Categories
Marketing Plumbing

Plumber Retargeting Ads: A Powerful Marketing Strategy, Each Local Plumbing Business, Should Use

A Guide To Creating A Successful Retargeting Ad For Plumbers In 2021 & Beyond

 

For plumbers, there may be no shocking statistics than this:

 

96% of prospects who visit your plumbing website for the first time leave without taking action, and they are gone forever unless you lure them into coming back.

Have you ever realized when browsing the web that you begin seeing the ads for websites you had visited? Have you ever thought about how they target you and how you can use that for your prospects or clients?

This marketing method is referred to as “remarketing or retargeting.” This guide will discuss how you can leverage retargeting ads in your plumbing company to generate more ROI and schedule more service appointments. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

What Are Plumber Retargeting Ads?

Plumbing retargeting is a form of internet marketing ads shown to prospects who visited your website and then left without completing any desired action. For most plumbing websites, only 2% of organic traffic converts on the initial visit. 

Retargeting ads help plumbers like you reach 98% of prospects who didn’t convert straight away.

How Does Plumber Retargeting Ads Process Work?

Retargeting is an online advertising technique that uses browser tracking pixels and cookies for retargeting prospects who have visited your plumbing website without taking action. 

The plumber marketing agency/department can then use this cookie information to serve prospects again. This plumber marketing technique is not new, and it’s been around for almost a decade. And since numbers don’t lie, recent statistics show that retargeting ads work!

 

By showing relevant ads to prospects interested in your plumbing services, you can enhance your brand awareness and increase the overall conversion rates. 

 

Why Should Plumbers Use Retargeting Ads? 

One of the fundamental things a plumbing contractor should consider is their advertising or marketing strategy. Marketing is essential for your plumbing company’s growth. The more prospects know about your plumbing business, your chances of getting new business are higher.

Advertising is crucial if you want your plumbing business to remain relevant. 

 

There are other plumbers out there who provide the same services as you do. How are you going to stand above your competitors?

 

Retargeting ads can help you stand out. Here are other reasons why your plumbing company should use retargeting ad services from Blackstorm Design + Marketing: 

 

Retargeting Ads Helps Your Plumbing Business To Stay On Top Of Your Prospect’s Mind

You are marketing your plumbing business because you want prospects to know more about it. Retargeting is an effective way to advertise your plumbing services to prospects familiar with your business. 

 

Suppose such prospects don’t require your services now. In that case, they may do so tomorrow. Retargeting ads for plumbers is an efficient way to stay relevant with interested clients and a friendly reminder to schedule a service appointment with your company. 

Retargeting ads improve your plumbing company’s brand awareness and invite prospects to be part of your community. 

 

Drives Massive Traffic To Your Plumbing Website

One of the significant advantages of plumbing company retargeting ads is that you will obtain quality traffic to your site. The internet makes it easy for anyone to practically see your plumber’s website, but how much of that traffic is interested in scheduling service appointments with your company?

 

If you invest in retargeting ads, your plumbing business must have a well-designed website.

 

Improves Customer Retention Rate

Plumber retargeting ads are also advantageous for client retention. Property owners who have hired you will likely remember you when you remind them about your plumbing services through retargeting ads. Well-crafted plumbing retargeting ads can serve as a friendly reminder.

 

Cross-Selling/Upselling Opportunities

Most plumbing contractors in the US sell more than one service online. To market your plumbing business online and stimulate your sales growth, you might retarget your previous clients with ads for similar plumbing services they had scheduled. This advantage goes hand in hand with the client retention benefit. Retargeting ads can help your plumbing business sell more expensive services to people who have already used your company in the past. These clients are ready to spend more money on premium services.

 

Gain Insights

Another advantage of the retargeting ad is that it can let you understand where most of your retargeting conversations are being recaptured after leaving your plumber’s website. 

Most retargeting ad tools will help you see clients’ where they left your plumber website. This information can offer you marketing data on what works and doesn’t. 

 

Increase Conversion Rates (Leads) 

Clients who see retargeting ads are 70% more likely to convert on your plumber website versus those who don’t. The research found that the more a browser sees an ad, the higher the conversion rates.

How Do Plumber Retargeting Ads Campaigns Work? 

There are two major types of retargeting: list-based and pixel-based. Each operates differently, giving different benefits based on your plumbing marketing campaign goals.

 

List-based Retargeting 

List-based plumber retargeting works after you already have users’ contact details in your database. You can also list your existing clients for certain kinds of plumber retargeting ads. To achieve this, upload a list of email addresses to a retargeting campaign (usually on social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook). The forum will help you know the users who have such addresses and show retargeting ads specifically to them.

 

Pixel-Based Retargeting 

Pixel-based retargeting is a way of using cookies to redisplay your ad to any anonymous site browser. This is the most common method of plumber retargeting. When a prospect comes to your plumbing website, a cookie in your browser takes note of that.  

 

When they leave your website to surf other things on the web, that cookie notifies the retargeting platform to serve particular ads on different sites they have visited. The advantage of pixel-based plumber retargeting is that it is timely( since they are shown instantly after leaving your website).

 

What Platforms Can You Run Plumber Retargeting Ads On? 

Suppose you want to try a plumber ad retargeting campaign. In that case, you must choose a marketing agency to manage the technical stuff like tracking cookies, pixels, user segmentation, reporting, and audience building. 

