Why Most Brisbane Business Owners Are Wasting Their Marketing Budget
I see it every single week. A plumber in Coorparoo or a landscaper in Chermside tells me they’re spending a fortune on ads, but the calls are coming from the Gold Coast or Ipswich.
If you’re a local business, you don’t need the whole of Queensland to know who you are. You just need the people within a 10-minute drive of your shop or office to think of you first.
Most marketing "experts" will try to sell you on broad brand awareness. That’s a load of rubbish. If you’re a small business owner, you don’t want "awareness"—you want the phone to ring today with a customer who is ready to pay.
This guide is about how to dominate your specific suburb. I’m going to show you how to stop throwing money at people who will never buy from you and how to focus your energy on the streets right next to you.
The "Goldilocks Zone": Why Narrower is Better
Most business owners think that if they cast a wider net, they’ll catch more fish. In the marketing world, that’s the fastest way to go broke.
When you try to target the whole of Brisbane, your money gets spread so thin that nobody actually sees your message enough for it to stick. Plus, do you really want to be driving an hour across the Gateway Bridge for a $150 service call? Of course not. Fuel is expensive, and your time is better spent on the tools or with your family.
By focusing on your "Goldilocks Zone"—the 3 to 5 suburbs surrounding your base—you get three major wins: 1. Cheaper Leads: You aren't competing with the massive national franchises for broad keywords. 2. Better Profit: Less travel time means more jobs per day. 3. Trust: People in Brisbane love supporting locals. If they see your ute at the local Bunnings or parked in their neighbour's driveway, they’re already halfway to hiring you.
Step 1: Fix Your Google Business Profile (The Right Way)
If you do nothing else after reading this, do this. Your Google Business Profile is the map listing that shows up when someone searches for "electrician near me" or "best coffee in Paddington".
Most people set this up once and forget it. That’s a mistake. To own your suburb, you need to prove to Google that you are the most relevant local option.
Practical Action Items:
Use Local Photos: Don’t use stock photos. Take a photo of your team in front of a recognisable local landmark or a job you just finished in a specific street. If you're a painter in Ascot, show a photo of an Ascot-style Queenslander you just finished. Google’s tech can actually tell where that photo was taken. Ask for Reviews Mentioning the Suburb: When you finish a job, don't just ask for a review. Say, "Hey, would you mind mentioning that we did this job for you in Carindale?" When Google sees dozens of reviews mentioning specific suburbs, it starts showing you to more people in those areas. Post Updates Regularly: Treat it like a very boring version of Facebook. Once a week, post a photo of a job and say, "Great day helping a family in Northgate get their air con ready for summer."This is the foundation of how you get local customers without paying for ads over the long term.
Step 2: The "Neighbourhood Domination" Strategy
I worked with a pest control guy in Morningside who was struggling to get traction. We stopped all his broad Facebook ads and focused on what I call the "Circle Strategy."
Whenever he had a job, he would put three physical flyers in the letterboxes of the houses to the left, three to the right, and six across the street. The flyer didn't say "We do pest control." It said: "We just treated your neighbour's house for termites. Since we’re already in the street next Tuesday, we can offer you 15% off if you book now."
He saw more results from $50 worth of paper and 5 minutes of walking than he did from $500 in digital ads.
Why this works:
Social proof is everything. If Mrs. Jones at number 42 trusts you, the rest of the street is much more likely to trust you too. This is one of the most effective segmentation strategies because you are targeting people based on their exact physical location and the fact that they have the same problems as their neighbours.Step 3: Local Social Media (Stop Being Boring)
Most small business Facebook pages are a graveyard of "Happy Monday!" posts. Nobody cares.
To win your local area, you need to be part of the community. Join the local "Community Board" or "Residents Group" for your suburb. But—and this is a big but—don't just spam your services.
The "Helpful Neighbour" Method:
Monitor for problems: If someone asks for a recommendation, jump in. Offer free advice: If there’s a big storm in Brisbane, post a quick video on the local group showing people how to safely check their gutters or what to do if their power goes out. Support other locals: Tag the local bakery where you get your morning pie. They’ll likely return the favour.This builds a reputation that money can’t buy. People start to recognise you as "the local expert" rather than "the guy trying to sell me something."
Step 4: Targeting by Postcode (Paid Ads)
If you are going to spend money on Facebook or Google ads, you must be ruthless with your settings.
Most people just type in "Brisbane" and hit go. You might as well set your money on fire. Instead, target specific postcodes.
If you’re a high-end renovator, you don’t want to waste money showing ads to people in areas where everyone is renting. You want to pick the top 5 suburbs where people own their homes and have the budget for your work.
How to set this up:
1. List the 5 postcodes where your best, most profitable jobs come from. 2. Set your ad radius to only those postcodes. 3. Change your ad copy to mention the suburb. Instead of "Best Plumber in Brisbane," use "The Most Trusted Plumber in Ashgrove."When someone sees their own suburb in an ad, they click on it. It’s human nature. They feel like you are "just around the corner" and therefore more reliable and faster to respond.
Step 5: Local Events and Partnerships
I’ve seen many Brisbane businesses waste thousands on big trade shows at the Convention Centre, only to walk away with a stack of useless business cards from people who live 2 hours away.
Instead, look for the school fete, the local footy club, or the bowls club. Sponsoring a local team for $500 often gets you more loyal customers than a $5,000 billboard ever will.
When you show up at these places, don't just hand out brochures. Have a reason for people to talk to you. A simple competition or a helpful demonstration works wonders. We’ve written a lot about what actually works at events because so many owners get this wrong and end up just standing behind a table looking bored.
The Real Cost of Hyperlocal Marketing
Let’s talk turkey. How much is this going to cost you?
Google Business Profile: $0 (just your time). Local Flyers: $100 - $300 for a good run of high-quality cards. Postcode-targeted Ads: You can start with as little as $10-$20 a day. Local Sponsorships: Usually $500 - $2,000 per year.
The Timeline: You’ll see the impact of Google reviews and flyer drops almost immediately—usually within 2 to 4 weeks. Building a reputation in local Facebook groups takes longer, maybe 3 to 6 months, but once you have it, it’s a constant stream of free work.
What’s a Total Waste of Money?
Letterbox drops to 20,000 homes: Most of these go straight in the bin. Stick to the "Circle Strategy" around your current jobs. Radio ads for a single-suburb business: You’re paying to reach people in Ipswich when you only work in Sandgate. Forget it.
- SEO agencies promising "Number 1 on Google for Australia": You don't want to be number one in Australia. You want to be number one when someone in your street needs help.
Your 3-Step Action Plan for Monday Morning
If you want to start seeing more local calls, do these three things on Monday:
1. Google Check: Search for your business on Google Maps. If you don't have at least 5 photos from the last month, take 5 photos of your current job site or your shopfront and upload them right now. 2. The Neighbour Drop: Pick your biggest job this week. Print out 20 simple notes (even hand-written is fine) saying you're working in the street and offering a "neighbourhood discount" for anyone else who books this week. Drop them in the 20 closest houses. 3. Join the Group: Find the biggest Facebook group for your primary suburb and join it as your business profile. Don't post an ad. Just look for one person asking a question you can answer.
Need a Hand Owning Your Suburb?
Marketing your business shouldn't feel like a second full-time job. At Local Marketing Group, we specialise in helping Brisbane business owners stop wasting money on broad, useless advertising and start dominating their local area.
We don't care about fancy reports or technical jargon. We care about how many times your phone rings and how much profit you make at the end of the month.
If you want to move faster and get your marketing sorted by people who know the Brisbane market inside out, let’s have a chat.
Ready to grow? Contact Local Marketing Group today.