Home improvement and trades: how to get more customers from Facebook groups, Instagram and email

A one-off bathroom job and a property manager with forty units are very different customers. Both are worth having, but they're found in different places and want different things. Decide which mix you want before you start.

Recurring clients like property managers and commercial sites smooth out the gaps between homeowner jobs. Homeowners bring higher-value projects and referrals. Most trades do best with both.

Local Facebook groups are where homeowners ask for recommendations, complain about a contractor who never showed up and share photos of their renovation. That's buying intent in plain sight. It's also a place where admins remove anyone who treats the group like an ad board.

1. 1Join the groups for the areas you actually cover, and read the rules. Many allow business posts on one day a week or not at all.
2. 2Be useful in public first. Answer questions about damp, permits or what a fair price looks like, without pitching.
3. 3Watch for recommendation requests in your trade. Reply in the thread if the rules allow it, with a short, helpful answer.
4. 4Message people only when there's a clear reason: they asked for a recommendation, or commented on a post about exactly what you do.
5. 5Keep the message personal and short, and refer to what they wrote.

Our guide on Facebook groups for lead generation goes deeper on group etiquette, and Facebook Message Requests explains why a first message from a stranger may land in a separate folder.

For home improvement, Instagram is the place people go to see if your work is any good. Before and after photos, short videos of a job in progress and finished rooms do more than any description.

• Post your finished work regularly, with the area in the caption, so local people find you.
• Look at who follows and comments on local interior designers, kitchen showrooms and home accounts in your area. Those are homeowners thinking about projects.
• Reply to comments and questions on your own posts quickly. Everyone who engages is a possible customer.
• Message people who asked a real question or saved a project like yours. Keep it to one line about what they wrote.

A first message to someone who doesn't follow you arrives as a message request, so the opening line decides whether they accept it. Skip private profiles: they aren't looking to be contacted.

Commercial work is found less in groups and more through direct, professional contact. Property managers, facilities managers and site managers are on LinkedIn and read their business email.

• Search by role and area: property manager, facilities manager, building manager, project manager at developers and contractors near you.
• Look for triggers: a new development announced, a building changing hands, a company moving into new offices.
• Lead with reliability, not price. A property manager with a leak at 9pm wants to know you'll answer the phone.
• Offer a small first job. A repair or a single unit is an easy yes, and the start of a maintenance relationship.

For finding and checking business emails and phone numbers, see how to find a business email and phone number.

Whether it's a homeowner or a property manager, the message needs three things: why you're writing to them, who you are in a sentence, and one easy next step.

More scripts for local businesses are in cold Facebook messages to local business owners.

The reply is where trades lose most work, because the person who can answer is on a roof. Homeowners usually ask the same few things, so have answers ready:

• "Roughly how much?" A range or how you price, and why a visit gives a real number.
• "When can you start?" Your honest lead time.
• "Do you cover my area?" A clear yes or no.
• "Can I send photos?" Always yes. It saves a wasted visit.

Then book the site visit inside the conversation: two options, a confirmed time, the address. Send a reminder the day before, and a message when you're on your way. If someone isn't home, rebook straight away instead of writing them off.

After the job, ask for a review and a photo you can post. Message past customers when the season changes: gutters before winter, decking before summer. Stay active in the local groups you joined. Property managers and landlords who were happy with one job are the easiest second job you'll ever win.