Winning work, 29 October 2026
Social media for trades with no time: what to post and how often
Post two or three times a week, and make most posts finished jobs, before-and-afters and short clips filmed on site. A small trade firm doesn't need daily content: it needs a steady record of real work in its area, a profile that says what you do and where, and someone who answers the messages that come in. Twenty minutes a week is enough to keep that going.
What should a tradesperson post?
Real jobs, in your area, with a sentence on what you did and why. Homeowners use your page to check you're real, local, tidy and still trading. A finished bathroom in a town they recognise does that better than a stock graphic or a motivational quote.
Skip anything that could be any firm anywhere. If the post would look the same with another company's logo on it, it doesn't help a customer choose you.
How often should you post?
Two or three times a week on one or two platforms. Consistency matters more than volume: a page with three posts a week for a year looks busier and more trustworthy than one with twenty posts in January and nothing since. Pick the platforms your customers use. Ask your last ten customers where they looked you up; the answer is often a local Facebook group or Instagram for domestic work, and LinkedIn or your website for commercial clients and main contractors.
A 20-minute weekly routine
Do the filming during the week and the writing in one sitting. Owners who try to write a polished post at the end of every job stop within a month.
- On site: take three shots per job.
Before, during, after, from the same spot. Add one 15-second clip if something is worth showing. It takes two minutes.
- Friday: pick the best three jobs.
Scroll the week's camera roll and star them. Five minutes.
- Write three captions.
Use the template below: what, where, one detail. Five minutes.
- Queue them.
Use the platform's own scheduling tool if it has one, or post one a day from your phone over the next week. Five minutes.
- Check the inbox.
Answer any comments and DMs from the week. Three minutes, if you've been replying as they come in.
FINISHED JOB Job in town. One detail: what was wrong, what you used, how long it took. One line on the result for the customer. Covering area. Message us for a quote. PROBLEM FOUND Found this on a job type in town this week: what you found. If you've got symptom the homeowner would notice, get it looked at before what happens if they don't. CLIP FROM SITE What's happening in the clip on a job in town. Why it's done this way, one sentence. REVIEW Kind words from a customer in town after their job: "short quote, with their permission". Thanks first name if they're happy to be named.
Should you pay someone to do it?
Only if the time you'd save is worth more than the fee, and only if the person sends you leads you can count. A freelancer still needs your photos and clips, because they aren't on site. What they save you is the writing, scheduling and design.
Doing it yourself vs a £400 a month freelancer
A heating firm owner charging £45 an hour compares 20 minutes a week of his own time with an example freelancer fee.
| Your time doing it yourself20 min × 52 weeks = 17.3 hours | |
| Value of that time17.3 hours × £45 | £780 |
| Freelancer for a year£400 × 12 months | £4,800 |
| Extra cost of the freelancer each year£4,800 − £780 | £4,020 |
| Jobs needed to cover it at £2,800 a job and 25% margin£4,020 ÷ £700 profit a job | 5.7 |
Paid marketing for trades often gets mixed results, and one owner was blunt about it.
No trade I know is good on social media.
That isn't a reason to skip it. It means the bar is low: a firm that posts real work every week stands out against competitors who posted twice in 2023. Before you sign with an agency, read what to expect from a trade marketing agency and work out your cost per lead.
Can you post photos of customers' homes?
Ask first, every time. A photo of a customer's kitchen or the front of their house can identify them and where they live, and some commercial clients forbid photos entirely. A signage engineer in Kent told us he can't post most of his best work because of NDAs. Add a line to your quote asking for permission, and leave out house numbers, number plates, faces and anything inside the home the customer hasn't agreed to. The full rules are in posting job photos: permission, NDAs and copyright.
What happens after someone messages you?
This is where most social media effort is wasted. A post that gets a "how much for one like this?" DM is only worth something if the DM gets a reply the same day. Turn on message notifications for every platform you post on, set up an automatic welcome message where the platform allows it, and reply within the hour where you can. See how fast to reply to an enquiry.
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.
For social media leads, Nexley picks up new enquiries, sends a holding reply in your words, asks for photos and a postcode, and logs the lead so it doesn't sit unread in an app. You see a summary on WhatsApp and decide which to quote. It doesn't post content for you.
Common questions
Which platform is best for tradespeople?
The one your customers use and you'll keep up. Ask new customers where they found you and post there first. Start with one platform and add a second once the habit sticks.
Do I need to show my face?
No, but it helps. Customers are letting you into their home, and seeing who turns up builds trust. A short clip of you explaining a job often outperforms a perfect photo.
How long before social media brings in work?
There's no reliable figure for this, so track your own. Ask every new enquiry where they found you, and after three months you'll know whether social media is bringing in work.
Should I use AI to write captions?
It can save time if you give it the facts: job, town, one detail. Read every caption before it goes out, because generic AI text sounds like every other firm and can get trade details wrong.
Sources
- Meta: Business Suite, manage Facebook and Instagram messages in one place
- Google Business Profile Help: Create and manage posts
- TikTok for Business: About TikTok account entitlements
- ICO: Taking photographs, data protection advice
Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.
Topic: Winning work
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