The social media platforms have gradually moved towards a pay-to-play model.

It's not necessarily sinister - they're businesses too, and they need to make money somehow.

But it does mean that organic reach (people seeing your posts without you paying) has declined quite a bit over the past few years.

This doesn't mean organic posting is dead - far from it.

A well-timed post about a job you've just finished can still get decent reach, especially if people engage with it quickly.

But if you're relying solely on organic reach to find new customers, you might find it's getting tougher.

The upside?  Many of your competitors probably haven't adapted to this change yet, which could work in your favour if you decide to explore paid advertising.

Let's Have A Look Where Your Customers Actually Spend Their Time 📊

Facebook and Instagram - The Steady Favourites

These platforms still have the largest user base in the UK, spanning all age groups.

Your potential customers are definitely there, whether they're scrolling during their lunch break or catching up in the evening.

The targeting options are quite impressive - you can show your ads to homeowners in your local area who've shown interest in home improvement content.

It's not magic, but it's pretty clever.

Take Trudy, who runs a small gardening business in Hertfordshire. She started with a modest £5 daily budget on Facebook, showing before and after photos of her garden transformations. Within a couple of months, she was getting 2-3 enquiries a week from it.

Not earth-shattering numbers, but enough to keep her busy and growing steadily.

LinkedIn - The Professional Network 💼

If your services are aimed at other businesses - office cleaning, commercial maintenance, business consultancy - then LinkedIn might be worth considering.

The costs are higher than Facebook, but you're reaching decision-makers directly.

A chap I know who runs a small IT support company spends about £20 a day on LinkedIn ads targeting small business owners.

He gets maybe 2-3 good enquiries a week, but they tend to be higher value jobs. For him, it works out well.

TikTok - The Unexpected Option 🎬

I'll admit, when TikTok first appeared, I thought it was just teenagers doing dances. How wrong I was.

The platform has matured significantly, and the average user is now in their late twenties - prime customer age for many service businesses.

The beauty of TikTok is that it still rewards authentic, genuine content.

A quick video showing your craftsmanship or explaining a common problem you solve can reach thousands of people without spending a penny on advertising.

YouTube - The Learning Platform 🔍

People often overlook YouTube when thinking about social media, but it's where many potential customers go to research services or learn about problems they're facing. Creating helpful, educational content here can establish you as the local expert in your field.

Thinking About Budget (If You Decide to Try It) 💷

If you do decide to dip your toe into paid advertising, start small. There's no need to blow your entire marketing budget in the first month.

Many successful local businesses start with £100-200 per month on one platform - usually Facebook - and see how it goes.

If it brings in customers and pays for itself, then you can gradually increase the budget or try other platforms.

The key is treating it as a test rather than a massive commitment. You can always pause or stop campaigns if they're not working for you.

What Seems to Work Well 🎨

The most successful ads I've seen from local service businesses are refreshingly simple. No fancy graphics or corporate polish - just real work, real results, and real people.

One of the best performing ads I came across was from a gas engineer who simply filmed himself explaining why a customer's boiler had broken down and how he'd fixed it.

Shot on his phone, no script, just genuine expertise shared in a helpful way. It cost him about £30 in advertising and brought in several new customers.

Customer testimonials work well too, but they don't need to be professionally produced. A happy customer saying a few words about your work, filmed on their phone, can be incredibly powerful.

Measuring What Actually Matters 📈

If you do start advertising, focus on the numbers that matter to your business, as all businesses are different:

• How much does each enquiry cost you?
• What percentage of enquiries become paying customers?
• Are you making more money than you're spending?

Most platforms provide tools to help track these metrics, although it can take some getting used to.

Staying Within the Rules 🛡️

Advertising standards are quite strict in the UK, particularly regarding before-and-after photos and claims about one's work.

The golden rule is simple: only photograph and show work you've actually done and don't make promises you cannot keep.

Stick to genuine examples of your work and honest testimonials from real customers, and you'll be fine.

Looking Forward 🔮

The platforms are getting better at showing ads to people who are genuinely interested in your services.

The artificial intelligence behind the scenes is actually quite helpful - it learns who's most likely to become your customer over time.

Voice search is also growing, with an increasing number of people using smart speakers to find local services.

Something to keep in mind for the future.

Should You Give It a Go? ✅

Honestly, it depends on your own situation.

If you're already busy and happy with your current customer flow, then there's really no urgent need to start advertising online.

But if you're looking to grow your business, reach new customers, or find it's getting harder to get noticed, then it might be worth exploring.

The businesses that seem to do well with social media advertising aren't necessarily the biggest or most tech-savvy.

They're often the ones who start small, learn as they go, and stick with it long enough to see what works for their particular business.

Your potential customers are definitely online, but whether social media advertising is the right way to reach them depends on your specific situation, goals, and budget.

If you're curious, consider starting with a small test, such as £50-100 over a month, and see what happens.

You might be pleasantly surprised, or you might decide it's not for you. Either way, you'll know for certain rather than wondering "what if."

Social media advertising isn't a magic solution, but for many service-based businesses, it has become a valuable tool in their marketing toolkit.

The question isn't whether you should definitely do it, but whether it might be worth exploring for your particular situation.