How to Brand your Trade and construction Facebook Page in 5 Easy Steps.

Right.

Whether you’re thinking about setting up your first ever Facebook page for your Trades business…

Or you already have a page you’ve been using since David Beckham sported a Mohican.

Listen up.

Trades wasting soooo much time and energy ‘doing their Facebook’ and never reaping the rewards they deserve because they haven’t got the foundations right.

Think of it like building a house.

You could be the best builder in town.

Top knotch. Everyone knows it.

But if you build that 5 bedroom semi with a double drive and side garage on quicksand, it doesn’t matter how skilled you are or how long it took for you to build.

We all know where the story ends.

A mouthful of sand.

Same goes with Facebook.

You have to get your foundations right if you want to nail your Trades business online.

Now.

There are 5 brand basics you need to set your Trades Facebook page up for success.

They’re easy.

And you can do them yourself – so they’re free.

Great.

Without these brand basics, you risk…

❌  Nobody being able to find your Facebook page.

❌  Potential clients mistaking another Trade for you.

❌  Missed job opportunities.

❌  Attracting the wrong types of clients.

❌  Being labelled as a ‘cowboy’ stereotype.
        

…and tonnes of other joyous disasters that will hold you back in building your Trades business and actually getting some clients on there.

Not a good start.

Getting these brand basics right can be the difference between you wasting all your precious time for months, even years, without getting any results whatsoever…

Or building your brand on Facebook that eventually becomes a power tool in your business and brings you the kinds of clients and work you actually want.

We prefer the latter.

And it all starts with getting these 5 foundations in place to start with.

So here we go.

P.S – though this is not one of the 5 basics, this is VERY important.

Make sure that you are creating a BUSINESS PAGE on Facebook.
Not setting up a PERSONAL PAGE on Facebook and using it for your Trades business.

This WILL NOT work for you down the line.

Business Pages only.

Now, where were we…

1. Set the Facebook Handle for your Trade and construction Facebook Page.

The most important part when setting up your Trade Facebook page.

That’s why I’ve listed it as number one.

If you do not get this one right, finding your business on Facebook could be like looking for that one 3mm screw in a box of 500 other mini screws.

Annoying.

It will take ages to find.

Someone will end up yelling.

And then give up.

You do not want a potential client to give up looking for you because you didn’t make it easy for them to find you on Facebook in the first place.

That totally defeats the object.

So what is a Facebook handle anyway?

A Facebook ‘Handle’ as it is called, is basically the username for your page.

This is how we find you.

Simply put (you know I like things simple) it’s your web address.

For example.

Our Facebook handle is nailyourbrand.

We couldn’t bag the MARSHMALLOW handle for our business as it was already gone.

So we opted for our strap line. Nail Your Brand.

Pretty cool.

So our Facebook web address is www.facebook.com/nailyourbrand.

Therefore our HANDLE is nailyourbrand.

Got it?

Where a lot of Trades get mixed up is with the Page Name.

Check this very complex diagram I made for you below:

The Page Name is exactly that.

The name of your page.

And this sits alongside the Profile Image (the round circle).

Here’s where it starts to get tricky.

Interestingly, more than one page/business can name their page the same thing.

Our page is called MARSHMALLOW because that’s the name of our business.

There are likely lots of other pages on Facebook that are also called MARSHMALLOW.

Theirs are likely more of the sugary kind.

If I tell you to go search MARSHMALLOW on Facebook, there will likely be a million and one other pages pop up before you find ours.

A Page Name is only visible when you are on the page itself or when someone tags you (your Page Name will appear, NOT your Handle. Though you need to type the handle in to tag them. Confusing, right? Cheers Facebook 👍🏼)

But the HANDLE or username or web address (it’s all the same thing) is UNIQUE to just you.

Look at it like your home address.

You might be swanky and have a name for your house.

Let’s go with Acorn Cottage.

Well, there may well be a million other ACORN COTTAGE’s out there.

Lots of other people can use that name.

Like your Page Name.

But nobody has your unique full address but you - road name, postcode and door number.

Like your Handle.

So nobody else has our handle, nailyourbrand.

Meaning that when we tell a client to go find us on Facebook, we tell them to search nailyourbrand.

This is also what we put on our business card and stationery designs.

We don’t want to be writing www.facebook.com/nailyourbrand on all of our print.

That just takes up way too much valuable space.

So instead we tend to use the Facebook icon then put our handle, nailyourbrand, next to it.

That’s how they will find us.

And ONLY us.

Here’s another example.

Let’s say your business is called DMF Decorating.

Your PAGE NAME will be your business name, DMF Decorating.

But when you go to set the handle/username/web address, DMFDecorating (remember, no spaces in these) wasn’t available.

So instead, you opted for DMFDecorators.

This is your page handle.

And THIS is what you will need to tell people to search for, put on your stationery designs, vehicle graphics etc.

Handle? Nailed.

Next.

