The Hard Truth About Fencing Marketing in Brisbane
You started a fencing business because you’re good at building things. Whether it’s a standard timber paling fence in Chermside or an architectural Colorbond masterpiece in Ascot, you know your trade. But here’s the problem: being a great fencer doesn’t mean your phone automatically rings.
I’ve sat down with dozens of fencing contractors across South East Queensland. Most of them are frustrated. They feel like they’re being hosed by lead-generation sites that sell the same shitty lead to five other blokes, or they’ve spent thousands on a website that looks pretty but produces absolutely zero enquiries.
If you’re tired of chasing cheap jobs and want to actually grow your business, you need to stop doing what everyone else is doing. Most "marketing" advice for tradies is rubbish. It’s written by people who have never stepped foot on a job site and think a "social media strategy" is more important than a ringing phone.
Let’s look at the common mistakes that are costing you money and exactly how to fix them.
Mistake 1: Buying Leads from the "Big Sites"
We’ve all been there. You sign up for one of those massive trade directory sites. They promise you a steady stream of jobs. You pay your monthly fee or buy "credits," and then the emails start coming in: "Customer in North Lakes needs 20m of timber fencing."
You call the lead within three minutes. What happens? They don’t answer. Or worse, they tell you four other blokes have already called and the cheapest quote is half your price.
These sites are designed to make the directory company rich, not you. They encourage customers to treat fencing like a commodity—where the only thing that matters is the lowest price. If you want to build a real business, you need to stop buying leads and start owning your own patch of dirt.
When you own your marketing, you aren't competing with five other guys for a $50 lead. You are the only person the customer is calling. That’s how you get the jobs where the customer values quality and is happy to pay for it.
Mistake 2: The "Ghost Town" Website
I see this all the time in Brisbane. A fencer pays a nephew or a cheap offshore agency $1,000 to build a website. It’s got a few stock photos of people pointing at blueprints (who actually does that?) and a contact form that doesn't work.
If someone searches for "fencing contractors Brisbane" and finds your site, you have about three seconds to prove you’re the real deal. If your site looks like it was made in 2004, or if it doesn't work on a smartphone, they’re gone. They’ll click the next guy on the list.
Your website shouldn't be an online brochure; it should be your best salesperson. It needs to tell people: 1. Exactly what you do (Timber? Colorbond? Pool fencing? Glass?) 2. Where you work (Do you go out to Ipswich or stay in the inner suburbs?) 3. Why they should trust you (Are you QBCC licensed? Insured?) 4. How to get a quote (Phone number front and centre!)
If your website isn't ringing, it’s usually because you’ve made it too hard for the customer to buy from you. People are busy. They want to see your work, see you’re local, and click a button to call you. If they have to hunt for your phone number, you’ve already lost the job.
Mistake 3: Shitty Photos (or No Photos at All)
Fencing is visual. Nobody cares about your "mission statement" or your "commitment to excellence." They want to see what a fence looks like when you’ve finished it. They want to see straight lines, clean sites, and tidy finishes.
Most fencing contractors take terrible photos. They’re blurry, taken in the middle of a messy job site with offcuts everywhere, or they’re taken at midday when the sun makes everything look washed out.
I’ve seen a fencer in Morningside double his enquiry rate just by spending 10 minutes at the end of every job cleaning up the site and taking three high-quality photos. You don’t need a fancy camera; a modern iPhone or Samsung is plenty. But you do need to understand that photos win jobs more than any sales pitch ever will.
Pro tip: Take a photo of the old, rotten, falling-down fence first. Then take a photo of the new one from the exact same angle. That "Before & After" is pure gold for your marketing. It shows the transformation and the value you provide.
Mistake 4: Wasting Money on the Wrong Ads
Should you be on Facebook? Should you be on Google? Should you put an ad in the local school newsletter?
Here’s the blunt truth: If someone has a fence that’s just blown over in a Brisbane storm, they aren't going to Facebook to look for a solution. They are going to Google. They type in "fencing repair near me" or "new timber fence Brisbane."
If you aren't showing up there, you aren't getting the job.
Facebook is great for showing off beautiful, high-end work (like a stunning glass pool fence or custom gate) to people who aren't necessarily looking for it yet. But for the meat-and-potatoes fencing work—the stuff that keeps your crews busy every day—Google is king.
I’ve seen blokes spend $500 a month on Facebook ads with zero return, while their competitor is spending $500 on Google and getting 10 phone calls a week. It’s about being where the customer is looking when they have a problem to solve.
Mistake 5: The "Price Shopper" Trap
One of the biggest complaints I hear from fencers is: "Everyone just wants the cheapest price."
If that’s all you’re getting, it’s because your marketing makes you look like everyone else. If your ute has no signage, your website has no photos, and you turn up to a quote in a stained shirt with no business card, you are a "commodity." The only way the customer can choose between you and the next guy is the number at the bottom of the quote.
To get the high-paying jobs, you have to look the part.
Google Reviews: If you have 50 five-star reviews and the other guy has two, you can charge 10% more and still get the job. People pay for peace of mind. Local Presence: People in Brisbane love hiring locals. If you’re based in the Bayside, shout about it. Mention the suburbs you love working in. It builds a connection that a big national company can’t match.
- Professionalism: Send your quotes quickly. Use a professional template. Follow up. Most of your competition is terrible at the office side of things. If you are organized, you’ve already won half the battle.
Realistic Costs: What Should You Spend?
Marketing isn't a cost; it’s an investment. If you spend $1,000 and it brings in $10,000 worth of work, that’s a win.
For a small fencing business in Brisbane, here is what is realistic:
1. A Professional Website: Expect to pay $2,500 - $5,000 for something that actually works and is built to get you phone calls. Anything cheaper is usually a waste of money. 2. Google Ads: To see real results in a competitive market like Brisbane, you need a budget of at least $30 - $50 a day. If you spend less, you won't get enough data to see what's working. 3. Google Business Profile: This is free to set up, but you should spend time every week adding photos and asking for reviews. This is the single most important thing you can do for your local visibility.
How Long Until You See Results?
If you start a Google Ads campaign today, your phone could ring tomorrow. It’s that fast.
However, building a "brand" where people call you because they’ve heard you’re the best in the Western Suburbs takes time. That’s a 6 to 12-month game of getting reviews, posting photos, and doing great work.
My advice? Do both. Use ads to get the work coming in right now, and use that work to build the reputation that gets you free leads in the future.
What Should You Do First?
If you’re ready to stop messing around and start growing, here is your checklist:
1. Fix your Google Business Profile. Update your hours, add 10 photos of recent jobs, and call five past customers today and ask them for a review. 2. Check your website on your phone. Can you find your phone number in two seconds? If not, fix it. 3. Stop paying for shared leads. Put that money into your own Google Ads or towards a better website. 4. Take better photos. Spend 5 minutes at the end of the next job making it look perfect for a photo.
Summary
Marketing a fencing business isn't rocket science, but it does require you to stop doing what doesn't work. Stop chasing the cheapest leads on directory sites and start building an asset you own. Show off your work with great photos, make it easy for people to call you, and show up where people are searching.
At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane tradies get off the tools (if they want to) by building systems that bring in consistent, high-quality work. We don't care about "likes" or "engagement." We care about your phone ringing.
If you’re ready to get more fencing jobs and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn't work, let’s have a chat.
Contact us today to see how we can help your fencing business grow: https://lmgroup.au/contact