Sharing our knowledge of what’s best to use to gain more clients. This is our guide for plumber’s marketing start to finish.
We’re going to run you through proven things you can do now to improve the marketing for your plumbing business and get your name out there.
If you’re a small or large plumbing business, you’re going to need to do some marketing to take your business up a level.
Let’s start Marketing for Plumbers with the basics…
Get A Professional Logo
Something that is often overlooked. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but you want to be distinguishable. Let’s keep it short and run through a quick checklist. Your logo needs to be:
- Bold
- Unique
- Identify what you do
The logo above is made by us for Chris Pringle Gas Solutions and has been used on many formats.
Have StickersAndThat make your logo.
See StickersAndThat creating a logo from scratch.
Now, what to do with it…
Plumbers Social Media Marketing
Social media is a must these days, its free to get going and most customers will search for you there before making a purchase. For two reasons, firstly for clarification that you’re open for business and secondly to check the quality of work.
There are fundamentals to social marketing, stick to these and you’ll see results.
- Don’t be corporate – If all your posts are simple, low effort adverts of your services your page isn’t entertaining or engaging. Remember, people aren’t using socials to get adverts, they’re on for entertainment, news or ideas.
- Show personality – Don’t be afraid to show who you are and what you do, you’ll hopefully be walking into their house soon. Use stories or short videos to add some personality to your business, people will remember you.
- Be contactable – Answer all messages that come through at your earliest convenience, not only does this look good to your customers but it also gets you seen on more user’s feeds.
Need convincing that it’s worth your time? We’ve had 100’s of high spend orders with 0 ad spend in the first 6 months of opening our doors using social media as our main source of traffic to our site. The bottom line is that social media marketing can be amazing when done right.
Keep in mind the business of social media. Facebook, Twitter etc. are all chasing the same thing, screentime. The more time they spend actively on their site, not only are habits formed but the more ads they see and the more income they get. If people are spending more time on your page or interacting with your page (comments, shares, messaging) the more value you are and the more you will get shown to new customers.
Each social media is a slightly different beast, let’s start with the big one, Facebook.
Facebook Marketing for Plumbers.
We recommend: Make sure your info is up to date and make your page a “service” page that way you can add a services tab with pricing for customers. Posts should include a photo and create a storybook of work completed, schedule your posts often (not only) around 6-9pm for further reach and reply to all messages and comments.
If you haven’t already Create a Facebook page. As with all socials, Facebook is free to start but does cost time. We understand that posting on your business’ Facebook is the last thing you want to do some days when you’ve just finished your last job, that’s why we suggest scheduling your posts when you have some downtime during the day. The most active times on Facebook generally are between 7-10 when most people are done for the day, hit them with your update around this time.
Customers will be looking…
Often when making a big decision a customer will call on a recommendation but still check your social media (likely Facebook, being most popular for homeowners) to see previous work. Take quality pictures of your jobs, more the merrier, to post on Facebook this makes you look busy and shows off the quality service you provide. If a potential customer visits your page and you haven’t posted in a month they may go to someone who has.
Visuals are key.
Posts that are text-only get close to no engagement. Make the most of your phone and use photos and video. Take a look at a company that is doing well and do better. There are many apps that will create a slideshow from your photos easily and boomerang on instagram can make good short videos. Use these to your advantage, because Facebook loves videos as it holds the user on the site, they will recommend your videos to friends of people that like your page too. More reach = more potential customers.
Should you boost your posts?
Paid Facebook Ads for Plumbers
A difficult question. Ads on Facebook can work brilliantly, but it needs to be targeted. If you don’t target your ads you might as well throw your money away. Cost per engagement is important here, that is how many people click, view, like, comment or share your boosted post or ad. To get the best deal you need to first select the area that you can serve and not beyond, start by entering your postcode and choose a mile radius. Now select your age and be picky, does someone under the age 18 care about a boiler replacement? No. Does someone under the age of 25? Most likely not, young people are usually first-time buyers and often will have 5-10 years of life left. 65+ age range is not worth the ad spend as engagement is nothing, go as high as 55. We’re after the most likely suspects here, pick a range you feel will work and roll with it. Always check and adjust, once you hit the sweet spot you’ll see a good return on your effort.
