Marketing for tradies in Australia: what works and what the rules say

Ask most tradies where their work comes from and you'll hear the same answer: word of mouth. Happy customers tell their neighbours, builders call the subbies they trust, and property managers keep using the people who turn up on time. Marketing for a trade business isn't about replacing that. It's about making sure the people who hear your name can find you, check you out and contact you easily.

This guide covers the marketing that tends to suit small trade businesses, roughly in the order to tackle it, along with the advertising rules that apply in Australia. We've kept to things you can do yourself, and we haven't made up any "results". Where we quote figures, they come from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Start with the work you already have

Your best marketing asset is the customers you've already done good work for. Before spending a cent on ads:

• Finish every job properly. Clean up, explain what you did, and leave the customer clear on any warranty or maintenance.
• Keep their details. A customer list with job history lets you follow up for servicing, seasonal work or the next stage of a renovation.
• Ask for referrals. A simple "If you know anyone who needs a hand, I'd appreciate the call" at the end of a job is fine.
• Look after your trade network. Builders, other trades, real estate agents and strata or property managers can send you steady work if you're reliable and easy to deal with.

Ask every new customer how they heard about you, and write it down. After a few months you'll know which channels actually bring in work.

How trade businesses show up online

Even with a referral, most customers will look you up before they call. The ABS's annual business survey asks businesses how they're present online, and the latest figures show construction businesses are less likely to be online than businesses overall.

In 2024–25, 58.0% of construction businesses had some kind of online presence, compared with 71.0% across all industries. Only 39.8% had their own website or app, and 40.9% had a social media presence. That's partly because so many trade businesses are very small. The point for you is simple: a tidy online presence still sets you apart in a lot of local markets.

Set up your Google Business Profile

For most local trades, a Google Business Profile is the single most useful free listing. It's what shows up in Google Maps and in the local results when someone searches for "plumber near me". Google lets you add or claim your Business Profile at no charge, once you've verified you're the business. Fill it in properly:

• Your business name exactly as you trade, and your phone number.
• The suburbs and areas you service.
• Your trade category and the specific services you offer.
• Your hours, including whether you take after-hours or emergency work.
• Recent photos of your own work, your vehicle and your team. Don't use stock photos.

Keep it up to date when your number, hours or areas change.

Get more reviews, the right way

Reviews are often the deciding factor between two tradies a customer has never met. The best way to get them is to ask every customer, every time, and make it easy with a direct link. There are rules, though. The ACCC says fake reviews, undisclosed reviews from staff or family, and hiding genuine negative reviews can all mislead consumers. Google prohibits offering incentives for reviews and selectively asking only happy customers.

We cover how to ask, how to reply to a bad review, and what's not allowed in how to get Google reviews as a tradie.

Have a simple website

A website doesn't need to be big or expensive. It needs to answer the questions a customer has before they call: what you do, where you work, whether you're licensed, what your work looks like, and how to get a quote. It needs to work well on a phone, because that's where most people will see it. Our guide to tradie websites has a checklist of what to include.

If you'd rather not build a full site yet, a free listing on Tradie Guide, the tradie directory that sits alongside Tradie Business, gives customers somewhere to find your details.

Use your vehicle, uniforms and site signs

Your ute or van is a billboard that's parked outside every job. Clear signage with your business name, trade, phone number and website gets seen by neighbours, the exact people who might need you next. The same goes for uniforms and a site sign on longer jobs, where the builder and council rules allow.

Check the licence rules before you print anything. In NSW, building trade advertising must include the licensee's name and licence number for the right category of work, under the Home Building Act. That applies to print, internet, TV, radio and other advertising. In Queensland, the QBCC says advertising by licensees must include the licensed name and QBCC licence number, and it lists vehicle signage as advertising. Other states have their own rules, so check with your regulator.

Social media without the time sink

Social media suits trades whose work photographs well: landscaping, carpentry, tiling, painting, bathrooms and kitchens. You don't need to post every day. A steady stream of before-and-after photos with a short caption saying what the job was and where (the suburb, not the customer's address) shows your work to people in your area.

Two tips:

• Ask before you post. Get the customer's permission before posting photos of their home, and leave out anything that identifies them, such as house numbers, faces and cars.
• Pick one platform. Choose the one your customers actually use and do it well, rather than spreading yourself thin.

Email and SMS marketing: follow the Spam Act

Sending reminders and offers to past customers can work well. A service reminder, a seasonal check or a note that you've got gaps next month are all examples. These messages are commercial electronic messages under the Spam Act, and the ACMA's rules on avoiding spam are clear. You need:

1. Consent. Express consent, such as a tick box on your quote form or a customer saying yes in person, is best practice. Keep a record of who gave it, when and how. You can't send a message asking for consent, because that's a marketing message itself.
2. Identification. Every message must accurately name your business and include your contact details.
3. An easy unsubscribe. Honour unsubscribe requests within 5 working days, at no cost to the customer.

The ACMA also points out that inferred consent "does not cover sending messages after someone has just bought something from your business". So a one-off customer isn't automatically on your marketing list.

If you send texts using your business name as the sender, the ACMA's SMS Sender ID Register now requires businesses to register their branded sender IDs. Your messaging provider can explain what you need to do.

Keep your advertising honest

Australian Consumer Law applies to every ad, post, website and quote. Don't claim things you can't back up, such as "cheapest in Sydney", "fully licensed" when you hold only part of the licence, or "guaranteed" work without saying what the guarantee covers. If you advertise a price to consumers, the ACCC's price display rules say it must be the total price, including GST and any unavoidable fees. In NSW, the building trade advertising page also warns against stating only part of a price unless the full single price is shown too.

Make it easy to turn interest into work

Marketing is wasted if enquiries slip through the cracks. The faster you reply, quote and follow up, the more of those enquiries become jobs. Tradie Business includes an enquiry inbox that collects leads from your own enquiry page, your website and your Tradie Guide listing. There's also an online booking calendar customers can use from your site, and quoting software so the quote goes out while they're still keen.

See all the features, check the pricing, or see how it works for landscapers, painters and other trades.

A simple marketing plan for the next 90 days

1. Set up and complete your Google Business Profile.
2. Start asking every customer for a review, with a direct link.
3. Get a basic website or directory listing live, with your licence number, ABN, service areas and photos.
4. Sign your vehicle, with your licence number where your state requires it.
5. Start keeping customer details, with marketing consent where they agree to it.
6. Ask every new enquiry how they found you, and review the answers at the end of the quarter.

If you're still getting set up, read our trade business setup checklist first.