

Digital Marketing Toolbox
The Ultimate Plumber Marketing Guide
The Online Marketing Space for Plumbers is Complex and Competitive. Here’s Everything You Need to Know in order to Find Success Advertising Your Plumbing Business.
Introduction
As a plumbing expert, you can handle everything from clogged drains to leaky pipes and broken water lines. But are you up to the task of building a marketing campaign to connect with homeowners who need your services?
Your plumbing business is only successful if you have a steady stream of leads. Too often, plumbers fall short because they don’t invest in plumber marketing: the digital tools and resources that make them competitive in the local marketplace. The only way you can use your skillset with a wrench in hand is if you have customers who are calling for your services.
The challenge is that online marketing seems like a moving target. The business industry is changing so fast, making it difficult for small- to mid-sized contractors to keep up. It takes time, resources, and a solid strategy to create a digital marketing campaign that will bring in leads and convert those leads into paying customers.
Gone are the days when direct mail and phone book listings were sufficient for plumbers’ advertising and lead generation. Now, business owners must choose from a never-ending list of plumbing marketing ideas.
What is the best advertising for plumbers? Are you leveraging these tools in your business?
Today, we are sharing the most effective strategies to help you see the best way to market a plumbing business. In this plumber marketing guide, we take out the guesswork so you can learn more about the online marketing strategies that are working right now. These proven techniques can add to your bottom line and boost your profit margins.
Setting Your Plumbing Company Up For Digital Marketing Success
One of the biggest mistakes a company can make is launching marketing campaigns without devoting the time and resources necessary to run those campaigns effectively.
Without the right strategy and an effective conversion tracking campaign, the result is that money is being thrown away. Typically, the business owner blames the marketing failure on the marketing campaign itself – not their ability to effectively launch, measure, and optimize those efforts.
Here are some things you must have in place before even considering spending money on plumber marketing ideas.
Your pre-launch checklist should include:
1: Campaign Strategy
To start, you need to segment your audience and know the specific demographic you are targeting. This preparation helps you dial in the offer, so you are speaking to the target audience.
For example, with digital marketing for plumbers, you want to connect with homeowners who are looking for plumbing maintenance, repair, and installation services. Create dedicated landing pages for each of these types of services, then have a clear Call to Action to show how your team can solve the customer’s problem.
Usually, the goal in the campaign strategy for a plumber marketing company is to capture the contact information from leads.
2: Tracking Leads and Conversions
To start, you need to segment your audience and know the specific dThe next part of a practical step is to set up your plumbing internet marketing strategy for success.
Do this by enabling click and conversion tracking on your campaigns. These analytics help you understand website behavior so you can see what actions people are taking when they arrive on your landing page.
Tracking and routing technology can also be built into phone calls, booking appointments, job revenue, email opening rates, and plumbing ads engagement. A robust tracking system helps you see every stage of the marketing funnel so you can optimize the steps to improve overall results.
3: Nurturing Your Leads
It’s not realistic to expect a website lead to turn into a paying customer at the first point of contact. Instead, you need to have a plumber marketing strategy in place that nurtures these leads as they move through your sales funnel.
Lead scoring helps you determine the quality of leads on your list. Then, develop a process that assigns these top leads to your sales team. The goal is to establish and nurture the relationship as soon as possible, which increases overall conversion rates.
Not only can you develop the lead through one-on-one conversations, but an email marketing campaign can be an excellent way to maintain communication with leads that you weren’t able to get in touch with.
4: Closing the Deal
The last piece of the puzzle to set your plumber digital marketing campaign up for success is to design a sales system that closes the deal. Set up team member responsibilities to have someone dedicated to answering phone leads, following up on warm leads, and engaging in ongoing communication with interested homeowners.
The key is to standardize this sales process, so nothing falls through the cracks. Ideally, the first point of communication should happen within 5 minutes from when the lead comes in. Then, you need a streamlined system for managing and following up with these leads – including customer education and a tested sales pitch to optimize conversion rates.

