The short answer: for emergency trades like HVAC and plumbing, answering fast wins the job. For trades sold on trust and looks, like electrical, landscaping, fence and deck, and remodeling, real photos of your work and the right Google categories do the selling. Every trade should take 10 photos a job and ask every customer for a review.
Watch the video
Trade by trade, in about six minutes. Find yours below, then read the part every trade shares.
HVAC marketing: what should you fix first?
Speed. No heat calls don't wait until morning. In a Midwest winter, somebody's got an elderly parent or a little one in a house that's getting cold, and they're calling whoever picks up.
If you don't answer, your competitors will. So answer, or text back fast. The shop with the fastest response usually gets the job. After that, maintenance reminders are how you keep customers coming back year after year. More on HVAC on our HVAC marketing page.
Plumbing marketing: how do plumbers win the call?
On emergencies, the first plumber who answers usually gets the job. You know that's the truth. Are you set up to be first?
Then let your customers sell it for you. When a review mentions how fast you showed up and handled the problem, that review sells your next job. Ask every customer, and answer every review.
Electrician marketing: why is trust everything?
People are letting you into their walls and their breaker box. Trust is everything. Be proud, show your license, and show your work.
Post before and afters and photos of clean, organized work, the kind of panel or wiring job you'd want a customer to see. And pick the right categories on Google and everywhere else: residential, commercial, or both.
Landscaping marketing: when should you book the season?
Landscaping is seasonal, and everybody knows it. Book spring before spring. Do the hard work of filling your schedule while you're not out mowing.
Before and afters sell themselves. Take clean, crisp ones. And ask for reviews at the end of the season, or at the end of the first job when the customer is blown away by how their yard looks. Our landscaping page has more.
Excavating: say who you work for
Post clean photos of your equipment and the finished grade. Then say who you work for. Homeowners, builders, or both? Let it be known, on your Google profile and your website, so the right people call. The right Google category matters here too.
Fence and deck: follow up on every quote
Before and after photos sell your next jobs. When people ask about materials, composite, vinyl or wood, explain the differences well so they can make an informed decision.
And follow up on every quote. If you've got a quote sitting there with no follow up, another fence or deck company is following up on theirs, and that job is theirs. That's just a fact.
Painters and remodelers: show the process
Take your before and after photos from the same spot, so people can see the difference. Then show the process, not just the finish. A time lapse from start to finish gets watched, and it gets you jobs from people who saw what your crew can do.
What should every trade do? 10 photos a job, pin your best.
No matter your trade, take 10 photos on every job. Before, during, after, different angles of the finished work. Post them. If the customer's okay with it, tag them, because that gets their friends looking and referrals going. You already carry a camera in your pocket and it costs nothing extra.
Then take your best job, the one you're proudest of, and pin it to the top of your Facebook page. That confidence in your own work is what gets a stranger to trust you.
Starting today: what I'd set up first as a new roofer or HVAC shop
As a brand new roofer, I'd get my Google Business Profile verified and set up right: the correct categories, the cities or counties I actually serve, a number that reaches me, and a link to my website or Facebook page so people can see my work. I'd set up a Facebook page too. It costs nothing.
Then I'd get my first 10 reviews: 10 jobs, 10 photos each, 10 texts with my review link, sent at the end of every job. What I'd skip: paid leads, and a big expensive website right out of the gate. Set up what's free and what gets you found first. How to get more Google reviews has the texts.
As a new HVAC shop, same start: Google Business Profile and Facebook page, dialed in, with accurate hours and services, and a phone number with a real person on the other end of it. When somebody's heat is out and it's going below zero tonight, can they find you, and do you answer? Then send the before and after photo of the unit to the homeowner with your review link, every single time. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Free tools that go with this
Questions about marketing by trade
What is the most important marketing for an HVAC company?
Answering fast. A no heat call won't wait until morning, so answer or text back fast or a competitor will. After that, maintenance reminders keep customers coming back year after year.
How do plumbers get more customers?
On emergencies, the first plumber who answers usually gets the job. Be ready to answer, and when a customer's review mentions how fast you showed up, that review sells your next job.
How should an electrician market their business?
Trust is everything. Show your license, post photos of clean, organized work, and pick the right Google categories: residential, commercial, or both.
When should a landscaping company do its marketing?
Before spring. Landscaping is seasonal, so book spring before spring comes. Use before and after photos, and ask for reviews at the end of the season or after the first job.
What should a brand new contractor set up first?
A verified Google Business Profile with the right categories, service area, hours and a number someone answers, plus a Facebook page. Then get your first 10 reviews: 10 jobs, 10 photos each, 10 texts with your review link. Skip paid leads and a big expensive website at the start.
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