Contact us by call, text or email

When to call, text or email

Each channel suits a different situation. Pick whichever is easiest for you.

• Call if you'd like to talk it through now and you have 15 minutes. Good for owners who think out loud.
• Text if you're on a job site, on a dock or in the truck. Texting is welcome: send a line or two and we'll reply when you can talk.
• Email if you have numbers, screenshots or a list of questions you'd like answered properly.

Our hours are on Pacific time. For Ontario that's noon to 9 p.m. Eastern, which often works well for trades owners who are busiest in the morning.

What to include in your first message

A few details let us give you a useful answer straight away instead of a round of questions. You don't need all of them, but the more you share the better.

1. Your trade and main services, for example septic pumping and inspections, or dock building and repair.
2. Where you work: your base and the towns you serve or want to serve.
3. Your busy and quiet months, even roughly.
4. What you're doing now: website, Google profile, ads, referrals.
5. What you'd like to change: more work in a particular season or town, fewer wasted calls, a new website.

Here is a simple template you can copy:

Hi, I run [Business name], a [trade] business based in [Town]. We serve [list of towns]. Our busy months are [months] and we're quiet in [months]. Right now we use [website / Google profile / ads / referrals]. I'd like to [goal]. Best time to reach me is [time].

What happens after you get in touch

The process is short and there's no pressure to commit.

1. We get back to you and set a time to talk that suits your work day.
2. First conversation. Eligible trades businesses get a free 30-minute consultation. We ask about your year, your towns and your numbers.
3. Quick look at your current marketing. We review your website, Google profile and, if you share access, your ad account.
4. Written recommendation. We set out what we'd do first, what it would cost and what we'd measure. If we don't think we can help, we'll say so.
5. You decide. Plans are month to month, so there's no long-term commitment if you go ahead.

If you're messaging from a job site or the cottage

Short is fine. Plenty of owners send one line from a roof, a boat launch or a gravel road with one bar of signal, and that's enough to start. A message such as "septic, Tiny and Tay, quiet in spring, call after 4" gives us what we need to call you back prepared. If your signal drops mid-call, text us and we'll pick it up from there rather than make you start over.

What we need from you once we start

Marketing works better when we have the right access and a little of your time. Expect to share:

• access to your website and domain settings
• manager access to your Google Business Profile and ad accounts, which stay in your name
• photos of your own work, as many as you have
• a rough record of jobs by month and town, if you keep one
• a short monthly check-in with the owner or office manager

Before you reach out

If you'd like to read first, the services overview explains what we do, the pricing page lists our plans, and the FAQ answers the usual questions about contracts and ownership.

One reminder: Barrie.Marketing is a marketing and consulting service, and we are not a contractor. If you need a trade job done at your home or cottage, please contact a local licensed contractor directly.