Marketing for contractors comes down to two questions: how does a homeowner find me, and what convinces them I'm not going to mess up their house? Everything that follows is a tactic for one of those two. The right mix changes with trade and market, but the categories are stable.
A claimed and complete Google Business Profile (GBP) shows up in the local map pack — the top three results when someone searches '[trade] near me' on Google or Maps. It's free, takes an hour to set up, and outperforms almost every other organic channel for residential trades.
Make it count: real photos of finished work, service areas defined, opening hours accurate, services listed individually, and as many reviews as you can ethically collect.
After every completed job, send a one-tap review link. Most contractors who 'don't have many reviews' have plenty of happy customers — they just never ask. Software (including FieldKrew) can automate the ask 1-2 days after job completion, which is the moment customers are most likely to actually write something.
Reply to every review, especially the bad ones. A measured, professional reply to a negative review repairs almost all the damage and shows future customers how you handle problems.
These work but they're expensive — many contractors pay $30-100 per lead with sub-30% close rates. They're worth using to fill gaps in your schedule but rarely a profitable long-term primary channel. Watch your cost-per-acquired-customer carefully; the platforms exist to capture margin, not give it to you.
The cheapest, highest-converting channel is a referral from a happy customer. Make it easy to send referrals: a 'refer a friend, get $X' system or just a one-line text after every job. The first 5 years of most contracting businesses are referral-driven.
A simple website ranking for '[trade] [your city]' is a steady, compounding lead source — but it takes months to build. Start with location-specific service pages, customer reviews on each one, and a few how-to blog posts that answer the questions homeowners ask before hiring.
Most contractors over-invest in social. The honest answer: posting before/after photos consistently builds awareness with people who already know you. It rarely originates new customers cold. Spend 30 minutes a week, not 5 hours.
For residential trades, a claimed Google Business Profile with steady reviews wins by a wide margin. It's free, local-intent traffic that converts at much higher rates than paid lead-gen.
Worth using to fill gaps in your schedule, not as a primary channel. Watch your cost-per-acquired-customer carefully — the close rates often don't justify the lead cost long-term.