Marketing and Growth: Get Found, Get Reviews

The best tradespeople don’t always get the most customers. The most visible ones do. AI helps you get visible without becoming a full-time marketer.

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you streamlined operations with AI — scheduling, invoicing, and expense tracking. Marketing is the growth engine: getting new customers through the door (or calling your phone).

Google Business Profile Optimization

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the #1 lead generator for local tradespeople. Here’s how to optimize it with AI:

Business Description

Write a Google Business Profile description for my business:
- Company: [name]
- Trade: [electrician/plumber/HVAC]
- Service area: [cities/zip codes]
- Specialties: [panel upgrades, water heater installs, etc.]
- Years in business: [X]
- Licenses: [state license #]
- Tone: professional but approachable
- Max 750 characters

Service Descriptions

For each service you offer, AI writes a description:

Write a brief Google Business Profile service description
for "200-amp electrical panel upgrade" for a residential
electrician. Include: what it is, why homeowners need it,
and what's included. Under 200 characters.

Q&A Section

Pre-populate your GBP Q&A with common questions:

Write 5 frequently asked questions and answers for a
plumbing company's Google Business Profile:
- Topics: emergency service hours, service area, estimates,
  payment methods, license/insurance
- Keep answers under 100 words each
- Tone: helpful, direct

✅ Quick Check: Your Google Business Profile has no photos. You add 10 photos of completed jobs (before/after panel installs, clean water heater installs, neat wiring). What impact does this have? (Answer: Significant. Google Business Profiles with photos get 42% more requests for directions and 35% more website clicks. More importantly, customers trust what they can see. A photo of your clean, organized wiring job shows professionalism better than any written description. Take a photo of every completed job — build a visual portfolio.)

Social Media Without the Hassle

You don’t need to be on every platform. Pick one (Facebook or Instagram work best for trades) and post consistently.

The Weekly Post Template

I'm a plumber. Write me 4 social media posts for this week:

Post 1: Before/after of a water heater replacement (I'll add the photo)
Post 2: Quick homeowner tip about preventing frozen pipes
Post 3: Behind-the-scenes of a tricky job (I'll add a photo)
Post 4: Seasonal reminder (spring plumbing checklist)

Keep each under 150 words. Casual tone — like I'm talking
to a neighbor. Include 3-5 relevant hashtags per post.
No marketing language. No emojis unless natural.

Content That Works for Trades

Real work beats marketing copy every time.

Review Generation System

The Flow

Job completed
     ↓
Same-day follow-up text (AI-generated):
  "Hey [name], hope the [job] is working perfectly!
   Quick favor — would you mind leaving a Google review?
   It really helps our small business. Here's the link:
   [your direct review link]"
     ↓
If no review in 3 days → gentle reminder text (AI-generated):
  "Hey [name], just checking in — how's the [job] working?
   If you have 30 seconds, a Google review would mean a
   lot: [link]. Thanks either way!"

Responding to Every Review

5-star reviews:

Write a brief, genuine response to this 5-star Google review:
"[paste review]"
Thank them specifically for what they mentioned.
Keep under 50 words. Sign as [your name].

1-3 star reviews:

Write a professional response to this negative review:
"[paste review]"
Acknowledge their concern. Don't be defensive.
Offer to make it right. Include my phone number.
Keep under 80 words.

✅ Quick Check: You respond to every Google review — positive and negative — within 24 hours. A potential customer is comparing you to a competitor who has similar reviews but never responds. Who do they call? (Answer: You. Review responses signal that you’re actively engaged with your customers and care about their experience. When a potential customer sees that you address both praise and complaints professionally, they trust you before they’ve even called. It’s free marketing that AI makes effortless.)

Practice Exercise

1. Ask AI to write your Google Business Profile description
2. Generate 4 social media posts for this week using job photos from your phone
3. Set up the review follow-up template and send it to your last 3 customers

Key Takeaways

• Google Business Profile is your #1 lead source — optimize the description, services, photos, and Q&A
• Photos of completed work generate 42% more direction requests and 35% more clicks
• Social media posts about real jobs (before/after, tips, behind-the-scenes) outperform marketing language
• Review quantity matters for Google ranking — ask after every job with an AI-generated follow-up text
• Respond to every review within 24 hours — future customers are reading your responses
• AI makes all of this manageable: 15 minutes per week for marketing that used to take hours

Up Next

In the final lesson, you’ll pull everything together into your personal AI toolkit — a collection of prompts, templates, and workflows customized for your specific trade and business.