So, let’s get down to business. You want your plumbing company to be flush with cash, but you aren’t going to make that happen by sitting back and waiting for customers to come to you. The latest statistics show there are over 115,000 plumbing businesses currently operating in the United States, with the industry projected to grow 24% from 2014 to 2024. Busy folks like me, with a clogged toilet and a million other things to do, don’t have a lot of time to spend searching for the best plumbing company in their area. 

That’s why you need plumbing company marketing able to put you at the top of local search engine results and generate leads. No two strategies will ever be exactly the same when it comes to online marketing for plumbers, but there are some strategies any plumber can use to help build their business. Here, we’ll take a look at some of the steps you can undertake in your digital marketing efforts in this highly competitive market. 

Plumb the Depths of Social Media

You don’t have to become a social media expert to start stepping up your social media game. However, it’s probably best if you begin to take note of just how important having a social media presence can be regardless of the industry you’re in. Whether you’re selling designer handbags, modeling for Versace, or taking care of broken garbage disposals for folks in your community, simply having a presence on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram can place you far ahead of the curve compared to those who don’t.

This is why one of the first big steps when it comes to digital marketing for plumbers is simply setting up social media accounts. Yes, that’s right. I said, “Setting them up.” Far too many plumbing companies haven’t established Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, or claimed their pages on Yelp or Google My Business. This alone can have a tremendous impact. Not only will it boost your efforts with plumbing lead generation, but for many people in this modern age, it helps a business be seen as more legitimate. 

Of course, once you’ve set up your pages, you have to use them – and this can be the tricky part for many. This is also where many plumbing companies may decide to invest a little of their marketing dollars on a plumbing marketing agency to keep their social media accounts updated on a regular basis. However, if you decide to do it on your own, there are plenty of ways you can keep your social media accounts updated regularly. Helpful tips, updates about your business, and of course information about upcoming offers are always great to share on any of your accounts. 

Just remember, after setting up your pages, be sure you’re an active participant in your pages. Nothing annoys customers more than businesses who ignore them. Respond to customer comments and inquiries as soon as possible. Not only does this make people happy, but seeing you engaged on your social media shows people you actually care. 

Let the Relationships Flow – Emails, Referrals and More

I’ll be honest, when my toilet’s about to overflow, nine times out of ten, I don’t stop and conduct a thorough Google search. I don’t turn to Google at all if I can help it. Instead, I’d like to call up the guys who took care of my water heater issue a couple of months ago, so long as they did a good job and I got a good price. Word of mouth marketing functions pretty well here, too – do great work and people will be raving about you to their friends. 

But let’s not forget email. While it may feel a little outdated, email marketing is still going strong, and for good reason. Pretty much everybody has an email address now, and most people check their email almost every day. This makes it one of the easiest ways for a plumbing company to reach out and build relationships with customers, in turn making it an incredibly effective tool in your plumbing marketing toolkit. 

With email marketing, you can reach out to customers directly and keep your business forefront in their minds. There are plenty of steps you can take to have an active email marketing campaign for your plumbing business. The first, and perhaps most important, is giving people a simple way to opt in to your email list. Having a place where customers can sign up for emails right on your website is highly recommended for both residential and commercial plumbing lead generation. You can even boost the number of folks who hand over their email addresses by incentivizing them to sign up with special offers and discounts. 

Also important to consider is what you place in the content of your emails. Because let’s face it, nobody likes spam. Sending out the right content at the right time encourages more clicks, gets more people reading, and is a far better tool for plumbing lead generation. And at the end of the day, make sure you’re watching the data regarding your email campaigns. This is where things can get tough, especially if you’re not a marketing professional. Fortunately, a plumbing marketing agency can help you build an email marketing campaign with the ability to increase your number of prospective leads and keep you above water. 

Optimize Copy that Gets You Found

Of course, all this being said, one of the most vital things you can do is put in the effort to get your site to the top of search results. When your toilet is backed up (like mine was this weekend), you’d love to have someone on speed dial so you don’t have to worry about finding a new guy. But sometimes you need to find a new plumber, and this is where Google becomes both my friend and yours.

Getting a good ranking on search engines requires good SEO. For plumbers, this means having the right keywords as well as the right copy placed across your site. As already mentioned, the plumbing industry is highly competitive, with hundreds of thousands of businesses out there. You’ve got a lot of competition in your area alone, so you need good SEO for plumbers and high-quality copy if you really want to make an impact. From the copy across your site describing who you are as a business to the services you provide to a blog filled with interesting, informative content, there’s a lot you can do to reach out to both new and potential customers.

As for your blog, this is a place where you can truly showcase your expertise and show people you know your stuff. When it comes to marketing for plumbing contractors, highlighting your experience and your authority is paramount. Giving people the information they can actively put to use such as on DIY projects, to identify plumbing issues in their own homes, or tips for taking care of regular plumbing maintenance tasks, it’s a great starting point for crafting a plumbing blog. 

Tap Into “How To” Video Marketing

Videos as a part of residential and commercial plumbing lead generation? Why not! People love spending time online watching videos, and while a video may require a little investment, it can be a great way to draw people in and get them to pay attention to what you have to say. Transforming your how-to blogs, your plumbing tips, and other guides into videos and sharing those videos via social media, your website, and through your email can be a great boon when it comes to marketing for plumbing contractors. Even if people don’t feel they have time to stop and read a few paragraphs, they often have time to watch a one-minute video. 

Crafting a few videos doesn’t have to be expensive, either. When working with a plumbing digital marketing company you can easily transform some of your better and more effective blog posts and other pieces of content into videos and begin sharing them right away. Starting a Youtube channel and adding it to your social media lineup can also be a great way to begin reaching out to even more potential customers. 

Getting into the plumbing company marketing game isn’t always easy. If your specialty is wrenches and pipes, learning how to work with email, social media, and the other intricacies of plumbing digital marketing can certainly give you a bit of a digital headache. However, it’s almost certainly worth it. 

If you’d like a little help with your plumbing marketing efforts, you can contact us today! Our digital marketing specialists have what it takes to fix any leaks in your plumbing digital marketing model so everything will be flowing successfully in no time.