So you’ve started a plumbing business — congratulations! You’ve made a smart decision; the need for skilled tradespeople like plumbers is high, and the workforce is experiencing a shortage. Demand for trained plumbers aside, it’s not enough to start your business and hope to earn a profit. You must sustain it and scale it. This is where the need for plumbing marketing arises.
We get it: Your skills are related to pipe fitting and diagnostics, not marketing for plumbers or creative plumbing ads. This article will explain all the elements of a successful marketing plan for your plumbing business and how to use these methods to make your services stand out.
Successful digital outreach requires thinking beyond a basic website. You must meet customers where they are, which is on Google and social media. Your marketing messages should cater to your audience’s habits and immediate needs.
Here are a few ways you can better engage with potential customers online:
A professional website should sit at the center of all your digital marketing efforts because it’s one of the main places customers will go to learn about you. With a website, you can easily display your portfolio of past projects, highlight capabilities, and make it easy for clients to contact you.
At the very least, your website should include the following elements:
But don’t stop there. Incorporating photos of completed projects and adding staff bios that detail expertise can humanize your brand.
On your service pages, add transparent pricing and timelines that demonstrate what customers can expect when working with you. Your website is also the perfect place to display plumbing payment plans and other financial information.
It’s also important to consider how homeowners might view your website online. Data says they’ll likely find you using their smartphone, as 63% of local Google searches occur on mobile. To make your website “mobile-friendly” — meaning, one that is easily navigable and visually appealing on smaller screens — you must consider web design.
Most online website builders incorporate responsive designs that adapt to various screen sizes, optimize images, and add code for fast loading. But you can go a step further and ensure a better navigation experience for visitors by using larger, tap-friendly buttons and readable fonts like Open Sans, Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, or Georgia.
Additionally, choose a color scheme with high contrast for visibility, and regularly test your website across different devices and browsers to fix any usability issues.
SEO is a strategy that boosts your visibility on search engines. Plumbers that use SEO successfully increase the number of people who find their websites when looking for plumbing services.
You can use SEO to increase traffic to your business pages by implementing many of the strategies we’ve already mentioned, such as optimizing your website for mobile traffic and designing pages with clear “calls to action” to guide visitors through the journey.
Then, cast a wide net to uncover relevant keywords used in the plumbing industry that might help inform your website copy and marketing ad copy.
Google Trends and Ubersuggest can show trend insights to gauge the search interest for related plumbing topics, such as a spike in searches for “frozen pipe repair near me” during winter, and other popular seasonal searches, such as “leak repair” or “drain cleaning.”
Incorporate these keywords into title tags, meta descriptions, and web page headers. These insights are also helpful for brainstorming ideas for other types of content you can use to engage and inform your audience.
Publishing valuable content builds trust and credibility. Consider sharing blog posts discussing topics you know about on your website, publishing tutorial videos to publish on social media, or offering downloadable maintenance checklists to help build your email list of leads.
Keep your customer top-of-mind when creating this content. With each post, you should nurture relationships and provide solutions instead of spewing a sales pitch. Here are a few ideas:
Create a blog on your website and update it regularly with new content to educate your customers. Refer back to your SEO research here to ensure you write words about commonly searched words and phrases, like common plumbing mistakes or fixes.
Some plumbing internet marketing ideas you can use to build your blog include:
According to a Wyzowl marketing survey, 91% of people have watched a video to find out more about a product or service, and 84% say they’ve been convinced to buy something after watching a brand’s video. This means that producing even a handful of high-quality clips can influence viewers to choose your company over competitors.
Host these videos on Facebook and Instagram, embed them on your website, and feature them in newsletters to maximize engagement. Your options for content are endless:
Platforms like Hootsuite or Buffer help you schedule posts, track engagement metrics, and maintain a consistent posting rhythm.
Email remains a powerful, cost-effective method of retaining customers and nurturing leads. Constant Contact data suggests that emails sent by repair and maintenance businesses have a staggering 32% open rate. Therefore, it’s worth investing resources to keep current and past customers engaged.
Whether you offer seasonal maintenance tips or send service reminders, consider using email marketing tools like Mailchimp or Constant Contact to streamline your efforts. These platforms allow you to automate your campaigns so you don’t have to send individual emails manually. They often include additional features that help personalize your messaging for higher open rates, such as audience segmentation and performance tracking.