 

You can select from one of the following platforms. Some are fully managed, while others are self-service. It’s up to you, depending on the level of involvement needed.

 

If you are confident in running campaigns, you can utilize platforms like Google or Facebook. But if you don’t have the skills to do it, you will likely hire a plumbing retargeting agency or learn how to do it through trial and error.

 

Here are some great platforms to select from:

 

Google Ads Retargeting For Plumbers 

Google ads are one of the most effective advertising platforms for plumbers. They offer a retargeting tool to show your plumbing ads before Google users and even people who aren’t on Google. With a fast setup and a user-friendly dashboard, you can have plumber retargeting ads running within a few days. If you are already using Google Ads, setting up a plumber retargeting campaign is easy. Read more information on how to use Google AdWords for your plumbing company.

The great thing about Google for plumber retargeting ads is that they have millions of partners worldwide. Even if your prospect isn’t searching on Google, they will visit a parent site since millions of sites partner with Google.

 

 Facebook 

Facebook has millions of users, thus attracting a huge advertising potential. But besides that, Facebook has some sophisticated tools in the world.

 

You can create new audiences from scratch, targeting any interest, demographic data, and behavior you can think of. Facebook allows you to target users who have interacted with your plumbing business Facebook page (we assume your company already has a Facebook.

As you already know, Facebook has acquired several other social media platforms. 

So, your ads won’t be shown on Facebook feeds alone; they will be seen on Messenger, mobile messaging apps, and Instagram.  

 

Tips For Running a Successful Plumber Retargeting Campaign

Running a plumber retargeting campaign effectively brings a strayed audience back to your plumbing website. While retargeting has proven effective several times, we warn plumbers that a poor setup retargeting ad campaign can hurt your advertising efforts.  

 

Here are some surefire tips that can make your plumber retargeting campaign successful: 

 

 1. Retarget High-Value Prospects

Part of a successful plumber retargeting campaign is understanding who to retarget. Some potential clients will be more valuable than others, so use your demographic data to those who prospects are. If most of your sales come from property owners who are between 30 to 40 years, craft your plumbing retargeting ad campaign message for them.

 

2. Craft Your Retargeting Campaign Around User Behavior

If you have potential clients who visited a blog on emergency plumbing repair, use the images and language revolving around that topic in your retargeting ads. Similarly, if a group of potential clients lingered on your “About” and “Home” pages, retarget them with additional information about the plumbing business and what you do. 

 

By segmenting your audience into different groups based on their behaviors and interests, you can create a retargeting campaign that resonates directly with their position in the buyer’s journey.

 

3. Use a Compelling Call to Action 

Like any plumber marketing strategy, your retargeting ad campaign requires a clear and compelling call to action. This will help break the walls and combat objections by showing what prospects need to do after visiting your website.

 

4. Bid Wisely

Bid for more clients likely to convert and less to all others. This will help you create additional opportunities for engagement, resell and upsell.

5. Run A/B Tests

The secret to practical A/B tests is to change one element between every option. This may be the photo you use in your ad, CTA, or the first line of copy in your web content. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions On Plumber Retargeting Ads

Is retargeting campaigns for plumbers worth it? 

Yes, retargeting ads are worth it for plumbers, especially if you hire a reputable marketing agency to run a successful campaign. You are targeting those who interacted with your plumbing business and came close to scheduling a service appointment to hear about your brand for the first time. Simply put, retargeting ads gives your business a chance to interact with leads later in the conversion funnel.

 

What are some of the top retargeting ad strategies to use in your plumbing business? 

Retargeting particular URL visits; retarget existing clients or retarget leads based on the level of engagement on your website. 

 

What is a real-world example of a plumber retargeting ad?

A simple example of a retargeting ad is displaying a Facebook ad to a prospect who previously visited your plumbing website.

 

How do I choose the proper plumbing retargeting agency? 

You should look out for various factors when you want to hire a retargeting ad agency for your plumbing company. This may include; experience, results generated for previous clients, and if their employees are qualified and certified to run a successful retargeting campaign.

 

Partner with Blackstorm Design + Marketing for all Your Plumber Retargeting Ads Needs

Retargeting is just one of the ways plumbers can target their local market. 

 

They help with client retention, improve brand awareness, and usually provide an excellent ROI. Plus, they aren’t as expensive as Pay Per Click ads.

 

You need an aggressive retargeting ad campaign to dominate the local plumbing market, and that’s where we come in. At Blackstorm Design + Marketing, we have a proven track record of helping contractors like you boost their customer retention, win new clients, and expand their business.

 

We specialize in plumber SEO services that drive relevant traffic to your website and social media pages. We also provide complete web design, online reputation management, social media advertising, PPC, and more.

 

If you are ready to grow your plumbing business online, kindly schedule a free strategy session with one of our Growth Coaches today.

 

Categories
Contractor Marketing

Home Service Marketing Copy

*Raise Your Game And Compete On A Large scale*

Growing a home service business is not a sprint but a marathon. We make it hassle-free, more predictable, more exciting, and less stressful. Our marketing experts will help you beat the fierce competition, grow and dominate the market with our proven digital advertising strategies!

Dear home service contractor, 

We understand it.

Getting new clients is hard. Frustrating.

You are no doubt wondering where your next contract will come from. 

Frustrated and confused, like a three-year-old trying to solve a math equation.

As your hair turns gray from the uncertainty.

And to crown it all.

You are being pulled from the left, right, and center.

Oh my!

