What Are The 6 Best Plumbing Marketing Strategies?

Whether your plumbing business is a longstanding establishment or a new venture embarking on its first marketing efforts, entrepreneurs universally encounter obstacles on their road to success.

At Valve+Meter Performance Marketing, our team of experienced professionals specializes in marketing for home industry businesses like yours. We focus on innovative plumbing SEO, paid advertising, and holistic marketing strategies. Our approach provides tangible data, pinpointing the most effective marketing efforts to achieve your unique goals.

In a field rife with competition, a thoroughly researched, meticulously planned, and data-centric marketing strategy can significantly increase the influx of leads to your business.

To achieve success, your plumbing company must do more than simply provide exceptional customer service and plumbing services.

You have to connect with prospective customers and that starts with achieving a few goals. Performance marketing analyzes your current situation, defines your goals, confronts obstacles, and crafts marketing strategies that yield tangible results.

Let’s outline the six most common goals Valve+Meter’s strategists experience in the plumbing industry:

1. Increase Customer Base: Broaden your reach to potential customers while maintaining a strong base of loyal clients.
2. Enhance Brand Recognition: In a competitive market, employing clever strategies is key to standing out.
3. Improve Online Reviews and Reputation: Particularly for smaller businesses, your Google Business Profile, social media presence, and online reviews significantly influence growth.
4. Expand Service Offerings: Identify services that are both in high demand and profitable for your business.
5. Increase Customer Retention: Keep a steady connection with past customers, ensuring they turn to you for all their future plumbing needs.
6. Optimize Marketing ROI: Focus on marketing activities that provide measurable outcomes, which can be scaled as your business expands.

Next, your plumbing company must confront frustrations and implement the solutions to achieve these goals.

There are unlimited plumbing marketing ideas and the wrong marketing plan can lead to wasted advertising dollars.

For example, every plumbing company wants to expand their customer base. Local search engine optimization (SEO) helps you rank well in search engines. After implementing this solution, when someone searches for “plumber near me” on Google, assume your business ranks third against two other local plumbers.

What makes plumbing customers click one company over another?

More importantly, when consumers click your business and visit your website, what makes them call you?

Grasping the dynamics of your target audience is crucial for your plumbing business. In the past, traditional marketing methods like Yellow Pages, print ads, radio, television, and direct mail were common tactics for local businesses. Typically, a portion of your total revenue would be allocated to various marketing strategies. The measure of success was often as simple as an increase in phone calls, prompting more investment in similar ads, though it was rarely clear which ads were most effective in drawing prospective customers.

Researching your target audience can start with your customer relationship management (CRM) and email tools. Data helps in refining your approach to identifying and understanding your audience. A professional digital marketing strategy utilizes tools like search engines, social media platforms, and third-party integrations.

Instead of guessing what to include on your landing pages and hoping it resonates with your audience, adopting a data-driven approach transforms the way you create copy, design pages, and publish content.

Leveraging digital marketing tools enables your plumbing business to attract potential customers who share similarities with those who already love your products and services.

So instead of creating generic content and a scattergun approach, a targeted strategy means your marketing efforts can be more effective, and efficient, and yield better ROI.

Even when you know the plumbing customers you want to reach, online marketing can be frustrating. Once you design a performance-focused plumbing website, how do you attract visitors?

The difference between planning and strategy is profound. Many businesses can identify a target audience, choose specific services to promote and launch a marketing plan.

Before implementing any marketing activities, plumbing marketing strategies consider the specific goals, obstacles you may face, and what solution is best suited to deliver measurable results.

Understanding the nuances of modern marketing techniques transforms your approach. Performance marketing strategies craft a marketing narrative that not only reaches and engages your audience but delivers profitable results.

To grow, your marketing must be integrated into your plumbing business. Continually improving marketing to drive your sales and operations sets the stage for a marketing strategy that not only speaks to your target audience but also turns them into loyal customers.

So let’s explore each goal in detail:

• Goal: Increase Customer Base
• Frustration: Difficulty in reaching new clients
• Solution: Implement SEO strategies for online visibility

To increase your customer base, you need to understand consumer behavior.

What do you do when you need a product or service?

Even when you are looking for a local business, chances are you pick up your smartphone or turn to a desktop computer to search Google. There are 5.9 billion Google searches per minute.

All plumbing marketing ideas begin by positioning your plumbing website as the primary point of contact for your plumbing company. All plumbing leads, repeat business, and customer feedback center around your website.

