Ways to Find Work as a Tradie

5 Ways to Find Work as a Tradie

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Trade workers are in demand in Australia, and you can easily earn middle or high wages as a skilled tradie if you know where to look for your customers.

When it comes to job hunting, there are plenty of ways you can sell your skills and attract new clients. Here are 5 basic steps you should take to maximise your customer reach.

1. Look for jobs online and offline.

The fastest way to look for trade jobs is through online job portals, which are increasingly being used by companies, agencies and headhunters these days.

Gumtree

One of the most popular online classifieds in Australia is Gumtree. Aside from being free to use, it also has a special subsection for tradie jobs (under Trades and Services) in the Jobs category. Additionally, you can use the site to post an ad offering your services.

Airtasker

Register your company or yourself on Airtasker. The platform boasts over 2 million users and is a quick way to find local work easily.

Houzz

Get yourself listed on Houzz which allows everyday people to find a tradie for all kinds of jobs.

Offline

You can find plenty of job postings on the television, radio, digital signages, public bulletin boards and information racks, yellow pages, newspapers and tabloids, magazines, employment agencies and placement offices, special job events and open house sessions. If you’re a member of a trade union or association, you can also look for postings in publications and company-sponsored events that are dedicated to your particular industry.

2. Advertise and promote your trade on social media.

Social networking sites, like Facebook and Instagram, are effective tools to promote your trade and find clients. Utilize these sites effectively by posting regular updates that are related to your craft. Remember also to include the links to projects you’ve accomplished, as well as your contact details and other means for people to learn more about your trade.

Track your competition

Follow strong competitors and established companies or tradies in your particular craft and learn how they interact and engage with their followers. See what kind of posts tradies are putting up on their profiles using popular hashtags e.g. #queenslandelectricians, #sydneyplumbers and try to emulate what you feel will work for you.

Post relevant pictures

The most popular tradie accounts post pictures of themselves at their jobs, or even of their new tradie UTE or van with their company branding. If you don't have your own vehicle yet, talk to us about a chattel mortgage for business owners or personal UTE or van loan and we'll hit you up for a quick chat to see what we can do for you.


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It’s also smart to create a unique yet relevant hashtag that you can use in all your posts and other marketing materials to improve your brand exposure.

Don't forget to join relevant groups and participate in the discussions to build your network.

Keep your profile clean

Since you’re using social media as a platform to promote and sell your trade, keep your profile and posts professional by avoiding profanities and vulgar images and steer clear of highly divisive topics like politics and religion.

3. Develop your own website.

Building your own website helps to establish trust and credibility, reach out to thousands of people across Australia, get better connected with your clients, develop better content and ultimately establish yourself as a household brand name in your niche.

Register your .com.au website name

When you’ve finally decided to build a website, try to include your company's name in your website domain e.g. www.backyardelectrician.com.au. If this isn't possible, choose a website name that’s easy to remember and very descriptive for your niche.

Note that you'll need to have an ABN to be able to register a .com.au domain name

Free website builders

You can create a free website through professional website builder platforms like Wordpress.com and Wix.com, but you would need to pay for the hosting. Alternatively, you can build and host your own website on Weebly.com but will have to retain the .weebly in your URL address. Nevertheless, it is smart to invest in your own domain name and hosting to be assured that you are the owner of your website and all its content.

You don’t need to have a fancy website. Just make sure it has all your services clearly visible and make it easy to navigate.

4. Register on online directories.

Online directories are websites that list individuals and organizations with information such as company name and logo, physical and website addresses and contact details. They help people easily find businesses or services in their geographical area.

Today’s most popular online directory that you should register your trade business into is Google My Business, which holds hundreds of thousands of different business listings. It is often prominently displayed in the search results, helping your business get found online and your clients find the exact address of your business.

Other popular and free online directories that you can join include, Yelp, Hotfrog, Aussie Web and ComeonAussie. There are also online business directories that are exclusive for Australian tradies, such as Tradiecentre.com.au, Capitaltradies.com.au and Tradeslocator.com.au.

When registering your trade on any online directory, write a business description that’s unique and not copy-pasted from your website. Also, make sure that the information you provide is up-to-date and the address is the same address on your website.

5. Exploit word-of-mouth marketing.

The good ‘ole word-of-mouth remains an effective form of marketing even in this digital age simply because people tend to believe the recommendations of a family member, friend or acquaintance than that of celebrities in paid TV or social media advertisements.

Referrals

You can carry out word-of-mouth advertising wherever you go, even while on the job, by requesting referrals from your clients who can recommend your services to their friends, family and network. Simply ask them if they know of anyone else who might need a similar project done, but make sure your timing is right. The best time to ask for referrals is when your clients feel most positive about you, like after fixing a plumbing problem on time or completing an impressive landscaping design.

Discounts

To maximise the number of referrals you can get, make it easy for your clients to talk about your trade to others, by giving them your work email, contact number, website and social media pages. You could also provide incentives, like giving your referrers discounts on future projects and services if they’ve successfully directed a new client to you. Just don't go overboard with the discounts or you'.l be cutting into your profits.

Delight

And most important of all, do a great job and leave a good impression on your customers. If they’re happy with your work, they are more likely to recommend you to a friend or family member in a heartbeat.


It’s easy to find work in Australia as a tradie with plenty of digital tools and technology that are readily available to use. Amidst the technological advantages, do not discount the traditional value of workmanship. Always provide quality work and excellent customer service. This will make your clients patronize your service and recommend you to their social circle.


Ready to take your trade business to the next level? Positive Lending Solutions offers small business loans for tradies. Call us today on 1300 722 210 or fill out the Quick Quote form to get started.


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