About Us & How It Works
I know not many people read the ‘About Us’ stuff but this is to show you that I am a genuine Trade and I have built this site in the best interests of small businesses. It will only take a couple of minutes to read and it is all good and honest information and you only have to read it once.
1 - Being a Locksmith
After spending over 25 years in logistics I decided to retrain and became a Locksmith. As a sole trader I wanted to advertise and looked at the main players that most trades will have heard of. There were basically two types of platforms out there with slightly different offerings to each other.
Annual Subscription.
1 – Monthly payments tied to an expensive annual plan.
2 – You are up against national companies, franchises, marketeers and numerous other businesses.
Pay per Lead.
1 – Pay for the right to contact customers who list their requirement with the same site.
2 – But once again you are up against national companies, franchises, marketeers and numerous other businesses.
Having moved location in 2024 I now found that I had to relaunch my business but the above options were still the only platforms out there. I decided to look at it differently and ask myself what I really wanted from a trade directory platform and the answer, or answers, are on the Trade Benefits page. But as there was nothing out there which came remotely close to what I was looking for I created Your Home Trades.
2 - How It Works
First, you need to register with Your Home Trades and this is simple. All you need is proof of your Public Liability Insurance & proof of your Address and a few minutes. Once we authorise your registration we will send you an email to let you know – check that spam!
Second, complete the simple form on the List My Trade page and once we authorise your advert it will be displayed straight away. It’s that simple.
Choosing your Postcode DISTRICTS is perhaps the most difficult part but even that is simple. I live in the BB Postcode AREA. The Postcode AREA is made up of Postcode DISTRICTS which is defined by the number that follows the Postcode AREA letters. So, BB is the Postcode AREA and BB5, where I live, is the Postcode DISTRICT. By using Postcode DISTRICTS then you, the Tradesperson, can choose exactly which Postcode DISTRICTS that you want to work in – no waste.
The example below gives more details but to help you decide which areas you would like to cover and / or how many households you want to advertise to, check out the Trade Support page.
3 - A Live example
I became a Locksmith in 2021 and I advertised with an annual subscription company at the mid-entry level. To do the same today with a 10-mile radius it will cost me £1,668+vat or £2001 total and, if you are not registered for VAT, you will pay the full £2001 (£166 p/m). That 10-mile radius picks up 24 Postcode Districts – some are useful but others are not. Oh, and this particular company limit your exposure to leads dependant of the entry level that you choose.
With Your Home Trades you can select exactly which Postcode DISTRICTS you want to work in. If you were to choose 24 Postcode Districts with Your Home Trades it will cost just £48+vat per month or £576+vat per year – £691 total. That is over 65% cheaper than the big-name company and you choose the exact area you want to work in and with minimal competition – no more than four competitors. By the way, with the same big name company it would be £3,297 for the high-level subscription with them for the same 10-mile radius – nearly 80% more expensive than Your Home Trades and you will have huge competition and still limited exposure.
BB5 is next to the M65 so lets say I choose the M65 corridor as my place of work. That would cover both the BB & PR Postcode AREAS that have 13 & 11 Postcode DISTRICTS respectfully and, coincidently, the same as in the example above – 24. I probably would not go to BB7 and BB18 and I would only cover PR5, PR6, PR7, PR25 & PR 26 to begin with. So that means only 16 Postcode DISTRICTS at a cost of £32+vat per month (less than £39.00) for an area that covers more than 376,000 households. That’s over 9,600 households for every £1.00 spent. Extremely cost effective advertising. Use the button below to check for your Postcode DISTRICTS and household numbers.