No matter how skilled you are as a plumber, the fact remains that you also run a business. And with that comes the responsibility of not only performing your services – but also of marketing those services.
If you’ve established your company, protected yourself with the right contractor’s insurance, and started taking on jobs, it may be time to consider how to continue to grow your company.
Effective digital marketing can help any plumbing or trades company build up their reputation and connect with people in need of your services. Read on to learn more.
Digital marketing involves creating an online presence for your business so that potential customers can find you and learn more about your company and services.
Through effective digital marketing strategies, you can source new work, stay top-of-mind for past clients, and build a reputable brand. Below are six ways that you can get started.
Running a successful small business today means having a presence online. A company website is the cornerstone of this strategy.
With your plumbing website, you’ll be able to showcase who you are, why you started your business, and what regions you service. You can also show a bit of your brand personality through your website design. Take a look at what your competitors are doing for inspiration but be sure to make it your own.
Here are a few sections that you’ll want to consider including when planning out your site:
Home page: This is the first section visitors will see when they come to your website. It should clearly identify that they’ve landed in the right place, so include your business name and logo at the top. The beginning of the page should also provide a clear call to action to encourage visitors to either learn more about your services or contact you.
Services page(s): In this part of your website, showcase what type of jobs you usually take on and the kinds of services you offer. For example, do you specialize in plumbing for apartment or commercial buildings? Are you available on the weekends?
About page: Use this section of your site to share a little bit about yourself and/or your company. From a marketing perspective, try to make this read like a story that you feel your customers will connect with.
Contact us page: Possibly the most important section of all, you’ll want to provide details on how potential clients can get in touch with you. You’ll want to share information like your email, phone number, and business address, if applicable.
Down the line, once you’ve collected enough reviews from your clients, you may also want to consider having a testimonials page. This section is a great way to showcase that you provide quality services and can be trusted.
Marketing emails are a great way to communicate updates, news, or promotions about your business to your existing or potential customers. There are few different ways to leverage email marketing, such as:
Company newsletters: These types of communications are typically sent out once a month or every quarter. They can provide an overview of what’s been happening with your company and within your industry. You can also use it as a way to direct your readers to your website and remind them of your services.
Targeted email campaigns: Emails like this are usually sent out regarding specific promotions or discount codes. You can choose to send just one e-blast out to your entire mailing list, or create an email flow that follows up with people who didn’t open your first message.
Automated messages: Sending out emails automatically in response to an action taken on your site can be a great way to ensure you’re following up with potential leads. For example, if a website visitor fills out your contact form asking about a quote, you could have an automated email message that goes out to them immediately. This communication could say something like: “Thanks for contacting us! A member of our team will be in touch with you as soon as possible.”
When it comes to email marketing, make sure that you are complying with Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL) to avoid any penalties.
SEO is a way of improving your website’s visibility through Google search and other search engines. Rather than paying for online advertisements, this strategy identifies ways to direct relevant traffic to your site.
For example, setting up a Google My Business account can help you show up in more search results. Since this listing also includes your business address, it can help with your local SEO.
While you can tackle your search engine optimization on your own, hiring an SEO specialist may be worth it in exchange for the time and effort spent.
Pay-per-click campaigns are a popular way to try out online advertising. These types of digital ads can be run on social media through platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
You can also try pay-per-click advertising on Google or websites that are relevant to your work as a plumber. For example, you may want to run a campaign on a homeowner’s association website or a property management company’s website. This would get your ad in front of the homeowners or renters who visit these sites.
When it comes to social media, you don’t have to publish posts on a daily basis. However, it is important that you at least have a presence on the more popular platforms, such as:
This can help potential customers find you through multiple avenues online, in addition to your website. Having social media profiles also enables users to tag your company page, potentially increasing your visibility to a wider audience.
To help build up your brand trust and loyalty, reach out to your customers for testimonials. An easy way to capture great reviews is by following up with clients immediately after you’ve completed a job for them. Ask them to leave a quick Google review or share a sentence or two that you could put up on your website.
Be sure to always ask your customers for permission before publishing their testimonials in your marketing materials, even if it’s already up on a third-party site like Google.
Now that you have an idea of the different ways you can market your plumbing business, you may be wondering how to get started. Fortunately, there are a lot of free and paid marketing services out there to help you out.
The below platforms offer support with executing digital marketing campaigns.
HubSpot
Hootsuite
Mailchimp
Semrush
Google Analytics
Related: Marketing ideas for small businesses
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Originally published June 1, 2022, updated August 25, 2023
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