How to Get Your Business Noticed Without Wasting a Cent

Why Most Brisbane Business Owners Are Getting Social Media Wrong

I see it every single day driving through suburbs like Chermside or Coorparoo. A local business owner—maybe a sparky, a cafe owner, or a real estate agent—is hunched over their phone at 8:00 PM, trying to figure out what to post on Facebook.

They’ve heard that they need to "go viral" to be successful. They spend hours trying to film a funny dance or find a trending song, thinking that if they just get enough views, the phone will start ringing off the hook.

I’m going to be blunt with you: Most of what you’ve been told about "going viral" is absolute rubbish.

If you’re a plumber in Carindale, you don’t need a million views from teenagers in the United States. You need a few hundred views from homeowners in Brisbane who have a leaking tap right now. Getting 10,000 likes on a photo of your cat might feel good for your ego, but it won’t put food on the table.

At Local Marketing Group, we don’t care about vanity. We care about results. In this guide, I’m going to show you how to "engineer" your posts so they reach the right people, get shared by the right people, and—most importantly—turn those people into paying customers.

The Truth About "Going Viral"

When marketers talk about "viral engineering," they usually mean using complex math to trick an app into showing your video to more people. Forget that. For a small business owner, "viral" just means your message is spreading naturally from one person to another without you having to pay for every single click.

Think of it like word-of-mouth on steroids. If you do a great job for a customer in Ascot, they might tell their neighbour. That’s great. But if you post a video of that job in a way that makes people want to share it, you’ve just told 500 neighbours at once.

That is how you get more customers without spending a fortune on ads. It’s not about luck; it’s about understanding what makes people in our city stop scrolling and start paying attention.

Step 1: Stop Being a Boring Business

Nobody goes on Facebook or Instagram to see an ad. They go there to be entertained, to learn something, or to see what’s happening in their community.

If every post you make is just a photo of your logo with a "10% OFF" coupon, people will tune you out. It’s white noise. To get noticed, you have to be human.

I worked with a landscaping crew near Ipswich who were struggling to get any traction online. They were posting finished photos of backyards—which were nice, but boring. We changed their strategy. Instead of just the finished lawn, they started filming "The Worst Backyard in Brisbane" series. They showed the shoulder-high weeds, the snakes they found, and the sweat it took to clear it.

People loved it. Why? Because it was a story. It was relatable. It showed they were hard workers. Within three weeks, their phone was ringing off the hook with people saying, "I saw that snake video, can you come look at my jungle?"

Step 2: The Three Things That Make People Share

If you want your posts to spread, they need to do one of three things. If they don't do these, you are wasting time on social media and should probably just get back to work.

1. Make Them Look Smart

A tradie will share that with his mates because it makes him look helpful and smart. He’s the guy with the "insider tip."

2. Make Them Feel Something

If you’re a mechanic, show a photo of a part that was about to fail and say, "This customer almost took their kids on a road trip with these brakes. Check your cars, folks." That creates a sense of urgency and care. People share that because they want their friends to be safe.

3. Help Them Solve a Problem Quickly

Step 3: Use Your Team (The Secret Weapon)

Most business owners think they have to be the face of the brand. You don't. In fact, your customers often want to see the people actually doing the work.

One of the best ways to get your message moving is by letting your team talk on camera. Let your apprentice show off a tidy wiring job. Let your receptionist explain how the booking process works.

When people see real faces, they trust the business more. Trust leads to phone calls. Phone calls lead to quotes. Quotes lead to money in the bank.

Step 4: The "Local" Factor

As a Brisbane business, your biggest advantage over big national companies is that you live here. Use it.

- Mention the weather (The humidity is a great talking point for aircon techs or painters). - Mention local landmarks (Post a photo of your truck parked near the Gabba). - Tag other local businesses.

When you keep it local, the platform knows to show your content to people in the same area. There is no point being "viral" in Sydney if you only work in Logan.

The Cost of Doing This Right

Let’s talk turkey. How much does this cost?

If you do it yourself, it costs time. You’ll need about 3-5 hours a week to plan, film, and reply to comments.

If you hire a junior to do it, it might cost you $30-$40 an hour, but be careful—most juniors know how to get likes, but they don't know how to get sales.

If you hire an agency like Local Marketing Group, you’re looking at a professional investment, but the goal is always the same: ensure every dollar you spend brings back three or four dollars in new business.

What You Should Do First

Don't try to be a superstar overnight. Here is your plan for the next 7 days:

1. Take your phone out of your pocket. Every time you finish a job this week, take a 10-second video of the result and a 10-second video of you explaining one thing you did. 2. Post it with a local caption. "Just finished a kitchen Reno in North Lakes. The owners wanted more light, so we installed these custom LEDs. What do you think?" 3. Ask a question. People love giving their opinion. Ask them which colour they prefer or if they’ve ever had a similar problem. 4. Reply to every single comment. If someone takes the time to comment, they are a warm lead. Treat them like they just walked into your shop.

What is a Waste of Money?

- Buying likes or followers: This is the fastest way to kill your business page. Google and Facebook will punish you, and fake followers don't buy anything. - Over-produced videos: You don't need a film crew. A shaky video on an iPhone often performs better because it looks "real." - Running ads to a bad post: If a post isn't getting any interest naturally, throwing money at it won't help. It's like putting premium petrol in a broken car.

Summary

Engineering "viral" content for a small business isn't about being a celebrity. It's about being the most helpful, most relatable, and most visible expert in your local Brisbane suburb.

Focus on the people who are actually going to hire you. Give them value, show them your work, and don't be afraid to show some personality.

If you’re too busy running your business to worry about hashtags and filming videos, that’s where we come in. We help Brisbane businesses get noticed by the right people so you can focus on the work you actually enjoy.

Ready to get more phone calls? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s talk about a plan that actually works for your business.