Before you start the campaign, double-check punctuation, spelling, etc. Also, ask yourself, does the post answer the important question… How do I buy it? Add your contact number or a send a message button to your post.
Weigh up your costs.
How many boiler replacements will you need to do to cover your cost? Most likely one, so stick a healthy budget on there and see how it goes. It won’t be wasted if anything you’ll get likes from your target audience which will lead to sales in the future. Remember people don’t need a plumber every week but if they’re seeing posts from a good looking plumber every week they know who to call when they do.
Get on Google. You will appear when customers search on maps and local listings.
We recommend: Use your logo, double check all your information here and it will affect your listings in local searches and you’ll have to wait for changes to take effect. Download the Google My Business app and do an occasional post, this will appear on search results for your business.
Having your business on Google is super important, within a few weeks of signing up you’ll receive a postcard through the mail with an activation code. Log back into your Google My Business account and enter your code. From then on you will appear in local listings and on Google Maps searches. You’ve probably seen this before, when your customer searches for your service nearby you will appear on the map as a business, generating calls and visits. Easy!
You can also add pictures for your business of your van for example so new customers can recognise your business.
Twitter Marketing for Plumbers
Make a Twitter account. Good for business and for a laugh.
We recommend: Don’t tweet generic posts that you wouldn’t like to read. Get involved on relevant hashtags like #TradesTalk and join the conversation, show your personality.
We love Twitter, not only can you get good reach for your posts you’ll also find like-minded people in your trade. There are many plumbers on twitter that create a community with events such as ToolTalk where other trades share their experiences with marketing, jobs etc.
Twitter is a good platform for showing social proof of your work, retweet your customers’ posts that recommend your work and join in the conversion in your industry.
Instagram Marketing for Plumbers.
Get Instagram Famous. We aren’t IG famous ourselves and its not as simple as we suggest, so let’s look at someone who is doing well.
View this post on Instagram. #coloured #copperpipes #attic #pipes #plumber #plumbproud #pipeperfect
Unequaled heating, currently sitting at 26k followers, been in multiple publications and a sound guy. But how has he done so well on Insta?
Looking through his profile you’ll be able to see various images of quality piping work, personality and giveaways but not one image is a low-effort post. All images are good quality, often edited and have a text input too, this ups engagement on your posts and gets you appearing on friends of friends accounts. Hashtags can also get you more noticed from people searching topics but don’t be persuaded to spam tags on each post this is not likely to gain engaged followers.
Remember that the more time users spend on your page the more value you give to Instagram as a whole. Use engaging text in your posts, video and multiple images where possible to increase time spent on your profile.
This gets you seen by more people, more loyal customers and an engaged audience. Be sure to respond to messages that you receive.
Social Media Marketing for Plumbers In Brief
Is it worth it? 100% yes. But you get out what you put in with social media, generic and low effort or repeated posts don’t do well. On the other hand well written, on-trend and well-timed posts can go viral!
It’s important to understand that its a slow burner, you most likely will not see returns for a few weeks but keep at it and it’ll pay dividends. Remember that follower numbers aren’t the be-all and end-all, engagement is key. People that view, like, comment and message your account from your posts help you grow and most importantly buy from you.
Once you’ve got comfortable with the above marketing techniques above you’ll want to look into email marketing for tradesmen, SEO for plumbers and getting your own plumber’s website.
Let your customers sell for you!
Customers are likely to recommend you if you provide a good service, leave a cleaned space or if you exceeded their expectations. This isn’t fresh news but make their recommendation easy by leaving your business card, contact details or any marketing material you have at every job or quote you pursue.
Take pictures of jobs and post them on your social media. If you’re on Facebook make a “Boiler Installs” photo gallery so your potential customer can easily find what they want to see. You may not get many likes and shares on these photos, but 60% of customers check social media before making a purchase. So the people who you want looking at the photos, probably are.
Ask for an online review of your business, if you are not on CheckATrade or similar, offer your Google or Facebook page to review both of these options are free. But focus on one, reviews are good when they’re all in one area, having 20 here there and everywhere is not as good as 100 in one place. Pick where you’re getting the most calls from (because that’s the important figure) and go with that.
Physical advertising for plumbers
You should keep the same message that you portray with online marketing as you do with physical advertising. Often potential customers will check you out online before making a call or buying a service.
