These guides are written for owners who want to make better marketing decisions, whether or not they ever hire us. Each one covers a problem that comes up again and again with Manitoba trades: splitting a budget across a province where one city dominates, getting more from the people who already send you work, and timing marketing around a long winter and a short building season.
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A seasonal marketing calendar for Manitoba trades
Manitoba's long winter and short building season decide when trades marketing pays. This calendar shows what heating, plumbing and outdoor trades should do each part of the year, and what to prepare before demand arrives.
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The referral partner playbook for Manitoba trades
Builders, property managers, realtors, suppliers and other trades send many Manitoba trades their best jobs. This playbook shows how to list them, track them, keep in touch and grow the relationships on purpose.
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Winnipeg versus the regional centres: how to split a Manitoba trades marketing budget
Most Manitoba trades budgets fail because they treat the province as one market. This guide shows how to split spend between Winnipeg and regional centres using population, trading areas, job value and drive time.
Winnipeg versus the regional centres
How to split a Manitoba trades marketing budget starts from 2021 Census populations and the published trading areas of Brandon, Steinbach and Portage la Prairie, then shows how to weigh them against your capacity, gross profit per job, competition and drive time.
You'll learn:
- why a campaign aimed at all of Manitoba spends most of its money in Winnipeg
- how trading areas change the size of a regional market
- a worked example for a Selkirk electrician, with a starting budget split
- a one-page plan you can build today from your own job records
Read it if you serve more than one town, or if you've ever wondered whether Winnipeg work is worth the drive.
The referral partner playbook
The referral partner playbook treats the builders, property managers, realtors, suppliers and other trades who send you work as a channel you can measure and grow.
You'll learn:
- how to find out who really refers you, using 24 months of job records
- how to sort partners into core, occasional, lapsed and potential
- what different partner types need from you, and how to make recommending you easy
- a contact rhythm tied to the Manitoba seasons
- how to thank partners properly without breaking anyone's rules
Read it if a large share of your best work comes from people rather than from search.
The seasonal marketing calendar
A seasonal marketing calendar for Manitoba trades splits the year into four marketing seasons, Prepare, Surge, Shoulder and Build, and sets out what heating, plumbing, electrical and outdoor trades should do in each.
You'll learn:
- why late summer is the most important marketing season for heating trades
- how to stay visible and profitable through cold snaps
- what spring thaw means for plumbing and restoration marketing
- how the farm calendar and the northern climate change timing by region
- a 12-month checklist you can pin to the office wall
How we write these guides
Every fact about Manitoba in these guides comes from a source we have checked, listed at the bottom of each guide with the date. Programs and rebates change, so we write "as of October 2026" and ask you to confirm details with the administrator. Worked examples use round, realistic numbers so you can follow the maths and swap in your own.
We are a marketing and consulting service, not a contractor, so the guides are about winning and keeping work, never about how to do the work itself. Nothing in them is licensing, code or legal advice.
Who these guides are for
They are written for the owner or office manager of a trades business with somewhere between one truck and a dozen, working in Winnipeg, a regional centre or the north. You don't need any marketing background. Each guide assumes you know your trade and your customers well, and simply haven't had time to put numbers on where your work comes from or when it arrives.
If you only have half an hour, read the checklist at the end of each guide first, then go back to the sections that raise questions.
Where to go next
If a guide raises questions about your own business, our services page explains how we help with each area, and the areas page covers how plans differ across Winnipeg and the regional centres. When you want a second opinion on your own numbers, the contact page lists what to have ready before you call, text or email.
Frequently asked questions
Are these guides free to use?
Yes. Read them, print them and use the checklists with your team. If you'd like help putting them into practice, call, text or email.
Which guide should I read first?
If you serve more than one town, start with the budget guide. If most of your work comes from builders or property managers, start with the referral playbook. If you're planning next season, start with the calendar.
Do the guides apply to trades outside Manitoba?
The methods do, but the examples, population figures and seasons are written for Manitoba. Owners elsewhere should swap in their own numbers.