With a new generation of tradespeople entering the workforce, attitudes and expectations are shifting, especially around how these pros discover products, engage with brands, and make purchasing decisions. For manufacturers, distributors, and contractors, this means adapting marketing strategies to meet these new behaviors.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by connecting with your audience where they’re already active: on Trade Hounds. This industry-specific platform offers a unique opportunity to engage, educate, and influence the tradespeople who make purchasing decisions on the job site.
Why Posting Matters
Trade Hounds isn’t just another social platform. Its users are highly engaged, active buyers:
- Over 425,000 users spend more than $20 billion annually on tools and materials.
- 70% of users are more likely to buy a product they see on the app.
- 7 out of 10 users visit supply houses at least once a week.
By creating compelling content, your company can build credibility, strengthen relationships, and become a trusted resource for tradespeople in the field.
Video Posting Tips
Videos are one of the most engaging ways to connect with your audience. To maximize impact:
- Duration: Aim for around 60 seconds for best engagement, though Trade Hounds allows videos up to 30 minutes.
- Thumbnail: The first frame becomes the square thumbnail in your profile feed. Avoid starting your video with a black frame and consider using a custom thumbnail for maximum impact.
- Aspect Ratios: Any ratio works, but the profile feed crops to 1x1, so keep the most important content centered.
- Captions: Include captions since many users watch without sound. Vertical 9x16 videos display as 4x5 previews in the feed, so place captions near the center to ensure visibility
Pro tip: Show your products in action! Trade Hounds users respond best to authentic, real-world demos from people they relate to. Prioritize content that feels practical and genuine, not too polished or staged.
Images and Carousels
- Images: You can upload any aspect ratio, but on your profile, images are displayed as squares. Keep your most important content centered. Vertical images show as 4x5 previews in the My Crew feed, and users can tap to view the full 9x16 image.
- Carousels: Share up to five pieces of content—images, videos, or a mix—in a single post. The first item appears as a square in your profile feed, giving viewers a quick snapshot before they explore the full carousel.
Images and carousels that showcase products in action, job site results, value props, or step-by-step guides perform best. Tradespeople value authenticity—they want to see your tools in real-world settings.
Hashtags and Location Tags
- Hashtags: Hashtags are a powerful way to make your content discoverable. We especially recommend using them for user-generated content. For example, if you run a giveaway and ask users to share posts promoting your company, having a specific hashtag makes it easy to find and track those submissions in the discover feed.
- Location Tags: When relevant, add a location to your post. This shows up as a label and helps highlight content that’s tied to a specific place—like a distributor branch or job site—making your posts more relevant to users in that area.
Sharing Links
Links are an easy way to give users more details, share helpful resources, or point them to other content. You can share clickable and copiable links in several places.
- Profile Header: Include your company website or a link-in-bio tool like linktree linking to your other social platforms, a newsletter sign-up page, or downloadable resources.
- Posts and Comments: You can also include links here for more information or to highlight other Trade Hounds content. The best practice is to include only one link per caption to keep it clear and drive users to the most important resource.
Profile Setup
A complete profile helps build trust and makes it easy for users to engage with your company. Here’s what to include:
- Profile image: Use a logo for company accounts or a headshot for personal accounts.
- Company details: Name, type, size, zip code, year founded, trades and industries served, website, phone number, email, address, and hours of operation.
- Bios: Include a short bio (150-character limit) and a longer company overview (600-character limit) to summarize your brand and what you offer.
Share Your Company Profile
Find your invite URL under the "Invite Buddies" option in the top-left menu. Share it in emails, newsletters, or social posts—anyone who clicks will download the Trade Hounds app and automatically connect with your account.
Build Your Member Network
Anyone who lists your company in their profile will appear in your company account members list. Admins can remove members if needed. Encourage employees to include your company in their profiles—this makes it easier for Trade Hounds users to connect with the right people on your team, like sales reps.
Company Account Permissions:
- Owner: The person who creates the company account is the owner and has the highest permission level. The owner can invite additional admins by clicking on the settings icon on the top right of the company account profile and share a URL with anyone they want to give admin access to. You can invite unlimited admins.
- Admin: Admins can post content, comment, like posts, like comments, reply to comments, and direct message other users on behalf of the company.
With a complete profile, users can quickly understand who you are, what you do, and how to engage with your company, making it easier to build meaningful connections on Trade Hounds.
Job Postings
You can post an unlimited number of job openings in your company account for free. Any post you share here will automatically appear in our job board on the Trade Hounds Toolbelt page.
Leverage Social Selling
The way people buy products is changing. Social selling—using platforms like Trade Hounds to connect, educate, and influence buyers—has become critical.
- Authenticity Matters: Users value real-world demonstrations and honest reviews.
- Engagement Builds Trust: Responding to questions, thanking users for positive mentions, and joining trending conversations establishes credibility.
- User-Generated Content: 79% of buyers say UGC impacts their purchase decisions. Trade Hounds lets you showcase authentic content, from product demos to success stories.
Final Takeaway
Posting on Trade Hounds is more than content creation—it’s a strategic approach to building trust, educating users, and driving sales. By combining engaging media and authentic interactions, brands can tap into a highly targeted, engaged audience of tradespeople ready to discover products that help them succeed.
Start building your brand presence on Trade Hounds today. Email contact@tradehounds.com to get started or download the FREE app to begin connecting with the next generation of skilled trades.