Should I post an ad on the yellow pages? Create a podcast? Document your life story on Instagram.

What about a Facebook page?

Every contractor is talking about it……… lemme me give it a try!

By the way, should I run some ads in the local newspapers? Spend $3k to mount an ad on the billboards. Create and make regular posts on LinkedIn six times a day.

Oh, I forgot something. What about creating a beautiful website using free templates?

Yep! That’s the real deal.

 That’s all my contracting business needs to attract more property owners.

*Somebody please wipes out my eyeglasses*

Look, most contractors have fallen prey to the shiny object syndrome, coupled with a feeling of DIY (Doing It Yourself) attitude and a scoop of ADD.

And they resort to trying a few things here and there without any clear goal. 

Soon, you will see them scratching their heads with everything on their “to-do” list.

We call this a rat race. 

Some people refer to it as hell on earth.

It is muggy and extremely hot there.

And we would instead rub our eyes with chili peppers than manage your contractor company that way.

But this doesn’t revolve around us; it is all about you.

You are probably reading this because your business is stuck in one place or not growing at the desired pace in some form or shape. 

Although you put in a lot of effort and marketing dollars

You are shoving, pushing, hustling, clawing, and scratching your head to get there.

Or you are flying, and you no doubt want:

More revenue

More freedom

More time with your family

More first-class flights with your spouse to destinations that are full of beaches and sand.

Whatever your goal is,

We have great news for you.

Soon you will feel like, hey, I’ve nailed it!

 

You will wake up each day to an inbox full of wallet-out leads.

You will be predictably and consistently getting new clients than you can manage. 

Regardless of what is happening to the economy.

And you won’t have to worry about spending the weekends looking for new clients.

A sense of control and calm will prevail over you.

And it all begins by choosing the right home service marketing agency below.

*I can hear the angels singing*

GROW FASTER & SMARTER WITH A PROVEN MARKETING STRATEGY THAT BREAKS THROUGH THE COMPETITION

Leave the never-ending shit show and guesswork of attempting to do everything on your own. And instead, scale your home service business with proven digital marketing funnels, frameworks, and scientific client acquisition (Not prayers and hopes).

Reach clients searching for your services by putting your company in front of prospects when they look online. Our home service marketing strategies give your company more leads, improve your brand awareness, and get your brand where it needs to be online.

Our custom home service marketing strategy uses various strategies, including web design, Search Engine Optimization, Pay Per Click advertisement, Online Reputation Management, Social Media Advertisement, and Retargeting.

The Most Ruthless Effective Advertising Strategy For Scaling Home Service Business Under The Sun

Many self-proclaimed “gurus” and “agencies” promise great results but mess with your business. Most of these experts only bark but don’t bite. They say that numbers don’t lie, but people do. And we generated millions of dollars for our home service clients, including roofers, HVAC professionals, and plumbers. 

*No More Trial -and- Error*

They say that if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

Most service contractors try scaling their business by hoping and praying or figuring it out independently, and they rely on guesswork to get their business forward.

 

Say Goodbye to guesswork and hello to new clients. 

At Blackstorm Design + Marketing, we use various tools like Google Analytics to track leads or traffic to help you make an informed decision that will skyrocket your revenue. Over the years, we have spent millions of dollars testing and perfecting the strategies that work, meaning that this is not our initial rodeo. And we aim to reduce the time it takes for your business to rank #1 on Google or Bing.

Our seasoned growth hackers will help you create a professional website to attract, engage and convert as many sales or clients as possible. We utilize a scientific lead capture process to gather crucial details about your potential clients, including their phone numbers, name, and address.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a home service marketing agency do? 

A good home service marketing agency should try to understand your company inside out. 

They will assess your site’s organic traffic and establish the best internet marketing strategy to invest in. The other role of an agency is striking a balance between the results you are obtaining and marketing spending.

At Blackstorm Design + Marketing, we do all that with much precision and effectiveness. 

Our goal is to turn web browsers into paying clients, outrank your competitors and generate the highest ROI utilizing the most effective digital marketing strategies available.

Why is Blackstorm Design + Marketing the best home service marketing agency?

Why are hamburgers delicious? Why is water colorless? No, but seriously. Instead of using this section chest-thumping about our promises, let’s say numbers don’t lie, but people do.

So instead of trying to convince you why we are the best home service marketing agency, here are our stats:

  • Over $1 billion in sales generated
  • 30 millionaires created
  • 1,734 reviews (average of 4.9)
  • Over five home service niches were covered, including plumbing, roofing, HVAC, Pest Control, Electricians, and dentists

If you are searching for an internet marketing agency worth investing in, schedule a free strategy session with our growth coaches today.

What’s involved in your home service marketing process? 

This is like asking, ‘what’s the volume of water in a lake ‘as there is no precise answer. 

The response will solely depend on your contracting business. We strongly believe that no two companies are created equal, even in the same niche. We apply the same logic to your contracting business and the competition. Yes, you focus on the same target audience and provide the same products or services. Their website is designed differently from yours, and maybe it has a lot of backlinks or a higher conversion rate than your website. A marketing strategy that incorporates extensive link building and SEO campaigns may be all you require to outrank the competition. 

This implies that there is no one-fit solution, which explains why we create custom strategies to suit our customer’s needs. 

Do you guarantee results?

We provide all guarantees for all our digital marketing services. Whether web designGoogle Adsonline reputation management,   retargeting or social media management, we invest our dollars where our mouth is; if we don’t deliver on our promises, don’t pay us.

WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO SAY IS THAT YOU SHOULD HIT THE BUTTON BELOW                                             

Speak with a Growth Coach now

 

Categories
Marketing Plumbing

Plumber Marketing 101: The Ultimate Guide To Marketing Your Plumbing Company In 2021 & Beyond

Increase Sales, Booked Jobs, And Leads With Our Proven Offline And Online Plumber Marketing Strategies 

As a plumber, getting new business or leads can be an uphill assignment because of the stiff competition. This is because many plumbing contractors are out there, and it can be challenging to think of the best way to differentiate your business. Plus, the way property owners think about and look for home service contractors such as plumbers or roofers has changed over the last ten years, so plumbers must know how to capture the attention of modern customers.

Without a consistent stream of new plumbing leads or clients, your company will stagnate, wither or die. 

To grow your plumbing company, you need the right marketing strategy, people, and approach to advertising your business. To succeed in your plumbing company, you must bring healthy bank statements. To have a good cash flow, you should keep new leads or clients coming in. Customers are the lifeblood that keeps your company afloat, and if no phone calls or emails are coming in, there is no one to promote your plumbing services to.

Plumbing is one of those lucrative industries where you should find many clients if you target them appropriately. Plumbing is more than repairing clogged toilets or fixing holes. There is no denying that marketing is crucial for your plumbing company. But where do you start, or what plumbing marketing strategies should you use? Without further ado, let’s explore unique ways to20 market and grow your plumbing business.

What Is Plumbing Marketing?

Plumbing marketing is the business or action of promoting your services, including advertising and market research. It also refers to your actions to advertise your plumbing services and attract more clients to your company.

This can incorporate running internet marketing campaigns, conducting market research to know your company’s ideal client, and even collaborating with influencers or other plumbers to improve social search (simply put, increase your company’s pool of prospective clients).

Operating a plumbing company presents unique challenges. Unlike other industries that can focus on a specific target market or rely on seasonal events, you require to reach two essential groups of prospects all year round:

  • The panicked homeowners with a clogged bathroom or other emergencies require to contact a nearby plumber ASAP
  • The install client or routine maintenance researches and compares plumbing contractors to identify the best fit for their project.

Since plumber marketing is either a business or an action, revenue and result can only be measured. 

Because the art of marketing your plumbing company is wide-ranging, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy.

As a plumber, you didn’t start your company to stay behind your laptop all day and analyze ad impressions or traffic. That’s alright since plumbing marketing is more than that!

You know more about marketing your plumbing company than you think; developing your plumbing business logo and name, spreading the word to family and friends, and requesting existing clients for referrals are all vibrant marketing strategies.

To get the most out of your plumber marketing efforts; we recommend that from the very beginning; 

It would help if you built your brand.

Your brand is the promise you make to your prospects/clients, and it is what differentiates you from other plumbers and why clients will select you over other plumbers that appear when they Google “plumber near me.”

Advantages Of Plumber Marketing

While marketing your plumbing company may initially seem a huge investment, your business will get many benefits by getting its name out there. What can a well-designed plumber marketing campaign do for your business? Here are just a few advantages:

  • Improves customer perception and attracts new clients
  • Keeps your clients, both new and old, informed about your plumbing services
  • Boosts your company’s online credibility and presence.
  • It gives you a chance to increase your online reviews
  • Build authenticity and voice in your plumbing brand.

 

Steps To Launch Your Plumber Marketing Campaign

 1. Conduct Market Research

As with all business endeavors, the initial thing you need to do is study the current landscape. This would imply understanding the demand, the market, and the overall plumbing industry climate for plumbing contractors.

Begin by asking these crucial questions: What are close rivals doing? What demographic or market is your plumbing company targeting, and what does the ideal client want? What are the proven marketing strategies for the plumbing industry?

2. Know Your Ideal Customer

Before you kick off any plumber marketing campaign, you must understand your unique value proposition to prospective clients. Understanding the mindset of your ideal client is essential in building your plumbing company’s success.

Creating a good buyer persona will assist your business in retaining clients in the long run but can also help to refine its brand voice. Adopting such a persona will develop a defined vision of your plumbing company.

3. Be Branding Consistent

Ensure your company projects a consistent voice and image across each market you promote. As a plumber, you last want your client to get lost in finding your business because of inconsistent branding.

A good logo is essential when you want to brand your plumbing company. Your plumbing company logo can represent reliability, quality, and value for money. It is crucial because it will be plastered across all your marketing collateral. It will portray how a prospect identifies you, and thus it should represent you effectively. A professional company logo goes a long way to grow your plumbing business (both online and offline).

4. Build Great Client Experiences

The best publicity is usually free publicity! Your happy clients will do a lot of heavy lifting for your plumbing company if they have a superior experience. Satisfied clients can leave positive reviews and boost your company rankings in the search engines like Google or Bing for relevant industry keywords. One of the best free ways to market your plumbing company is to offer superior service.

How Do You Find Customers For Your Plumbing Company?

Many plumbing contractors operating for a while rely on offline advertisements and referrals to obtain more customers. But the client’s behavior keeps on changing. No property owner calls or visits neighbors to ask for a great plumber. Instead, they turn to search engines like Google or Bing. They look for plumbers near them, check online testimonials and reviews, and schedule service appointments. That increases the need for a vibrant online presence.

