Look, I’ve sat down with enough fencing contractors from Geebung to Logan to know exactly how this goes.
You’re out in the sun all day, your back is cooked, and your phone won't stop buzzing with people asking for a 'rough price' over text. Most of them are just price-shopping. They’ve got no intention of hiring a pro; they just want the cheapest bloke with a post-hole digger.
It’s frustrating. It’s a waste of your time. And honestly? Most marketing 'experts' are making it worse by promising you 'leads' that turn out to be rubbush.
If you want to stop competing on price and start winning the high-margin timber, Colorbond, and pool fencing jobs in the nice suburbs, you need to change how you show up online.
Here’s the truth about what actually works for fencing businesses in 2024. No fluff, no jargon—just what puts money in your bank account.
Why Your Current Marketing is Probably Rubbish
Most fencing blokes do one of two things. They either rely entirely on word of mouth (which is great until it dries up) or they throw a few hundred bucks at Facebook ads and wonder why they only get messages from people who want a 2-metre repair for fifty bucks.
Word of mouth is the gold standard, don't get me wrong. But you can't scale a business on 'hope'. You need a system that brings in work even when your mates aren't talking about you.
And those cheap ads? They’re usually a race to the bottom. If your marketing looks exactly like the bloke down the road who works for cash and doesn't have insurance, why would a homeowner pay you more?
You have to prove you're the better choice before they even pick up the phone. If you don't, you're just another quote on a pile. This is exactly why so many owners find their website isn't ringing like it should. It’s not about the code; it’s about the trust.
The 'Trust Factor': Your Secret Weapon
Fencing is a grudge purchase for a lot of people. Their dog got out, the neighbour’s tree fell on the old palings, or the council is up their tail about a pool gate. They’re stressed. They want someone who’s going to show up, do the job right, and not leave a mess.
How do you prove that?
1. Photos that Actually Sell
Stop taking photos of your muddy boots or a pile of offcuts. People want to see the finished product. They want to imagine their kids playing safely behind that new fence.Take photos in the afternoon when the light is good. Get a shot of the straight line of the fence—show off that craftsmanship. If you’ve just finished a beautiful lap-and-cap job in Ascot, show it off. Those photos are your best sales tool.
2. Reviews are Your Lifeblood
I cannot stress this enough: Google reviews win jobs. Period.When someone searches for 'fencing contractor Brisbane', they aren't looking at your 'About Us' page. They’re looking at your star rating. If you have 5 reviews and your competitor has 50, you’ve lost the job before you even knew it was available.
You need a system to get Google reviews as soon as the last nail is driven in. Don't wait. Ask them while they're standing there looking at their beautiful new fence.
Google Ads: The Fast Track (If You Do It Right)
Google Ads is like a tap. You turn it on, and the phone starts ringing. You turn it off, it stops.
But most people leave the tap running and let the water go down the drain. They bid on broad terms like 'fencing'. Do you know how many people search for 'fencing' when they want to learn how to sword fight? A lot. And you're paying for those clicks.
We worked with a fencer out in Ipswich who was spending $1,000 a month on ads and getting nothing but 'how to build a fence' DIYers. We changed his ads to focus on 'Colorbond installation' and 'pool fence certification'. His lead quality doubled overnight.
The Rule: Only pay for clicks from people who are ready to buy. Specificity wins.
Your Website: It’s a Salesman, Not a Brochure
Your website shouldn't just be a list of things you do. It needs to work on phones (because that's where 80% of your customers are looking) and it needs to make it dead easy to contact you.
I see so many tradie sites with a 'Contact Us' page that has a 20-field form. Nobody wants to fill that out. They want a 'Click to Call' button right at the top.
And for the love of all that is holy, show your face. People buy from people. A photo of you and the crew in front of the truck goes a long way in building that trust we talked about. It makes you a real person, not a faceless company.
If you're tired of being ghosted by leads, you need to understand how to stop losing jobs to the big companies who have this stuff dialled in. It's usually small tweaks to your site that make the difference.
The Power of Local SEO
You don't need to rank #1 in all of Australia. You need to rank in the suburbs where you actually work.
If you’re based in Morningside, you want to be the first name that pops up when someone in Cannon Hill or Bulimba needs a fence. This is called Local SEO.
It’s about making sure Google knows exactly where you are and what you do. This means having a 'Google Business Profile' that is updated constantly. Post photos of your jobs there. Reply to every single review—even the bad ones (especially the bad ones).
Stop Wasting Money on These 3 Things
I promised to tell you what’s a waste of cash. Here it is:
1. Yellow Pages: It’s dead. Unless your target market is 95 years old, stop paying for it. 2. Generic 'SEO' Packages: If an agency offers you 'SEO' for $200 a month, they are doing nothing. Real SEO takes time and work. Cheap SEO is just lighting money on fire. 3. Flyers: Unless you're targeting a very specific new estate where everyone needs a fence at the same time, most flyers go straight from the letterbox to the bin.
How Long Until You See Results?
If you start Google Ads today, the phone could ring tomorrow. That’s the beauty of it.
But for the long-term stuff—like ranking on Google naturally or building a mountain of reviews—give it 3 to 6 months. It’s a slow burn, but once it starts working, it’s much cheaper than paying for ads every month.
What Should You Do First?
If I were sitting in your shoes, here is exactly what I’d do this week:
1. Fix your Google Business Profile. It's free. Upload 10 new photos and ask your last 5 happy customers for a review. 2. Check your website on your phone. If you can’t find your phone number within two seconds, fix it. 3. Stop the 'junk' leads. If you're running ads, look at what people are actually searching for. If it’s DIY stuff, block those words.
Look, I get it. You’re busy. You’d rather be on-site than staring at a computer. But the difference between a fencing business that struggles and one that’s booked out months in advance is usually just a bit of smart marketing.
You don't need a massive budget. You just need to stop doing the stuff that doesn't work and double down on the stuff that does.
If you want someone to take a look at your setup and give you a straight answer on why it’s not working, give us a shout. We don't do the corporate speak, and we definitely don't waste time on things that don't make you money.
Let’s get those phones ringing.