What’s the Plumber Marketing Strategy?
Most companies that embark on new marketing initiatives do so without clearly defining a plan.
Now that you have set the foundation to start your new plumber marketing campaign, it’s time to establish a specific strategy that outlines the steps and traffic generation strategies you intend to use.
Talk to any plumber marketing company, and they will all have their unique approaches when designing client campaigns. But there are similarities across the board: common elements that go into an effective marketing campaign.
Starting with the End in Mind
The main priority to designing a successful marketing plan is to start with the end in mind.
What is your goal for the campaign? Identifying the accomplishments that you want to reach will help you reverse-engineer the steps that need to happen to make these goals become a reality.
Ask yourself a few questions to find clarity in your goals:
- What are you trying to achieve?
- How exactly are you planning to reach these milestones?
These questions help you see the individual stepping stones that will lead to the longer-term accomplishments you are creating through this marketing campaign.
6 Tips for Creating Plumber Marketing Goals
The most effective way to create practical marketing goals is by choosing the business goals that you want to accomplish. These goals need to be well-defined and clear – giving you a clear yes/no answer when determining when the goals are met.
Here are a few tips to help you create quality marketing goals that line up with your business and revenue goals:
1.) Write down how much revenue you want to create through your plumber marketing ideas.
2.) Break down the number of sales that need to happen to meet these revenue goals.
3.) Determine the number of leads you need to talk to based on the anticipated closing rate to meet the target number of sales.
4.) Estimate the amount of website traffic necessary to generate the target number of leads.
5.) Set daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly benchmarks to hit these numbers.
6.) Outline plumber advertising ideas that will generate the ideal number of leads to fill your sales funnel.
You want to be specific in setting the goals while also maintaining a realistic benchmark. Make sure the target numbers are possible while still high enough to keep the team working hard and focused on the outcome. If the goals are too low, it can cause the team to be unmotivated.
Plumber Marketing Strategies to Generate Online Leads
Now that your goals are in place, it’s time to design an ideal plumbers advertising plan. This process encompasses lead generation, landing pages, conversion rates, data analysis, and more:
Well Optimized Website
Search Engine Optimization
Google My Business
Meaningful Presence on Social Media
Email Marketing and Newsletters

Plumber Lead Generation Roadmap
Each of these strategies is effective on its own. However, combine them into an all-encompassing online marketing campaign, and you will have a turnkey system that brings high-quality leads throughout the year.
Continue reading for a detailed explanation about each of these subtopics that make up your bigger plumber digital marketing plan.


Your Plumbing Company Must Have a Well Optimized Website
A quality, well-designed website is the foundation of your plumber marketing campaign. Businesses need attractive and intuitive websites to provide information and services to customers online in our modern, digital world.
Without a good website, you can’t win in online marketing. But it can be easy to get distracted and lose focus when building a plumbing website. So here are a few of the most critical components that are necessary to attract new customers and move them through your sales funnel.
Technical Details for a Successful Website
Make sure that your website is loading properly, so there aren’t any delays when someone lands on your website. These technical details show Google that you have a quality website focused on user experience, which increases the likelihood of your site showing up in the search results.
Website load time might seem like a small detail, but the seconds that it takes for a page to load could be costing you a lot of money! In fact, conversion rates can go up by 74% when page load time is reduced from 8 seconds to 2 seconds.
Fast Page Loads
Use this page load speed tester to ensure your time is 2 seconds or less.
Image Compression
Compress images to speed up page load times.
Link CTAs
Check CTAs to ensure that all links are working correctly.
Responsive Web Layout
Make sure that the website is mobile-friendly, so it’s easy to view on any size of the screen.
CTAs: Lead the Website Visitors to Action
What specific action do you want people to take when they land on your website? Call to Actions (CTAs) are the design features that encourage potential customers to follow through with a specific action:
- Contact your business to schedule an appointment.
- Enter their phone number for a call request.
- Submit an email address to sign up for your newsletter.
- Request a free estimate.
Be specific about CTAs on your website and help customers see how they will benefit by taking this action. For example, “Call the plumbing experts today to get your free estimate.” This CTA indicates your team’s experience, as well as a bonus of a no-cost price estimate.
Share Customer Reviews
Did you know that including customer reviews on your website can increase your traffic levels by as much as 45%?
Customer reviews go a long way to building credibility and trust for your business. Help potential customers see the satisfaction you delivered for other customers. You can include anything in the marketing campaign, but people won’t believe these messages without customer reviews to back up your claims.
Display these customer reviews on your homepage, landing pages, and other visible areas of your website.
Other Website Design Strategies to Build Trust
Design website pages with clean, clear copywriting and other elements that build trust and establish a strong brand for your company. The words, images, and graphics on the website communicate a message about your business and the quality of services that you provide.
You can show trust by sharing affiliations and awards that speak to your company’s reputation. These small details distinguish your brand from the competition, helping you stay at the top of mind when customers are ready to buy in the future.

