Digital marketing covers a wide array of platforms and tactics. And, it can all sound so overwhelming when you just want to get to work on your plumbing business. We previously discussed the basics of email marketing, now let’s unpack the other areas that make up digital marketing for plumbers.
Below, you’ll find helpful tips on:
- Your plumbing company website
- A brief overview of plumbing SEO
- The importance of claiming your plumbing business listings
- How and when to respond to both positive and negative customer reviews
- The right way to approach social media, and how to not look silly in the process
After reading this helpful crash course on digital marketing for plumbers, you’ll be ready to take actionable steps to increase your brand’s online visibility!
Why You NEED a Plumbing Website NOW
In short, your plumbing company website will provide your business standout benefits like:
- Increases credibility and visibility of your brand
- 24/7 availability for customers to find you as needed
- Easy to update, instantaneously available everywhere
- Anywhere from 44 to 51 percent of small businesses don’t have a website
And you’ll have full control over every sentence, every pixel on your site, it’s all up to you.
While this may sound like an incredible amount of work – start small. Then, slowly build up your web presence over time. Make a simple web page outlining your offered services, the region you serve, and basic contact information to start.
If you build your site using a content management system like WordPress, Squarespace or Wix, you can easily add a blog later on. Hosting a blog on your plumbing website offers a number of benefits, including:
- Press releases on your latest company news
- An outlet for your thoughts on industry trends
- A valuable space to provide insightful how-to instructions for your clients
- The foundation for a content marketing strategy that can lead to attracting new clients
How to Take Advantage of SEO
Always remember to consider the wording you expect clients to use when searching for a plumbing business like yours. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is merely a matter of helping search engines understand who you want to find you, and what you’re offering.
Then, use Google Keyword Planner to research these keywords and find related keywords with a decent search volume before deciding which keywords and phrases to include in your text. In addition, refrain from overusing keywords to avoid receiving a Google penalty for keyword stuffing.
Also, since 60 percent of all Google searches are made from mobile devices, remember to ensure your plumbing site is mobile friendly. In fact, in 2018 Google started penalizing websites for not being mobile friendly.
This is true even if you’re just running a basic webpage with your plumbing business name, service, region and contact information. Phrase your information logically and remain concise yet conversational in your delivery. If you decide to create a blog, we recommend using tools like Google Keyword Planner or Semrush to research the best terms to include in your posts. You may find that over the long run this could yield fantastic results in generating new leads.
3 Simple Ways to Quickly Increase Online Exposure
Let’s say you’ve only got an hour to spare to dip your toe into the vast expanse of digital marketing for plumbing. Take a look at three simple ways to quickly increase online exposure for your business:
1. Create a Google My Business Account
When someone directly searches for your plumbing business, it’s important to make sure they’re seeing the most up-to-date and robust information available.
Take a few minutes and create your Google My Business account. It’s free and necessary for collecting reviews on Google. Also, this is how you can have a sidebar shoutout when someone searches your exact business name. Here’s ours»
This helps build consumer impressions of your business, and it’s entirely free! One important thing to note for those of you operating without a specified office location: Your Google My Business account requires a declared street address.
You can use your home address, and you can suppress that information from public view. Google just requires that information so it knows you’re not a spammer.
2. Claim Your Yelp Business Profile
Your business likely already has a listing on Yelp. So, neglecting this platform means customers will control what images mainly appear, and your reviews will be posted without your ability to post a response on that page.
It’s very easy to change that. Claim your business profile on Yelp in just a few minutes. By doing so, you’ll open up a suite of free tools to help manage your online presence.
Once you’ve claimed your business, you’ll be able to maintain the contact info, location, hours of operation, and (perhaps most importantly) respond to reviews.
3. Responding to Reviews Is Key
Everyone strives for five-star reviews, and you’ll surely get a bunch. However, there will always be a few unsatisfied people ready to roast your business online.
It’s uncomfortable seeing negativity attached to your brand, but it helps to view these moments as opportunities.
Once you’ve claimed your business profile on Yelp and created a Google business profile, you’ll be granted the ability to post responses to reviews. You can own up to mistakes, commit to doing better with actionable steps, and show potential customers what you plan to do to make things right.
Your vulnerability and transparency in these moments are often worth more than a dozen praise-filled reviews, because anyone on the fence about calling you will be able to see how you respond to criticism. Plus, most importantly, you can show how you turn a dissatisfied customer into a lifelong client.
Also, as a good rule of thumb, respond to all reviews in less than 24 hours. Negative reviews should be your top priority. Not just to help satisfy the person who left a critical review, but also anyone searching your business in the meantime.
