Social Media Ads vs Word of Mouth in 2025
Which Actually Gets Tradies More Jobs? For years, the bread and butter of every Australian trade business has been word of mouth marketing for tradies. Happy client tells a mate, mate tells their cousin, and suddenly you’re flat out. It’s free, it’s trusted, and it feels bloody good when it works. But here’s the hard truth in 2025: relying only on word of mouth is like waiting for rain in a drought with a leaking bucket. Why Social Media Ads Have Overtaken Word of Mouth for Most Tradies
Speed & Scale
Word of mouth grows linearly – one job might lead to one referral every few months.
Social media ads for tradies grow exponentially. One well-targeted Meta campaign can put you in front of 20,000 local homeowners in a single week.Control
You can’t control when your last client recommends you.
With paid ads you choose exactly when, where, and to whom you appear – peak reno season, specific suburbs, even people who’ve just liked Bunnings or The Block.Predictability
Word of mouth is random. Some months you’re drowning, others you’re eating Mi Goreng.
Social media ads give predictable, repeatable lead flow. Spend $500 → get 40 enquiries → book 8–12 jobs. Rinse and repeat.Reach Beyond Your Existing Network
Even if every past client raved about you, they only know a few hundred people combined.
Meta and Instagram reach hundreds of thousands of homeowners in your service area who have never heard of you – yet.
Real 2025 numbers from our Aussie tradie clients (anonymised):
Average cost per booked renovation job via Meta ads: $180–$340
Average job value: $8,000 – $45,000
ROI: 15–40× (yes, that’s normal now)
Word of mouth is still gold for trust and testimonials, but if you want to stop stressing about the next slow month and actually scale in 2025, paid social media ads for Australian tradies are no longer optional – they’re the new baseline.