Useful Plumber Marketing Ideas To Help You Get More Leads

The importance of marketing in the plumber business

In 2021, there were more than 530 thousand plumbing businesses in the U.S. To survive this competition, you need more than just good service. Without effective marketing, your plumbing business may struggle to attract new clients. Marketing strategies can help you promote your services, increase brand awareness, and attract new customers.

In this guide we’re going to share 11 marketing ideas for plumbers that will help you promote your services. These are detailed plumber marketing tips you can apply today — so let’s jump right into it!

Invest in building a brand

Building a strong brand can help you stand out from your competitors and attract new customers.

A good example of branding for a plumber business is a combination of a memorable logo, a consistent visual identity, a compelling brand message, and a customer-centric approach. Here’s an example of branding elements for a plumber business:

Logo: Design a professional and recognizable logo that incorporates relevant imagery or symbols related to plumbing, such as pipes, wrenches, or water droplets. Ensure that the logo is clean, identifiable, and visually appealing.

Visual identity: Create a consistent visual identity by selecting a color scheme that reflects trust, reliability, and cleanliness. Blues, greens, and whites are often associated with water and cleanliness. Use these colors consistently across your website, social media, signage, uniforms, and marketing materials.

Tagline or brand message: Develop a clear and compelling tagline or brand message with a unique value proposition of your plumbing business. For example, “Plumbing solutions you can trust” or “Reliable plumbing services for your home.”

Customer-centric approach: Emphasize great customer service as part of your brand identity. Provide prompt responses, offer transparent pricing, and go the extra mile to exceed customer expectations. Encourage positive online reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers to build trust and credibility.

Branded vehicles: Use your logo, brand colors, and contact information on your company vehicles. This serves as mobile advertising and helps raise brand awareness as you travel to and from job sites.

Social media presence: Establish a presence on relevant social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Share helpful plumbing tips, showcase completed projects, and engage with customers through comments and direct messages.

Uniforms and business cards: Outfit your employees in branded uniforms with your logo and brand colors. Additionally, design professional business cards with your logo, contact information, and tagline.

Community involvement: Take part in local community events, sponsor relevant causes, or collaborate with other home service providers. Being involved in the community can enhance your brand’s reputation and foster positive relationships with potential customers.

Let’s take The Scottish Plumber as an example. This Chicago and suburbs plumbing service got branding down to a t. 

The company logo is a bagpipe — a musical instrument associated with Scotland — with water pipes. The tagline “The Pipes are Calling…” plays up this bagpipes and water pipes connection.

The Scottish Plumber’s visual identity is based primarily on green and blue tartan (plaid). These colors evoke a sense of freshness and cleanliness and also remind you of Scotland’s lakes and mountains. The tartan is carried over to branded vehicles for consistent brand identity.

Create a website and optimize it for search engines

A plumbing service website is a point of reference for your customers. There, you can share your services and prices, contact information, locations, best reviews, and any other relevant information. 

The trick is to make it address your potential clients’ concerns and answer their questions. 

Plus, with the help of pop-up forms, you can collect emails to add people to your email list. 

Your website should be optimized for search engines, so potential customers can find you when they search for plumbing services in your area. Here are the main steps: 

Keyword research: Think about words people type in to search for plumbing services and use those on your website. For example, “plumbing services NY” or “emergency plumbing Atlanta”. Use keyword research tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner or Semrush to find high-volume and low-competition keywords.

Content optimization: Develop high-quality, informative, and engaging content that would include your target keywords. Research the topic you want to cover and find frequently asked questions, such as those in your headings and subheadings. Plus, add thematically close keywords. For example, if your main keyword is clogged, words like stuck or stuffed are good to use too. 

User experience: Improve user experience by making your website visually appealing, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Use sections to unite similar pages (for example, group water heater replacement and toilet repair pages under the Services section of the website navigation) and follow a logical hierarchy (bigger sections need to include individual pages, not the other way around). Plus, remember to highlight the most important pages by putting them on the header of the website. And remember that the fewer clicks it takes for users to find what they need, the better. 