Strong testimonials from real customers help reinforce trust. Homeowners are more likely to choose a reputable business over one with a poor or no track record.
A 2022 Local Consumer Review survey found that 98% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses on Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Another survey by Reputation found that more than half (54%) of customers trust online reviews to help them make a decision more than the opinions or recommendations of friends and family.
This means that you must have a plan to encourage client feedback and leverage it in your marketing. You can incentivize feedback by offering discounts to those who promise to leave a review on your preferred platform. Here are a few other ways to get more online reviews for your business:
As you gather more customer testimonials, it’s important to monitor your reviews regularly to maintain a respected reputation. An easy way to do this is to set up a Google Alert for your business, which can alert you when someone mentions you online.
Thank customers for sharing their positive experiences and respond to negative reviews quickly. Professional responses for all feedback demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction and instill trust in potential clients browsing your services.
Unless your business is a franchise that serves customers in various locations, you’ll need to invest in promotional strategies that target customers in your defined service area only.
Let’s look at some of the best ways to advertise a plumbing business locally.
Given that 80% of U.S. consumers search for local businesses weekly, optimizing your online pages with location-specific strategies tailored for plumbing services is one of the best ways to find more customers.
Local SEO strategies should be used in tandem with the general SEO strategies mentioned above. Conduct local keyword research using Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to identify plumbing-specific keywords that include your city or region, such as “Emergency Plumber in Dallas”, “24/7 Plumbing Services in Austin,” or “Best Plumbers in Houston.”
Then, incorporate these phrases into your website content, including titles, headers, and meta descriptions. For example, use headings like “Reliable Plumbing Services in [Your City]”.
You can even create dedicated “Service Areas” pages listing all the neighborhoods or cities you serve, with individual sections or pages for each location.
A Google Business Profile (GBP) ensures your company appears in local map searches and provides essential information — like your address, hours, and phone number — at a glance. Done right, it’s an effective local SEO strategy for plumbers to help customers find you online.
To start, claim your listing on Google. Then, verify your business and fill out all the sections of the profile.
Google has an entire library of support articles that can help you optimize your profile. Encouraging customers to leave reviews and adding photos of your work are just a couple strategies for boosting your GBP using SEO.
Geotargeting is a type of plumber advertising that promotes your business to customers within a specific geographic radius, most commonly on Facebook or Google. Here, you’ll define geographic filters based on your customers’ demographics, behaviors, and interests, and then focus your deals, seasonal discounts, or service reminders to locals most likely to convert.
Most social media platforms already have built-in geotargeting tools to help you create these ads. Google Ads uses location targeting and Meta uses audience filters. Choose a radius around the cities or towns you serve, and then use the platform’s tools to display the ads to people actively seeking a nearby professional.
Become an active participant (financially speaking) in your community to help put your brand in front of more people. Sponsor events most likely to attract your ideal customer, such as youth baseball tournaments attended by local homeowners.
You could also build relationships with local hardware stores, real estate agents, or property management companies. By working closely with them, you can exchange referrals, share advertising materials, and bundle your services with theirs in helpful homeowner packages.
Engaging directly with your community builds goodwill and long-term brand loyalty. Consider hosting free workshops at local schools, community centers, or neighborhood homeowner associations (HOAs). The workshops could cover essential home maintenance and conservation techniques.
Across the United States, programs like Green Building Council provide volunteer opportunities that can help you connect with communities. Digitally, becoming active on community Facebook Groups can foster two-way conversations and cultivate lasting relationships with your customers.
Customer referral programs reward past customers for referring new clients in your service area, helping you expand your client base through trusted recommendations. To implement an effective referral program, offer attractive incentives such as discounts on future services or gift cards for each successful referral.
Simplify the process by providing unique referral codes or shareable links that customers can easily use and share. Promote your program through follow-up emails, your website, and social media channels to encourage participation.
Establish a reliable system to track referrals using dedicated software or unique codes, ensuring accurate attribution and rewards. Additionally, show appreciation by sending a quick ‘Thank You’ note to customers who refer others, reinforcing positive relationships and encouraging ongoing participation.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a targeted approach that allows “buy” views and visits from customers who are searching for you online. Unlike traditional advertising, where you pay upfront regardless of the outcome, PPC only charges you when someone clicks on your plumber ads.
