Marketing plan for a construction or trades business, at five budgets
Five levels of monthly marketing budget, from nothing to $5,000. Each names the channel mix, the cadence, the AI tools, the 90-day milestones and the mistakes to avoid. Outcomes are estimates with sources, never promises.
The steps, in order
- A complete Google Business Profile with real job photos and service areas.
- Complete the Google profile with every service and area, and post finished jobs with photos weekly.
- Ask every handover customer for a review and a neighbour referral.
- Add a page per service per town with real project photos.
- Run Google search ads for high-intent terms in your service area with call tracking.
- Add a quoting follow-up routine, retargeting and a seasonal campaign for each service.
Bootstrapped ($0)
Organic only: your time is the budget. Pick two channels and be consistent.
Channel mix
Share of your effort and spend. A suggested split, not a forecast.
- Google Business Profile64%
- Review requests36%
The move for this budget
Complete the Google profile with every service and area, and post finished jobs with photos weekly.
Weekly and monthly cadence
- Google Business Profile6 post / monthCompleted jobs with photos and the town they were in.
- Review requests11 review request / monthAsk at job handover.
AI tools to use
Each links to its page, where the price is checked and dated. Prices are not repeated here so they cannot go stale.
90-day milestones
- Days 1-30A complete Google Business Profile with real job photos and service areas.
- Days 31-60Hold the cadence for a full month and apply this: Complete the Google profile with every service and area, and post finished jobs with photos weekly.
- Days 61-90Review which one channel produced real enquiries, keep it, and drop the weakest of the rest.
KPIs to watch
- Quote requests
- Quote to job rate
- Cost per job
- Review count
What not to do at this budget
- Stock photos instead of real job photos.
- Slow quote replies; speed wins the job.
- Trying every channel at once; you will do none well.
- Paying for followers, likes or lists.
What to expect (estimates)
- EstimateAbout 17 pieces of content and outreach a month across 2 channels. That is a workload target, not a result.Source: Buffer and vendor guides: about 3-5 Instagram or TikTok posts a week for small businesses
- EstimateNo paid clicks at this tier. Organic channels such as local search and email compound over months, and we do not predict leads or revenue.Source: BrightLocal Google Business Profile research and SOCi local-pack data (via roundups)
Starter ($100 / month)
Free channels plus a small tool stack and one tiny paid test.
Channel mix
Share of your effort and spend. A suggested split, not a forecast.
- Google Business Profile35%
- Google Ads (search)paid30%
- Review requests20%
- Local SEO and citations15%
Monthly budget split: tools $50, paid media $30, creative $20, test reserve $0.
The move for this budget
Ask every handover customer for a review and a neighbour referral.
Weekly and monthly cadence
- Google Business Profile8 post / monthCompleted jobs with photos and the town they were in.
- Facebook (page and groups)8 post / monthBefore-and-after in local groups.
- Review requests15 review request / monthAsk at job handover.
AI tools to use
Each links to its page, where the price is checked and dated. Prices are not repeated here so they cannot go stale.
90-day milestones
- Days 1-30A complete Google Business Profile with real job photos and service areas.
- Days 31-60Run the first paid test and compare it with your free traffic: Ask every handover customer for a review and a neighbour referral.
- Days 61-90Review which one channel produced real enquiries, keep it, and drop the weakest of the rest.
KPIs to watch
- Quote requests
- Quote to job rate
- Cost per job
- Review count
- Cost per enquiry (ad spend divided by enquiries)
What not to do at this budget
- Stock photos instead of real job photos.
- Slow quote replies; speed wins the job.
- Spending the whole budget on ads before the basics are in place.
- Buying several overlapping tools; one scheduler and one assistant are enough.
What to expect (estimates)
- EstimateAbout 31 pieces of content and outreach a month across 3 channels. That is a workload target, not a result.Source: Buffer and vendor guides: about 3-5 Instagram or TikTok posts a week for small businesses
- EstimateRoughly 5 paid search clicks a month if the $30 ad budget all went to Google search at an average $5.42 per click. Clicks are not customers; your conversion rate decides that.Source: WordStream / LocaliQ 2026 Google Ads benchmarks (all-industry search CPC $5.42)
Growth ($500 / month)
A real paid test alongside a content engine that keeps running.