Leaflets, cheap and can be effective. Get some simple leaflets showing your service, what you offer at what price and post it through the neighbours of the jobs your working at. Answer their question before they’ve asked, make it simple for them!
In the example above GHS heating solutions are using our domed stickers on the bottom corner of the boiler showing their contact number, they have the customer’s documentation in our branded folders and are using our work mats to protect the surface while installing. Portraying a good, professional image to their customer ensuring they get return custom.
Which products work?
Domed stickers are a brilliant way to keep your details visible to the customer. Our gel stickers protect your sticker from UV, flames, water and scratches so it will keep intact and bold. Place these stickers in clear view on your work, on the front of a boiler is the most commonplace. Our domed stickers are designed for free and only £15 for a sheet of approx. 30 stickers.
Branded folders should be given with any and all customer documentation. Installing a boiler isn’t the end of a relationship with your customer. If your customer is needing any plumbing/gas work make your contact details convenient for them to find, right in their home.
Work Mats help you work professionally. They clearly show your details, logo and name while protecting the surface you are working above. Keeping a clean surface for your customer. Definitely one of our top 3 most popular products
Our Site Boards using the high definition printer we print on a plastic board that will clearly show your business. So far they’ve been used on sites, as billboards and at job locations.
If you’re considering buying items for plumber’s marketing, you may be interested in our Trades Starter Pack this includes 6 items with quality designs for each with a £27.50 saving.
Each one of these items is proven to serve an important and individual purpose and we recommend you to consider all when considering your marketing for plumbers.
Don’t Miss A Service
Stress the importance of servicing when you install a boiler. When you come to servicing make it worthwhile for you and the customer. That means to charge a fair price for your time but give a fair service to the customer.
We’ve all heard horror stories of bad servicing, don’t be that guy! Whether you’ve had a long week or not, it is important you maintain your image of good quality of service and professionalism as this is what most homeowners will judge the work on.
We also recommend a service sticker on the front of the boiler, noting the next due service with a date, so it is clear and important. So the customer expects you on the day. Also, if ever there is a problem with the boiler in the future, who would they call? The number on the front of it of course! No competing on Google searches, Check-A-Trade or any other service.
Are compare sites worth it for plumbers?
Many trader sites have a mixed response but you may just have the wrong approach. Most charge a fee monthly/quarterly to be on there but the extra jobs and reputation they bring can give a good return on your investment. Customers care about the reviews they see online, after all your probably working on their home, they want to make sure its going to be looked after. Here are our tips:
- Stick to one only. Better to have many reviews in one place than scattered reviews everywhere ensure that you send your customers the automated review request
- Make sure your clients know that can review you online and suggest that they do so
- Ensure your information is up to date and correct
Which trader comparison site is best?
90% of the business gained through these sites are Google searches such as “Plumber in <your area>” “Fix a broken boiler <your area>” so to find the best site suited for you, search for the larger cities/towns that you cover for terms like previously mentioned with the largest populated 6-10 areas that you cover.
From these searches note down where the comparison sites appear organically (see infographic below). In example below, ratedpeople would not be recommended, yes technically they appear second in search results overall but once the ad send is moved to another area they’ll disappear.
To be honest, checkatrade.co.uk is likely to be top, they rank very well for a lot of searches. So if you’re stuck, take a look there.
But what if I get a bad review?
If anything it makes you look more genuine. But without a service like this customers don’t have the incentive to review so yes you may get a bad one but you most certainly will receive more good most trades aren’t in it for doing a bad job!
Nowadays people appreciate good service and are happy to share online their experience. If you’re providing a good service, you will receive good reviews. Disputes will happen and it can’t be helped but so long as you handle the situation correctly often you can change a negative review to positive and leave on good terms.
Start On Your Marketing for Plumbers Now
Act now. Plumber’s marketing is not an overnight process so waste no time in getting started.
You’re online now, so set up your online profiles. Make sure all information is correct, send a tweet or post on Facebook make sure you look active.
That’s all for the fundamentals of marketing for plumbers, we’ve tried to keep this slightly short but sweet and will go into the details of each in future posts. Comment below anything you’d like to see.
If you have any enquiries regarding Stickers And That services, feel free to email or message us on your favourite social media platform. We check them all regularly.
