Picture a homeowner on a Sunday evening with three browser tabs open. Each one is a local business that could fix their problem: a roofer, a heating engineer, an electrician, it hardly matters which. The websites look much the same. The reviews are all good. The prices are not listed. They have heard stories about trades who turn up late, find extra problems and leave a mess, and they do not know enough about the work to tell the good firms from the rest.
So they pick the one that makes them feel least nervous. Very often, that is the one that explained itself.
For most homeowners, hiring a trade means letting a stranger into their house to do something they do not fully understand, for a price they cannot easily judge. It is no surprise they hesitate. They are not really comparing skill, because they cannot see it. They are comparing confidence: which business seems to know what it is doing and seems likely to treat them fairly.
A list of services does not answer that. "Boiler installation, servicing and repairs" tells a nervous homeowner what you do but nothing about what it will be like. What happens when you arrive? How long does a typical job take? What will you need from them? Will you explain what you find?
A Trades Service Explainer Video is a film for trade businesses that explains what you do, how it works and why it is worth calling you, with footage from the job. It answers those unspoken questions before the phone ever rings.
The first thing it does is earn trust early. A homeowner who has watched you talk through a job, seen your van, your tools and the way you work, feels they already know a little about you. That familiarity is often enough to tip the decision.
It also means less confusion on first contact. People who call after watching the film understand what you offer and roughly how it works. The conversation starts with their job, not with a general explanation of yours.
It helps prospects self-qualify. If you only take on certain kinds of work, or only cover certain areas, the film can say so kindly. The people who are not a fit are less likely to call, and the ones who do are more likely to book.
And it cuts down on repetitive explanation calls. Every trade has the questions they answer several times a week. The film answers them once, the same way every time, at any hour the homeowner happens to be looking.
Think about the calls and visits you have had this month. A few questions to help you picture your film:
If you are a heating engineer, picture a film that walks a homeowner through what a new boiler installation actually involves, from the survey to the moment the heating comes on. If you run a roofing business, picture showing how you protect a property and keep things tidy while the work is under way. If you are a locksmith or a drainage specialist, picture calming someone who has found you in a hurry by showing them exactly what will happen when you arrive.
You do not need to write a script, choose shots or work out how to sound natural on camera. Pineapple Tapped plans the creative around the questions your customers really ask, runs the shoot on a real job, edits the film and delivers it ready to use on your website, your social channels and in replies to enquiries. We make sure the explanation is clear to someone who knows nothing about the work, and we help you feel at ease when it is your turn to speak.
Your part is the knowledge you already have: how you work, what customers worry about, and what you are proud of. If a customer's home appears on film, we make sure they are happy with it and know how it will be used.
That homeowner on a Sunday evening will close two of those tabs. The one they keep is the business that made them feel they understood what would happen next. Have a think about what your customers most need to hear from you.
Read more on the Trades Service Explainer Video page, or book a call with a producer.