Are Lead Generation Platforms and Social Media Failing Tradespeople? Share Your Experience and Shape the Future!

For tradespeople, lead generation platforms like Checkatrade, MyBuilder, and Bark, alongside social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, have become essential tools for finding clients. But are they truly delivering on their promises? Rising costs, questionable lead quality, and unfair competition are leaving many tradespeople frustrated and asking: Is it worth it?

This is your chance to share your experience, voice your concerns, and help inspire better solutions.

Main Issues Raised By Tradespeople Regarding Lead Generation Platforms

Tradespeople across forums have shared their struggles with these platforms. Here are the most common complaints:

We did a quick test search of Bark. In this case looking for a mortgage. The first recommendation in the list had over 3000 reviews. On looking at these reviews, they were totally unrelated to the company and instead were for the location, and looked like they had been scraped from Google reviews. The second recommendation had 19 reviews, all of which covered the space of a couple of days and looked to be fake. You can see the screen capture below:

What Tradespeople Are Saying

"My fees jumped from £756 in the first year to over £2,000. How can anyone afford that?" (Builder, BuildPartner)

"Out of the 10 leads I bought, only one turned into a paying job. It's just not worth it." (Tradesperson, Reddit)

"It's full of trades with fake reviews. Genuine trades like us lose out because of it." (Tradesperson, Screwfix Forum)

"We're competing with unqualified traders who undercut prices and ruin the industry's reputation." (Builder, BuildHub)

Social Media: Is It Worth It for Tradespeople?

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn have become powerful tools for promoting services. While they offer flexibility, many tradespeople find them challenging to navigate. The key problems across these platforms that stand out are:

Rising Costs: Subscription fees and pay-per-lead models are becoming increasingly expensive.
Low-Quality Leads: Many leads don't convert into paying clients, wasting time and money.
Fake Reviews and Leads: Unverified reviews and fake or recycled leads hurt genuine tradespeople.
Unfair Competition: Qualified professionals face undercutting from unqualified traders.

Why Now Is the Time to Try Alternatives

With costs skyrocketing and complaints about lead quality growing louder, relying on the same platforms could actually harm your business. The trade industry deserves better. There were a number of suggestions regarding what tradespeople want/would like to see:

Transparency: Clear and fair pricing without hidden fees or surprises.
Verified Leads: Real, genuine leads that result in meaningful work opportunities.
Support for Authentic Tradespeople: Tools to highlight qualifications and showcase verified reviews.
Better ROI: Platforms that deliver results without draining resources.
No Pay_to-View: Ability to see all leads and engage with them direct.
A Way Of Replicating Word-of-mouth online: Locals asking local people they know. 

We Want To Hear From You! What's been your experience?

• Are lead generation platforms helping you grow your business, or are they more trouble than they're worth?
• Do social media ads work for you, or are they another cost drain?
• What changes would you like to see in these platforms?
• Have you found better alternatives that work for your business?

Your insights could help shine a light on what needs to change and inspire better, fairer alternatives for tradespeople everywhere.

The time for change is now. Would you like a platform that prioritise fairness, transparency, and results, one that doesn't take huge chunks of your profits, or restricts you from engaging with leads direct? We have created a dedicated discussion in our Forums to discover the issues you face. Its open to all tradespeople, experts and solution providers. If there are better and fairer ways to grow your business then lets shine the light on them together!  Join the discussion bel (you will need to be registered and logged in):

Not yet registered?  Visit our memberships page below. Or, if you prefer, request a demo/more information and we'd be happy to happy you explore what Wiggywam can do for your business. 

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