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Why should plumbers market their business on the internet?
The internet is a powerful marketing tool for any business because it allows you to reach a large number of people at once. You can set up a website for your company, advertise on search engines, connect with potential customers via social media and more.
Although many businesses still rely on traditional forms of marketing such as print advertising and networking at community events, an increasing number are focusing on online marketing. Why? Because Digital marketing can cost less, resulting in a higher click-through rate and reach a greater number of people than traditional marketing techniques – all of which result in a faster, more efficient way to reach potential customers and make sales.
How you can market your plumbing business online
Traditionally a great deal of your marketing as a plumber would have been done by a combination of print advertising, either in directories or local press and by word of mouth. Word of mouth is still an effective way of getting leads to your business but you have very little control over the flow of leads and for the types of jobs that they are for. This is where marketing your plumbing business digitally online comes in. You can choose exactly which bit of your business you want to focus on, i.e if you want more boiler changes, more bathroom installs or just more general plumbing jobs. Below we cover 8 different ways to market your plumbing business online.
1. Get a website
If you don’t have a website for your business, this is the first step to get started with digital marketing. A website is a 24/7 advert for your business and helps you build trust with any potential customers. You can use it to tell any potential customers how to get in touch with you, let them know what services you offer and show examples of your previous work.
First, you will need to choose and pay a small fee for a domain name (this is what identifies your website www.yourbusiness.com) and then you can either build your website yourself or pay a website design company to do it for you. At Trades Get Online, our services start with an all-inclusive complete website build that includes things like an SSL certificate, mobile responsive, website copy and stock images as standard. The reason we can do this is that we specialise in trade businesses, and as it is all we do we have already done a great deal of the research required so can quickly build an effective site for your plumbing business. You can find examples of our websites for plumbers here.
If you feel uncomfortable about paying someone to do this for you, there are plenty of free website building platforms available online such as Wix.com or Squarespace.com where you can build a professional-looking plumbing website without having to know how to write code. Bear in mind though that even though these options are “free” they normally end up with you paying some kind of fee either to remove adverts or use your own domain, both of which are included with our packages as we really want our customers to succeed online.
2. Build a Google Business Profile (Formally Google My Business) for your plumbing business
Why should you manage your Google Business Profile listing?
Managing and maintaining your Google Business Profile (GBP) listing is an invaluable tool for letting potential customers find you via searches on Google. When you properly manage your business information on this platform it can have a huge effect on how many people find your business as generally Google Business Profile listings appear above the normal search results. You can add the specific services that your plumbing business offers as well as the area in which you offer them. Trades Get Online offers management of your GBP as an add on for our customers, we can optimise and keep your profile up to date for you and help you gain the best results for your business.
3. Carry out Search Engine Optimisation
How does Google Search Engine Optimisation (or SEO) for plumbing businesses work?
When someone searches for a plumbing-related service on Google their GBP listing will appear right underneath the search results. If the business listing appears as the first position, there is a 13% chance that the user will click on it! That’s a great chance to convince them that you’re the right business to service their plumbing needs.
The first step of this process is to submit your new website to Google so they crawl it regularly. If we built your website we will have already done this. Google Search Console is where you submit your site and once it is submitted over time useful data about your site’s performance will build-up that can help in future decisions on what content to create and optimise your existing content.
Here are some of the key factors that affect a plumbing website’s SEO:
- Utilise the correct page titles, meta descriptions and headings– this helps Google understand what your website contains. Web browsers see these as visible titles and descriptions.
- Page URL – make sure this is reflective of what the page is about and easy for customers to remember so they can find your page later.
- Load time – the faster your pages load the better it is for your users and Google. The internet users generally expect a site to load within 3 seconds and Google will reduce your organic ranking if your site takes too long to load.
- Content – create relevant, high-quality content that responds to user queries. Don’t overdo it though – Google expects around 2,000 words for a blog post, less for a service page but make sure you have everything covered. It’s better to write a few high-quality posts than lots of low-quality ones.
Many plumbing businesses already have these basics in place, which is a good start for SEO. However, spending time optimising these and making improvements where necessary will pay off as customers look for plumbing services and you stand out from the competition.
You can use tools like Ubersuggest for free to find the right keywords for your services and local area, Keywords are what search engines use to identify which pages are most suitable for the top of the search results. Using a keyword research tool like Ubersuggest you can determine which keywords you should be targeting and then create content around this, we have created with our parent company Lion Spirit Media a guide on how to find the right keywords for your business here.
SEO tools also have features that scan your whole website for potential SEO errors and rank them in order of how important it is that you fix them. SEO is all about making small incremental changes to your website that improve its search performance over time. Trades Get Online offers SEO services for plumbers that include local SEO to create content on your website to improve your performance in local search results.
4. Use Social media to promote your plumbing business
Now more than ever before, social media plays a huge role in people’s lives and it’s an important marketing channel for plumbing businesses.
Building a strong online presence is critical for any business, and plumbing businesses are no exception. By using the right social media platforms and marketing strategies, you can reach a wider audience and generate more leads.
Additionally, you can produce online videos about projects you have completed. This will help educate potential customers about the services you offer and how you can help them improve their homes whilst showcasing your services.
