A January marketing plan for tradesmen: fill your diary for 2027

Why plan January marketing in December?

Because most of the work needs to be in place before people start searching. Google profiles, website pages and ads take a little time to bed in. If you wait until the second week of January, you lose the first fortnight.

There’s good reason to be ready. The FMB and CIOB’s latest State of Trade survey found enquiries for small building firms were up 18% in the second half of 2025, and 48% of firms felt positive about the first half of 2026. Demand is there. The aim is to make sure it comes to you, not the firm down the road.

What should a tradesman do in December?

1. Message past customers. A short WhatsApp or text: “We’re booking January jobs now. Want to grab a slot?” It’s free and often your quickest win.
2. Refresh your Google Business Profile. Add recent job photos, check services and service areas, and set your Christmas hours.
3. Fix one website page. Pick the service you want more of in January and make its page clear: what you do, where, rough prices or price ranges, photos and reviews.
4. Set a January ad budget. Decide what you’ll spend on Google Ads for the month before it starts.
5. Line up reviews. Ask everyone you finish a job for before Christmas.

Which trades get busy in January, and which go quiet?

It varies by trade, and cold weather can bring more of some jobs. Energy bills are also on people’s minds. Ofgem’s price cap rose by 4% from 1 October 2026 to £1,723 a year for a typical household, which keeps heating costs in the news.

If your trade goes quiet, use January to book spring work. People planning an extension or a new garden often start researching in the new year.

How much should a tradesman spend on Google Ads in January?

Pick a monthly figure you’re comfortable with and divide it by 30.4 to get a daily budget. Google’s budget help page explains that a campaign can spend up to twice its daily budget on a busy day, but you won’t be charged more than 30.4 times your daily budget over a month.

So a £600 month is roughly £20 a day. On a cold Monday you might spend £40, and less on a quiet day, but the month stays on budget. Our guide to Google Ads costs for tradesmen covers what clicks and leads typically cost.

If you use automated bidding, Google offers seasonality adjustments. Google says these are for short events of one to seven days where you expect a big change in conversion rates, like a cold snap. Don’t use them for the whole month, because Smart Bidding already allows for normal seasonal patterns.

What should I do each week in January?

Google posts older than six months are archived, according to Google’s posts help page. A weekly post keeps your profile looking active. A quick photo of a finished job with one line of text is enough.

How does Making Tax Digital affect my marketing?

It doesn’t change how you market, but it does change how you keep records. Since 6 April 2026, sole traders with qualifying income over £50,000 have had to use Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. The threshold drops to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028, according to GOV.UK.

HMRC’s MTD timeline gives these dates for anyone already in:

• 7 November 2026: second quarterly update for 2026 to 2027.
• 31 January 2027: 2025 to 2026 Self Assessment return, filed the usual way.
• 7 February 2027: third quarterly update.
• 7 May 2027: fourth quarterly update.

The practical tip: log ad spend, website costs and directory fees as you go, not in a rush at the end of the quarter. It also makes it easier to see which marketing is paying for itself. If you’re not sure what applies to you, speak to an accountant.

What should I do in February?

Build on what worked in January. If one service page brought calls, write a second page for a related service. If one advert worked, give it a little more budget and pause the rest. Keep asking for reviews and keep posting weekly. If your trade picks up in spring, February is a good time to start talking about it.

How do I know if my January marketing worked?

Track where every enquiry came from. Ask “how did you find us?” on every call and note the answer. Use a simple spreadsheet with columns for date, source, job type and value.

By the end of January you’ll know which channel to put more into. If most jobs came from Google, it’s worth looking at proper local SEO for your trade. If your website lets you down, our web design for tradesmen builds sites made to turn visits into calls.

FAQs

Is January a quiet month for tradesmen?

It depends on the trade. Heating, plumbing and roofing can be busy in cold weather, while outdoor trades often slow down. Quiet trades can use January to book spring projects.

When should I start my January marketing?

In December. Message past customers, refresh your Google profile, fix one key service page and set your ad budget before Christmas, so it’s all working from the first week of January.

How do Google Ads budgets work over a month?

Google can spend up to twice your daily budget on a busy day, but you won’t be charged more than 30.4 times your daily budget across the month.

When is the next Making Tax Digital deadline?

For sole traders already using it, the third quarterly update for 2026 to 2027 is due on 7 February 2027. The 2025 to 2026 Self Assessment return is due on 31 January 2027.

What is the cheapest way to get January work?

Message your past customers. A short text saying you’re booking January jobs costs nothing and often brings repeat work and referrals quickly.