Trades Marketing

Industry: Trades & Specialised Businesses

Regionally known. Online invisible.

Your clients recommend you – but recommendations alone are no longer enough. Anyone who looks for a flooring specialist, electrician or roofer today googles first. If you don't show up there, the job goes to someone who does worse work but is found better.

Does this sound familiar?

Three patterns we see in practically every trades business before we start working.

01

Full schedule from referrals – but no control

You live on word-of-mouth. Works – until it doesn't. An employee retires, a referrer moves away, and suddenly the jobs are missing. No system, no lever, no plan B.

02

Enquiries fluctuate unpredictably

In spring the phone rings non-stop, in winter silence. You can't plan capacity, can't keep your team evenly busy and can't forecast revenue.

03

The website exists but delivers nothing

At some point someone built a website. A business card on the internet. But enquiries? Zero. Because a website without marketing is like a shop window in a side street – pretty, but invisible.

Client story · Timber construction & prefab houses · Weissenseer

From insider tip to first Google result. With a real client name.

Weissenseer Holz-System-Bau from Greifenburg had no online marketing, no social media and a website they couldn't maintain themselves. Together we defined the buyer persona, worked through the customer journey and built a completely new website with a blog strategy.

„Within just a few months it became clear that working with Nordsteg makes finding the right clients much easier. Today we regularly get direct enquiries through the new website.“

Rupert Hasenoehrl · Managing Director, Weissenseer

Regular direct enquiries via the website

Website self-maintainable – with analytics tools

More qualified clients through blog strategy

Read the full story →

15+

Years of experience with regional businesses

predictable

Enquiries instead of luck & seasonal chaos

measurable

You know which euro brought which enquiry

1 day

Notice period – no risk

How it works

In 90 days your growth system is in place. Guaranteed.

01

Week 1–2: Foundation

Strategy workshop (90 min): what are your most profitable jobs? In which radius do you operate? What sets you apart from competitors – and how do we say that online?

In parallel: check Google presence, set up tracking, analyse competitors in your region.

02

Week 3–6: Build

Google Ads on the search queries your clients use („[trade] [city]“, „[trade] near me“). Landing pages that generate enquiries instead of just informing.

Google Business Profile optimised. Meta Ads for awareness in your region.

03

Week 7–12: Optimisation

Which search terms bring real jobs, which only enquiries without close? Budget to the winners.

Seasonal steering: more budget when demand is there, less when you're booked out anyway. Automated reporting.

Guarantee: All items on the system checklist delivered – or full money back. And everything belongs to you.

Pitfalls – what most get wrong

6 mistakes we see in trades businesses again and again

01

Relying only on word-of-mouth

Referrals are gold – but uncontrollable. You can't decide when and how many enquiries arrive. A marketing system doesn't replace referrals – but it gives you control over your utilisation.

02

Google Business Profile neglected

Your Google listing is often the first thing potential clients see – even before your website. Wrong opening hours, no photos, no reviews. And the competitor around the corner has 47 reviews at 4.8 stars. Guess who the client calls.

03

A website that informs instead of selling

Your website shows services and reference photos. Good. But where's the phone number in the header? Where's the contact form that doesn't have 8 fields? A website needs to do one thing: get the visitor to contact you. Everything else is decoration.

04

No tracking – no idea what works

„How did you hear about us?“ on the phone is not tracking. We set up clean measurement: which ad triggered which call, which form which enquiry. So you know where your money is working.

05

Targeting too large a service area

„All of Austria“ sounds ambitious but burns budget. A roofer in Villach needs clients within a 50 km radius, not in Vienna. We focus campaigns on your real catchment area.

06

No review strategy

You have happy clients – but only 3 Google reviews. Your competitor has 50. Reviews are the strongest trust factor for trades clients. We help you set up a simple process so satisfied clients actually leave reviews.

Who this works for – and who it doesn't

Good fit

  • Trades or specialised business with 5+ employees – Big enough to handle additional jobs.
  • Regional with a clear catchment area – Focus enables cheaper click prices and clear campaign control.
  • At least €1,500/month ad budget available – At this scale campaigns deliver solid data and can be optimised.
  • Wants predictable growth instead of hoping for referrals – The right mindset for building a system instead of managing chance.
  • Decision-maker who can approve within 48 h – Speed is critical during build-up. Long approval chains slow everything down.

× Not a fit

  • ×Sole trader who is already at full capacity – Then you don't need marketing, you need an employee.
  • ׄI just want to try it for €300“ – Not enough data for meaningful optimisation in your region.
  • ×No interest in a working website – Without a converting landing page every campaign fizzles out.
  • ×No capacity for additional jobs – Capacity first, then enquiries.
  • ׄOnline doesn't work for us“ – If 90 % of people google their next tradesperson, online works everywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Does online marketing also work for trades businesses in rural areas?
Especially there. In the city you compete with 20 providers. In rural areas you may be one of three – and yet no one finds you online. Less competition means cheaper click prices and a higher chance of position 1. The target group googles the same way everywhere.
How many enquiries can I realistically expect?
That depends on your trade, your region and search volume. Typically trades businesses see, after 60–90 days, a more even and higher enquiry rate than from word-of-mouth alone. In the strategy call we work through real search data from your region to figure out what's realistic.
I don't have a good website. Do I have to build one first?
Not necessarily. We can start with targeted landing pages that run as standalone pages and generate enquiries. In parallel we recommend building the main website via our partner agency WelleWest. That way you don't lose any time.
Can I also find employees this way?
Yes. The same channels that bring clients also bring applicants. Targeted campaigns on Meta and Google that present your company as an employer. More on this on our Recruiting page.

Ready for predictable jobs instead of hoping for referrals?

In a free 30-minute call we take a look at your situation and show you where the biggest lever lies.

No obligation. Honest. No sales pressure.

A thank-you for your time: Every participant receives „Umsatz ohne Zufall“ – the book by our managing director Nicolas Fabjan – personally signed, by post. No purchase, no obligation. Even if we don't end up working together.

Book a Discovery Call

Or give us a call: +43 676 4703583