Marketing for Plumbers
We face as a society a tremendous challenge. There is a huge shortage of qualified plumbers, while the population continues to grow rapidly. Especially in this Corona pandemic, many people are looking for technical solutions in their homes. Never before did people have to stay at home for such a long time.
It is time for a tea break. You are tapping water to make a delightful cup of earl grey, but instead, your countertop and kitchen floor are wetter than a fish. You can now mop the floor when you could have been enjoying your cup of tea.
People endure more pain in technical chores at home. A home is now also the workplace for most of us.
For plumbers, this is a golden age. There are tremendous opportunities for those who possess technical skills. The demand is higher than the supply, this means you can grow your business and revenue faster than ever before.
Especially at this time, there are better ways to increase your growth as a plumber. In this blog, you will learn how to use internet marketing to grow your business exponentially.
Step by step, we will walk you through the basics of internet marketing for plumbers, and give you practical strategy templates.
Let’s start building your business online, today!
P.S. The best time to start with your marketing for plumbers plan was yesterday. The next best time is today! 
Get more customers with a solid marketing for plumbers plan.
Technological developments have made it easier to reach more of your target audience. The simplest form of new business creation has always been word of mouth. The main problem with this strategy is that the words of word of mouth don’t travel very fast.
There is a better and more efficient way of getting customers. This marketing strategy will work for you, even when you sleep. We are talking about internet marketing.
Word of mouth has always been very powerful because of the social proof it offers. With our current technological advances, we can now use word of mouth online by testimonials. Not only can you directly speak to thousands of potential customers, but these forms of social proof also increase the chance of converting customers.
Why digital marketing for plumbing makes sense
Another, more modern, word for internet marketing is digital marketing. It’s basically the same but just more of a modern variant of the word.
Especially in the technical sector, marketing is still being done the old school way. For example: promoting via papers, using word of mouth, and handing out business cards. There is a minimalistic approach to using marketing. This means there are laying tremendous opportunities for those willing to invest in internet marketing.
People are more online than ever before. If your customers are online, how can you reach them offline?
‘’People spent 36% more time on social media during this period, on average an hour and eight minutes a day, and 26% more time on news sites’’
- Sky News
Recent changes in Facebook Advertising made the prices of ads historically low. There are also new social media channels standing up, for example, Pinterest is going through a huge growth.
Taking part in these upcoming social media trends is therefore a great idea. Hopping on this growth train will benefit you big time in the long run. However, you should first educate yourself on using these platforms. Without proper self-education, you can easily lose a lot of money on paid ads.
The 3 reasons why marketing for plumbers makes sense
Firstly, the main goal of digital marketing is to make sure customers can find you. Therefore investing in digital marketing is essential to your name recognition by customers.
Secondly, you don't want to miss out on digital marketing because your direct competitor might already be investing in digital marketing.
Lastly, digital marketing has the potential to deliver customers to you without you paying a dime for it. We call this strategy content marketing. Keep reading, because you will find a full explanation plus the different ways of creating content.
How to market your plumbing business
A lot of plumbers start their marketing messages like: we deliver quality work, the customer is always right, we deliver customized solutions. But let’s be fair. I have never heard a plumber or business owner say: we deliver no quality and never listen to our customers!
It's obvious that the customer expects you to deliver quality and to fulfill their wishes. Your marketing message should be about what makes you different from your competitor. Nowadays a customer needs to know who he or she is dealing with. The customer wants to know whether they can trust you or not.
A great way to truly connect with your customer is to use the marketing model: the Golden Circle by Simon Sinek. The purpose of the model is to show your audience what makes you different from all the others. The model focuses on your motivational drive. What is it that makes you different? Are you pure in it for the money, or do you serve a purpose?
The Why: the why is the essence of the Golden Circle model. Here you dive into the deep. Why does your business exist? What does it contribute to the lives of others? It's important that you’re not going to mention ‘profit’. This is a result and should not be the reason why you started your business (at least that’s what I hope for). The why can be that you want people to have a safe and clean house, which contributes to general health.