Monitoring and analytics: Set up Google Analytics, Open Web Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or other tracking tools to monitor your website’s performance, traffic sources, and user behavior.

SEO optimization is a complex topic we only briefly touched on. If you need advanced approaches, consider hiring a professional. 

The Roto-Rooter website is pleasant to look at. For SEO optimization, the company uses keywords and phrases associated with plumbing like “Find your local plumber”, Plumbing & Drains”, “Water Damage Restoration”. Plus, website visitors can schedule service in one click thanks to “Schedule service” and “Schedule online” buttons: 

Try out email marketing

The ROI of email marketing is $36 — an impressive indicator compared to other marketing channels. Plus, it’s cost-effective. For plumbers, that is essential, considering a usually limited user base and marketing budget. Plus, there are many email marketing strategies you can try out.

By regularly sending informative and engaging emails, plumbers can build and nurture relationships with their customers. You can provide helpful tips, advice, and industry insights, positioning yourself as a trusted expert. This helps to increase customer loyalty and retention. For instance: 

• Provide helpful tips and reminders for homeowners to prepare their plumbing systems for different seasons. For example, “Winter plumbing maintenance: How to prevent frozen pipes.”
• Offer exclusive deals, discounts, or coupons to encourage customers to schedule plumbing services. For instance, “Limited time offer: 15% off plumbing repairs.”
• Share do-it-yourself plumbing tips to help customers troubleshoot minor issues or perform simple maintenance tasks. Example: “DIY fixes: How to unclog a drain without chemicals.”

Here’s a plumbing service email template as an example of emails you can send:

Email marketing is easier and more effective if you use a dedicated service. Here’s what you can do using email marketing platforms:

• Segment your customer base and send targeted campaigns. You can create different email lists depending on where your customers live, what kind of services they need, your previous interactions. This will make your content more relevant, in other words, tailored to their specific needs and preferences, and more likely to bring conversions.
• Send service reminders, follow-up emails, request reviews, etc. using automation.
• Track success of your campaigns with analytics. You can monitor metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to determine how effective your email marketing efforts are. This data helps to refine future campaigns.

Create a customer referral program

Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool, and customer referrals can be a great way to attract new clients. A referral program can motivate satisfied customers to recommend your services to their friends and family.

A referral program for plumbers is when you ask your customer to recommend you to their friends using some kind of incentive — usually a small discount. Here are the essential elements of a referral program for plumbers:

• Compelling incentives: Give customers a reason to advise your plumbing services to their friends, family, or colleagues. This could include maintenance discounts, free services, free clog removers or drain cleaners, or exclusive promotions for both the referrer and the referred customer.
• Personalized referral cards: Design referral cards that customers can hand out to their acquaintances. These cards should include the customer’s name, a unique referral code, your contact information, and a brief description of the incentive they will receive for referring new customers. It could look like this:

• Following up and tracking referrals: Keep track of referrals received and ensure that you follow up with both the referrer and the referred customer. Acknowledge the referral, provide the promised incentives, and express gratitude for their support. This helps to maintain a positive customer experience and encourages continued referrals.
• Regular communication: Stay in touch with your customers through email newsletters or remind them about the program and encourage them to refer more people. To motivate your subscribers to participate in the program, share success stories or testimonials from satisfied customers.

Check how well the program works and make changes, if necessary (e.g., increase a discount or set up reminders on SMS). That way you can make it as efficient as possible.

You can also explore online referral programs. Here’s what it can look like on your website:

Partner with other businesses

Reach new customers by offering joint promotions with local businesses like the home renovation or interior design firms. You can place your cards in their stores and offices or partner up for digital advertising in emails or on websites to advertise your services. It’s an especially great opportunity to find local leads.

This email is a collection of different services. Plumbers are recommended in the last section of the email along with electricians:

Use social media to your advantage

You can use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share images and videos of your work, promote your services, and engage with your followers. This will help you get more attention and reach a wider audience, build your brand identity. Informative and relevant content, testimonials, before-and-after photos of completed projects, and client reviews help plumbers to show the quality of their work.

Plus, social media platforms are a direct communication channel between you and your customers. Plumbers can answer questions, address concerns, and provide information about your services. This engagement helps build trust and fosters relationships with existing and potential customers, especially younger ones.