To tap out clients who are actively searching on the internet and searching for plumbing contractors, you should ensure that you are visible to these prospects.

Why Does A Plumber Need To Market Their Business Online?

Plumbing is a very competitive landscape, where your target market is limited to local property owners (usually 40 to 50 miles); thus, your business should be focused on obtaining more leads.

The conventional way of advertising, where plumbing contractors would put ads in local dairies, do TV ads and distribute flyers, doesn’t seem to work nowadays and can be expensive nowadays.

Besides that, modern customers always look up to search engines like Google or Bing to answer their daily challenges. This makes it worthwhile to invest in digital marketing and grow your company with it.

At Blackstorm Design +Marketing, we have helped many service contractors, including roofers or plumbers, improve their online presence and generate consistent leads. We know how hard it is to research stuff that isn’t your specialization as a company owner. If you are reading this post, it implies that you have been looking for plumbing marketing ideas and tips online.

Using internet marketing strategies for plumbers can help outrank the competition and obtain more customers. Securing qualified leads in your local area isn’t as hard as you think. With the right platform mix, including advertising and social media, your sales volume and your brand’s affinity will skyrocket.

From our experience, we can be able to show you killer strategies that can help you generate non-stop leads and make your company stand out from the competition.

Internet Marketing Strategies For Plumbers  

Nowadays, homeowners don’t have time to visit their neighbors, asking for recommendations from a great plumbing contractor they have always worked with. Instead, they prefer searching online for plumbing services they are interested in, which has increased the need for online plumbing marketing channels.

 

As the internet becomes a vital step in the buying journey, digital plumber marketing becomes a crucial investment. If you want to put your business in front of prospects searching for your services online, you require an effective internet marketing campaign.

 

If you are searching for plumber marketing ideas to grow your business, keep reading to learn about 16 lead generation strategies. Or schedule a free strategy session with one of our Growth Coaches if you need help creating a vibrant marketing campaign for your plumbing business.

 

As you go through our guide, note where you are succeeding or where you have room to grow or expand. By doing so, you will know where to invest your limited resources.

Without further ado, let us dive in!

 

1. Build a Professional Plumbing Website 

The first thing any plumber needs today is a functional site that can attract customers to your business. Your plumbing website is the heart of your online marketing campaign, and having a plumber website increases your online visibility and establishes trust in the minds of your prospects/clients.

 

Besides pipe wrenches and drain snakes, a well-designed website is one of the best tools at your disposal. Nowadays, homeowners do everything online:

  • Buy new faucets.
  • Watch DIY sink installation videos.
  • Look for the best local plumbing contractors when their toilets get blocked, or pipes start leaking.

 

Your plumbing website is what introduces you to the interested potential clients, so ensure your homepage has all the information that will inspire them to schedule a service call, a list of specialties, and multiple ways of contacting your company.

 

There are several factors you need to consider when building your plumbing website. Designing and planning your plumber website’s layout correctly is set to attract the right clients, and this implies that your plumbing website design needs to be:

 

  • Designed for mobile: This is an essential first step. Google now favors mobile-optimized plumbing websites with higher rankings. And since more than 60% of organic traffic comes from mobile devices, you could be missing many prospects from the competition because of the negative client experience.

 

  • Clearly describe your servicesPlumbers typically provide various services; therefore, the best plumbing website design should clearly define areas of specialization plus any other services you offer.

 

  • SEO-Friendly: You want your plumbing company website to be found by prospects online. Without optimizing SEO by including keywords, it will be hard or impossible to get found online.

 

  • Build trust with reviewsFinding an experienced plumber can be tricky. That’s why you need to include client reviews or testimonials on your plumbing website, provide social proof and showcase exceptional work.

 

  • Secure and loads faster:  if your plumbing website has a complicated design, it will take too long to load, turning away clients who don’t want to wait. Nowadays, people have short attention spans; thus, your website should load in less than three seconds. In addition, it should have a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate to boost your organic rankings and prevent them from being hacked.

 

If creating a good website is something you cannot do on your own, partner with a reputable professional plumber website design agency to get your project done on time and on schedule.

 

2. Invest in Local SEO to Get More Plumbing Clients Online.

Once your plumber website is ready, you need to optimize it for search engines to find it when searching for online plumbing services. People are constantly conducting searches daily, looking for services/products, information, and companies. Businesses or homeowners are searching for plumbing companies like yours, so optimizing your website to appear in front of these wallets and potential clients is crucial.

 

According to the Home Improvement study, online searches are the top ways clients find service contractors, including plumbers. And, when searching for plumbers on search engines like Google or Bing, clients typically take a local approach.

 

Conducting searches with keywords like “plumber near me” is common. That’s why it is incredibly crucial for plumbing contractors to have a vibrant presence in the local search results.

 

This implies that your plumbing marketing strategy should incorporate a local SEO. This strategy helps you get found in the search engine results when prospects search for plumbing services in your area.

 

If conventional SEO for plumbing contractors makes your website indexed and ranked on search engines like Google or Bing, local SEO concentrates on your locality and region. 