Channel mix
Share of your effort and spend. A suggested split, not a forecast.
- Google Ads (search)paid50%
- Google Business Profile20%
- Review requests12%
- Local SEO and citations9%
- Facebook (page and groups)9%
Monthly budget split: tools $100, paid media $250, creative $100, test reserve $50.
The move for this budget
Add a page per service per town with real project photos.
Weekly and monthly cadence
- Google Business Profile10 post / monthCompleted jobs with photos and the town they were in.
- Facebook (page and groups)10 post / monthBefore-and-after in local groups.
- Review requests19 review request / monthAsk at job handover.
AI tools to use
Each links to its page, where the price is checked and dated. Prices are not repeated here so they cannot go stale.
90-day milestones
- Days 1-30A complete Google Business Profile with real job photos and service areas.
- Days 31-60Run the first paid test and compare it with your free traffic: Add a page per service per town with real project photos.
- Days 61-90Review which one channel produced real enquiries, keep it, and drop the weakest of the rest.
KPIs to watch
- Quote requests
- Quote to job rate
- Cost per job
- Review count
- Cost per enquiry (ad spend divided by enquiries)
What not to do at this budget
- Stock photos instead of real job photos.
- Slow quote replies; speed wins the job.
- Running ads without call or form tracking, so you cannot see what worked.
- Changing campaigns every few days before they have learned.
What to expect (estimates)
- EstimateAbout 39 pieces of content and outreach a month across 3 channels. That is a workload target, not a result.Source: Buffer and vendor guides: about 3-5 Instagram or TikTok posts a week for small businesses
- EstimateRoughly 46 paid search clicks a month if the $250 ad budget all went to Google search at an average $5.42 per click. Clicks are not customers; your conversion rate decides that.Source: WordStream / LocaliQ 2026 Google Ads benchmarks (all-industry search CPC $5.42)
Scale ($1,000 / month)
Two paid channels, a creative routine and weekly measurement.
Channel mix
Share of your effort and spend. A suggested split, not a forecast.
- Google Ads (search)paid41%
- Google Business Profile15%
- Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram)paid14%
- Review requests9%
- Local SEO and citations7%
- Facebook (page and groups)7%
- Referrals7%
Monthly budget split: tools $150, paid media $550, creative $200, test reserve $100.
The move for this budget
Run Google search ads for high-intent terms in your service area with call tracking.
Weekly and monthly cadence
- Google Business Profile12 post / monthCompleted jobs with photos and the town they were in.
- Facebook (page and groups)12 post / monthBefore-and-after in local groups.
- Review requests23 review request / monthAsk at job handover.
AI tools to use
Each links to its page, where the price is checked and dated. Prices are not repeated here so they cannot go stale.
90-day milestones
- Days 1-30A complete Google Business Profile with real job photos and service areas.
- Days 31-60Run the first paid test and compare it with your free traffic: Run Google search ads for high-intent terms in your service area with call tracking.
- Days 61-90Review which one channel produced real enquiries, keep it, and drop the weakest of the rest.
KPIs to watch
- Quote requests
- Quote to job rate
- Cost per job
- Review count
- Cost per enquiry (ad spend divided by enquiries)
What not to do at this budget
- Stock photos instead of real job photos.
- Slow quote replies; speed wins the job.
- Scaling a campaign you have not yet seen pay back.
- Splitting the budget across more than two paid channels.
What to expect (estimates)
- EstimateAbout 47 pieces of content and outreach a month across 3 channels. That is a workload target, not a result.Source: Buffer and vendor guides: about 3-5 Instagram or TikTok posts a week for small businesses
- EstimateRoughly 101 paid search clicks a month if the $550 ad budget all went to Google search at an average $5.42 per click. Clicks are not customers; your conversion rate decides that.Source: WordStream / LocaliQ 2026 Google Ads benchmarks (all-industry search CPC $5.42)
Aggressive ($5,000 / month)
A full channel mix with testing, retargeting and a person or agency on execution.