To expand your customer base, a key tactic is harnessing the power of search engine optimization (SEO). Every page on your website needs to be optimized so that Google and other search engines know what your business offers and who you service. By optimizing your plumbing website with the right keywords, you’re essentially putting up a digital sign that says, ‘Hey, we can fix that!’

A home page and primary pages for each type of service you offer are the building blocks of your plumbing website. SEO is an ongoing strategy that grows stronger results with frequency and scale.

Here are five key SEO techniques that involve blogging, which can significantly increase your customer base:

1. Regular Blogging: Keep a blog with consistent posts about plumbing tips, advice, and stories. Each blog targets a specific term or topic that your target audience is likely to search for. Regular content updates signal to search engines that your site is current and relevant.
2. Keyword Optimization: Integrate relevant keywords into your blog posts and all other pages. A dedicated page for each of your services is important to ranking in Google for that service. You also need to include the specific terms that users in your service area search when looking for plumbing services.
3. Local SEO Strategies: You probably cannot help plumbing leads from 1,000 miles away. So focus your service pages, about us, and blog content on local issues and solutions. Use local keywords to improve visibility in your community’s search results.
4. Quality Content: Create valuable, informative, and engaging blog content that addresses common plumbing problems. This not only attracts readers but also encourages them to share your content.
5. Feature Reviews: Existing customers are your greatest advocates. As many as 99.9% of people read online reviews when considering local businesses. Featuring reviews across your plumbing website demonstrates to new customers you are a trustworthy business.

Incorporating these SEO techniques into your plumbing business’s digital marketing strategy is not just about taking a shot in the dark. It’s about strategically positioning your business in the direct path of potential customers who are already searching for the services you offer.

Effective SEO, especially through blogging, isn’t just smart marketing; it’s a direct line to those in need of your expertise.

• Goal: Enhance Brand Recognition
• Frustration: Lack of brand awareness in the local market
• Solution: Utilize Local SEO, Google Business Profile, social media marketing, and Google Local Services to boost brand presence

Local SEO helps you achieve brand recognition in search engines, but to truly enhance your brand recognition, your plumbing company needs to stand out across all search results and social media platforms.

To be more than just another service provider, your company needs to build credibility in the local market. Great content on your website can be featured on your Google Business Profile, social media, and Google Local Services Ads (LSA).

Although your website is the nexus of all online marketing, many customers’ first impression of your company is your Google Business Profile (GBP). Businesses with a well-managed GBP are 94% more likely to be reviewed as reputable. A fully optimized GBP includes a thorough description, dynamic images, a list of services, and regular posts about your business.

This profile acts like a digital business card, offering essential information about your services, operating hours, and contact details. It also provides a platform for customer reviews, which can significantly boost your reputation and visibility. Before people visit your website, they are likely to see your GBP.

Next, while social media marketing can be a time-consuming task, Americans spend over 2 hours each day on these platforms. A dynamic profile of your business can supercharge brand recognition. Just like blogging, posts about common plumbing issues, examples of your work, and interacting with users build your trust, credibility, and overall image with new customers.

Lastly, while GBP and social media is a passive way of connecting with new customers and staying engaged with your existing audience, Google Local Services ads can dramatically increase your brand’s visibility rapidly. These ads appear at the top of search results, giving you prime real estate on Google’s search pages. Data shows when LSA appears on a results page, these ads account for 13.8% of all clicks.

They are not just ads; they’re endorsements of your credibility and professionalism. A green badge signals Google has reviewed and approved your plumbing business. Your plumbing business can effectively target local customers, ensuring that your brand is one of the first they see and consider for their plumbing needs. While these ads cost each time a user clicks, these plumbing leads are highly intent on finding plumbing services now.

In conclusion, by harnessing the power of Local SEO, Google Business Profile, social media, and Google Local Services, your plumbing business can significantly enhance its brand recognition in the local market. These strategies are not about mere visibility; they’re about establishing your local business name as the go-to expert in your community, with long-term and short-term tactics.

• Goal: Improve Online Reviews and Reputation
• Frustration: Negative or insufficient online reviews
• Solution: Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews

In the digital age, the reputation of your plumbing company can hinge on online reviews. Where you appear in Google’s local map results, how you appear in Google Local Services Ads (LSA), and how you are perceived by new customers all rest on the number of stars and the total number of reviews beside your name.

These reviews are like personal recommendations broadcasted to the world. Encouraging satisfied customers to share their positive experiences online can be transformative. It’s about turning a job well done into a public endorsement, amplifying the voices of your happy customers.