The How: the how stands for the strategy behind the why. How are you going to accomplish your why in the lives of your customers? This includes strategies, your distinctive factor, and unique buying reason. The how can be that your products offer more safety. For example, you offer concentric pipes for boilers which are safer than the standard ones.
The What: the what focuses on what services or products your company delivers. As a plumber, this means plumbing services. For example, as a plumber, you will replace pipes underneath the sink.
Don’t lose customers by wrong market positioning
Important to know is that you want to be as specific as possible in what you are doing for the customer. Saying ''we are the best plumber service in the US'' is not how you want to define your business. You want to start small, to be able to reach a specific target audience, and stay in a niche.
‘’When you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to nobody.’’
Digital marketing for plumbers - How to get started!
Now that you are familiar with what digital marketing is and what it can do for you, it is time to look forward to the next step. Every business has growth goals it wants to achieve. To get more customers and increase your revenue, you will need to have an unbeatable marketing strategy. In this topic, we will give you a template you can follow to build a solid online strategy.
Get your website started with Bluehost within a few minutes
Firstly, the website. To be able to establish your online presence, you will need a website. For our own website, we have been using WordPress. The power of WordPress lays within its open-sourced character. This means every software programmer can make software to use on WordPress. Therefore WordPress is highly customizable and independent.
Bluehost is the number 1 recommended WordPress hosting provider. With a few clicks, you can claim your website.
For most companies, it's recommended to start with the Plus package. One website is not sufficient, because you might want to add a webshop or multi-language website later on.
Furthermore, unmetered storage will ease your mind of not worrying to hit the storage cap. Believe me, there is nothing worse when you want to add more content but you know the storage space is running out.
The reason you don't necessarily need Choice Plus is that you will pay for the 'CodeGuard Basic Backup’. This makes backups from your website, but there are free plug-ins that will do exactly the same.
Build your website with Thrive Themes
We also want your website to be conversion focused. But what does this mean?
When you get visitors on your website, you don’t want them to stay just visitors. We will want them to become customers of our services.
The most effective way of doing this is by using a conversion-focused WordPress Theme. Thrive Themes is a Theme that will provide you with all the resources you need, to be able to build your own website – really easy and efficient. Their goal is to convert as many visitors into customers as possible.
Thrive Themes creates the best conversion based websites. It's great for content marketing
Most WordPress themes are not conversion focused. They are made by software developers. Therefore the websites are technically perfect but from a marketing perspective they horrific.
Thrive Themes is different because every element they offer is with a conversion-focused mindset. The coding of the website is crucially important. ‘Messy’ code will give a lower rank in Google. Thrive Themes makes sure all the components are made with clean code, which is easy to read for Google. This is important for SEO ranking, but we’ll talk about this later.
Thrive Themes is not only a theme but also a page builder. With 0 coding skills you can build a beautiful, but most importantly, profitable website with ease. You can simply drag and drop all the components you want on your website.
Remember that it’s essential to have a clean look on your website, which doesn’t interfere with the conversion and doesn’t distract visitors too much from the actual content. The cleaner. The better.
Must have components for your plumbing website
The About-Me formula:
This plays a huge role in the distinctive character of your business. Customers want to know who they are buying services from. You will increase their trust levels and make them bond with you. It is the only place on your website where you can be vulnerable, and give your own personal opinion about any topic. This is your chance to win them for you. For example, this is our about me: https://markdagency.com/about-markd/
Use Content marketing:
What is content marketing? Content marketing is a marketing strategy in which you create and distribute valuable content for a target audience.
Content marketing is important for your website to attract more visitors. Not only will your website get a higher ranking on Google so it's more likely to show up, but you will also show that you offer quality for your customers. When you can solve smaller problems for free by giving online advice, they will be interested in your problem-solving services!
Content marketing is effective and easy. You can start with writing blogs about certain problems or subjects within the plumbing industry, create DIY video’s so people can try to solve problems themselves, and explanations about products.
Does this sound like a lot of work for you? You will find tips to get your content going, without you putting work into it, in the chapter: ‘Content marketing: how to get free online marketing leads'.
Use E-mail marketing:
Most people stay at home nowadays. And everyone has certain home projects in their mind which they want to fix.