Checklist for Your Plumber Website to Convert Well

How to Make Sure You Show Up on Google When People Are Looking for a Plumber
Where is the first place people look when they are ready to hire a plumber? Google, of course! Internet marketing for plumbers is essential because a good strategy puts your website in front of customers who are searching for your services.
Not only do you need creative plumbing ads, but there are things you can do on your website to increase the chances of your brand showing up in the organic search results.
Plumbing marketing services focus on Pay Per Click marketing to generate immediate traffic to the website. Then, this data helps determine the ideal focus for an ongoing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign. When you see results from PPC and SEO simultaneously, you can have confidence in knowing that there is always a solid stream of leads coming to your website.
3 Steps to Establishing a Presence in the Search Engines
There are three critical steps that you should include in your plumber marketing campaign to establish a solid online presence.
Not only do these plumber marketing ideas make your website easy to find, but it also puts you a step ahead of the competition. You want to be sure that potential customers are finding your website before the competitor’s sites show up in the results.
1.) Pay Per Click
Paying for traffic is like turning on the kitchen faucet: leads start flowing right away. As long as you are bidding on the right keywords and paying for advertisements, you can receive website traffic right away.
2.) Search Engine Optimization
The next step takes a little more time, but it’s worth the investment because of the long-term results. Search engine optimization brings in organic traffic. This means that you don’t have to pay on a per-click basis every time someone finds your website in the search engines.
3.) Business Listing
Finally, make sure your business is found in Google My Business. This online listing establishes credibility for your company, increases the likelihood that you will show up in the search results, and makes it easier for customers to find you in Google Maps.
In the sections below, we’ll share more details about each of these categories so you can implement steps to improve your plumber marketing strategy.
Mastering PPC For Plumber Related Searches
It’s no surprise that Pay Per Click (PPC) marketing feels daunting to home contractors. You are spending money on clicks with the hope that this traffic will result in a boost in sales.
PPC might feel like a bit of a gamble for an untrained business owner. But the truth is that Pay Per Click marketing can be a great way to bring in consistent leads, which boosts your profit margins and overall business success. Google Adwords for plumbers is a proven technique: an investment that should be part of every plumber marketing campaign.
When you choose the best way to advertise plumbing business services, then PPC marketing should be one of the many strategies in your investment.
Here are a few best practices to optimize the overall outcome for your campaign:
Step #1: Start with Keyword Research
The quality of your keywords will directly affect the success of your PPC campaign. Brainstorm plumber marketing ideas to come up with different keywords that people might be searching for – always prioritizing the relevancy of these terms to the services you offer.
Keyword research is a way to gain insight into the related services that are happening in your local area. First, identify a list of keywords, then you can use these phrases to show your message to the right audience.
There are many research tools for keyword research, such as Keywords Everywhere and Moz. However, one of the simplest and most effective solutions is to use the tools built in the Google Adwords system. Your goal is to find affordable clicks that offer a reasonable amount of volume.
Step #2: Setup Your Campaign
Now it’s time to divide the keywords into ad groups, preferably with four keywords or less in each group.
Again, focus on quality over quantity. Consider these plumbing advertising examples: A high amount of traffic for people searching for “DIY plumbing tutorials” won’t likely return the same ROI you can get from a handful of leads searching for “emergency plumbing services near me.”
Set up your campaigns with the buyer’s intention in mind. Eliminate any campaign groups that hint at free or DIY home improvement—split-test groups with focuses that promote a purchase.
Step #3: Write Ads to Capture Attention
You only have a short window of time to capture someone’s attention when they see your ad.
Make the headlines clear and concise, and always include a Call to Action (CTA) to encourage the audience to schedule an appointment. Make it easy for leads to know what to do to access available plumbing services.
Finally, test different ads in each group to see what messages resonate with your target audience. This split testing helps you identify the most compelling propositions to bring in leads and maximize the ROI on your ad spend.

