Marketing & Social Media For Your Trade Business
How to Market Your Trade Business
The complete marketing system for UK tradespeople: 36 practical chapters in one book, plus a free downloadable toolkit
You’re good at your trade. But being good at your trade has never been enough to fill a diary, and word of mouth on its own puts a ceiling on how far your business can grow. The tradespeople winning the best work in your area aren’t necessarily better than you. They’re easier to find, easier to trust and easier to choose.
How to Market Your Trade Business shows you how to become that business. It covers every major marketing channel open to a UK trade business, written for electricians, plumbers, heating engineers, builders, decorators, landscapers, roofers, window cleaners and every other trade. There’s no marketing jargon and no theory for its own sake. Each chapter tells you what to do, in what order, what it costs and what results to expect.
You don’t need to do everything in the book. The businesses that get the best results pick five to eight channels, do them properly and build from there.
What's inside
Part 1 – Before You Spend a Penny on Marketing (Chapters 1–3).
Why most tradespeople never grow, how to identify your ideal customer, and how to build a brand that looks as professional as your work.
Part 2 – Your Online Presence (Chapters 4–11).
A website that wins work, SEO in plain English, the full Google Business Profile playbook, and how to use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn as a trade business.
Part 3 – Paid Advertising (Chapters 12–15).
Google Local Services Ads, Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads, and Bing Ads: how each works, what it costs and how to avoid wasting your budget.
Part 4 – Review Marketing (Chapter 16).
A system for getting a steady flow of five-star reviews.
Part 5 – Lead Generation Platforms
(Chapters 17–20).
An honest look at Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark, Rated People and the specialist platforms, with real costs, a framework for deciding whether to join or leave, and how to avoid becoming dependent on them.
Part 6 – Directories and Citations (Chapter 21).
The free listings that lift your local search rankings, and which ones to ignore.
Part 7 – Local Marketing (Chapters 22–26).
Leaflets that still work (printed for under £50 per thousand), van signwriting, branded workwear, local networking and sponsorship.
Part 8 – Referral Marketing (Chapters 27–28).
How to turn word of mouth into a system, and how to build partnerships with other trades that send you work all year.
Part 9 – Email Marketing (Chapters 29–30).
Building your own customer email list, and the campaigns that turn one-off customers into repeat customers.
Part 10 – Content Marketing (Chapters 31–32).
Content that builds trust, and how to use AI to write posts, emails, leaflets and adverts in minutes.
Part 11 – Measuring Results (Chapters 33–34).
Tracking every enquiry back to its source, and building an annual marketing plan that keeps you busy through every season.
Part 12 – Growing Beyond One Person
(Chapters 35–36).
Marketing when you employ staff, and building a business that markets itself.
- A real trade business example showing the method in action
- Step-by-step instructions you can follow the same day
- Recommended tools with current UK costs, including the free options
- An action checklist so you know exactly when each job is done
- References to the matching AI prompts and templates in your free toolkit
The book also includes a plain-English glossary of marketing terms and a quick-reference directory of every recommended tool.
Your free Marketing Toolkit
Every reader gets the free Marketing Toolkit, downloaded from www.tradeskillshubacademy.com/marketing-tools. The book points you to the right tool at the right moment, so you’re never starting from a blank page.
1. AI Prompt Library.
Every ready-to-use AI prompt from all 36 chapters, ready to copy into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini to write your website text, posts, emails, leaflets and adverts.
2. Enquiry and Marketing Performance Tracker (Excel).
Records where every enquiry came from, what you quoted and what you won, so you can see which marketing pays.
3. Google Review Tracker (Excel).
Tracks your review count month by month against your target.
4. Lead Platform Bid Tracker (Excel).
Logs every bid on Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark and Rated People, with costs and win rates, so you know whether each platform is worth the money.
5. Referral and Partner Tracker (Excel).
Records who referred whom and manages your partnerships with other trades.
6. Email Template Pack.
Ready-written emails for review requests, follow-ups, service reminders and seasonal campaigns.
7. Social Media Content Calendar.
A ready-made posting plan so you always know what to post and when.
8. Brand and Design Pack.
Templates for your brand guide, leaflets, business cards and referral cards.
9. Annual Marketing Plan and Activity Calendar.
Your year of marketing planned month by month, with the weekly and monthly tasks that keep it running.
The toolkit is free. Fill in the sign-up form once and you get access to every free tool on the site.
Who this book is for
Sole traders, self-employed tradespeople, new trade businesses, established contractors who want more and better work, and small building and multi-trade companies across the UK. Whether you’re just starting out, stuck at the same turnover or tired of paying lead platforms more every year, this book is for you. You don’t need any marketing knowledge. If you can use a smartphone, you can do everything in it.
Get your copy
Get How to Market Your Trade Business today and download your free toolkit. Build a business where the diary is full, customers arrive ready to book, and the marketing largely runs itself.
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