Marketing strategy example: you write one e-mail, and automate it so it will automatically mention the name of the person, giving it a more personal approach and send it to your whole mailing list.
When you send people personal messages in an e-mail, you can remind them about their problems. For instance: ''Do you still get bothered by your leaking showerhead? Get rid of it today.''
By using e-mail marketing you can effectively activate people because you are using a personal approach.
The best way to get started for SMB companies is with SendinBlue. With SendinBlue you pay purely for their e-mail marketing software. In comparison to the competitors, that’s different because the competition offers only software packages, which includes software tools that you will never use but will pay for.
You can start with the free plan. You have unlimited contacts you can add, and you can make use of their e-mail campaigns and CRM-system. However, there is a limit of 300 e-mail per day. This is great for when you just started building your list, but as your list keeps growing you might want to upgrade your plan. You can easily up- or downgrade your plan at any time.
Content marketing for plumbers: how to get free online marketing leads
Because you’re investing in your audience with the content, you will create long-term customers. The content is a one-time time investment, but it will last and work for you for years.
You will allow people to sign up for more content (use Thrive Themes and Sendinblue for this). You now have the email address of your customer. This means you can directly contact them and send offers. With the right email campaign, you can boost your revenue significantly. Remind people in a subtle way of the many home projects in need of fixing.
If you don’t want to make content yourself, you can also have it done by hiring someone.
You can think of journalism students, freelancers, and marketing agencies. There are many schools with internship programs. If they study communication, marketing, or journalism, you could let them make the content. If you are looking for experienced writers a popular, highly used platform for freelancers is Fiverr.
A couple of tips when you use Fiverr:
- Don't be cheap. Most of the time there is a reason why someone's services are cheap. Go for medium-high prices
- Look at the star ratings. Every former customer will give the freelancer a rating
- How many projects did your freelancer do? Find someone with enough experience. Aim for someone with at least 50 projects
SEO marketing for plumbers
In SEO for plumbers, we move on from basic tactics to more advanced (and more profitable) tactics. With SEO you can increase traffic, beat competitors, and make your online business work for you. SEO is perfect to boost marketing for plumbers. For the long-term it has unbeatable potential, more than any other digital marketing area.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.
Whenever people have a problem, they go to Google to find the answer. These people can be your potential customers looking for answers. And you can be the answer.
When you've built up a nice stack of content, you will get a higher ranking within Google. Google is a Search Engine, looking for the best answers for its users. When you offer high-quality content, Google will reward you with a higher position in the search results. This means you will get more audience, and therefore possibly more customers.
Using keywords to grow your plumbing business online
Content marketing is practical. To help users find your content, you can make use of keywords. These are the phrases people use in Google to find the answers they’re looking for. For instance, this can be ‘plumbing services specialist’. You want to put these keywords within your content. Don’t overdo this, because then Google will notice this as ‘spam’ and therefore it will give you a lower ranking.
Tools for finding the right keywords
Back in the day, it was very difficult to guess which keywords people were looking for. It was basically writing content and hoping for the best. Now there are some very powerful tools available that do the heavy lifting for us. We call these tools: Keyword Research Tools.
With Keyword Research Tools you can find profitable keywords to rank for on Google. The tools will show you: what people are looking for, how difficult it is to score, and how much paid advertising costs for these keywords.
Start going for the keywords which are labeled as easy. Keywords with high volumes look attractive but are most likely not in your authority range. First, start going after the easy keywords and after your authority increases, you can start going for the medium keywords.
UberSuggest
Ubersuggest is the best ' free' keyword research tool available. It has a limit on the number of searches that you can use per day, however, these are plenty for when you just start out. The dashboard of Ubersuggest is very clean and it has a large keyword base. One thing I am not so fond of is the difficulty measurement system. Ubersuggest is quite optimistic about how easy it is to conquer certain markets.
KWfinder
If you want a great keyword research tool you should consider KWfinder. KWfinder has the best difficulty measurement system of all keyword tools. The dashboard looks very clean and it’s easy to operate. Furthermore, KWfinder makes it easy to see what the trend of the keyword is. Is it upcoming or slowing down? You will want to look for the rising stars among keywords.
