What Should a Contractor Post on Social Media

Before/after project photos generate 4.1x more engagement than standard text posts for home service contractors. Yet 73% of contractors either post randomly or not at all, leaving one of the cheapest lead generation channels completely untapped.

This isn’t about paid ads. If you want the paid social playbook, read our guide on Facebook ads for contractors. This is about organic posts that build trust, stay visible in your market, and generate inbound calls without spending a dollar on ad budget.

82% of homeowners check a contractor’s social media before requesting an estimate. When they land on a profile with no posts in three months, they move on. Your social presence is a trust checkpoint, and failing it costs you jobs you never even knew about.

The platforms that actually matter

Not every platform deserves your time. For home service contractors, the lead generation breakdown looks like this:

Facebook drives 64% of social media leads for local service businesses. It’s where homeowners over 35 actively search for recommendations, join community groups, and tag contractors in neighborhood threads. If you only have time for one platform, this is it.

One HVAC contractor on Reddit reported that 25% of his new business traced directly to Facebook and Nextdoor referrals. He didn’t run paid ads — the leads came from homeowners tagging his company in neighborhood group threads after seeing his before/after posts.

Instagram accounts for 22% of social leads. It skews younger and works best for visually dramatic trades like remodeling, landscaping, and painting. The algorithm favors Reels, and short video content gets 2x the reach of static photos on Instagram.

Google Business Profile posts don’t technically count as social media, but they show up when someone Googles your company name. Posting weekly to GBP keeps your profile active and signals to Google that your business is operational. Treat it like a secondary social channel.

TikTok and YouTube are discovery platforms, not lead generation platforms for most contractors. They can build brand awareness over time, but the path from TikTok view to booked job has too many steps for most small operations to justify the time investment.

Before/after photos: your highest-performing content

The data is clear. Before/after project photos outperform every other content type for contractors by a wide margin.

A fence contractor posting a split-image of a rotting fence next to the finished cedar replacement gets more saves, shares, and comments than a post about a seasonal discount. The visual proof of transformation stops the scroll.

Post one before/after at least twice per week. Take the “before” photo when you arrive on the job. Take the “after” from the same angle when you’re done. Side-by-side formats perform best on Facebook. On Instagram, use the carousel format so viewers swipe between them.

Include details in the caption: city name, type of project, approximate timeline, and any interesting challenges. “Full bathroom gut-and-rebuild in Mesa, AZ. Took our crew 12 days from demo to final inspection. Swipe to see the before.” That caption gives context, includes a local keyword, and creates engagement.

Contractors on ContractorTalk consistently report that authentic job site photos outperform professionally staged shots. 63% of social media users prefer relatable, real content over high-production marketing. Your phone camera, natural lighting, and the actual mess-to-clean transformation beats a photographer every time.

Skip the heavy filters. Homeowners want to see what your work actually looks like, not an over-saturated version that looks nothing like reality.

This ties directly into building social proof beyond reviews. Every before/after photo is visual evidence that you deliver quality work.

Educational content that positions you as the expert

Posts that teach homeowners something useful get 3.2x more shares than promotional content. Shares put your name in front of people who don’t follow you yet.

Here are specific educational post ideas by trade:

HVAC: “Your air filter should be changed every 60-90 days. Here’s the 30-second way to check if yours is overdue.” Post a photo of a clean filter next to a dirty one.

Plumbing: “That slow drain isn’t just annoying. Ignoring it for 6 months can turn a $150 fix into a $2,000 sewer line repair.” Include a photo showing the difference between a minor clog and a corroded pipe.

Electrical: “If your breaker trips more than once a month, your panel might be undersized for your home’s electrical load. Here’s how to tell.” Walk through the check in 3-4 bullet points.

Roofing: “After a hailstorm, check for these 4 signs of damage before filing an insurance claim.” Number them and use close-up photos of actual hail damage you’ve repaired.

Each of these posts answers a question homeowners are already Googling. When they see you answering it on social media, you become the obvious call when they need the work done.

Video content that drives calls

Short-form video gets 53% more engagement than static images on Facebook and Instagram. You don’t need professional equipment. A phone mounted to your truck dashboard or held by a helper on the job site is enough.

Three video formats that work for contractors:

Job walkthrough videos. Film a 30-60 second walkthrough of a job in progress. Narrate what you’re doing and why. “We’re replacing this cast iron drain line because it’s 40 years old and has three cracks. You can see the corrosion right here.” Homeowners watching this see expertise, not just a company logo.

Time-lapse videos. Set your phone on a tripod and record a full project in time-lapse. A 4-hour deck build compressed into 45 seconds is inherently watchable. These get shared heavily because they’re satisfying to watch even if the viewer has zero interest in hiring a contractor.

A remodeling contractor on Reddit posted a single 45-second time-lapse of a bathroom gut-and-rebuild. It got shared 340 times on Facebook and generated 7 direct message inquiries within a week. He estimated the post produced roughly $18,000 in booked work. Total investment: 5 minutes of setup and his phone on a tripod.

Customer reaction videos. With the homeowner’s permission, film their reaction when they see the finished project. These are the most powerful conversion content you can create. A genuine reaction beats any scripted testimonial. Check our video testimonials guide for how to capture these without being awkward about it.