Step #4: Optimize Your Landing Pages
Not only do you need effective ads, but the quality of your landing pages will also play a role in your ROI.
You’re investing a lot of time and money into split-testing different keyword groups and ads. Make sure you are sending these leads to a landing page that is clear and easy to navigate.
The best practice is to have a landing page for each type of service you offer. For example, instead of sending all of the PPC traffic to the homepage on your website, set up individual landing pages for subtopics like drain clearing, burst pipe repair, plumbing inspection, emergency plumbing services, etc.


SEO For Plumbers – How to Rank Organically
While PPC traffic provides the immediate leads you need to fill your pipeline at the moment, Search Engine Optimization is another investment that can build long-term results. Establishing a presence in the top search results for your target keywords is a great way to bring in potential customers on an ongoing basis without paying for every click coming to your website.
To put it simply: having your website on the first page of Google gives you a valuable piece of virtual real estate that helps you gain more traction in your business efforts.
SEO is truly an investment. Being on the first page of Google should be a priority in every plumber’s marketing plan. If you are working with a plumber marketing company, then they will talk to you about how SEO and Google Adwords for plumbers go hand-in-hand.
Since SEO is so valuable, there is fierce competition. So, you need to be proactive in your campaign to outsmart other plumbers in the area. Here are a few proven tips to help you get started:
Website Tips to Boost SEO Rankings
Even though it’s challenging to rank in the search engines, it’s possible to do when you follow the right SEO strategy. Here are several components to boost your website rankings:
Quality Content
The quality of your website content directly impacts search engine rankings. Every plumber marketing strategy should include static pages talking about available services and relevant blog posts around target keywords.
Keyword Optimization
Research the phrases that people search for to identify a handful of keywords to target on your website. If you are already running PPC ads, your successful campaigns can provide insights into the most valuable keywords for your business.
Website Structure
Evaluate your site map to make sure the pages and posts are organized. Also, consider how your website looks on different devices. Not only do you need a modern website design for laptop viewing, but it’s even more important to consider mobile-friendliness since most people are viewing the website from smaller devices (like cell phones and tablets).
Backlinks
You need backlinks to other websites to link to your site. It can be tedious to build these backlinks, which is why many plumbers choose to hire a plumber marketing agency for assistance.
Page Loading Speed
Ideally, website pages should load within 2 seconds. Longer loading times can have a negative impact on your search engine rankings. Talk to your website developer about speeding up page load time and reducing image sizes.
Website Security
If there is malware or other security concerns on your website, then it’s an immediate red flag that will cause you to lose website rankings. Use good security software to protect your website and your server, helping Google see that your site is safe for people to visit.

These tips might seem simple, but the combined effort can have a positive impact to help you move up the search rankings and connect with more leads. Once you make an effort to implement these practices, you will see instant results.