Channel mix
Share of your effort and spend. A suggested split, not a forecast.
- Google Ads (search)paid46%
- Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram)paid15%
- Google Business Profile13%
- Review requests8%
- Local SEO and citations6%
- Facebook (page and groups)6%
- Referrals6%
Monthly budget split: tools $400, paid media $3,100, creative $1,000, test reserve $500.
The move for this budget
Add a quoting follow-up routine, retargeting and a seasonal campaign for each service.
Weekly and monthly cadence
- Google Business Profile16 post / monthCompleted jobs with photos and the town they were in.
- Facebook (page and groups)16 post / monthBefore-and-after in local groups.
- Review requests30 review request / monthAsk at job handover.
AI tools to use
Each links to its page, where the price is checked and dated. Prices are not repeated here so they cannot go stale.
90-day milestones
- Days 1-30A complete Google Business Profile with real job photos and service areas.
- Days 31-60Run the first paid test and compare it with your free traffic: Add a quoting follow-up routine, retargeting and a seasonal campaign for each service.
- Days 61-90Review which one channel produced real enquiries, keep it, and drop the weakest of the rest.
KPIs to watch
- Quote requests
- Quote to job rate
- Cost per job
- Review count
- Cost per enquiry (ad spend divided by enquiries)
What not to do at this budget
- Stock photos instead of real job photos.
- Slow quote replies; speed wins the job.
- Handing the budget to an agency without weekly reporting you understand.
- Scaling spend faster than your team can answer enquiries.
What to expect (estimates)
- EstimateAbout 62 pieces of content and outreach a month across 3 channels. That is a workload target, not a result.Source: Buffer and vendor guides: about 3-5 Instagram or TikTok posts a week for small businesses
- EstimateRoughly 571 paid search clicks a month if the $3,100 ad budget all went to Google search at an average $5.42 per click. Clicks are not customers; your conversion rate decides that.Source: WordStream / LocaliQ 2026 Google Ads benchmarks (all-industry search CPC $5.42)
Questions
- How much should a construction or trades business spend on marketing?
- A commonly repeated rule of thumb, attributed to the US Small Business Administration, is 7-8% of gross revenue for businesses under $5 million; we could not confirm it on an SBA page, so treat it as a guide rather than a rule. This page shows five fixed monthly levels: $0, $100, $500, $1,000, $5,000.
- Can a construction or trades business market with a $0 budget?
- Yes, with time instead of money. At $0 the plan concentrates on Google Business Profile and Review requests, with about 17 pieces of work a month. A complete Google Business Profile with real job photos and service areas.
- Where should a construction or trades business start with $500 a month?
- Start with Google Ads (search) and Google Business Profile and Review requests, and keep roughly $250 for a paid test you can track. Everything else is time.
- How do contractors get more jobs online?
- Google Business Profile, job photos and fast quote replies. Add local search ads after reviews and photos are in place.
Sources
Benchmarks are third-party and some are second-hand; each caveat is stated. We do not promise leads or revenue.
- Small-business marketing budget guidance (7-8% of gross revenue, attributed to the SBA by third-party blogs)
Repeated by many blogs and attributed to the SBA; we could not confirm the figure on an SBA page, so treat it as a rule of thumb. (checked 2026-10-20)
- WordStream / LocaliQ 2026 Google Ads benchmarks (all-industry search CPC $5.42)
Figure read from a third-party summary of the report; industry tables were not retrievable. An average, not a quote for your market. (checked 2026-10-20)
- Buffer and vendor guides: about 3-5 Instagram or TikTok posts a week for small businesses
Mostly vendor blogs; the TikTok-specific figure is general guidance, not a platform study. (checked 2026-10-20)
- BrightLocal Google Business Profile research and SOCi local-pack data (via roundups)
We only saw secondary roundups: they report top-3 local-pack listings getting markedly more calls and clicks than positions 4-10, and the share of profile actions that are calls varies from about 16% to 24% by source. Directional only. (checked 2026-10-20)
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