 

Here’s how you can leverage local SEO to get more plumbing customers:

i)Online client reviews:  There are multiple directories where clients can express how unhappy (or satisfied) they are with your business. The more positive reviews you have, the simple it is to rank on search engines like Google or Bing.

ii)Name, Address, and Phone number {NAP} citations Make sure that all your online listings are 100% consistent across every platform to allow prospects/clients to contact your business when they need emergency plumbing services.

iii)Online Reputation Management: Sometimes, customers will leave negative reviews, but you can manage to change their experience in how you respond. Customers are waiting to see how promptly and professionally you respond to bad reviews. If you do it right, it might close a sale just like a positive review would.

iv)Ranking in the map listings (Local pack):  This will depend on the proximity of a property owner to your plumbing business. And it can help to ensure that your primary category matches your plumbing service and has lots of reviews across the web.

v)Use white hat SEO strategiesWhite hat” refers to the use of best practices to generate great results for their clients. On the flip side, “black hat” refers to any practices that violate search engine’s best practices and get your plumber website penalized.

3. Submit Your Plumbing Business to Major Online Directories

Plumbing is primarily a local business, so your prospects will find you through local business directories, and thus having your company published in online directories is essential. Listing your plumbing company in major online directories can boost your visibility online.

Adding your plumbing business to online directories will establish trust and improves your chances of getting found by potential customers.

Here are some of the major directories that you can use to list your plumbing company:

Google My Business Profile

When property owners search for local plumbers, Google compiles a list of plumbing contractors that satisfy user search. Such results appear in a box known as the local three-pack. Generally, the pack lists three major plumbers that satisfy the user search query based on proximity and their search for the business’s location.

As a plumber, you must register and claim your Google My Business listing to help more prospects find your plumbing company. Homeowners will find all the details they require in your listing, making them interact with your listing, and it can make them visit your plumbing

website if they want. Getting your Google My Business profile is one of the

best plumbing marketing ideas, particularly when you want to drive traffic to

your local plumbing business.

Yelp

When searching for a plumbing company, homeowners no doubt look for reviews. And your clients do the same. Yelp is one of the famous online directories where customers can leave reviews. So how can you leverage Yelp for your plumbing company? Click here to know to make the most out of this platform.

Here are other online directories where you can list your plumbing company:

4. Get New Plumbing Clients Through Pay-Per-Click Ads

If you want to get qualified plumbing leads online, invest in Pay-Per-Click ads. PPC is an effective plumbing marketing idea since it helps you reach prospects likely to close and become paying clients.

To get started with PPC campaigns, choose the correct keywords. Like plumbing SEO, concentrate on the long-tail keywords, which will drive relevant traffic and keep your ad spend low.

Once you have discovered your keywords through tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, or Ahrefs, bid for the placing of your ad.

This plumbing marketing strategy is cost-effective because it allows you to control how much you want to spend per click.

Once you have set the PPC, you can begin to get more leads for your plumbing business. To make the most out of your paid search campaign, you can also run Google Local Service Ads

for plumbers.

Such ads show above PPC ads, and they offer all the details a homeowner would require to contact your business, so your marketing dollars are only spent when a browser converts than on clicks.

However, to run Google Local Service Ads, you must pass through a verification process to become Google Guaranteed. This simply implies that Google will verify your insurance and license information and tell prospects that a particular layer of protection and trust comes with partnering with your plumbing business.

Pro tip: If you want to target prospects likely to schedule service appointments, invest in Pay-Per-Click ads to drive such prospects to your plumbing business.

5. Connect With Your Potential Clients with Social Media Advertising

Social media provides a great platform to interact with your potential clients. Nowadays, no plumber marketing plan is complete without leveraging the benefits of social media marketing channels, and compelling platforms such as:

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Instagram is mainly a powerful platform for plumbers since its content is visual. You can utilize it to build a massive following, demonstrate past projects, share your vision, and portray your plumbing business as an authority. Ensure you engage with your prospects regularly, post content regularly, and keep your content varied and evergreen. Possible social media content for plumbers may include:

i) Interior design photoshoots

ii) After and before pictures of completed projects.

iii) How-to videos

To promote your social media posts across channels, include your account handles on business cards, brochures, and other marketing collateral, like at the footer of your plumber’s website or email signatures.

Using social media posts and paid ads, you will reach valuable leads for your plumbing company. This will help you connect better with your target audience and offer valuable insights that interest them.

6. Share Your Plumbing Knowledge with Some Compelling Content

Content marketing is an essential part of digital marketing for plumbers since it is integral to other strategies. It can help boost your plumber’s SEO efforts, give you content to post on social media and offer you something to use in your emails, for instance.

That’s why it is an essential strategy to help your plumbing company build its customer base. But when creating content, concentrate on the value it offers your readers, and it should provide answers to the questions your audience has. To drive relevant traffic to your company, focus on writing topics about the plumbing industry.

By writing informative, compelling content as a part of your plumber marketing strategy, you will attract more valuable traffic to your plumbing website.

 

7. Improve Your Online Reputation

Review management is an integral part of any successful plumbing business online. Property owners regularly read online reviews or testimonials to see how others perceive your business. You must manage your company’s online reviews to ensure that new prospects/leads select your business.

As a plumber, you will have both negative and positive reviews. However, negative reviews aren’t the end since prospects also expect them. The essential part is how you respond to such reviews.

Here is a good way of dealing with online reviews; thank clients for their positive compliments while addressing the negative ones. Acknowledging your customer’s problems or experiences is an excellent step toward showing clients that you truly care for their needs.

 

If you want to grow your plumbing company on the internet, invest in online reputation management services for your plumbing business.

Pamphlets, Business Cards, and Flyers

This plumber marketing technique is simple yet effective, particularly in service areas where word-of-mouth recommendations can be used to grow your business.