Google My Business For Plumbing Companies
When people are searching for local companies, chances are they will see a map with the list results in Google. In fact, the map is one of the most prominent details that show up in local search results. So make sure that Google My Business is a priority on your list of plumber marketing ideas.
This map shares businesses that are near you, especially when in-person services are necessary. Part of your plumber marketing plan should include a strategy to get your company listed in maps because it can bring in new customers based on location.
Additionally, a map listing shares other relevant information that can motivate people to choose your services: reviews, company ratings, contact information, and other relevant information.
Checklist for Setting Up Google My Business
These are essential details that must be included on your Google My Business profile to increase the likelihood of a high ranking in the local search listings:
Claim Your Business
If your business is already listed, you need to claim it. Otherwise, add your business to Google Maps directly following this tutorial.
Set Up NAP Information
Name, address, and phone number are essential details that help customers contact your business when they need your services. Ensure this information is correct. Double- and triple-check this information.
Add Photos
Use professional photos to help with company branding. Additionally, it’s helpful to upload new images regularly.
Other Profile Information
A few different sections need to be filled out, such as choosing the primary category for your business (plumbing), selecting secondary categories, adding specific products and services, and sharing special offers or discounts that are currently available.
Collect Google Reviews
Now that your GMB profile is in place, it’s time to ask for reviews. The more positive reviews you get, the higher the chances people will see your business on the map and want to hire your plumbing services.
Respond to Reviews and Questions
Show a proactive customer service approach by responding to all reviews – even the bad ones. Thank reviewers for being a customer and politely handle any complaints that come up in the reviews. Also, make it a priority to answer their questions in the Q&A section.
Use Google Messaging
Some people don’t want to pick up the phone, which is why Google messaging can be a great way to connect with leads. Make sure you have messaging enabled, and the messages are coming through to a Google account that is checked throughout the day. Timely responses are essential, especially in the plumbing industry.

Other Business and Map Directories
While Google is the main resource for local listings and map results, other online directories can be included on your list of plumber marketing ideas.
Even though these directory and map listings won’t bring as much traffic as Google, they are still helpful backlinks that can contribute to your SEO strategy and more. These directory listings can be tedious, which is why it usually makes sense to hire a plumber digital marketing agency for assistance.
Ensuring Your Plumbing Business has a Meaningful Presence on Facebook
As you move down the list of plumber advertising ideas, the next priority is social media – specifically Facebook. In addition to establishing a business page, consider the benefits of running Facebook Ads as a lead generation strategy.
A large percentage of the population has Facebook accounts, which means that your current and potential customers are on Facebook. If you aren’t leveraging Facebook as part of your plumber marketing strategy, then it means that you are missing out on sales. Whether you are just learning how to create a social media campaign or you’ve already dipped your toes into the world of social media marketing, Facebook should be a big part of the overall digital marketing plan to help you connect with homeowners that need your services.
How Customers Interact with Your Facebook Ads
You can design Facebook Ads in several ways, depending on the action you want customers to take when clicking on the ads:
Facebook In-App Ads
When someone clicks on the ad, they go to another page on Facebook. For example, you might have a form submission page where they can enter their information to request a call from a local plumber.
In-App Ads to Your Website
The next option takes customers to a landing page on your website when they click an ad.
Retargeting Ads to Your Website
A third option is to use 3rd party Facebook ads that take people to your website when they click on the ad. This method is known as retargeting, and it shows your ads to people who have recently engaged with your brand – helping to increase the likelihood of a repeat visit to your website.
How to Design an Effective Facebook Ad
Consider these essential elements to create a Facebook Ad that not only drives traffic but brings relevant leads: people who are looking for your services.
Choose an Ad Objective
What is the purpose of your ad? What action do you want people to take? For example, you might be looking to promote a specific service, build an email list, or share information about current specials or discounts.
Format Your Ad
The most common format is a single image with text below. Or you can also choose a carousel ad, video, canvas, or a slideshow. Split-test different images and copywriting to find the combination that produces the best results.
Select Your Audience
It’s time to choose your target demographic – the people who are interested in the plumbing services you are offering. Use location targeting to ensure the audience is in your service area. You can also target current and past customers, as well as similar people using a Lookalike Audience.
Set a Budget
Manage your plumber advertising spending by setting a budget for the campaign. Choose the amount you want to spend, so you don’t run through too much cash without getting the desired results. Start slow; you can always increase the ad spend later when you can see results. Setting the ad budget on a campaign level allows Facebook to determine the most effective use of its budget.



