Marketing for Plumbers: 20+ Tips to Acquire More Customers for Your Plumbing Business
Gone are the days when you have to rely on word-of-mouth and referrals to get plumbing customers. Or just wait around in your office to receive new customers.
The market is more competitive than ever. You need to actively put your business out there to get results.
So we provided a guide that will help you market your plumbing business aggressively in your service area(s).
4 Steps you Should Take Before Marketing your Plumbing Business
Before you spend a dollar marketing your plumbing business you need to lay a solid foundation. Without this, your budget will get exhausted chasing the wrong leads.
Create your Buyer Persona
A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer. It contains information like your customer demographics (age, gender, income, etc) and buying insights like their priorities.
With your buyer persona, you can target only qualified prospects in your area which can increase your conversion rate. As opposed to broad marketing where you may target folks that will undervalue your work or aren’t interested in your services.
Here are a few questions to get you started:
Don’t guess the answer to these questions instead get data from surveys, interviews, social media, forums, market reports, and so on.
Discover your Brand Identity
Your brand identity is not just your company’s logo. It’s the personality behind your brand; your values, story, and messaging. It’s the experience that sticks with your customers after every plumbing service.
Hence you need to tailor your brand identity to your customer persona so that you can speak directly to your ideal customers.
Your brand identity will help you to stand out from the competition so ensure that you maintain a consistent brand messaging throughout your marketing channels.
Set SMART Goals
Before you set out to market your plumbing business you’ve got to set quality goals. And the SMART goal framework will help you do that. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. So your marketing goals have to tick each of these boxes.
For example:
Allocate your Budget
Once you’ve set your goals then you’ll need to determine the percentage of your marketing budget. It’s recommended that you reinvest 10% of your profits into your business. But if you want quicker results then you’ll have to sacrifice more funds to aid your marketing campaigns.
Best Plumber Marketing Ideas to Grow your Business
There are two methods of marketing your plumbing business: digital and traditional marketing. Let’s start with digital marketing.
Digital Marketing Strategies for Plumbers
Honestly, most people won’t remember your company until something gets broken, like a leaky faucet or pipe. If you’ve built your online presence you’ll be booking services in no time.
Here are the best digital marketing strategies for plumbers:
Set up an SEO Website
Your company website is the front office of your plumbing business online. It is the first place your prospects go to assess your business.
Therefore, your site has to show your credibility with stellar designs, visuals, messaging, and customer reviews. Typically, a plumbing website consists of the following pages:
After setting up your website you have to optimize your site for search engines by applying on-page and off-page strategies so your plumbing company can show up on search engine result pages.
Recommended: Ultimate Guide to Plumbing SEO
Create a Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile(GBP) is a platform that allows you to appear on Google for local search queries. It displays your website, star rating, contact, location, etc.
GBP can help you to get a spot on the “local three-pack” which appears above the organic search results most times with a Google map beside or above it.
Now, follow these steps to optimize your Google Business Profile:
Most importantly, ensure you complete your profile for easy ranking and to build trust.
Get listed in Local Directories
Directories help to host business profiles with their contact details, reviews, and services. This presents an opportunity to acquire leads and get referral traffic to your site.
So it’s advisable to claim as many listings to get more visibility for your company. Some examples of directories include:
Remember as you optimize your Google Business Profile, do the same for your local directory listing to get the best results.
Read More: Plumbing SEO Tips to Increase Your Business Profile Performance
18 Hvac Marketing Strategies to Get More Clients in 2024
Run PPC (Pay Per Click) Ads
PPC ads are one of the most effective forms of marketing for plumbers. Because you can get customers quickly and reach a wider audience.
You probably come across ads every day on Google, websites, and social media. These are PPC ads and you pay only when a user clicks on them.
Google PPC is the most popular platform where you bid on keywords. Then the algorithm will rank your ad based on several factors. Social media ads normally appear as sponsored posts and work similarly.
To get the best results, you’d have to pick lucrative keywords and create conversion-driven ad content and landing pages based on research.
Recommended: Ultimate Guide to Plumbing PPC
Invest in Local Service Ads
Local service ads(LSAs) are promotions that are designed to connect local businesses with potential customers in their area.
It’s a form of pay-per-lead advertising offered by Google Ads specifically for businesses that fall under the “local business” category. They display local businesses with star ratings, contact details, location, Google-verified badges, etc.
To run LSA ads, first, get your business verified by Google then set your budget per lead and fill out your LSA profile. After that, you can start ranking for high-value local keywords in your area.
Build your Social Media presence
According to DataReportal, more than half of the global population is on social media. So you have no reason to leave out social media marketing even if you have a website and Google Business Profile.
But before you start posting you have to research your local audience to find the social platforms where they hang out. Then create your marketing strategy, content ideas, and content calendar.