 

Business cards remain a powerful and effective weapon for plumbing contractors. They provide a personalized yet quick method of connecting existing and attracting new customers. Only place the vital details on your card, and avoid the temptation of sharing all your plumbing services on a single business card.

 

Flyers and pamphlets can offer any additional information about your plumbing business that cannot be traced on a business card at a glance.

 

8. Use Quality Videos to Engage Your Target Audience

Video marketing is no doubt one of the most effective ways of delivering messages within a short time. 

Plumbing videos provide a fun way for homeowners to get crucial information. It allows one to showcase past projects, build brand awareness and explain complex topics.

 

As a plumbing contractor, you want to create informative and helpful videos for your audience. Such videos can assist them in digesting huge amounts of information within a short span. You can create quality videos to showcase things like:

  • How to fix a leaky toilet?
  • How to fix a bathroom faucet?
  • Bathroom remodeling tips

So, suppose your business continues to post such videos. In that case, prospects/ clients will begin to associate with your brand with relevant and helpful videos and can contact your company in case of major plumbing emergencies.

9. Use Geofencing Advertising to Reach New Plumbing Clients 

Geofencing advertising is an effective plumber marketing technique that can help you reach new customers. Using this strategy, you set up an “invisible fence.” The fence, such as your plumbing business, encompasses a specific area surrounding a building.

Once property owners enter the fence, they get a notification about your business or a Google or Facebook ad about your company. This can cause them to come to your door or think about contacting your plumbing company.

As a plumber, you want to target conferences, trade shows, and other events that homeowners or business owners attend. It is an effective way to get attendees to consider your plumbing business at the first chance.

 10.  Add Branding Everywhere 

Suppose your plumbing company doesn’t have a unique branding strategy. Plumber services lend it well to branding on uniforms, vehicles, and more.

Let’s face it: if you have vans or technicians driving around your neighborhood, a branded vehicle wrap would be a simple way of marketing your plumbing company.

Pro tip: Ensure that your branding incorporates a link to your plumber’s website and your phone number, so it’s easy for prospects to find out about your company when they see your brand.

11. Retarget Your Potential Clients 

 

Not every visitor who lands on your plumbing website will schedule a plumbing service appointment or call you for their plumbing needs, and they might go to another plumber or come back later when ready to use your plumbing services.

But should you let go of these potential clients just because they are unsure or ready? Of course, not! You should retarget these prospects by utilizing smart marketing techniques.

One of the most effective ways to retarget such clients is to ensure they see your plumbing service ads even if they are not browsing your site. Such an ad will ensure that the idea of getting professional plumbing services doesn’t slip away from their mind so that they call you once they are ready.

Common Plumbing Marketing Mistakes To Avoid

The goal of any plumbing contractor is to get more revenue by driving new business. So how can you avoid the common pitfalls that most plumbers make?

To run an effective plumber marketing campaign, avoid these mistakes:

Mistake 1: Skipping the Research

Plumbing marketing decisions shouldn’t be based on emotions or feelings. As a plumber, you don’t have enough resources to analyze your market in-depth, and that doesn’t imply you should create promotions in a vacuum.

You have one significant advantage over larger plumbing companies, access to your clients. Speak to your clients about what they deem helpful. As a rule of thumb, don’t invest your marketing dollars in a campaign that won’t lead to plumbing service appointments. There has to be a demand for your services if you want to book more jobs.

Mistake 2: Trying to Create Your Plumbing Website

 Persuading a site visitor to contact your plumbing company is a science that most plumbers do incorrectly. Here are some plumbing website designs pitfalls that you need to avoid:

  • Not explaining what you want people to do after visiting your site( i.e., booking an appointment)

 

  • Not using a user and SEO-friendly web copy (i.e., brochure-style or cluttered website)

 

  • It is not satisfying the search intent (different groups, varying needs).

 

How can a plumber avoid this?

 

Resist the urge to utilize readymade website templates or hire your nephew to create your plumbing company website. Instead, use a reputable plumber marketing agency like Blackstorm Design+ Marketing to ensure that you are guiding as many property owners as possible toward contacting your company for services.

 

Mistake #2: Creating a plumbing website no one visits

A common misconception is that property owners will magically visit your newly built plumbing website. After all the money and time you have invested in creating the plumber’s website, you should make sure that property owners can see it.

 

How can you avoid this?

 

Fortunately, our search engine optimization experts can help you optimize your plumbing website for users and search engines like Google or Bing.

 

Mistake #3: Not Knowing if your plumber marketing campaigns are working

Maybe you sponsored a local event or gave out brochures. But do you know how many property owners visit your plumbing website or contact or email your business due to such online marketing tactics?

 

Your marketing dollars can easily be wasted if you don’t know the number of prospects and clients your advertising produces.

 

How can you avoid this?

 

The good thing with internet marketing is that everything is measurable. There are strategies to measure precisely the number of calls, emails, and clicks generated from one advertisement. This will encourage continuing with your marketing efforts.

 

Mistake # 4: Not Converting Browsers into Paying Clients

Generating interest in your plumbing company will help you succeed, but you and your staff need to take it to the next level.

 

Make sure you pick up every call. One missed call, and you lose your prospect to the competition.

  

How can you avoid this?

 

Improve your systems and control how prospects are contacting you. Level the playing field by investing in good CRM software, building your plumber website, and managing your leads on autopilot.

