Boost Your Business: Your Guide to Digital Marketing for Tradies

As a tradie, your days are full. Between dealing with clients, managing your team, the admin and doing the actual work, adding marketing to your plate might be daunting.

We get it.

Yet, if you’re reading this, you know that digital marketing has become an essential tool for tradies looking to expand their customer base and enhance their online presence. 

Now, the good news is that you don’t have to experiment with every marketing strategy under the sun to find your ideal clients. 

Among all the digital strategies available, construction video marketing is the most effective way to engage audiences. 

That’s right. 

Video marketing allows you to showcase expertise and build trust quickly. 

In this guide to digital marketing for tradies, we’ll explore actionable tips on using video marketing to grow your business. 

Why Digital Marketing for Tradies Is Important

Before diving into tips, it’s important to understand why video marketing can make such a difference to your business:

• Engagement: Videos capture attention more effectively than text or images. Besides, studies show they’re more memorable. This makes them ideal for standing out on crowded social platforms.

• Trust and Credibility: Showing your face, work, and process through video builds trust with potential clients.

• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Platforms like YouTube are search engines in their own right. Video content on these platforms can help clients find you by boosting your website’s SEO.

• Mobile-Friendly: Videos are easy to consume on smartphones, which is how most people search for services, businesses and stores these days.

• Showcasing your skills: Videos allow you to visually showcase your skills, tools, and completed projects. This enables you to offer a level of transparency that static images simply can’t.

Types of Video Tradies Should Create

1. How-To Tutorials: Create videos that address common problems your clients face. For example:

• “How to Unclog a Sink” 
• “5 Tips for Maintaining Your Deck” 

These videos position you as an expert in your field and build trust with viewers.

2. Before-and-After Showcases: Highlight the transformation your work brings. A simple video showing a messy backyard turning into a landscaped paradise or a broken HVAC system being fixed can resonate deeply with potential clients. 
   
   

3. Behind-the-scenes: Take viewers behind the scenes of your workday. Show them your tools, how you prepare for a job, or a glimpse into your team’s dynamic. This humanises your brand and creates a connection with your audience. Here’s an example of a high-quality video we filmed for Monarch Building Group.
   
   

4. Customer Testimonials: Businesses often overlook this step, yet it’s really important. Ask satisfied clients to share their experiences on camera. Testimonials lend credibility and can be incredibly persuasive.
   
   

5. Explainer Videos: Educate your audience about your services. For instance, explain the benefits of using eco-friendly materials in construction.

Where to Share Your Videos

1. YouTube

As the second-largest search engine, YouTube is a must for video marketing. Optimise your video titles, descriptions, and tags with keywords to increase your visibility.

2. Social Media

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are perfect for engaging your audience. Short, snappy videos perform really well here. As mentioned before, show your day-to-day work, how you deal with clients, challenges and showcase results. This will humanise your brand and allow people to connect with you.

3. Your Website

Embedding videos on your homepage, service pages, or blog posts is a great practice because it boosts engagement and time spent on your site. And the more time people spend on your website, the higher you’ll rank on search engines. 

4. Email Marketing

Include marketing videos in your email campaigns to make your messages more dynamic and increase click-through rates.

5. Google Business Profile

‘Near Me’ searches have increased by over 200% over the last couple of years. So, creating a Google Business Profile is a no brainer. This way, when people look for tradies near them, your page will come up. And to increase your chances of attracting your ideal clients, upload videos to your Google My Business profile. This will enhance your local SEO and make your listing more attractive.

Tips for Creating Engaging Videos

1. Plan Your Content

Outline the purpose, target audience, and key message of each video. A well-planned video will allow you to tailor your messaging. And this will, in turn, enable your video to resonate better with viewers.

2. Keep It Short and Swee

Attention spans are short, so aim for videos that are 1-3 minutes long. However, for in-depth tutorials, longer videos are fine. Make sure to do your research by studying what competitors are doing and what works with your target audience. 

3. Use High-Quality Equipment

While you don’t need a Hollywood-grade camera, ensure your videos are clear and well-lit. A smartphone with a good camera and a tripod can work wonders.

4. Show Your Personality

Be authentic and approachable. As discussed before, clients want to see the real person behind the business.

5. Add Subtitle

Many people watch videos without sound, so including subtitles ensures your message is still delivered.

6. Include a Call to Action (CTA)

Encourage viewers to take the next step, whether it’s visiting your website, calling for a quote, or following your social media pages.

How to Optimise Videos for SEO

Leveraging digital marketing for tradies means learning the ins and outs of SEO for videos.

• Use Keywords: Include keywords your audience types and searches for in your video title, description, and tags. This way, your ideal clients will be able to find you. Tools you can use to find the best keywords include Answerthepublic and Keywords Everywhere. 

• Write Engaging Descriptions: Provide detailed descriptions with links to your website or relevant service pages.

• Add Thumbnails: Create eye-catching thumbnails to increase click-through rates.

• Leverage Hashtags: Use relevant hashtags on platforms like YouTube and Instagram to improve discoverability.

• Geo-Tagging: If your services are location-specific, include your city or region in the metadata.

Budget-Friendly Tools for Video Marketing

Creating attention-grabbing videos targeting your ideal customers doesn’t have to be expensive. You just need to be ready to learn and spend time crafting your video marketing skills. 

Here are some affordable tools you can use to get started:

Editing Software

• Free: iMovie (Mac), Shotcut, or DaVinci Resolve
• Paid: Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro

Graphics and Subtitles

• Canva for graphic overlays
• Rev or Kapwing for adding subtitles

Lighting and Audio

• Ring lights for even lighting
• Affordable lavalier microphones for clear audio

Stock Footage and Music

• Pexels and Pixabay for free stock videos
• Epidemic Sound or Artlist for royalty-free music

Measuring Success

Once you’ve published a few videos, it’s time to track their performance to refine your strategy. 

Key metrics to monitor include:

• Views: The total number of times your video has been watched.
• Engagement: Likes, shares, comments, and click-through rates.
• Watch Time: How long do viewers stay engaged with your video?
• Conversions: Leads or sales generated directly from your video content.

We’ve written a guide on video advertising metrics if you want to dig deeper into this.

Overcoming Challenges

Many of our clients face the same issue when it comes to leveraging digital marketing for tradies and creating videos:

Time Constraints

Solution: Batch-create videos on a single day and schedule their release over weeks or months.

Camera Shyness

Solution: Practice makes perfect. Start with shorter videos to build confidence.

Limited Budget

Solution: Leverage free tools and focus on creating authentic, valuable content.

Video marketing is a powerful tool for tradies looking to expand their reach and build a strong online presence. By creating engaging, authentic content and strategically sharing it across platforms, you can attract more clients, establish credibility, and grow your business. Remember, the key to leveraging digital marketing for tradies is consistency and authenticity. Start small, track your progress, and refine your strategy.

With the right approach, video marketing can transform your business and ensure you stay ahead in the digital age. So grab your camera, start recording, and let your expertise shine!

No Time to Work on Your Videos?

At DreamCube, we’ve been working with tradies for years, helping them create professional high-quality videos that showcase their skills and build their brands. 

We wrote this guide to digital marketing for tradies to help you create a strong online presence. 

Yet, we know the amount of work involved. 

So, if you’re time-poor and would rather focus on your business, let us build your video marketing presence. This way, you can focus on what you do best: building or improving properties for your clients.

Contact us today to see how we can help bring your video marketing to life!