Let’s look at some PPC strategies you can start implementing today.
Google Ads places your company at the top of search results when customers look for related keywords. You can use Local Service ads, which appear at the top of the search results, if you have a defined service area, or general Search ads, which appear above the generic search results but below local ads.
Like all advertising options, you’ll need to determine a reasonable budget for the terms you bid on. Try a few different ads, such as “emergency plumber near me” or “water heater installation,” to see which ones gain the most traction.
Remember to monitor your campaign performance using Google’s built-in tools regularly. The tools can also help you:
In addition to Google, you can choose to diversify your ad strategy on Facebook, where you know site traffic is high. Set up a small test budget (e.g., $5 to $10 per day) and create a targeted Facebook ad campaign focusing on local audiences. Include a clear call to action like “get a free estimate” and a concise message addressing common pain points (e.g., ‘We’ll fix that leaky faucet fast!’).
Use Facebook’s location settings to narrow your ad reach to your service area and monitor which ads get the most clicks and conversions. Adjust your budget toward the best performers and continually refine your ad copy based on customer feedback.
Retargeting Ads re-engage people who’ve already visited your website but haven’t yet converted into customers. When someone lands on your site, a small piece of code, known as a pixel, tracks their activity. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn offer tools to implement this, but you can also use a third-party platform like SharpSpring or AdRoll.
Later, as customers browse the Internet or check social media, your ads reappear, reminding them of services they once reviewed. This gentle nudge often leads prospects back to your site and increases the chance they will schedule a service call or request a quote.
No matter your line of work, long-term success hinges on your ability to satisfy customers. Here are a few things to keep in mind about customer service when strategizing your plumber marketing.
Personalized communication goes beyond generic messaging; it shows customers you understand their concerns. Tailoring emails, making follow-up calls, or sending reminder text messages can leave a lasting impression.
Your email marketing tool can segment your email lists based on customer history and engagement. For example, the emails you send to potential customers should differ from the ones you send to loyal clients.
Customers feel heard and respected when they receive prompt, informative replies to their questions and inquiries. To perfect this, consider investing in helpdesk software, live chat options, or assigning team members to dedicated customer support roles.
Emergency calls are the nature of the business — the faster you can respond, the better the customer experience. Even if you can’t resolve an issue immediately, acknowledging it quickly helps customers feel prioritized.
Leverage your contact forms and chatbots to communicate your expected response times or appointment availability. You can also use messaging apps that notify the team when a new customer message arrives.
Openness about costs and procedures directly affects customer retention. Develop standardized price lists, offer written estimates, and provide straightforward breakdowns of your services. Online calculators and detailed FAQs on your website are two effective ways to provide this information to customers.
If you offer POS financing options for homeowners, advertise the benefits of flexible payment plans when discussing higher-cost jobs.
Loyalty programs reward returning clients for their repeat business, helping you make a consistent profit. For example, you might reserve priority scheduling or pricing discounts for loyal customers or those who refer you to their friends.
Use your CRM system to measure your customer loyalty, send targeted reminder emails, and adjust rewards based on activity and customer data.
Part of good customer service is making it easy for customers to work with you. Make your scheduling as accommodating as possible. Online scheduling tools like Acuity or Calendly allow clients to book at their convenience without too much hassle.
You might also consider incorporating flexible appointment slots or offering weekend and evening availability.
Ensure that every plumbing credential you need to operate a business (licenses, permits, insurance policies) is current and compliant with local and state standards. Even better, advertise your credentials online and in your service contracts to help reassure clients that you’re the right pro for the job.
Rather than assuming everything is in order, schedule regular reminders to review expiration dates, renewal fees, and any regulatory changes that may affect your work and compliance status.
Ongoing improvement may involve reviewing processes, making adjustments based on customer feedback, seeking new training opportunities, or staying updated on industry best practices. Whichever path you choose, make room in your schedule for continuous learning and refinement.
The Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) offers workshops, webinars, and certifications designed to enhance technical skills and business operations.
