With a current market value of $124 billion, the plumbing industry is one of the booming industries.
Running your own plumbing business is not easy, as many established companies already operating in this field.
In fact, sccording to Plumbing Webmasters, there are approximately 106,000 plumbing businesses in the U.S. So standing out in such cut-throat competition is not that easy.
While there is no one-size-fits-all strategy to help you attract both customers simultaneously, there are a number of plumbing marketing ideas that can help you attract the right customers at the right time.
In this article, we’ll be sharing some tips that will help you win more jobs and grow your plumbing business. Let’s get started!
Also Read How To Start A Plumbing Business?
17 Tips to Grow Your Plumbing Business
Here are seven tried-and-tested tips that will help you grow your plumbing business:
1. Enlist Your Business to Local Directories
Submitting your plumbing services to the local directories and multiple local business listings is one of the best ways to reach relevant customers and grow your business fast.
Some of the most famous listing directories include Google, Yelp, LinkedIn, and Bing.
Enlisting your plumbing business on these local listings makes it easier for the customers to find your services and increase your chances of winning the job.
2. Build brand awareness
Building brand awareness is another great way to attract more customers.
Create a professional logo and a catchy business slogan that makes your business stand out from others and helps both existing and new customers recognize your brand.
3. Optimize your website
Search engine optimization is a digital marketing strategy that helps small businesses like plumbing improve their visibility and rank higher on the Search Engine Results page.
Search engines crawl your website based on the keywords and content, and when someone searches for a keyword related to plumbing, they show them the websites optimized with the relevant keywords and content. To optimize your website to its full potential do the following:
- Include your contact details and address
- Include testimonials from clients
- Add online payment options
- Add your pricing structure
4. Paid Advertising
Paid advertising is another dynamic marketing model to grow your plumbing business online.
So Google Ads is one the best forms of paid advertising that helps you increase your online visibility and put your business in front of your potential customers.
These are pay-per-click ads, which means you need to pay a small fee whenever someone clicks on your ad. Other types of ads that you can go for are:
- Print ads: This includes ads in your local newspaper, bulletin, flier, and billboard ads.
- Digital ads: This includes social media ads, online banners, pop-ups, etc., on various social media platforms and websites.
5. Social Media Marketing
Social Media marking is another great tool to interact with your potential customers and draw more sales.
Popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can help you build an online presence to draw more leads and establish a loyal customer base.
6. Email Marketing
When it comes to growing your plumbing business, Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to generate more leads through existing and new customers.
Hence, for a successful email marketing campaign, you need to build an email list.
For this create engaging email content, format your emails for mobiles and desktop devices, and use popular marketing tactics to attract more customers.
7. Offline Marketing
There’s no doubt that digital marketing is the best approach to promote your plumbing business.
But that doesn’t mean that traditional and offline marketing tactics are any less effective.
To reach more customers, your marketing also needs to reach far and wide to the hands of everyone who doesn’t have access to the internet.
You can print your ads in the newspaper, print business cards, or make connections around you to ensure everyone knows about your plumbing business.
8. Support your community
Plumbing is a local business, and to ensure success in your local area, you need to be known in your community.
Supporting and giving back to your local community is the best way to be known and remembered.
For this, you can participate in a local charity event, offer discounts and coupons to friends and family, and offer free service to those who are suffering from natural disasters.
9. Set goals for the future
Without a goal, your business will be just sailing endlessly in the ocean with nowhere to reach. So set goals.
Ask yourself what you want this business to be. Do you want to expand it? Do you want to start a franchise? or do you want to retire early?
Be clear on your goals and formulate strategies to reach them.
10. Outsource some tasks
As your business grows, you will get busier and will probably not have time to deal with everything.
To keep your head clear and focus on more important things, you can outsource some tasks such as customer handling, bookings, maintaining accounts, etc.
Intelligently outsourcing your tasks to trusted people or freelancers can give to time to catch a break.
11. Keep a tab on leads
In order to keep customers coming in, you need to ensure you regularly keep an eye on your online presence.
Update your plumbing website and Google My Business profile regularly, keep your contact information correct and updated, etc., to ensure leads can reach out to you easily.
12. Network with real estate agents
Networking with real estate agents can help you find more customers.
Meet real estate agents, tell them about your plumbing work, and build relation with them.
Ask them to recommend your business to their customers in case they find any plumbing issues.
13. Choose a growth stratergy
Your business is running smoothly? Well and good. Now you should focus on a growth stratergy to flourish your plumbing business.
Some examples of growth area:
- Hiring or outsourcing
- Buying additional trucks
- Increasing the price of your average service ticket
- Expanding your service area
- Servicing more customers
14. Use a customer relationship management tool
A CRM tool allows you to store your customer data, such as email, phone number, etc., and reach out to them.
Using a CRM tool, you can share updates related to your business, discount offers, warnings related to floods, etc., with them.
This helps in maintaining a good customer service image and ultimately helps you in keeping your customers happy.
15. Have flexible billing options
Accepting different forms of payment can help your business stand out. Don’t be that business that only accepts cash or check.
You can start accepting credit card payments which will allow people who do not have an emergency fund or extra money to deal with unexpected plumbing repairs.
16. Focus on customer service
If you want to retain your existing customers and keep finding ongoing work, then it is important to offer top-notch customer service.
This starts with offering the best plumbing work and handling any complaints with grace and a positive attitude.
Remember, the kind of service you offer will ultimately decide the fate of your plumbing business.
17. Start a referral program
If you want more leads for your plumbing business with the least amount of effort, then you should start a referral program.
You can offer discounts and other coupons in your referral program. This will keep your existing customers happy and will make room for more customers.
Also Read: How To Get Plumbing License Of 2023?
Wrapping Up
Starting a plumbing business is not a cakewalk, and getting ahead of your competitors is even more difficult.
To stand out and grow your plumbing business, you have to apply marketing and other growth strategies.
In this guide on how to grow your plumbing business, we shared 17 ways in which you can make your plumbing business a success.
FAQ
Is the plumbing industry growing?
Yes, the plumbing industry is growing rapidly. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over the next ten years, the growth of plumbers and plumbing-related jobs will see a growth of 14%.
How much can a plumbing business owner make?
A plumbing business owner get paid $20-$40 an hour and can make a profit of $80,000 per year on average very easily.
Is the plumbing industry in demand?
Yes, with the growth of residential and commercial properties and with more and more people building a house, we can say that the plumbing industry is in demand and will be so in the future.
Amit Gupta is the founder of National Planning Cycles, a company that helps startups, individuals, and small businesses with their financial planning. He has a vast amount of experience in the finance sector, having managed Google Play accounts for some of the world’s most successful unicorns. Amit is an expert in his field, and he uses his knowledge to help others achieve their individual goals.