The best social media platforms for plumbers are Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and YouTube. Other popular platforms such as TikTok and Twitter are also useful for reaching your audience.
We firmly believe that you are in the best position to produce the content for your business as you can grow your audience over time by just sharing plumbing projects, taking before and after pictures. But we do offer our customers the option for us to set up optimised Social Media profiles for you so that you have the best possible start.
5. Social Media advertising for plumbers
You can also use social media to run ads targeted at specific demographics, although this isn’t a method of advertising we would normally recommend for plumbers as it can be more effective to market your business more directly using Google Ads.
6. Advertise your business Google Ads
Using Google Ads for your plumbing business is a great way to reach customers who may be interested in your services but aren’t actively searching for them. Just think of all the customers searching for “plumber” but not necessarily looking for a specific business. They may be seeking help, insight, or a solution to a problem.
The advantage of using search advertising such as Google Ads is that you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. This is a huge advantage as you can decide when and where your ad is shown, so you can be sure that your website’s clicks have a real purchase intent.
Furthermore, the results are near enough instant, once your ad is approved it will be shown to potential leads every time they search for your target keyword. However, there is quite a steep learning curve you need to pick the right keywords, write effective ad copy, pick a budget, and set up measurement. Then once your ad is running make sure that it is showing for the right searches and optimising it further by specifying negative keywords and audiences.
The most important feature of PPC ads is that they are measurable! This means that you can show the results of your ad campaign easily. Measurement is especially beneficial when it comes to showing Return on Investment (ROI) for your ads.
Trades Get Online offers PPC management services as well as a complete lead generation service for plumbers where we do all of the work for you for a single fixed fee, even if you don’t have a website. We create your ads and landing pages for you and constantly tweak them to improve performance, all you have to do is contact the leads that are sent straight to your inbox/phone!
7. Content Marketing for plumbers
Most people think of plumbers as the people who come to their homes to fix a leaky tap or a clogged drain. While this is certainly a part of what plumbers do, there is so much more to this profession. In fact, plumbers can be thought of as small business owners who offer a variety of services to their clients.
One way that plumbers can market their business is through content marketing. This involves creating and sharing content that is relevant to their target audience. For example, plumbers could write blog posts about common plumbing problems that people encounter in their homes. The advantage of this to you is that these articles will generate search traffic in the long run, increasing awareness of your business and if you help potential customers out if they get stuck with their plumbing problem then they are more likely to give you a call. Providing more content relevant to the plumbing industry will also signal to search engines such as Google that you are a trusted source for plumbing information and over time will push your whole site up in the search rankings.
Get in touch with us if you are interested in having content written for your site and we can produce and implement a content marketing strategy for your business.
8. Submit your plumbing business and website to online directories
There are many online directories that you can submit your plumbing business and website to be listed. This is a great way to get more visibility for your business and website. Some of the most popular online directories are Google Business Profile (covered specifically above), Bing Places for Business(easy to get started as you can import from your google account), and Central Index (A national directory). You can also try the more traditional directories like Yell (The former Yellow Pages), just be careful though as they will want to sell their services to you and they can be very expensive for a low return. This is because as most online searches start at Google your potential customer will have to first click through to Yell and then if they see your ad click through to your business, as a result of the number of businesses they have signed up to various ads packages their result pages can be a mess and they don’t provide a great experience for the end-user.
You can also submit your business to specific industry directories, such as the Gas Safe Register or the CIPHE website if you are a member. This is a great way to reach potential customers who are looking for a plumbing contractor in your area.
Make sure that you complete your business profile on the online directories completely. This will help customers learn more about your business and what services you offer. You should also include high-quality photos of your plumbing business and the team as well as your contact details and a link back to your website.
No matter which online marketing strategies you decide to use, it is important to be consistent with your messaging. If you promise to be the best plumbing company in town, make sure your website, social media profiles, and advertising materials back up that claim. You should also monitor your online reviews and make sure that you are addressing any negative feedback quickly and politely, as well as encouraging positive feedback.
Offline Marketing Methods for Plumbers
1. Print Advertising
Placing an advert in the local paper or magazine used to be one of the only ways that you could advertise your plumbing business. You can still use this method and it can be effective especially if you offer a discount to potential customers quoting the ad.
2. Flyers
You could produce a leaflet promoting one or more of your services and have it relatively cheaply distributed around your local area. Again as above if you offer a discount or a special price then the chances are you will pick up some leads from this method.
3. Networking events
These events are becoming more and more popular among plumbers because they are a great way to meet both new and existing customers. If you have the opportunity to go to these events, make sure you do not sell your talents short. You should also ask about the free promotional materials available at the event and how you can get in touch with those companies. Networking events are a great way of getting your name to a wider audience, you can build up a rapport with people that are likely to recommend you to their friends and family.
Conclusion
No matter who your target market is, there are a variety of marketing methods you can use to reach them. However, it’s important to tailor your approach to each market segment. For example, if you’re targeting homeowners, you’ll want to use methods that appeal to their interests, such as print ads with coupons or online ads that feature before and after photos of completed plumbing projects. If you’re targeting businesses, you’ll want to use methods that appeal to their bottom line, such as advertising your services in trade publications or sponsoring a charity event. By using a variety of marketing methods, you’ll be able to reach more people and generate more leads for your plumbing business.
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