So far, our advice has focused on digital marketing for plumbing, but forgoing traditional marketing tactics would be a mistake. In fact, we recommend using a mix of both marketing strategies for maximum effect.
Here are a few ways you can appeal to homeowners offline:
Direct mail flyers, brochures, door hangers, and newspaper ads are all tried-and-true examples of print advertising. Disperse your materials in neighborhoods or pay to hang an advertisement at your local community centers to get as many eyes on your ads as possible.
Print marketing ideas for plumbers include short how-to guides or seasonal maintenance checklists. Distrubte these educational resources in the mail. Professional printing services and local newspapers make launching a simple but effective campaign easy to do.
A smart business owner never goes anywhere without a stack of business cards ready to hand over at a moment’s notice. Give these small cards to clients after a job and during introductions at community events.
Elements of a great business card include:
Using your logo and other branding elements, you can create uniforms and wrap company vehicles to display a unified, put-together aesthetic. Even better, branded vehicles turn every trip into a mobile advertisement. Vehicle wrapping costs vary, often between $1,500 and $3,000. Uniforms are lighter on the wallet; embroidered shirts might cost $20 to $40 each.
Representing your business on radio or television helps build brand recognition on a larger scale. While costly, this approach can elevate your status in the community and reach many people quickly.
Contact local radio stations or community access TV channels for costs and fees. Production companies, local broadcast sales reps, and audio-visual freelancers can help you craft impactful ads — maybe you’ll be the next local business to launch a memorable jingle people can’t stop singing!
Investing in outdoor advertising makes sure that people see your name repeatedly. If billboards near busy roads are out of your price range, consider doing yard sign marketing by printing them in bulk to place at recent worksites. Costs vary, but a small billboard might range from $500 to $2,500 per month, while a set of yard signs can be produced for a few hundred dollars.
Attending industry events helps you connect with potential customers, suppliers, and peers. Consider attending a regional home show or a local building conference, and use the opportunity to network.
Whenever possible, engage attendees by demonstrating your services, handing out brochures, or hosting a small giveaway. Chances are you’ll walk away with valuable contacts and other business owners you can keep in touch with.
Plumbing work can be a bit seasonal. By catering to changing needs, you can meet homeowners’ demands all year long, helping your business earn a consistent profit. Some promotional ideas for plumbers include:
A pre-season inspection involves evaluating a homeowner’s plumbing system before peak demand. During this visit, you might inspect pipes before winter hits or examine sprinklers before summer.
Offer discounted inspections a few weeks before peak demand to identify potential issues early and help your clientele prevent costly repairs later. Promote these offers through social media, email campaigns, or local flyers.
Seasonal packages bundle relevant services tailored to a particular time of year. For instance, you might create a “winterization package” that includes pipe insulation and a water heater inspection or a “spring cleanup package” focusing on drain maintenance and outdoor faucet tune-ups.
No matter what services or promotions you decide to offer, consider offering long-standing discounts for repeat customers or deals for customers who book their next inspection now instead of later.
An airtight plumbing marketing plan will serve as your roadmap for growing and promoting your business. Every tactic you use to get more plumbing leads should be grounded in data-driven insights. Here’s how to build the foundation of a successful plumber marketing strategy.
Start by understanding who your potential customers are and where they look for help. Join local Facebook Groups or Nextdoor neighborhoods and monitor posts about plumbing problems. Keep a list or spreadsheet of the most common complaints (e.g., water heater issues or burst pipes in winter) and note any phrases or product/service questions mentioned repeatedly.
Then, analyze patterns to see how often these issues come up and use this to tailor your services or marketing messages. You can even use this data to define your plumbing services. By knowing where and when those conversations happen, you can better build your business to reach homeowners the moment they need help.
A clear, well-organized service list on your website — and anywhere else you have an online presence — helps customers understand your capabilities quickly. Instead of focusing on generic offerings like “plumbing repair,” break down your services into specifics that combine your expertise and the local needs you uncovered during the research phase, like water heater replacement or trenchless sewer repair. These refinements help ensure homeowners know exactly what you do.
Better yet, make sure you phrase these “services” to match local search engine optimization (SEO) demands, which can help your business show up online when customers search for companies that offer these services locally. (More on this below.)