Remember that people are spending time on social media for entertainment. So, make sure that your images and ads are bright, engaging, and eye-catching. Including smiling people is a good strategy. Also, use humor to humanize your business and make your ad memorable.

Make Your Plumbing Customers Worth More with Email Marketing
It’s a myth that email marketing is dead. The truth is that a quality email list can be one of the most valuable assets in your plumber marketing campaign. When your email marketing is done right, your customers look forward to the messages and engage with the information you are sharing.
Email marketing continues to offer a solid Return on Investment: every $1 invested in email marketing can bring an average return of $42. It’s tough to find other plumber marketing channels that deliver this high of an ROI.
Integrating Email in Your Plumber Marketing Plan
Email marketing isn’t enough as a standalone strategy, but it is a valuable resource for your overall plumber marketing plan. The personalized messages and newsletters help to build ongoing relationships with current and potential customers while leveraging your time using one-to-many communications (instead of only relying on one-to-one conversations).
For example, you can use social media, PPC, or SEO to bring potential customers to your website. But it’s not likely that they will call your company the first time they visit. Email marketing is a way to capture their information, so you have the opportunity to continue building the relationship.
Then, when the email subscriber needs plumbing services in the future, they always know who to call. Email marketing keeps your plumbing company at the top of mind, increasing the likelihood of repeat business in the future.
3 Email Marketing Goals
Focus on these three priorities to improve the success of your email marketing campaign:
Delivery Rates
Make sure your messages are showing up in their inboxes. Make sure your email list is accurate and up-to-date. Remove inactive subscribers, duplicates, and bounced email addresses to boost delivery percentage. Also, try running your list through an email validation tool.
Open Rates
Increase the number of people who are enticed to click on the email when they read the subject line. Optimize the messages for mobile viewing since over half of the emails will be opened on a mobile device. Additionally, use scheduling to choose optimal dates/times for delivery. As a general rule of thumb, the best open rates are at 10 A.M. and 1 P.M. Also, be creative in designing subject lines that are compelling enough to click on.
Click-Thru Rates
Once someone opens the email, encourage them to take action by clicking on a link to go to your website or landing page. Choose a single Call to Action, so it’s clear what you want the reader to do: call, fill out a form, or visit your website. Make sure the emails are short and straightforward to read. You can also increase click-thru rates by personalizing the email message to build trust with your customers.
Ideal Email Marketing Campaigns
Now that you have an email list in place, what messages should you be sending? Start with a personalized welcome message: a warm email that shares your gratitude and invites the customer to reach out if they have questions about plumbing services.
Also, make sure to schedule time in your plumber marketing plan to deliver exciting information to your subscribers. Free ebook downloads establish your business as an authority in the industry and make your company more memorable at the same time.
Additionally, a regular newsletter can be helpful for email engagement. Build relationships through simple messages such as holiday greetings or sharing current discounts.


Conclusion
We know that marketing is a tough job—after all, we’re marketers ourselves. We also know that there’s no perfect, one size-fits-all approach to lead generation—just use the channels and tactics that help you reach and engage your target audience. Keep their challenges, goals, and concerns top of mind; deliver information and content that solves their pain points; nurture those relationships and engage them over time—you’ll soon be filling your funnel with high-quality leads.

Additional Resources
READ MORE RESOURCE ARTICLES

The State of Content Marketing for Small Businesses 2022
We surveyed small businesses to understand if they did content marketing, in what capacity, and what the results were.

What Matters to Consumers when Choosing a Small Business
We surveyed 614 consumers across the US to better understand why and how they go about patronizing small businesses. Their answers reveal some surprising trends.

Contractor Marketing Guide for Home Improvement Lead Generation
Our Contractor Marketing Guide lays out every tip and strategy we’ve employed to generate over 2 million home improvement leads for our clients.