This will help you to show up consistently on social media to build a loyal following and acquire soon-to-be customers.
Nurture your Audience with Emails
According to Mailchimp, the average email open rate for the construction industry is 31.07%. This shows that most of your customers check their email inboxes more often than you think.
One advantage of email marketing is that it allows you to nurture your leads and customers, regardless of their stage in the buyer’s journey. All this is possible with automation and email segmentation.
Some examples of emails you can send as a plumbing business include
Market your Business with Videos
Videos are the most consumed content on the web, it has higher conversions and engagements. Today, a lot of businesses are leaning towards video marketing.
As a plumber, you can make before and after videos of your daily jobs, helpful plumbing tips, DIY guides, and product comparison videos.
These videos can be embeded on your site and posted on your social profiles on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook. This will help to reach a wider audience and show not just tell, that you deliver amazing services.
Related Posts:
Promote your business with Content Marketing
Content marketing involves distributing helpful content in multiple channels to make your audience like and trust your company.
It ties other forms of organic marketing together:
However, it has a lot of moving parts that we can’t cover in this guide but here’s what it looks like.
You can decide to publish a blog post on “how to prevent a clogged drainage” and then turn the article into tips with bullet points which you can share with matching images on Facebook and Instagram. Then send it as a newsletter to your contacts.
Recommended: Ultimate Guide to HVAC Marketing
Traditional Marketing Strategies for Plumbers
You can still get a lot of plumbing business with traditional marketing. That’s if you pull the right levers and set your marketing strategies in motion.
Read More: Traditional Vs Digital Marketing for HVAC Businesses
Use TV Commercials
TV commercials can be expensive but if you have the means, it’s advisable to try them. For example, a 30-second TV commercial can help to penetrate your local community. And reach out to older homeowners who do not spend much time online.
Even if your ads do not shoot off immediately, they will help to spread the word about your business in your area.
Send Direct Mail Postcards
Direct mail marketing is not dead, it’s still brimming with life. People still check their mailboxes regularly.
So your plumbing postcards should be neatly designed and contain your business services and contact details. Placing a QR code that links to your site will make it easy for prospects to contact you.
Likewise, you should send your postcards with a unique angle like a seasonal offer, special deals, and welcome cards for new residents.
Hype your Plumbing business with Billboards
There is a reason billboards stick. They are big, bold, and command attention. You must have seen a certain billboard quite often that you could recite the headline.
Billboards give you an advantage in your area because it’s positioned on a popular access road. And every homeowner who passes through that path will one day need a plumber.
Share Fliers and Posters to your Customers
Like it or not, your customers are your biggest marketers. They will cheerfully share your fliers and posters if you do a good job; that’s the law of reciprocity.
In addition, you can share branded cups, fridge magnets, and stickers to stay right in front of your customers. Also, your marketing materials should carry your business name, logo, and contact details.
Sell your Business on the Road with Van Wraps
A beautiful van wrap combined with your plumbing staff on matching wears is contagious. It makes your company look professional. A branded t-shirt, pants, and a face cap will do. Your plumbing van can be a source of free promotion while you go about your day’s work.
Partner with Local Contractors
Forming partnerships with local contractors in your area is an effective marketing strategy for plumbers; it can get you good business. For example, an HVAC contractor may be working for a homeowner or company only to learn that they need a plumber.
Then you’ll be the first person they contact because of your partnership. And you will have to return the favor to build a working relationship.
You can also partner with local real estate agents, electricians, and other construction companies.
Attend and Host Local Trade Shows and Workshops
You should try to attend trade shows and community events whenever you get the chance or host one yourself. This will help you to meet up with potential customers, and share your brand story and plumbing tips.
Most times your prospects will want to know the face behind the brand. Hosting workshops gives you a stage to give valuable plumbing advice and promote your services.
Why Hiring a Plumbing Marketing Company is Ideal for Success
These plumbing marketing strategies might not be easy to implement while handling your daily plumbing jobs.
You can do it but it will take a lot of time and experimenting to get things right. But a plumbing HVAC marketing company can take the burden off your shoulders. Because they have a wealth of experience and expertise from running successful plumbing marketing campaigns.
So you get to sit back and focus on delivering 5-star customer service while we handle your plumbing marketing needs. It can get easier with the help of a HVAC Marketing Xperts, a leading HVAC and Plumbing marketing company in the US.
The Next Steps: Marketing for Plumbers (The Ultimate Guide)
If you’ve made it up to this point then you’re ready to start marketing your plumbing company.
Ideally, you should focus on three things first:
After that, every other strategy can follow. But you don’t need to use every marketing strategy or platform.
Find what works for you and remodel it to generate even more profits.
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