Plumber John shares different fixtures and plumbing instruments in his TikTok videos. It creates a professional image and recognition. Surely, some people can make DIY fixes following Plumber John’s instructions, but others will just contact the plumber himself.

Appear on local search results with a Google Business Profile

Plumbing is a local service, so people often search for it on online maps to estimate the distance. It’s especially true when they need to fix a plumbing emergency. With a Google Business Profile, you can appear on local search results when potential customers search for plumbing services in your area. You can also use your Google Business Profile to share information about your services, contact information, and reviews from previous customers.

Try paid advertising

Use paid advertising platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to target potential customers in your area.

Here are three paid advertising methods specifically tailored for plumbers to effectively promote your services.

Localized Google Ads campaigns:

• Target local customers by setting up Google Ads campaigns that focus on specific areas.
• Use location targeting and keywords related to plumbing services in your ads.
• Use ad scheduling to display your ads during peak hours or when customers are most likely to search for plumbing services. Do research to determine these times or experiment with different options.

Social media advertising:

• Create targeted ads based on location, demographics, and interests relevant to homeowners or property owners.
• Showcase before and after photos of your plumbing projects to highlight your expertise and quality of work.
• Use retargeting ads to reach users who have previously visited your website or engaged with your social media content but didn’t schedule a service.

Video advertising:

• Use video advertising platforms like YouTube to showcase your plumbing services.
• Create informative and engaging videos with plumbing tips, solutions, and testimonials from satisfied customers.
• Target your video ads based on relevant keywords, demographics, and location to reach users interested in plumbing services.

Here’s an example of a Google Ad for plumbing services:

Submit to local directories

Local directories like Yelp or Yellow Pages are websites that feature business listings in one location or industry. Submitting to those can help you reach new customers in your area. These directories are often used by people looking for local services, and they usually appear in the first positions of the web search results. Plus, in general, these websites are free.

Create and share expert content

You can share tips, tricks, and tutorials related to plumbing on your website or social media platforms.

This could be your content plan topics and articles.

Plumbing maintenance and tips:

• Top 10 plumbing maintenance tasks every homeowner should know
• How to prevent plumbing emergencies: Essential maintenance tips
• DIY plumbing: Common repairs you can handle on your own

Energy-efficient plumbing solutions:

• Green plumbing: How to save water and energy at home
• The benefits of installing low-flow fixtures and water-saving devices
• Tankless water heaters: An energy-efficient solution for your home

Bathroom remodeling and design:

• Designing a functional and stylish bathroom: Plumbing considerations
• Choosing the right fixtures for your bathroom remodel
• Creating a spa-like experience: Upgrades for your bathroom plumbing

Seasonal plumbing tips:

• Winter plumbing preparations: Protecting your pipes from freezing
• Spring plumbing checklist: Getting your plumbing ready for the season
• Summer plumbing tips: Water conservation and outdoor plumbing maintenance

Sustainable plumbing practices:

• The importance of sustainable plumbing: Benefits for the environment
• Rainwater harvesting: Using rainwater for irrigation and other purposes
• Greywater recycling: How to reuse water from showers and laundry

Remember, when creating expert content, provide valuable information, address common concerns, and showcase your expertise as a plumber. Tailor the content to your target audience’s needs and interests, and consider including relevant visuals, step-by-step guides, and practical examples.

Run a Facebook or Instagram contest

Contests are social media activities with certain conditions that reward winners with discounts or free services. 

Make sure you are caught up on every detail. Here’s a contest example with all the relevant information: 

Conclusion

Effective marketing strategies can help you promote your services, increase brand awareness, and attract new customers. Let’s remember the key ideas:

• Create a customer referral program.
• Partner with other businesses.
• Try out email marketing.
• Use social media.
• Create a website and optimize it for search engines.
• Create a Google Business Profile.
• Test paid advertising campaigns.
• Submit to local directories.
• Invest in building a brand.
• Create and share expert content.
• Run some contests.

Use the marketing ideas discussed in this guide to make your plumbing business more successful.