The $5,000 Mistake Most Brisbane Business Owners Make
I was sitting down with a plumber in Coorparoo a few months back. Great bloke, runs a tidy crew of four, but he was frustrated. He’d been paying a 'content agency' $1,500 a month to write blog posts for his website.
When I asked him how it was going, he shrugged. "I don't know, mate. They send me these reports with graphs showing 'impressions' and 'engagement,' but I couldn't tell you if a single one of those posts has ever fixed a leaking tap or cleared a drain."
That is the reality for most small business owners in South East Queensland. You’re told you need to be "creating content," so you spend your hard-earned money or your precious Sunday nights writing articles, and you have no idea if it’s actually putting food on the table.
In the marketing world, they call this "Content ROI." In the real world, we call it "Am I getting my money's back?"
If you aren't seeing more phone calls, more email enquiries, or more money in the bank, your marketing is failing you. Period. Today, I’m going to show you how to stop wasting time on stuff that doesn't work and how to measure the things that actually matter to your bottom line.
Forget the Fluff: What Actually Matters?
If you hire a marketing person and they start talking about "brand awareness" or "viral potential," hold onto your wallet. Those things don't pay the electricity bill at your shop in Chermside or Indooroopilly.
For a small business, there are only three things worth measuring:
1. Phone Calls: Did someone see your post and hit the 'call' button? 2. Enquiry Forms: Did they fill out a quote request? 3. Sales: Did they actually book the job and pay the invoice?
Everything else is just noise. I don't care if 1,000 people "liked" your photo on Facebook if your phone stayed silent all week.
The "How-To" Trap
One of the biggest ways I see local businesses waste money is by writing guides that teach people how to do the job themselves. We recently spoke about why you should stop writing how-to articles because, quite frankly, you’re just helping people fix their own problems for free instead of hiring you.
If you want to see a return on your investment, your content should convince people that you are the expert they need to call, not give them a DIY manual.
How to Track Your Wins Without a Degree in IT
You don't need to be a computer whiz to know where your customers are coming from. Here is the dead-simple way to see if your marketing is working.
1. The "How Did You Hear About Us?" Test
It sounds old-school, but it’s the most reliable method there is. Every time a new customer calls your office, whoever picks up the phone needs to ask: "Just out of curiosity, where did you find us today?"If they say "I saw that article you wrote about common roof leaks in Brisbane," you know that post just made you money. Keep a simple spreadsheet or a notepad by the phone. At the end of the month, tally it up. If you spent 10 hours writing and got zero calls, stop doing what you’re doing.
2. Use Different Phone Numbers
If you really want to get serious, you can use unique tracking numbers for different parts of your marketing. You can have one number on your Facebook page and a different one on your website. When the phone rings, a little voice tells you "Call from Website." It costs a few bucks a month, but it takes the guesswork out of it.3. Track Your Leads Properly
If you're putting effort into your website, you need to make sure those visitors become customers. It’s not about having a pretty site; it’s about having a site that works. We've found that instead of giving away all your expertise, you should focus on how to get leads for free by showing just enough to prove you're the pro, then asking for the booking.The Real Cost of "Cheap" Content
I see this all the time on local Brisbane community groups. A business owner asks for a writer, and someone offers to do it for $20 a post.
Here’s the truth: That $20 post is probably the most expensive thing you’ll ever buy. Why? Because it won't get you any jobs. You’re better off taking that $20 and buying a schnitzel at the local pub—at least you’ll get a feed out of it.
Good content that actually brings in customers requires: Research: Understanding what people in your suburb are actually searching for. Strategy: Knowing how to lead a reader from "I have a problem" to "I need to call this business." Local Knowledge: Mentioning local landmarks or specific Brisbane problems (like our humidity or storm season) so people know you’re actually a local.
If you pay for rubbish, you get rubbish results. If you spend $500 on a single, high-quality piece of content that brings in three $2,000 jobs over the next year, that’s a massive win. That’s how you should be thinking about your marketing spend.
Quick Wins: How to Get Results This Week
You don't have to wait six months to see if your marketing is working. Here are three things you can do right now to start seeing more money from your efforts.
Step 1: Fix Your "Call to Action"
Every single thing you put online—whether it’s a Facebook post or a page on your website—needs to tell the reader exactly what to do next.Don't just say "Thanks for reading." Say: "Got a blocked drain in North Lakes? Call us now on [Phone Number] for a fixed-price quote."
Be blunt. People are busy. Tell them what to do.
Step 2: Use Your Happy Customers
Your best salespeople aren't on your payroll—they're your existing customers. One of the highest-returning things you can do is to get customers to sell your business for you.Take a photo of a finished job (with the customer's permission), post it online, and explain exactly what problem you solved for them. People in Brisbane love seeing real work done in their own streets.
Step 3: Stop Over-Complicating Your Posts
You don't need to write a novel. Sometimes, a simple list is all it takes to convince someone you know your stuff. In fact, using numbered lists is a proven way to grab attention quickly and get people to contact you.How Long Until You See the Money?
I’m not going to lie to you like some agencies do. You aren't going to post one blog and have 50 people calling you the next morning. Marketing is a slow burn, but it should be a consistent one.
Immediate Results (1-7 days): This usually comes from social media or paid ads. You post it, people see it, they call. Medium-Term Results (1-3 months): This is when Google starts noticing your website is helpful and starts showing it to more people searching for your services. Long-Term Results (6 months+): This is where the real money is. You end up with a library of content that acts like a 24/7 salesperson, bringing in leads while you sleep.
If you’ve been at it for three months and you haven't seen a single extra phone call, something is wrong. You’re either talking to the wrong people, or you’re saying the wrong thing.
The "One Post" Rule
Most business owners think they need to be posting every single day. You don't. You're a sparky, a builder, or a shop owner—you have a business to run.
It is much better to make one good post that addresses a specific problem your customers have than to post five times a week about what you had for lunch. Quality always beats quantity when it comes to making a profit.
Imagine you’re a landscaper in Paddington. Instead of five posts saying "We love gardens!", write one deep-dive post about "How to choose plants that won't die in the Brisbane summer heat." That post provides value, proves you're an expert, and will attract people who are actually looking to spend money on their garden.
Summary: What Should You Do First?
If you're feeling overwhelmed, here is your checklist for the next 48 hours:
1. Check your website: Does it have your phone number in big, bold text at the top? Does it work on a mobile phone? 2. Ask your callers: Start the "How did you find us?" question today. 3. Audit your content: Look at the last three things you posted. Did they ask the reader to book a job? If not, go back and edit them. 4. Stop the bleed: If you're paying an agency and they can't show you how many leads (not clicks) they've generated, have a very uncomfortable conversation with them today.
At the end of the day, marketing is an investment, not an expense. If you put $1 in, you should be getting at least $3 to $5 back in profit. If you aren't, it’s time to change your strategy.
At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about fancy awards or technical jargon. We care about helping Brisbane businesses grow. We focus on the stuff that actually makes the phone ring so you can focus on doing what you do best.
Ready to stop wasting money and start getting more customers? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s talk about a plan that actually works for your business.