- Post real work: finished jobs, your crew and seasonal tips beat stock graphics.
- A comment asking about price or availability is a lead, so answer it fast and in private.
- Meta limits automatic messages, so the first one has to be useful.
- Move serious inquiries to a booking link, a quote form or a text conversation.
What trades should post
You don't need to be a content creator. The posts that work for trades are the ones only you can make.
- Finished work. Before-and-after photos of a new roof, a clean install or a patio.
- Your crew. People hire people. A photo of the team on site does more than any logo.
- Seasonal reminders. "Book your furnace tune-up before the first cold snap."
- Useful tips. Short versions of your blog articles, with a link to the full one.
- Reviews. A screenshot of a recent Google review, with the customer's first name only.
Posting regularly matters more than posting often. Two good posts a month is better than ten in one week, then nothing until spring.
Comments are leads
Under a good post you'll see comments like "How much for something like this?", "Do you come out to Welland?" or "PM me". Each one is someone raising their hand.
The trouble is timing. If the reply comes three days later, they've already asked someone else. Treat a comment like a phone call that needs returning.
Reply in public and in private
- In public, reply briefly so others see you're responsive: "Thanks Jen, just sent you a message."
- In private, send the useful part: a price range if you have one, a booking link or a question about the job.
- Never post prices or personal details in the public thread if they depend on the job.
The rules for automatic messages
Plenty of businesses now invite comments with a keyword, such as "Comment QUOTE and we'll message you", and send a private message automatically. It works, but Meta sets firm limits on what businesses can send.
On Instagram, for example:
- One private reply per comment. A business can send a single private message to the person who commented.
- Within seven days. The reply has to go within seven days of the comment.
- The conversation continues only if they reply. Once they write back, you can keep talking within a 24-hour messaging window.
Because you get one shot, make the first message count: thank them, give them the useful thing they asked for, and include a clear next step, such as a link to book an estimate.
What not to do
- Don't message people who didn't ask. Sending unsolicited messages to followers is spam, and Meta can restrict accounts that do it.
- Don't buy followers or likes. They don't hire anyone.
- Don't argue in the comments. Handle complaints the way you'd handle a bad review: acknowledge, take it private and fix it. See how to respond to Google reviews.
Hand off to a real conversation
Social media is good at starting conversations and bad at finishing them. Once someone's interested, move them somewhere that leads to a job:
- a booking link for estimates and tune-ups;
- a quote form for bigger jobs;
- a text conversation from your business number, so the details don't get lost in a social inbox.
And keep those messages in the same inbox as everything else, so a Facebook lead doesn't sit unread while the team answers texts. Our guide to a shared inbox for trades teams explains why.
Put this to work
Social Lead Syndication & Auto-DM is a Velocity accelerator component, at C$67/mo + C$90 setup. Velocity follows your Traction trial, so the first step is Traction's 30-day free trial. It works with, and requires, the Local SEO Content Engine.
This article is general information for business owners, not legal advice. Survey figures are US consumer research where noted; we are not aware of equivalent published Canadian surveys and do not present them as Canadian data.