Growth Guide 10 of 14
Beginner · Cost: Free
Key takeaway
One real job can give you several honest pieces of useful content; consistency matters more than posting all day.
TradeKind helps Sussex trades build a useful local profile
List your real services and service areas, add useful business information and give local homeowners a clear way to request your business.
You do not need to become an influencer.
For a local trade, social media can simply show that the business is real, active, local and doing genuine work.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Pick the channels you can actually maintain
Facebook and Instagram are useful for many local trades because customers and community groups are already there.
TikTok can be useful for visual or educational work if you enjoy making short video.
LinkedIn may make more sense for commercial contractors, property professionals or businesses that win work through professional relationships.
You do not need all of them.
Free option: One well-maintained channel is better than four abandoned profiles.
Make your profiles consistent
Use the genuine business identity:
- business name;
- logo;
- real service area;
- website or useful profile link;
- contact route;
- short description of what you do.
Do not keep changing the name to chase different keywords.
If you use your TradeKind profile link, make sure the profile itself is current first. See Share Your TradeKind Profile.
Turn one real job into several posts
One job can produce:
- a before photograph;
- a work-in-progress photograph;
- a useful tip about the problem;
- the finished photograph;
- a before/after comparison;
- a short video;
- a short project story.
You do not need to publish all seven. The point is to collect real material while the job is fresh.
A decorator in Worthing could photograph a badly prepared window, explain why loose paint had to be removed, show the preparation and then the finished result. That is more useful than a generic graphic saying “quality painting services”.
A landscaper near Lewes could show the drainage problem, a safe progress shot and the finished area without exposing the homeowner's address.
Before and after content
Before/after posts work because the change is obvious.
Keep them honest:
- same job;
- no misleading filters;
- explain important preparation;
- do not imply work you did not perform;
- get permission where the property can be identified.
Useful tips and FAQs
Answer questions customers already ask.
Examples:
- “Why has this exterior paint peeled?”
- “Do I need to move furniture before decorating?”
- “How long should fresh plaster dry?”
- “When is a leaking gutter a repair rather than replacement?”
Stay inside your competence. Safety-critical advice needs extra care.
Short videos
A useful short video can be 15–30 seconds.
Show:
- a real detail;
- one small explanation;
- the finished result;
- a safe process that does not expose private customer information.
You do not need cinematic editing.
Captions
Use normal language.
A useful format:
Job: repainting a weathered front elevation in Shoreham-by-Sea. We removed loose coatings, prepared the sound surface and applied the specified exterior system. These photos show the preparation and finished result.
Only include facts that are true for that job.
Use local references when genuinely relevant. Do not paste a block of 30 hashtags under every post just to stuff locations.
Facebook groups
Local groups can produce enquiries, but every group has its own rules.
Some allow business posts on set days. Some allow recommendations only when somebody asks. Some prohibit promotion.
Follow the rules. Do not create fake homeowner accounts to recommend yourself.
If somebody genuinely recommends your business, they can share your real profile.
Reviews and project stories
With permission, a genuine customer review can inspire a project post:
“This customer asked us to repair and redecorate…”
Do not alter the review or invent a quote.
Link to Reviews for Tradespeople for the safe review process.
Cross-posting
It is fine to reuse genuine content across channels.
Adjust the caption where needed rather than creating different facts for each platform.
The aim is efficient consistency, not unique copy for its own sake.
A 15-minute social media routine
Try this once or twice a week:
Minutes 1–3: Choose one real photo or short video from recent work.
Minutes 4–7: Write three facts: what the job was, what mattered, where it was if appropriate.
Minutes 8–10: Turn those facts into a short caption.
Minutes 11–12: Check no private customer details are visible.
Minutes 13–15: Post it and respond to genuine comments or messages.
That is enough.
Do not spam
Avoid:
- posting the same advert into dozens of groups;
- tagging unrelated local businesses;
- fake homeowner accounts;
- fake recommendations;
- engagement pods;
- purchased followers;
- manufactured “before” images;
- AI-generated customer jobs presented as real.
Worth knowing: Social media can support awareness, referrals and discovery. Real project posts give customers and local contacts more opportunities to remember, mention and share your business.
Do this now: Choose one recent genuine job and turn it into one useful post using the 15-minute routine above. If it helps the reader, include your TradeKind profile link so they can see more about the business.
If writing captions slows you down, use AI to Write Better Local Business Content with real job notes.
Next in the Growth Guide
Use AI to Write Better Local Business Content
Use AI to turn genuine trade knowledge and job notes into clearer descriptions, FAQs and posts while keeping the facts yours.
List your Sussex trade business free
Create or improve your TradeKind profile, choose the services and Sussex areas you genuinely cover, and give homeowners a clear route to request your business.