Posts that generate direct leads

Not every post should be educational or showcase work. Some posts should explicitly drive calls. The trick is doing it without sounding like every other contractor screaming “CALL NOW FOR 10% OFF.”

Availability posts work. “We had a cancellation and have an opening this Thursday and Friday. If you’ve been putting off that electrical panel upgrade, now’s the time. DM or call 555-0123.” These create urgency without feeling salesy because they’re based on a real situation.

Seasonal preparation posts. Two weeks before the first freeze, post: “Reminder: disconnecting your garden hoses before the first freeze prevents burst pipes. If you haven’t had your outdoor faucets winterized, we’re scheduling those this week and next.” This positions you as helpful first and available second.

An electrician on Reddit ran his entire lead flow through Nextdoor for 18 months. He posted completed projects, answered homeowner questions, and responded to recommendation requests. Total revenue from the platform: approximately $25,000. Zero advertising spend.

“Just finished” posts with a CTA. “Just wrapped up a full HVAC system replacement in Gilbert. This homeowner went from a 20-year-old unit running at 8 SEER to a new 18 SEER system. Their first electric bill should be a nice surprise. If your system is 15+ years old, call us for a free efficiency assessment.” The CTA is specific and tied to the content.

Leveraging reviews as social content

Your Google reviews are ready-made social media content. Screenshot a 5-star review and post it with a brief caption thanking the customer.

Posts featuring customer reviews get 2.4x more engagement than generic company updates. They work because they’re third-party validation, not you talking about yourself.

Rotate one review post per week. Vary the reviews you highlight. Show different service types, different neighborhoods, and different customer situations. A mix of “they responded in 20 minutes” and “the price was exactly what they quoted” and “cleaned up everything when they were done” covers the range of concerns homeowners have.

For a deeper strategy on turning reviews into marketing assets, read our full guide on leveraging reviews in your marketing.

Your weekly posting schedule

Consistency matters more than volume. Contractors posting 3-4 times per week generate 2.3x more inbound leads than those posting once a week or less. But posting 7 times a week doesn’t produce meaningfully more leads than 4 times. There’s a ceiling.

Here’s a practical weekly schedule that covers all the high-performing content types:

Monday: Before/after photo from a recent project. Include city, project type, and timeline in the caption.

Wednesday: Educational post or quick tip. Answer a question your customers ask regularly. Keep it to 3-4 sentences with one supporting photo.

Thursday: Video content. Job walkthrough, time-lapse, or customer reaction. Under 60 seconds for feed posts. Up to 3 minutes for Reels or dedicated video posts.

Saturday: Review screenshot, availability update, or seasonal CTA. Weekends see higher engagement from homeowners who are browsing social media while thinking about home projects.

Batch your content. Spend 20 minutes on Friday reviewing the week’s jobs and taking screenshots of reviews. Queue up next week’s posts using Facebook’s built-in scheduler. The entire process takes under 30 minutes per week once you have a system.

What to avoid posting

Certain post types actively hurt your brand or waste your time.

Political content. You’ll alienate roughly half your potential customers with zero upside. Keep your business page about your business.

Stock photos. Homeowners spot them instantly. A generic image of a smiling plumber with perfect teeth holding a wrench doesn’t build trust. It destroys it. Use real photos of your actual work, crew, and trucks.

Constant discounts. Posting “15% OFF THIS WEEK” every week trains your audience to wait for sales instead of calling at full price. Reserve promotional posts for genuine seasonal offers or slow-period specials, not as your default content strategy.

Complaints about customers or competitors. Even vague complaints get screenshotted and shared. One negative post can undo months of positive content.

Tracking what works

Post reach and likes are vanity metrics. The only metric that matters is whether your social media generates calls, messages, or form fills.

81% of consumers say their purchasing decisions are influenced by friends’ social media posts. For contractors, this means your organic content works twice: once when the follower sees it, and again when they share it with a neighbor who needs the same service.

Track which posts drive direct messages asking for quotes. Ask new leads “how did you hear about us” and record when they say Facebook or Instagram. Compare months where you posted consistently to months where you didn’t.

Most contractors who track this find that organic social generates 4-8 inbound leads per month once they hit a consistent posting rhythm. At an average job value of $1,500-3,000, that’s $6,000-24,000 in revenue from a channel that costs nothing but time.

For contractors already running paid social through Facebook ads, organic content amplifies those campaigns. A homeowner who sees your ad, then visits your profile and sees consistent, professional content is far more likely to convert than one who clicks an ad and finds a dead social page.

Getting started without overwhelm

You don’t need to be on every platform. You don’t need to post every day. You need to show up consistently on Facebook with content that proves you do quality work, know your trade, and are easy to do business with.

Start with two before/after photos per week. That’s it. Take the photos on the job. Post them the same evening with a caption that includes the city name and project type. Do that for a month. Then add a weekly educational post. Then add video.

The contractors dominating organic social in their markets didn’t start with a 10-platform strategy. They started by posting their work regularly and never stopping. Six months of consistent before/after photos builds a portfolio that sells harder than any brochure, any ad, and any cold call ever could.

Your phone camera and 15 minutes a day is the entire investment. The return is a pipeline of homeowners who already trust your work before they ever pick up the phone.