PipeflowWhy you will not run out of topics
Many tradespeople think they have nothing to show. Yet every day something visible is created in a trade business: a roof truss, a staircase, a new bathroom, a repaired heating system. For you it is everyday work, for outsiders it is often exciting, as they rarely see how such things come about.
On top of that comes knowledge your customers do not have. What questions do you hear again and again? What should people know before they renovate a bathroom or plan a new heating system? Every answer to that is a possible post.
Specific topics for trade businesses
These topics suit almost every trade, from joiners, electricians and plumbers to painters, roofers and tilers:
- Finished work: the result of a job, with a sentence or two on what the challenge was.
- Work in progress: interim stages on site or in the workshop, such as the carcass of a piece of furniture or cables laid before plastering.
- Materials and tools: a special wood, a new machine, a tool you could not work without.
- Answering customer questions: for example, what to look out for in a new front door or why a visit on site makes sense before a quote.
- Care tips: how to look after oiled wooden surfaces or why regular servicing of the heating makes sense.
- Team and training: new colleagues, apprentices, exams, anniversaries.
- Everyday life in the business: the vans in the morning, the tidy workshop on Friday, a look into the stockroom.
Photos on site: how to make them better
You do not need a professional camera. A current phone is enough if you keep a few things in mind:
- Tidy up before the photo: quickly move cables, buckets and packaging out of the frame. It takes a minute and makes a big difference.
- Use the light: daylight is usually better than harsh site lighting. Indoors, it helps to make use of the windows and take photos with the light behind you.
- Keep it straight: with rooms and facades, crooked lines stand out immediately. The grid in the camera app helps.
- Get close: details like a clean joint, the grain of the wood or a neatly wired fuse box often show quality better than the overall view.
- Clean the lens: on site, the phone camera soon gets dusty. A quick wipe prevents hazy pictures.
Showing before and after properly
Before and after pictures work particularly well in the trades as the difference is visible at once. To make them work, though, you need a before photo, and that is easy to forget in the rush. Make it a habit to take a photo at your first visit to the site.
Take the before and after shots from the same angle and with a similar frame if possible. That way people can see at a glance what has changed. On Instagram you can show both pictures in one post with several photos.
Important: ask customers whether you may post photos from their house or flat. Make sure no house numbers, number plates, names on letterboxes or private items like family photos can be seen. It is better not to give the exact location, something like "in the area" is enough.
Showing apprentices and the team
Posts about apprentices and staff have a double benefit: they show customers who is working for them, and they show possible applicants what it is like at your business. This can help especially when you are looking for apprentices, as young people often look around on social media first.
Good occasions are the first day at work, a passed final apprenticeship exam, a piece of work someone is proud of or an outing with the whole team. Let the person say a few sentences themselves, that comes across as more genuine than any advertising copy.
Always ask for permission beforehand, ideally in writing. For apprentices aged under 18, you should also involve the parents. And respect it if someone does not want to be shown: then simply show the hands at work or the finished piece.
How often to post? A rhythm that lasts
For most trade businesses it is more realistic to post a little regularly than to post every day for two weeks and then not at all for months. There is no fixed number that suits everyone. A good starting point is a rhythm you can keep up in the busy season too, for example one to three posts per week.
A stock of photos helps: take pictures on the side during the week whenever something worth seeing is created, and collect them in a separate album on your phone. When you then post, you do not have to go looking for a subject first.
And if a week is missed because a job is urgent, that is no drama. What matters is that you start again afterwards and do not wait for weeks for the perfect post.