2. Use your Trade and construction company Logo as your Facebook Profile Image.

The Profile Image is the round circle you see at the top of your Facebook page.

What’s really important to know about what you use in your Profile Image is that it is the ONLY image that will appear when people are searching for you.

Which is why it is SO important that you use your logo in this space.

Not a photograph. I see way too many Trades doing.

This is even more important if your Facebook Handle is not exactly the same as your business name.

Let me explain.

Your business name might be ‘John Wayne Carpentry’ but you couldn’t bag the ‘JohnWayneCarpentry’ Facebook handle as another Trade already bagged it.

Nuts.

So instead, your Facebook handle is actually ‘JWCarpentry’.

As the client looking you up, if I don’t know the exact handle of your Facebook page is JWCarpentry, I’m just going to go on there and search for your business name - John Wayne Carpentry.

Facebook will then show me absolutely everyone who has this as their Page Name.

And there could be lots of you.

If you haven’t set your Profile Image as your logo – which I am familiar with from seeing on your vans etc – then I may end up stumbling on a competitors page and going with them instead, thinking it’s you!

Disaster.

Or maybe I will find you. Eventually.

After clicking through every John Wayne Carpentry page that Facebook shows me trying to work out if it’s you or not.

I’ve had to do this a number of times in the past. Very frustrating.

But when the Trade has used their logo in the Facebook Profile Image, I can spot them quickly and get on with jumping onto their page and seeing what they’re all about.

Aside from being time-consuming or you losing out on business, your logo being used in your Profile Image gives greater brand awareness to your business.

ANOTHER THING TRADES FORGET IS THAT THE IMAGE YOU USE IN YOUR PROFILE IMAGE IS WHAT SHOWS UP EVERYTIME YOU COMMENT AND ENGAGE ON FACEBOOK.

This is SUPER important for Brand Awareness for your Trades business.

Imagine you’re commenting away on a post in a local community group, giving some great advice to someone in need.

If your logo is popping up in the comments, you’re beginning to build brand awareness not only to the person you are commenting to, but every single person that sees this post.

Which means other people in the local community get to familiarise themselves with your Trades business name and identity.

Meaning that the next time they see your vans drive by, or your team in the local supermarket in their branded workwear grabbing lunch, or you posting in other Facebook groups, you are now on their radar and are much more likely to be at the forefront of their minds when they need your Trade.

Do you see how it all starts to work?

3. use your Cover Photo Design to show us your work in your Trade and construction business.

The Facebook Cover Photo Design is the long rectangular space at the very top of your Trades Facebook page.

The very first thing we all see when we land there.

This is only visible when we are actually on your page.

But it’s a very important part of building your brand.

Here’s what NOT to do in this space:

❌ NEVER LEAVE IT BLANK.

Never do that.

It makes it look like your page is unfinished, you’re out of business or you have nothing to show us.

Either way. Just don’t do it.

❌ DON’T USE YOUR LOGO HERE.

If you’ve taken our previous advice, which we hope you have, you will have popped your logo in your Profile Image. Right?

So why on earth would we just use the same image file in this space on repeat?

We wouldn’t.

That would be a big waste of ‘real estate’ as they say State-side.

So no giant logo images here please.

❌ A PHOTO OF YOUR VAN.

This isn’t the WORST decision of all time.

It’s definitely better than the previous two options.

I mean, we design van graphics for Trades, and think they are one of the best investments you can ever make!

So why do I tell you they are not great for your Facebook Cover Photo Design space?

Because you can do better.

It doesn’t tell me anything about the kind of business you are and who you serve.

Unless the van is parked outside a property that you painted, on a driveway you created or next to a garden that you planted… then it’s just a picture of a van.

It tells us nothing about the quality of work you do.

It shows us nothing about the kinds of clients you want to work with.

Yes, you might be super proud of your new vehicle graphics.

Especially if we designed them.

But unless it is part of a photo that includes your team members or a job that you have finished, then it tells us nothing about your Trades business or the types of clients you want.

So steer clear of the random van pics in the Cover Photo Design.

So what should I be showing in my Facebook Cover Photo Design for my Trades Business?

✅   USE PHOTOS.

Use this space to show us a photo of a job you’ve completed that is EXACTLY the kind of work you want more of.

If you’re a domestic electrician and you want more outdoor lighting work, show a top quality photo of an outdoor lighting job in your Cover Photo Design.

If you’re a commercial air-conditioning company that wants to work with more high end restaurants, then use your Cover Photo Design to highlight images of a restaurant interior you’ve worked in that fits the calibre of the kind of place you want to work at.

It really isn’t rocket science.

✅   THINK HIGH QUALITY.

The quality of the images you use in this space must be top notch.

It’s the first insight we see about your business.

No blurry photos.

No unbranded Trades walking around in the background.

No rubbish or piles of rubble lurking in the corner.

Really, you want to be going for the end result here.

What are clients left with once you have been in and done the business.

✅ SHOW US YOUR WORTH.

Use your accreditation logos from your Trade Governing bodies within the design to prove that you’re no cowboy.

