Quick takeaway: Compare advertising by qualified enquiries and contribution profit per job—not by clicks, follower counts or the number of leads a provider advertises.
Start with the numbers that matter
Before choosing a channel, write down the service you are promoting, the approximate contribution profit after direct job costs, your capacity and the number of jobs required to cover marketing. A campaign that produces many enquiries can still fail if most are outside your service area or below your minimum job size.
Track the journey: marketing spend → enquiries → qualified leads → quotes → jobs won → contribution profit. Cost per lead is useful, but it is not the final score.
Google Search ads: relevant demand, immediate spend
Search adverts can place your offer in front of people actively looking for a service. They are flexible and can work for urgent work or a well-defined project type. However, you pay for traffic, not completed jobs, and unfiltered keywords or broad geography can use a budget quickly.
If you test ads, create a clear landing page, use realistic service targeting and measure calls and completed forms. Pause anything that consistently attracts irrelevant enquiries; do not assume more clicks equals more customers.
Google Maps and your own website: slower, more durable discovery
A well-maintained Google Business Profile and useful service pages can make you easier to find when local customers search. This often takes time and consistent work, and there is no guarantee of appearing first. The benefit is that your own website can capture direct enquiries without paying a marketplace for each introduction.
Start with complete, accurate business information and real reviews. If the business is missing from Google Maps, solve that before spending heavily to promote the same contact details elsewhere.
There is no universal best channel
Choose by customer intent, not popularity
| Channel | Potential strength | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Referrals and repeat customers | Warm introductions and established trust | Too unpredictable if it is your only source |
| Google Business Profile and website | Customers actively looking for local services | Improvement often takes time; visibility is not guaranteed |
| Paid search advertising | Can reach people searching now | Click costs, irrelevant searches and enquiries you cannot service |
| Trade lead platforms | A quick way to test additional enquiry sources | Fees, shared leads, competition and contract terms |
| Social channels | Strong photographs and project showcases | Likes do not necessarily become suitable local jobs |
A low-risk test: choose one service, one geographic area and one channel. Record spend, calls, genuine quotes and jobs won. Compare it with your other channels before increasing the budget. If you are already at full capacity, aim for better-quality jobs rather than more leads.
Trade directories and lead platforms: evaluate the terms
Some directories offer listings, memberships or paid enquiries. Check current pricing, cancellation arrangements, whether leads are shared and what happens if a lead is irrelevant. Read your actual agreement rather than relying on old screenshots or third-party price estimates.
If a platform produces work, keep using it while measuring returns. If you are dissatisfied, consider a mixed acquisition approach rather than suddenly cancelling your only source of enquiries. Our trade platform alternatives guide explains the options.
Referrals: low media spend but easy to neglect
When customers are happy, asking them to recommend you can be effective. Make it easy by providing a shareable website link, a clear business name and up-to-date contact details. Build professional relationships with complementary trades, property managers and suppliers where mutually useful.
Referrals are valuable, but a business dependent entirely on word of mouth may experience quiet periods. Pair them with a channel that reaches customers who have not heard of you.
Local social advertising: show work, don't just sell
Social media is often better at showing examples of kitchens, bathrooms or bespoke joinery than capturing someone with an immediate emergency. Real before-and-after photos (with permission), project explanations and audience targeting can make it useful for planned work. Avoid assuming that likes or followers will become bookings.
For a kitchen fitter, explain the installation stages and show details. For an emergency plumber, an attractive social post may be less useful than visibility when someone searches for help right now.
What should each trade consider first?
- Plumbers: local search and referrals for core services; test urgent-job adverts only if someone can respond.
- Electricians: clear service pages, property contacts and review-led local presence for qualified work.
- Kitchen and bathroom fitters: proof-rich portfolio pages, reviews and channels suited to planned renovations.
- Carpenters and joiners: galleries of finished bespoke work, trade partnerships and specific product/service pages.
These are starting points, not hard rules. Your actual enquiry data should decide where money goes.
A simple comparison test
Choose one service and trial one paid channel alongside a no-cost improvement to your website or profile. Track spend, unique enquiries, qualification, quotes and won jobs for a meaningful period. Compare contribution profit, not just sales revenue. If lead quality is poor, tighten targeting before increasing spend.
With any monthly service—including SEO—judge progress against the work done and the trend in relevant enquiries rather than promises of guaranteed customers.