Every marketing guide tells you to be on social media. Post consistently. Build your brand. Engage with your audience. And if you’re a plumber who’s just done a ten-hour day under someone’s kitchen sink, the last thing you want to do is fire up Instagram and think of something clever to say.
So let’s be honest. Social media can work brilliantly for trades businesses. It can also be a complete waste of time. The difference comes down to which platform, what you post, and whether your customers are actually there.
Facebook still works. Really.
Facebook feels old. Your kids think it’s ancient. Marketing people on X will tell you it’s dead.
It isn’t. Not for trades.
Facebook is where homeowners over 30 hang out, and homeowners over 30 are the people hiring plumbers, electricians, kitchen fitters, landscapers, and builders. More specifically, local Facebook groups are where they ask for recommendations. “Can anyone recommend a good electrician in Ashton?” gets posted in community groups every single day, in every town across the country.
What works on Facebook for trades:
Join local community groups. Not to spam them — that’ll get you booted. Be present. Answer questions related to your trade. When people need your service, they’ll remember the person who helped.
Post your finished work. Before and after shots are absolute gold. A knackered bathroom turned beautiful. A garden from jungle to showpiece. An electrical panel that was a death trap, now neat and wired properly. These posts get shared and put your work in front of people who might need you.
Ask for reviews. Facebook reviews are visible and trusted. After a job, send a quick message: “Glad you’re happy with the work. If you’ve got a minute, a review on our page would really help.” Most people will if you ask.
Try Marketplace. Kitchen and bathroom fitters, landscapers, and joiners in particular do well listing services there. Free and local.
Instagram for visual trades
If your finished work looks impressive, Instagram is worth the effort. Kitchens, bathrooms, landscaping, decorating, tiling, bespoke joinery, driveways — anything where the result looks noticeably different from the starting point.
A grid of completed projects acts like a portfolio people stumble across organically.
Good photos matter — but you don’t need professional kit. Take two minutes to tidy up, find a decent angle, use natural light. A well-lit bathroom photo from the doorway beats a dark, blurry close-up.
Use location tags. Tag the area where the work was done. Free local visibility.
Before and afters perform best. The transformation is the story. A carousel showing before, during, and after consistently outperforms everything else.
Reels get more reach. Even 15 to 30 seconds — a time-lapse, a satisfying finishing shot, a walkthrough of completed work. Hold your phone steady and keep it short.
If your work doesn’t photograph well — gas engineering, pest control — Instagram probably isn’t your platform. That’s fine.
LinkedIn for commercial work
Skip this if you’re domestic only. But if you maintain office buildings, fit out shops, do contract work for construction firms, or handle facilities management, LinkedIn is where the decision-makers are.
You don’t need inspirational quotes or thought leadership. Just keep your page updated, post commercial projects with brief descriptions, connect with people you’ve worked with, and comment on posts from potential clients. It works slowly — don’t expect enquiries next week — but over six to twelve months it builds a network of contacts who know what you do.
TikTok: genuinely works for some
Trades content on TikTok is massive. Satisfying plastering, before-and-after transformations, “day in the life” clips — these regularly get hundreds of thousands of views.
The platform favours authenticity over production quality. A shaky phone video of you explaining why someone’s boiler is making that noise will outperform a polished corporate clip.
The catch: TikTok’s audience skews younger. If your typical customer is a homeowner aged 40 to 60, they might not be there (though more join every month). It’s also more time-consuming than posting photos. If you enjoy it and you’ve got the personality for it, brilliant. If it feels like pulling teeth, don’t force it.
The “just post your work” strategy
If the platform-specific advice feels overwhelming, here’s the simplest possible approach:
Every time you finish a job you’re proud of, take a photo. Post it with a short caption — what the job was, roughly where, how long it took. A few relevant hashtags. Done.
Three to five posts a week. Two minutes each. No content calendar, no engagement strategy. Just your work, posted consistently.
This builds evidence that you do good work, you’re busy (which signals quality — nobody wants to hire a quiet tradesperson), and you work in their area. When someone asks their mate “know a good electrician?” and your name comes up, a quick look at your Facebook confirms you’re the real deal. Social media for trades isn’t really about attracting strangers — it’s about reassuring people who’ve already heard your name.
Don’t try to be on everything
This is the most important advice in this post. Pick one or two platforms and do them properly. Trying to maintain Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Pinterest will burn you out in a month.
For most domestic trades: Facebook and Instagram. For commercial: add LinkedIn. If you enjoy video: maybe TikTok.
Everything else is optional.
When social media isn’t enough
Social media is a tool, not a strategy. It works best alongside a decent website, good Google visibility, and a reputation that generates word of mouth. If your digital marketing foundations aren’t in place, social media alone won’t compensate.
If you want the whole lot sorted — website, Google, social, the works — have a look at what we do for trades businesses specifically. We work with plumbers, electricians, builders, and every other trade going, and we understand your time is better spent on the tools than on TikTok.
The bottom line
Social media works for trades if you pick the right platform and keep it simple. Post your work. Be present in local groups. Don’t try to be everywhere. And remember — the best marketing a tradesperson can do is still a brilliant job that makes someone tell their neighbour. Social media just helps more people see it.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the best social media platform for tradespeople?
Facebook, because of local community groups and the demographic of typical homeowners. Instagram is a strong second if your work photographs well. If you do commercial work, add LinkedIn. Pick one or two and be consistent rather than spreading yourself thin.
How often should a trades business post on social media?
Three to five times a week is ideal, but two or three is enough. Consistency matters more than volume. Posting daily for a fortnight then vanishing for two months is worse than twice a week, every week.
Is TikTok worth it for tradespeople?
It can be if you enjoy short video and your customers skew younger. Trades content does extremely well on TikTok. But it takes more effort than posting photos, so only commit if you genuinely enjoy the format.
Should I use my personal profile or a business page?
Both. Your business page is where reviews live and people check you out. Your personal profile is often more effective in local groups because people trust people more than brand pages.