Gas Safe registered? Pop it on.

Member of the Federation of Master Builders? Tell us you are.

Be proud.

Don’t over do it.

But one or two of the most prestigious qualifications or accreditations you have popped in a corner of your Cover Photo Design is definitely a winner.

Take a look at our client who knocked this up himself with our guidance…

Nice one Trev.

✅ LET US MEET THE TEAM.

Share with us a photo of the team.

All in branded uniform of course.

Now THIS option, could be photographed in front of your van.

So we can start seeing the faces behind the Trades business and begin to build on your brand and grow that all important trust factor.


There are tonnes of options on how you could use this space.

Your Cover Photo Design should be telling us about your TRADES business.

The kind of jobs you want.

The people behind the business.

The level of clients you serve.

You want people that land on your Facebook page to feel that they are in the right place within seconds.

4. Write an informative Facebook Bio for your Trade and construction business.

‘A professional and reliable XYZ service’.

If I had a penny for every time I saw this as a Trade bio.

Or a version of.

I’d be able to afford Neymar by now.

A one sentence bio is fine for Instagram.

I mean. It’s pretty much all you’re allowed.

But not for Facebook.

You’re given 150 characters.

So use them wisely.

By telling us more and building your brand.

Here’s what you should include:

✅ WHAT KIND OF TRADE YOU ARE.

Are you domestic? Commercial? Or both?

✅ TELL US WHAT SPECIFIC SERVICES YOU OFFER.

You might be a decorator, but list specific services so we know if you offer what we need ie. Wallpapering, Painting, External Decorating.

✅ TELL US WHAT AREAS YOU COVER.

Be specific. There is no point saying you cover ‘London’ if you only work North of the river.

If you want to start niching down and servicing a certain area – because it’s local to you and you get home earlier to be with your kids – then list the areas in London you cover.

E.g. Covering Southgate, Enfield and Cockfosters.

✅ WHO ARE YOUR IDEAL CLIENTS AND WHAT DO YOU LEAVE THEM WITH.

Maybe you’re a builder.

You want to specialise in lofts.
It’s profitable and your business is totally geared up for them.

So tell us.

Instead of just saying you’re a builder, tell us who it is you want to work for and how you solve their problems.

E.g. We help growing families create more space, avoid moving from a home and area they love and add value to the price of their home. We do this with our luxury loft extensions.

Sounds way better than ‘Professional building service’ doesn’t it?

5. Get some reviews on your Trade and construction Facebook Page.

Maybe you don’t have any reviews for your Trades business just yet.

If you don’t, you might want to take a little look at this.

Our Trade Review Toolkit.

Or, you may well have been focusing on reviews for your Check-A-Trade page.

Or Google.

Which is all great.

But you don’t have any on Facebook.

If you want to start using Facebook seriously to grow your Trades business, because you know there are tonnes of clients there, needing your service, then you are going to have to make sure that your Trade Facebook page has reviews on it.

Like it or not.

How would it look if a potential clients finds your page.

Or has been recommended to take a look.

They like what they’re seeing, but they go over to the REVIEWS tab and you don’t have a single review. Not one.

But the other companies they were looking at have reels of the stuff.

Your brand then doesn’t cut it.

And it’s ashame, because maybe you actually have tonnes or Trade reviews somewhere else.

But we are not going to go looking for them.

So my recommendation?

If you don’t have any reviews at all for your Trades business – maybe you’re new in the game or you have just never thought to ask – then definitely give this a go.

If all your reviews are elsewhere on another platform – like Check-A-trade or Which?, then I’d say start reaching out to a couple of your star clients.

The ones that were uber grateful of the work you did and couldn’t thank you enough.

Make it REALLY easy for them to transfer their review over to Facebook by popping them a simple email.

Copy and paste their review from the platform they left it on.

Paste in the link for your Facebook Review page.

And kindly ask if they have a moment or 2, to pop their review onto your Facebook page.

You’ve made it super easy for them.

All they need do is copy and paste to the link.

EXTRA TIP.

Do it in dribs and drabs.

You don’t want to ask 5 clients all at once and they end up posting on the same day.

We want to make it look natural, so space it out.

Maybe aim for one a week to start with.

HOW TO BRAND YOUR TRADES FACEBOOK PAGE IN 5 EASY STEPS RUNDOWN:

1. Set your Facebook Handle.
2. Use your Company Logo as your Profile Image.
3. Show us your work and business in your Cover Photo Design.
4. Write an informative Bio.
5. Get some reviews on your Facebook Page.

Need a little more help nailing your Trades Facebook?

Course you do.

First. Let’s work out where you are with Facebook.
Got 3 minutes?

Take our Trades Quiz to discover how you score with Facebook and all things ‘Off The Tools’.

We have heaps of tips, tricks and hacks for your Trades business in our cheat sheets, videos and ideas waiting for you on the other side… i.e. your results page.

So you can improve your score. And NAIL your Trades business.