you put in.

Posting on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is one of the most popular features on the platform, and for good reason. In fact, some people use Facebook exclusively for the marketplace. With so many eyes on it, Facebook marketplace is an excellent way to get your business in front of potential customers.

There are several ways to market your business on Facebook Marketplace, so it’s important to choose the strategy that works best for you. You can create content to be posted and listed as a marketplace listing that people can find when they are searching for a tradie or scrolling through local posts.

You can also pay for ads that target Facebook Marketplace, so no matter what category they are in, potential clients are seeing ads for your business.

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