Here are three ways to encourage satisfied customers:

• Include a link: A direct link to review your Google Business Profile in all email communications including quotes, invoices, and email marketing newsletters. Make it simple for people to give you five stars.
• Ask for reviews: Make sure your customers know how much reviews mean to your business. Before leaving any repair, installation, or other project, train your team to ask for a review.
• Respond to reviews: Thanking customers for positive feedback and gracefully handling the occasional negative reviews demonstrates your commitment to excellence.

Addressing concerns and showing customer satisfaction can often turn a critic into an advocate, enhancing your reputation for potential customers who read these interactions. The more reviews you earn, the more likely you are to outrank competitors in local searches and earn more plumbing leads.

• Goal: Expand Service Offerings
• Frustration: Uncertainty about market demand for new services
• Solution: Conduct market research and use targeted advertising

Diversifying the services of your plumbing business isn’t just a leap of faith; it’s a strategic move grounded in market research. Many home services businesses expand into adjacent trades. Many plumbing companies have expanded into HVAC and electrical.

By understanding the emerging needs and preferences of your plumbing industry and customers, you can tailor your services to fill gaps in the market. This isn’t about randomly adding services; it’s a calculated approach to identify what your local market needs but isn’t getting.

Surveys of existing and new customers help you learn what your actual customers are looking for in your business. You can also work with plumbing marketing consultants like Valve+Meter to conduct direct market research into your service area.

This strategic expansion not only meets the evolving needs of your customers but also positions your plumbing business as a versatile and forward-thinking choice in the market.

• Goal: Increase Customer Retention
• Frustration: High customer churn rate
• Solution: Develop loyalty programs and offer exceptional service

So a new customer calls you for emergency services and then disappears into the ether. Sound familiar?

The real magic in growing your plumbing business lies in keeping them coming back. Think of customer retention as the art of turning a one-time call into a lifelong relationship.

Many plumbing companies offer a loyalty program or a membership program. These programs don’t need to give anything away for free and they don’t need to be expensive.

One strategy is to create marketing materials on your website and in the form of sales collateral. Printed materials can be given to customers when plumbing services are quoted or completed. All of your primary plumbing services should link to the page that features your program.

What you feature inside of the program can range and doesn’t need to be singular.

• In a free program: Explain why you are unique and what you offer to all potential customers. Do you back your work with a warranty? Do you offer free quotes? Are you available for emergency services?
• In a paid program: Offer perks and rewards that make customers feel valued and inclined to choose your services again. One study shows that 205 million Americans subscribe to at least one membership program. To make certain your brand name is synonymous with all plumbing services: offer free annual inspections, discounts on services, and member priority in the case of emergencies.

Exceptional customer service plays a starring role here – it turns a routine plumbing job into an experience worth remembering and sharing. Happy customers don’t just return; they become ambassadors of your brand, spreading the word of mouth even faster than a leaky faucet!

• Goal: Optimize Marketing ROI
• Frustration: Inefficient allocation of marketing budget
• Solution: Use data-driven marketing strategies to allocate resources effectively

In the world of plumbing marketing, throwing money into the abyss and hoping for the best just doesn’t cut it. It’s about smart investment and smarter returns.

Data-driven marketing campaigns measure the results of every marketing activity. By analyzing the performance of your marketing efforts, you can pinpoint what’s working and what’s not, allowing you to channel your resources into winning tactics.

This is not just about cutting costs; it’s about investing in strategies that resonate with your target audience. When you know the marketing tactics that yield the best return on investment, you can dominate your competition. While competitors spend blindly actively searching for more customers, performance marketing scales smartly.

Whether it’s through search engine optimization, social media engagement, or Google local service ads, Valve+Meter believes there is an unlimited budget for marketing that works.

The result?

A marketing approach that not only saves money but also maximizes impact, drives your plumbing business towards greater profitability and success.

When your success hinges on more than just skillful wrench-turning, your plumbing company should think beyond goal setting.

From expanding your customer base with savvy SEO and local service ads to enhancing brand recognition through social media engagement and targeted digital advertising, utilize research at every step.

Each aspect of marketing, when done right, builds a system that not only attracts new customers but also keeps them returning. The heart of effective plumbing marketing lies in understanding and adapting plumbing marketing strategy to the evolving needs of your market. It’s about creating a connection with your community, building trust, and establishing your plumbing business as a reliable, go-to service provider.

Interested in more plumbing marketing ideas and the tools to drive your business forward? Connect with the strategists at Valve+Meter for free marketing assessment.