How Social Media Plays into Digital Marketing for Plumbers
Let’s be clear on the current state of social media – this is where business happens. These platforms are used for more than artistic lunch photos and ranting soccer moms.
Many businesses in the trades are particularly excelling at social media due to the visual nature of their work and the highly shareable quality of tips.
This is also where you’ll generate fresh client leads. The key is to approach each platform thoughtfully and to invest enough attention to see results.
Since Facebook’s audience skews older, you’ll find many homeowners frequenting this platform. Maintaining an active business profile here is a must (if not, just to host refreshed contact information).
Also, check your messages here, as many people will be requesting service through Facebook’s messaging service. Don’t forget to set up Facebook’s chatbot to send customized auto-responses when the office is closed.
Reviews are also left on business pages, so the same attention should be applied here as you would with Yelp.
However, if you want to go the extra mile, Facebook is a great place to share knowledge. It’s true, these days most people don’t want to be sold. They want to learn. And you’re an expert in what you do.
Facebook is among the many social media networks that favors video content, and you work in a highly visual field.
Plus, video content has never been easier. In a short one to three-minute video, you can create little tutorials on common issues you’d find around the house. Also, teach potential clients what to look for in their homes (maybe little fixes here and there). But more importantly, educate your future customers on what to identify before calling you.
You’ll have a more educated client base, and people more willing to reach out with a firm understanding of the problem at hand.
Roger Wakefield, a prominent plumber on YouTube, digs a little deeper into this marketing strategy:
YouTube
As Roger Wakefield’s subscriber count shows, plumbers can flourish on YouTube. Since this platform favors long-form, informational videos, you could start by creating a longer video for distribution on YouTube. Then you could slice out smaller, more digestible chunks to distribute on other platforms.
This concept is called cross-posting, and it can help save you time and brainspace when thinking of ways to market your business in the digital space. Always remember to be truthful to your brand and respectful of your audience’s time.
When creating video clips, you’ll want to provide relevant nuggets of wisdom, while staying aware of what content works best on each platform. After all, you wouldn’t want to post a video of you doing a TikTok dance on LinkedIn!
At first glance, there might not seem to be much value in a traditionally white-collar networking tool like LinkedIn for someone in the trades. However, since Microsoft acquired this platform, we’ve seen it mature into a more substantial networking tool for all types of businesses.
Here’s just a short list of benefits LinkedIn can provide your plumbing business:
- Researching competition
- Hiring prospective plumbers and office staff
- Networking with other trades, contractors and suppliers
- Publishing written content to attract clients and candidates for your staff
And LinkedIn’s search feature scans your entire business profile to feature you in its results pages. So remember the benefits of SEO with everything you type on your page. Every word on your business page can help attract attention.
Also, use hashtags! LinkedIn fully embraces hashtags in 2021. This means the value of a well-placed hashtag could supercharge the visibility of your business on this platform.
As a primarily visual medium, you’ll want to approach Instagram with a show-and-tell educational mindset.
Many millennial first-time homeowners frequent Instagram, so you’ll be reaching plenty of people who know very little about plumbing basics. This is your opportunity to share your knowledge and offer advice and support for those who don’t know their wingnuts from their drain caps.
Your business’ Instagram profile is a great place to present the human element of your brand. Let your character shine, and be receptive to direct messages from potential clients.
Share fun stories from your staff and approach Instagram with a light-hearted tone.
TikTok
Speaking of light-hearted tone, TikTok is the place to really let your hair down. It’s true, TikTok’s user base skews younger, but the audience you could build here is immense! Contractors in the trades can generate hundreds of thousands of followers just by sharing what they know.
TikTok favors authenticity and passion. So this is the platform to be yourself. Share your failures as well as your successes. Let people see the back-breaking side of your work. You might be surprised by how much that resonates with a TikTok audience.
And yes, there are dances and silly trends on here. Don’t feel the need to jump on trends if you don’t get it or feel stupid attempting to morph your brand to fit a passing fad. Stick to what you know, and be consistent. You may just find your flock here.
Digital Marketing for Plumbers Is a Journey Not a Destination
Even though plumbing is an on-site profession, the value of your work can translate to digital sites and apps. It’s important to embrace the perks of digital marketing for plumbers. The benefits include:
- Creating visibility for your business
- Finding the best staff for your team
- Building an audience for your brand
- Becoming the obvious choice for plumbing services in the area
Share what you love, be honest, forthcoming and open and you might find a wellspring of attention and potential clients. It’s true that digital marketing for plumbers might be the best use of your marketing budget to generate attention for your business.
And see how FieldEdge can help streamline and simplify marketing efforts into your plumbing software pipeline. Book your FREE personalized demo today!
