Try a little experiment for me. Go to Google and type in “plumbers near me.” How many results did you get?
I just typed the same phrase into Google from my Minneapolis desk, and I got about 773,000,000 results. That’s a lot of competition.
You’re tired of losing bids to other plumbers who are more visible. We get it. When you have serious skills and a desire for your business to grow, you need the most effective plumber marketing plan in your region.
We’re here to help. Reference this comprehensive (and BS-free) guide to get the most out of your marketing strategy.
8 Proven Marketing Strategies Plumbing Companies Need to Invest In
Standing outside of a popular restaurant in your city and handing out business cards won’t work on its own. Neither will only posting on Facebook or Instagram. While the Big 3 plumbing marketing strategies are website design, search engine optimization, and pay-per-click ads, the most successful plumber marketing strategies invest in all eight categories below.
1) Website Design
The first thing you must do to get better plumbing leads is to upgrade your website. Not only is your website the first interaction potential customers have with your company, but Google also looks at what you’ve got going on and decides if you’re a credible source or not. (No pressure.)
Step 1: Get a website.
Got that covered? Awesome! Now, your plumbing company website must also be:
- Fast: If your website doesn’t load in under 3 seconds, you’re going to lose plumbing customers.
- Organized: Potential customers should be able to navigate your site with ease, find the exact information they need to know if you can help, and find clearly-indicated next steps.
- Mobile-friendly: More than half of all internet searches for plumbing services occur on a smartphone. Your website needs to be fully optimized for mobile users.
You might be thinking, “Sounds good, but I’m a plumber, not a website designer…” We hear you! Leave website design to the experts who have created proven results for contractors.
2) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The next step in internet marketing for plumbers after you get a better website is to take that website to the next level with search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the process of making your web pages appear higher in search results pages. The process includes:
- Relevant keywords & keyword density
- Optimized URLs and meta titles
- Image tags
- Link building & backlinks
- Site indexing
- Relevant anchor text
- Website speed
- Location-based content
75% of people never click past the first page of Google search results. Additionally, the top three search results get 75.1% of all clicks.
When it comes to plumber SEO marketing, the data quite literally says “If you’re not first, you’re last.”
SEO marketing is a long-term investment. You likely won’t see a huge jump in organic website traffic and plumbing leads in your first week working with an SEO agency, but with the right Google Specialized Team, you will see your business grow significantly over a couple of years.
Remember the experiment at the beginning of this article? It’s clear that competition for plumbers is incredibly high on search engines. Your competitors are already investing in SEO, so they have a head start on getting organic traffic to their website. Don’t delay when it comes to SEO.
3) Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ads
While SEO will greatly increase your organic traffic and leads over time, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising offers quick results. Google Ads will show up on search results pages for people who are actively searching for keywords relevant to your plumbing business.
Ads can also show up on other web pages for people who made past searches relevant to your company or fit into your ideal customer demographics. There are many different types of PPC ads, and PPC offers two great marketing benefits to help get you more leads:
- Relevance
- Controlled Visibility
4) Social Media
Repeat after me:
It’s better to not have a social media account than to have a neglected social media account.
There’s nothing more off-putting than looking up a business on Facebook or Instagram and seeing a spattering of posts with months or years in between, poor image quality, and irrelevant information.
You should make a business account on any or all of the following social media platforms:
- YouTube
- Nextdoor
But, once you have an account set up, you need to include to following elements so that potential customers aren’t scared away when they visit a neglected or sketchy-looking social page.
- Choose your username carefully and make it as simple and relevant as possible.
- Use your company logo for the profile picture.
- Include a short but detailed bio about how your plumbing company will meet potential customers’ needs.
- Stay active. Post high-value, high-quality images, videos, infographics, and article links.
5) Email Marketing
Email marketing is highly-debated in almost every industry. Some people swear by it, while others think it’s a lost cause. We think email marketing is a valuable strategy to include in your overall plumber marketing plan because it taps into your existing customer base.
The most reliable customers are people who have already utilized your plumbing services and had a good experience with your company. Sending weekly or monthly emails to your existing client base can help you accomplish these three things:
- Stay in touch with your clients
- Get more sales by offering promotions, coupons, and rebates
- Notify them of referral programs
- Increase your brand awareness
6) Video Marketing
Based on a 2020 study, 91.5% of internet users aged 35-44 watched digital videos on the internet. That number is even higher in younger age groups. The number of digital video viewers is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
Incorporating videos into your plumber marketing strategy is a fantastic way to gain more visibility. You can include videos on your social media pages or website to help keep your prospective customers’ attention, rank higher in search results, and give an insider’s look at what your plumbing company is all about.
Follow these video marketing tips:
- Keep videos short— under 2 minutes
- Add videos on web pages whenever relevant (videos on landing pages increase the odds that you will show up on the first page of search results AND increase conversions through phone calls and web form submissions)
- Use videos in blog posts
7) Print Marketing
We can’t forget the age-old strategy of print marketing. Print marketing is by far the most successful with the older demographic, so it’s important to not neglect this area or you could be losing an entire customer base.
You likely don’t have to set aside a huge portion of your plumber marketing budget to accommodate print marketing, but it is still a good idea to be visible in the following spaces:
- Newspaper ads
- Billboards
- Yard signs
- Wrap trucks
- Business cards
- Trade magazines
- Local magazines
8) Word of Mouth
Even though things like SEO and PPC marketing may carry the bulk of your plumber marketing strategy, it’s vital to never become complacent. Be sure to keep putting in the work in all other areas of marketing, even old-fashioned door-to-door conversations.
If you’ve just completed a job in a new neighborhood, knock on doors in the area and hand out flyers about your services. Showcasing your kind and inviting demeanor in person can be enough to secure a new customer or two.
You Don’t Have to Implement Your Plumber Marketing Strategy Alone
If you got overwhelmed after the first section of this blog, thinking about how you have no idea how to improve your website, let alone incorporate SEO, PPC, social media, and more? Don’t fret.
Hook Agency exists to exclusively help plumbers and other home service providers secure more and better leads with our proven marketing strategies. Fill out our online form to set up an introductory call today, and watch your plumbing business boom.
