Tradie marketing that brings booked jobs, not just leads

The marketing that works for a trade business isn't ads, it's making it easy for someone who's already looking for you to actually book. Most of what brings in booked jobs, not just enquiries, is free: a Google profile that's finished, a way to book without a phone call, and reviews that keep coming in. Paid ads only pay off once those are in place.

Start with what's already free

Before spending a dollar on ads, most trade businesses have unfinished free work sitting there:

• A Google Business Profile that isn't fully set up. Missing hours, no photos, no services listed. That's the first thing a customer checks. See Google Business Profile for tradies.
• No way to book without calling. If the only option is "call us", customers who don't want to talk on the phone, or who are looking after hours, go to the next listing.
• Reviews that trickle in by accident. Most happy customers will leave a review if asked; almost none do if they aren't. See How to get more Google reviews.

Fix these three and you're converting more of the customers already searching for you, before spending anything on getting more of them to search.

Leads vs booked jobs

A lead is someone who's shown interest. A booked job is money in the calendar. The gap between them is where most marketing spend gets wasted: paying for clicks or calls that never turn into a job because booking is a phone call away, or a form that says "we'll be in touch".

The businesses that convert best make booking the easiest option, not calling. A customer who can pick a service and a time in 30 seconds books. A customer who has to call, explain the job, then wait for a call back often doesn't.

Where to spend time, in order

1. Finish your Google Business Profile. It's free, and it's where most local searches happen. See the setup guide.
2. Make booking possible from it. A booking link or Google's own Book online button means a customer can book from the search result itself. See How to add a booking link.
3. Put a booking option on your website. If you don't have a site, a simple one with a booking button beats a beautiful one with only a phone number.
4. Ask every customer for a review. Steady, not in bursts. See How to get more Google reviews.
5. Answer, or get back to people fast. A missed call that gets a text back in a minute keeps the job; one that goes to voicemail often doesn't. See Missed call text back.
6. Then consider paid options. Google Ads for search terms customers actually use, or a comparison of quote platforms like hipages, once the free groundwork above is done. See Is hipages worth it for tradies?

What to skip, for most trade businesses

• A big rebrand. Customers care whether you turn up and do the job well. A clean, simple profile beats an expensive logo.
• Social media as a lead source, unless you already enjoy posting. It's better for showing finished work to people who already know you than for finding new customers.
• Paying for a directory listing before Google is sorted. Google is free and most customers start there.

The habit that compounds

None of this is a campaign you run once. It's a handful of things done every job: ask for the review, make sure the booking link is on the profile, answer the phone or make sure something answers it for you. Six months of that beats a month of ads.

TapBook puts a booking page behind your Google profile and your website, and asks every customer for a review once the job's done. See how it works.