Look, I’ll be the first to admit it. If you’d asked me three years ago if a local plumber or a law firm should be spending time making 15-second videos on Instagram, I probably would’ve laughed you out of the pub.
It felt like a playground for teenagers doing choreographed dances in their bedrooms.
But things have changed. Big time.
Nowadays, if you aren't using Reels, you’re basically invisible on social media. But here’s the catch: most small business owners are doing it completely wrong. They’re chasing "likes" and "views" from people in Brazil or London who are never going to buy a coffee or book a renovation in Paddington.
That’s a waste of your time. And time is the one thing you don’t have enough of.
We’ve spent the last year testing what actually works for local businesses here in Brisbane. We’ve seen what brings in the phone calls and what's just a vanity project.
If you want to stop being a "content creator" and start being a business owner who uses video to make money, read on.
The Hard Truth About Reels
Most agencies will tell you that you need to be "viral."
That’s rubbish.
If you run a boutique gym in Milton, you don’t need a million views. You need 500 views from people who live within 10 kilometres of your front door.
Going viral is actually a bit of a curse for a local business. Your inbox gets flooded with questions from people who can't visit you, and you spend all day replying to comments that will never turn into a sale.
We want to be "locally famous." We want the people at the local footy club or the Sunday markets to see your face on their phone and think, "That’s the person I need to call."
Why it works (when it works)
Google likes it when people spend time looking at your brand, but more importantly, people buy from people they trust.
In the old days, you’d have to meet someone at a networking event or have them walk into your shop to build that trust. Now, a 30-second video of you explaining how to fix a leaky tap or showing off a new menu item does that work for you while you’re asleep.
It’s about scale. You’re having a one-on-one conversation with hundreds of potential customers at once.
Case Study: The Tradie Who Stopped Chasing Likes
Let’s look at a real example. We worked with a local electrician—let’s call him Dave.
Dave was spending two hours a night trying to edit fancy videos with trending music because some "guru" online told him that’s how you get the algorithm to notice you. He was getting views, sure, but his phone wasn't ringing any more than usual.
We changed his strategy.
Instead of fancy edits, we told him to pull his phone out every time he found a "dodgy DIY job" at a client's house.
He’d point the camera at a messy fuse box and say: "Look at this. This is why your lights are flickering and why your house is a fire hazard. Don't do this. Call a pro."
No music. No dancing. Just Dave, his hi-vis, and some honest advice.
The result?
His views actually went down. But his enquiries went through the roof. People weren't watching for entertainment; they were watching because they realised their own fuse box looked exactly like that.
He stopped wasting money on tools that didn't help and started using his phone to solve problems. That’s the shift you need to make.
What Should You Actually Film?
You don’t need a film crew. You don’t even need a fancy camera. The iPhone in your pocket is better than what most TV stations were using ten years ago.
Here are the three types of videos that actually make money for local businesses:
1. The "I’m the Expert" Video
Answer the questions your customers ask you every single day.
- "How much does a new deck cost?" - "What’s the best way to clean leather shoes?" - "Why is my aircon making that weird clicking noise?"
If one customer has asked it, fifty more are wondering the same thing. When you answer it on video, you aren't just being helpful—you’re proving you know your stuff. This is how you get people to trust you before they’ve even picked up the phone.
2. The "Behind the Scenes" Video
People are nosy. They love seeing how the sausage is made.
If you’re a cafe, show the milk being delivered at 5 AM. If you’re a lawyer, show the mountain of paperwork you’re tackling for a client. If you’re a dog groomer, show the "before and after" of a particularly shaggy golden retriever.
It makes your business feel human. People don't want to buy from a logo; they want to buy from a person.
3. The "Proof" Video
This is the most powerful one. Show a finished job.
Walk through a completed kitchen renovation. Show a happy customer holding the keys to their new car. This is basically a video testimonial, and it’s worth its weight in gold. It’s the ultimate way to get your customers to do your marketing for you.
"Stop trying to make a cinematic masterpiece; if your video looks too much like a TV commercial, people will just swipe past it because they know they're being sold to."
— Angus Smith, Founder & Marketing Director
The "Low Effort, High Reward" Setup
I hear this all the time: "I don't have time to edit videos."
Good. You shouldn't be editing.
If you're spending more than 10 minutes on a Reel, you're overthinking it. Here is the workflow we tell our clients to use:
1. Record in one take. If you mess up a word, just keep going or start the sentence again. Don't aim for perfection. Aim for personality. 2. Use the Instagram app. You don't need fancy software. Use the built-in captions tool (because 80% of people watch with the sound off while they’re sitting on the bus or in a boring meeting). 3. Talk to the camera like it’s a mate. Forget the "professional" voice. Talk like you’re at the pub. Use your hands. Be yourself.
How to Get the Right People to See It
This is where the "local" part of local marketing comes in.
Instagram’s algorithm is smarter than you think. If you tag your location (e.g., "Paddington, Queensland" or "Fortitude Valley"), it will show that video to people who are physically in those areas.
Don't use generic hashtags like #business or #marketing. Use #BrisbaneTradie, #PaddingtonCafe, or #NewFarmRealEstate.
It’s better to be seen by 100 people in your suburb than 10,000 people in another country.
The Cost of Doing This (and the Cost of Not)
Let’s talk brass tacks.
Doing this yourself costs $0 and maybe an hour of your week.
Hiring an agency to do it for you can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000 a month.
Is it worth it?
If that $2,000 a month brings in three new jobs worth $5,000 each, then yes, it's a no-brainer. But if you’re just paying an agency to post pretty pictures that don't result in phone calls, you're being taken for a ride.
My advice? Start doing it yourself for a month. See which videos get people asking questions. Once you know what works, then you can look at hiring someone to take the load off your plate.
What to Do Right Now
Don't go out and buy a tripod. Don't buy a ring light.
Tomorrow morning, when you’re starting work, pull out your phone. Record a 20-second clip of what you're doing and explain one thing that most people get wrong about your industry.
Post it. Tag your suburb. Do that three times a week.
If you do that, you’ll be ahead of 90% of your competitors who are still posting static photos of their logos like it's 2012.
If you want to turn those views into a proper enquiries machine, you need a plan that goes beyond just "posting and praying."
Marketing shouldn't be a mystery. It should be a way to get more people to give you money for the great work you do.
If you’re struggling to figure out how to make this work for your specific business, or you’re tired of shouting into the void, let’s have a chat. We help Brisbane businesses sort this stuff out every day without the fluff.
Drop us a line at Local Marketing Group. No jargon, just results.