Many plumbing companies think digital marketing isn't worth their time. They believe that digital marketing takes too much time and that they can stick to old-school marketing and word-of-mouth. However, refusing to adopt digital marketing techniques can lead to significant repercussions for plumbing business owners.
According to a survey conducted in the United States, 21% of consumers used the internet to find local businesses daily, and 35% of respondents used the internet for this purpose multiple times per week. Only 1% of those surveyed didn't search for local businesses online. These statistics suggest that if you ignore digital marketing, you could miss out on connecting with many potential clients.
Read our guide to plumbing marketing tactics for small businesses.
1. Claim and Optimize Your Free Google Business Profile Listing
Claiming your free Google Business Profile will:
- Help your plumbing business appear on local search results
- Make it easier for prospective leads to find you
- Increase your business and social media website traffic
Your Google Business Profile shows plumbing leads a snapshot of your business and services, including:
- Your phone number,
- Logo
- Website
- Service hours and area
- Pictures
- Reviews
Here's what prospective clients will see if they search for "plumbers near Lehi, Utah":
Viewers can see a list of the most popular plumbing businesses in the area. Besides the names and ratings of the businesses, they can also see:
- How long each has been in business
- When they're open
- Their phone numbers
- Websites
- Directions to the companies
After claiming your Google Business Profile, you can follow these best practices to optimize your listing and increase visibility.
Complete Every Section
The more complete your Google Business Profile is, the higher your plumbing company will rank in local search results. This, in turn, will increase the number of actions (i.e., calls and website clicks) that customers will take.
Start by completing the most basic aspects of your profile, including:
- Your business name
- Address
- Phone
- Website
- Opening hours.
You can then move on to the following sections:
- Business description
- Category and attributes
- Products and services
- Owner-generated questions and answers
- Posts
Make sure your profile clearly communicates what your plumbing business does, where it is located, and how leads can acquire your services.
Include Keywords
As with traditional websites, keywords can greatly improve local search engine optimization (SEO) for your Google Business profile. Popular keywords for plumbing companies include:
- Plumber in [city, state]
- Plumbing in [city, state]
- Plumbing repair in [city, state]
- Electric water heater
- Gas water heater
- Leak detection
- Leaky faucet
- Toilet repair
- Plumbing customer service in [city, state]
- Plumbing services in [city, state]
- Water pressure
- Emergency plumber
- Plumbing technician
- Clogged drain
- Garbage disposal installation
Use these keywords in your business description and posts to drive traffic. Here's an example of how you can use these keywords in a Google Business post:
Is your home experiencing leaky pipes or low water pressure? Do you need your toilet fixed? Our experienced plumbers in Lehi, Utah are here to help! We specialize in plumbing services such as water pressure troubleshooting, leak detection and repair, and toilet repair. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
Notice that there are no hashtags. Unlike social media platforms, hashtags don't help Google Business profiles rank higher — they just clutter the post.
Scorpion's first-to-market Ranking AI solution analyzes 40,000 unique data points to understand which factors Google is currently rewarding and help your business stay ahead. Learn more.
Include Photos
You should also add photos to your plumbing Google Business profile. Photos should be at least 720 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall and either a PNG or JPG.
Adding photos to your Google Business profile is important for several reasons:
- Ensure photo quality. Anyone can add photos to your plumbing business' profile, which means you will get a range of quality. You can ensure your profile looks good by adding your own photos.
- Show you are active. One of the best ways to show Google and prospective plumbing customers that you are active is by adding photos regularly. This will increase your search engine results page (SERP) ranking.
- Boost engagement. According to Google, businesses with photos are much more likely to receive clicks to their websites and requests for driving directions to their location.
2. Create and Share Industry-Leading Plumbing Content
Besides creating a Google Business listing, you should also create and share industry-leading plumbing content. This will position you as an industry expert and keep your plumbing company and services top-of-mind for leads.
Here are some content ideas to get you started.
Plumbing Blogs
Blog posts are a great way to demonstrate your plumbing expertise. You can also use them for keywords to boost your SERP ranking.
Common plumbing blog topics include:
- How-to guides that prompt leads to seek your expertise, such as blogs about how to adjust the water heater temperature and how to fix a leaking shower head.
- List-based content to answer leads' queries, such as blogs about factors that affect water quality, a list of toilet parts, signs that you have a clogged sink.
- News articles about the latest plumbing trends and news.
To find more ideas for your blog, you can look on Google and on competitors' websites. You can use local SEO tools and services to find top-performing topics and websites in the plumbing industry.
Plumbing Videos
Besides blogs, you can also create videos for your website and social media.
Videos promote brand awareness, humanize your brand, boost engagement, improve online presence, and build trust.
Popular ideas for plumbing videos include:
- Video testimonials of satisfied clients
- How-to-videos showing how your employees and plumbing contractors solve certain plumbing problems, such as unclogging a toilet
- Plumber video interviews showing your plumbers' expertise and experience
Plumbing eBooks
eBooks are more than just relaxing material for people to read. By offering eBooks about plumbing to potential customers, you can further boost your brand and establish your company as an authority.
Successful eBook topics for marketing your plumbing firm include:
- Do-It-Yourself plumbing
- The complete guide to plumbing
- Plumbing expert secrets
- Fixing toilets for beginners
3. Use Social Media to Your Advantage
Social media marketing helps plumbing businesses promote their business, marketing materials, and services to a wider audience. At a minimum, your business should be on the following social media platforms:
- YouTube can attract a wide range of leads to your business. Consider uploading simple plumbing how-to videos based on your customers' frequently asked questions. You can also upload testimonials from satisfied customers and podcast interviews with the company owner or key employees.
- Facebook is an excellent way to engage with local audiences. Post pictures of plumbing jobs you've recently completed, and post images and videos of you and the staff attending local events.
- Instagram is another great way to connect with audiences. You can include images of the plumbing service being carried out and explain and promote the service in the caption. You can also make short videos (reels) of your employees doing their jobs.
Let Scorpion Help You With Digital Marketing
Plumbing marketing can be extremely time-consuming for small business owners, especially if they have limited resources, energy, staff, and expertise.
That's where Scorpion comes in. Our services will help you attract new customers and retain existing customers, get paid faster, and keep your schedule full. Not only can we help you create a standout plumbing marketing strategy, but we can also help you with the following:
- Generate marketing ideas
- Help with website designs
- Get more leads on social media
- Improve reviews for your company
- Create customized email marketing and content marketing plans
- Boost brand awareness
- Create plumbing ads
- Improve local plumbing SEO for your website
- Rank higher in local search results
- Help track your marketing progress
- Organize search ads, local service ads (including Google local service ads), and pay-per-click advertising campaigns
Interested in learning more about our services? Contact us today to learn how we can boost your plumbing marketing efforts.