When we look at the pricing below you will find 3 different plans. I recommend starting with Basic or Premium. It depends on the level of commitment you have for your online strategy. If you want to go big and conquer the online plumbing space, Mangools Premium is better.
For the small business owner who wants to establish an online presence but doesn't look for the #1 spot, the Mangools Basic is recommended.If your intentions change you can always upgrade or downgrade your plan! The support of KWfinder is very friendly and fast in responding.
Read here our full KWFinder Review
SEMrush (optional)
SEMrush and KWfinder should not be compared. KWfinder is one tool where SEMrush is a total software package. SEMrush specializes in Search Engine Marketing. You get over 40+ tools which will give you the most complete data analysis available.
A few of the Search Engine Marketing areas SEMrush covers:
- SEO tools: keyword research, SEO on-page tool, and competitive research
- Advertising: market analysis and keyword research
- Social media: schedule tool, competition tool, create ads
- Content marketing: SEO writing template, writing assistant, and brand monitor
And many more! But these are for my company the most important tools with the biggest results. If the online presence is your priority, SEMrush is a great partner to consider. It's the most complete software package on search engine marketing.
The dashboard is less pretty than KWfinder but the suggestions are more thorough. You don’t only get keywords but also suggestions on how to get a higher ranking in Google.
Tip: the difficulty measurement system is a bit pessimistic. So when you use the tool you should not only aim for ‘easy’ but also ‘possible’.
[Resources] The must-have Internet Marketing for Plumbers Package!
If you are looking for a complete internet marketing for plumbers package for beginners, here it is! These partners offer the essentials of digital marketing. From website hosting to SEO tools. We have selected these partners based on the results you can get and value for money. You will need these to start your 'internet marketing for plumbers' journey.
Bluehost
The number 1 recommended WordPress hosting provider by WordPress itself. Bluehost offers high quality hosting for very competitive prices. Bluehost has an integrated tool which makes it very easy to set up your website in just a few minutes. Hosting package Plus is great if you don't want to limit the number of websites linked to the package, and if you want unmetered storage capacity.
Thrive Themes
Many WordPress themes are designed by software developers without knowledge of marketing. The themes are technically perfect but horrific in transforming viewers to customers. Thrive Themes is different. Thrive knows exactly what you need to create a high converting monster website. The page builder Architect works with drag and drop. No technical skills required to make a profitable and professional looking website.
Sendinblue
Automating your emails is a very efficient way to active your customers to buy services from you. Just send a friendly reminder if they still have that annoying house chore buggering them. Sendinblue is a great tool to automate your emails. You can send emails that will feel like you are only sending to that specific customer but is automated so you will reach your entire audience. It starts with a generous free plan, so you can get a taste of their product.
Fiverr: find freelance content writers or designers
When you actively work in your business you don’t always have the time to do everything yourself. Fiverr is a freelancer platform where you can hire people to do certain tasks for you. Whether that is a virtual personal assistant, a copywriter, a web designer, or a content writer, you will find them on Fiverr.
KWfinder
Far better than all the free tools around, KWfinder will get you profitable keywords that are easier to rank for within google. Searching with KWfinder is like searching with a sifting pan for the golden nugget that changes it all. You know it is there, you’ll only have to find it. People are using Google more than ever before. This means there is a growing amount of keywords for which you can rank. Finding the right keywords will send a ton of traffic to your website.
KWfinder has the best difficulty measurement system of all the keyword tools out there. The dashboard looks clean and is easy to use. The price of KWfinder is very reasonable.
SEMrush (optional)
If you truly want to dominate in search engine marketing, you will need to call in the artillery. SEMrush is the artillery of search engine marketing. With SEMrush you get a software package of 40+ tools in total. With these tools, you can start conquering the world of SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, and you can directly attack your competitor's online strategy with the amazing competitive analysis tool.
Marketing for plumbers - The follow-up plan
Marketing is one of the most crucial skills to grow a profitable business. If you want to know more about marketing for plumbers, I recommend that you keep an eye out for our blog. If you don't want to miss anything, sign up for subscriber-only content.
We wrote an article about Coursera. Check it out if you are looking for an online course provider with also free course: