What is Digital Marketing for Plumbers?
Digital marketing for plumbers promotes a plumbing company or brand to connect with current and future clients through digital means. A digital marketing campaign can include SEO, PPC, web design, email, social media, SMS, and more. Most modern plumbing companies exercise some form of digital marketing.
While new marketing techniques emerge each day, creating a process to scale and expand your plumbing business is a good place to start. Take a look at some of the most common types of digital marketing for plumbing businesses:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is a popular digital marketing service for contractors because it can help you get free business through Google. Unlike paid ads, organic search results require no payment to Google.
Ranking #1 in your local service area requires an investment in both time and resources, as SEO requires patience and execution. Some plumbers prefer to advertise because it works faster, but SEO provides a better long-term ROI.
Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)
PPC is very popular among local businesses because it can generate fast leads. However, PPC comes at a high cost to plumbers. Unlike SEO, PPC requires a payment for each click on Google, and even a substantial budget can disappear quickly.
While PPC does deliver quick results, the long-term ROI is less than you might think. If you choose to invest in a PPC campaign, ensure that you properly allocate your budget for maximum cost efficiency.
Website Design
In 2023, generating leads without a plumbing website is a bad idea. Investing in website design can enhance your lead quality and volume. Some plumbers still pay 3rd party brokers for their leads, but having your branded website stimulates company growth and encourages repeat business.
When consumers find your plumbing business online, they are more likely to trust your business and become regular customers moving forward. Robust websites have appealing graphics, logos, calls-to-action, and fast loading speeds.
Email Marketing
Getting prospects in your sales funnel is great, but email marketing allows you to take advantage of your contact list by promoting services through email. It is important to follow regulations to avoid getting banned from inboxes but creating appealing and urgent offers through email will deliver results in most cases.
Consider promoting discounts or specials based on seasonal needs, and don’t be afraid to set up automated emails based on responses and behaviors.
Social Media Marketing
Most of your current and future customers are on social media in some capacity, and you should aim to meet them there in 2023. Whether advertising on Facebook or posting an Instagram Story, you can connect with your customers on their preferred platforms.
Facebook Ads are similar to Google Ads in that you must pay for people to click on your page or website, and the money can add up quickly. With that being said, strategic ad campaigns can deliver fantastic results on Facebook in 2023.
SMS Texting
In 2023, consumers expect immediate responses when seeking services. You should set up a chatbox on your website and have the ability to respond through SMS text messaging immediately, whether automated or manually.
As we know, texting is the preferred form of communication for most Americans, and it feels more personal to your potential clients. They must voluntarily submit their phone number through your chatbox so you know that their interest is genuine.
Internet Marketing
Internet marketing for plumbers is often used interchangeably with “digital marketing” but focuses exclusively on online promotion through search engines, social media platforms, and websites. As a plumbing company, you can take advantage of these internet-based opportunities to grow your business.
A lot has changed since the onset of internet marketing back in the early 2000s, and plumbing contractors are wise to adapt to the times. However, many of the foundational principles of online marketing remain integral to promotional success in 2023.
Measuring Digital Marketing Results for Plumbing Contractors
Every digital marketing campaign should have a purpose, and you should measure results. Using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console, you can document your digital growth and appropriately attribute campaigns to leads.
But before you can measure anything, you must first identify your goals as a plumbing company. For example, you want to generate x amount of leads per month while spending x dollars. The ROI will be x, and the quarterly revenue will be y.
Also, the best digital marketing agencies will provide these reports on demand.
Google Analytics is a free tool that allows plumbers to track website visitors, behavior, and engagement. You can learn how to set up Google Analytics 4 here, which every plumbing company should do immediately.
Once you set up your GA4 account, you can begin creating goals and tracking your success over time. For SEO, in particular, it is essential to wait at least six weeks before reacting to the accumulated data.
Google Search Console
Search Console is Google’s other free tool to track search engine performance and monitor technical errors with your website. Through GSC, plumbers can see which queries attract the most traffic to their website and which pages are most common for search engine users.
Based on GSC data, plumbing companies can adjust their website content to meet user intent better. For example, if a query has many impressions but few clicks, you may want to change your page’s title to attract more clicks.
Google My Business Insights
GMB Insights provides plumbers with an in-depth portrait of how Google Maps users find their business. For example, it shows which queries (ex., plumber near me) lead to users clicking on your Google My Business listing and how frequently the user then calls your business through the GMB profile.
Depending on your results, you may want to enhance your GMB listing with more pictures, Q&As, and Google Posts.
Facebook Audience Insights
Facebook Audience Insights provides plumbing companies with detailed information about followers and general Facebook users. Based on the data, plumbers can create more relevant content for their Facebook page, increasing engagement and contributing to sustainable business growth.
The insights from this platform can also help plumbing companies grow their social media presence and gain more followers in 2023.
Digital Marketing Cost for Plumbing Businesses
A typical digital marketing budget for plumbers ranges from $30,000 to $150,000 per year. The yearly amount comes out to between $2,500 and $12,500 per month. While this may seem like a lot for a plumbing company, the reality is that more and more businesses are treating digital marketing as a necessity.
The good news is that some digital marketing agencies provide more affordable plans. For example, HVAC-Plumber SEO Webmasters offers full-service digital marketing at an affordable monthly rate.