According to the Insurance Information Institute, water damage from burst pipes is among the most common home repair claims. This suggests a clear need for services that address cracked pipes — you can meet this need by detailing solutions to these problems on your service page
Finally, explain the parts of your services that distinguish your business from others in the area, such as satisfaction guarantees, warranty options, or extended hours during high-demand seasons.
A well-defined brand helps you communicate your identity and position with your ideal audience. This includes creating a logo, choosing company colors, and defining your mission and values to showcase your expertise.
To position your brand locally, establish local brand recognition, ensure your visual branding choices are consistently applied across all online platforms and physical assets like trucks and equipment. A clear mission and set of values communicate how you want to be perceived by your target audience and highlight how you can better address problems than competitors through exceptional customer service or specialized expertise.
It’s no secret that a strong online presence can convert a curious browser into a paying client — after all, most customers go online to find local businesses. So, whether you hire an digital marketing agency or do it yourself, you’ll need to carve out space on the internet for your plumbing business.
Start with a user-friendly website that allows customers to learn about your business and contact you. A website builder like Squarespace can help you create one quickly. In addition to your website, set up business pages on social media and a Google Business Profile to increase visibility and support your plumbing internet marketing efforts.
Across all these platforms, optimize your “about” sections and business descriptions to include location-specific keywords (e.g., “residential plumber serving the Los Angeles metro” or “ emergency plumbing service in Houston”) that help you show up in relevant searches. We talk more about optimizing your online presence using SEO later.
Next, set a clear goal (or three) and tailor your marketing strategies to achieve them. Do you want to get more qualified leads, generate more positive customer reviews, establish a reputation with local homeowners, or engage with potential customers online?
Once you identify a goal, you can link it to actions. For example, if you want to establish a reputation with local homeowners, you might pay for radio and Facebook ads, billboards, or direct mail outreach to introduce yourself to the area. If you want to get more customer reviews, you might establish a Google Business Profile and then set up an email campaign that encourages past customers to share their experiences online.
Determine how much money you want to allocate to your advertising efforts. A good rule of thumb is to dedicate 5% to 10% of your monthly revenue to marketing, but we encourage you to land on a number that you feel comfortable with based on your current revenue, business needs, and the ROI of the marketing strategy.
This is where trial and experimentation come in. Experiment with two or three strategies to start and then double down on what works best after a few months of data. (More on measuring your results later.)
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system streamlines lead tracking and customer communication. Other important CRM features that can support a growing plumbing business include invoicing and operations management, the ability to accept digital payments on the go, work order scheduling, and reporting capabilities to monitor performance.
As you shop popular CRMs for plumbers, like Jobber, ServiceTitan, FieldEdge, or HubSpot, ensure the CRM integrates seamlessly with other marketing software you might use to grow your business. Many of these platforms can connect to popular invoicing software and email marketing platforms, which can help streamline any promotional email campaigns or online review requests you send later.
As you start to invest in marketing strategies, you’ll need a way to manage and track a higher volume of leads. Even as your business grows, you should aim to answer calls promptly and reply to online forms within one business day.
Here are a few solutions for communicating with lots of customers in a reasonable timeframe:
The best way to advertise a plumbing business is to refine your approach continually. Plumbing marketing is not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. You can’t grow your business without understanding what works and what doesn’t.
Whether you implement some of the plumber marketing ideas above or just one, remember to track your results and adjust as needed. You won’t know if you’re hitting marketing benchmarks if you don’t track key performance indicators, such as
Free tools like Google Analytics help you monitor online activity, while call tracking software such as CallRail provides insights into inquiries.
More importantly, compare different marketing strategies side by side. By analyzing the ROI of a postcard mailer versus a targeted Facebook ad campaign, for example, you can decide where to spend your marketing budget moving forward.
Alternatively, you could run two of your plumbing ad ideas on Facebook or Google simultaneously and compare the results over a three-month period. Facebook Ads Manager offers insights like impressions, clicks, and conversions. Google Local Services Ads also have built-in tools to track lead generation.
Coming up with effective plumber marketing ideas can be tricky, especially when you’re also juggling client demands and business operations. But it’s worth allocating a few hours (and dollars) each week to traditional and online plumbing marketing strategies. With a little effort and refinement, these ideas can help put your business out there and make it easier for customers to find you.