 

Plumbing Marketing Services FAQ

 

How can I market my plumbing company?

There are several strategies that you can use to advertise your plumbing business, including but not restricted to:

  • Creating a plumber website that converts browsers into paying clients
  • Get and manage online reviews
  • Optimize your website for search engines and users.
  • Claiming your listings in major online directories.

 

What is internet marketing for plumbers? 

Internet marketing, also known as digital marketing, is a term used to denote marketing activities online. This can include Search Engine Optimization, web design, PayPerClick, online reputation management, retargeting, social media advertisement, and so much more!

 

Why should plumbing contractors invest in internet marketing?

Plumbing contractors should invest in online marketing because over 90% of property owners require a plumber, and the initial place to look is online. If your plumbing business doesn’t have a vibrant online presence, then you stand to lose leads to the competition.

 

What internet marketing services for plumbers do you offer? 

At Blackstorm Design + Marketing, we offer a full suite of online marketing services for plumbers. This includes everything from website design, Search Engine Optimization, Online Reputation Management, Retargeting, PPC, and Social Media advertising.

 

Stop Wasting Your Dollars on Plumber Marketing that doesn’t work, and Let Your Phone Ring off the Hook.

 

As a plumber, you have better things to worry about than what keywords search engines love these days. If you are tired of wasting your dollars on plumber marketing strategies that don’t generate desired results, our experts would love to help.  

Schedule a free strategy session online with one of our Growth Coaches or call us at 1 (865) 205-8822 to get an excellent plumber marketing plan today!

 

Categories
Marketing Roofing

Get More Qualified Roofing Leads with These Proven Strategies

What is a roofing lead?

Leads, Prospects, Customers

A roofing lead is any property owner who expresses interest in your roofing services or products, either by contacting your business directly or by engaging with your marketing efforts. Roofing leads are an essential part of any roofing business, as they are the potential customers who can help your company grow and thrive.

Roofing leads come in different forms and at different stages of the buying journey. Some leads may be more qualified than others, and it is important to evaluate and prioritize your lead follow-up efforts accordingly carefully.

Leads that are generated through more targeted marketing efforts, such as by filling out a form in response to a specific offer or by subscribing to a newsletter, are generally considered more qualified than leads that are obtained through cold calls or by purchasing a list of contact information.

In general, it is more effective to generate leads through targeted marketing efforts that engage potential customers in a way that is less intrusive and more personalized. This helps to build trust and establish a more positive relationship with potential clients.

Identifying Your Ideal Roofing Lead

Your ideal roofing lead is a potential client who is interested in your services or products and fits within your target market.

As a roofing contractor, it’s important to identify your ideal customers and understand their needs. Your ideal roofing lead is a potential client who is interested in your services or products and fits within your target market. This is a property owner who sees value in booking a job with your company and values quality over quantity. To identify your ideal roofing lead, consider factors such as age, income, marital status, whether they have kids, location, and online platforms they use. By understanding these factors, you can tailor your marketing efforts to better appeal to your target market and generate more qualified leads.

Understanding Your Ideal Roofing Lead’s Needs: Key Considerations for Success

Long shot men working on roof

As a roofing contractor, it is crucial to understand the pain points of your potential customers and offer solutions that address their needs. To better understand the needs of your roofing leads, consider the following:

What Are Your Roofing Leads Looking to Have Fixed?

Your roofing leads may have encountered various problems with their roofs, such as leaks, storm damage, poor ventilation, and more. By positioning your services as the solution to these problems, you can attract more leads and grow your business.

What Qualities Are Your Roofing Leads Looking for in a Service Provider?

Your ideal leads may be searching for a reliable and experienced roofing contractor who is genuinely concerned about their needs, offers high-quality craftsmanship, and is licensed and insured. By demonstrating these qualities, you can build trust and establish long-term relationships with your leads.

Why Your Roofing Business Should Stand out to Your Ideal Leads?

To convince your ideal roofing leads to choose your business, it is important to focus on their needs and show them how your services will provide value to them. Some ways to stand out to your ideal leads include using high-quality materials, being available to answer their questions, having a highly-trained and qualified crew, and consistently meeting or exceeding their expectations. By demonstrating these qualities, you can differentiate your business from the competition and build trust with your leads.

Effective Strategies for Reaching Your Ideal Roofing Leads

To reach your ideal roofing leads, you need to have a well-thought-out marketing plan that combines both traditional and digital tactics. Modern customers often do extensive research online before deciding to contact a roofing company, so it’s important to have a strong online presence to attract and engage them.

Maximizing Your Online Presence for Roofing Lead Generation

Roofing landing page

Start by building a professional, optimized roofing website that is mobile-friendly, fast-loading, and includes relevant content, search engine optimization, and trust indicators such as online reviews or testimonials.
Use visually appealing images and a clear call to action (CTA) to persuade potential clients to give your roofing company a chance.
Drive traffic to your website through various methods, including search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing.

Increase Traffic to Your Roofing Website

Website traffic

There are various ways to drive traffic to your roofing website for free, including optimizing your website for local SEO, creating valuable and shareable content, and using social media to promote your services or products. By consistently implementing these tactics, you can attract qualified leads to your website and increase the chances of turning them into paying clients.

Be Found – When a Potential Prospect Is Looking for a Roofer

Roofer installing new roof

It’s important for your roofing business to have a strong online presence in order to be found by potential clients. When prospects search for terms related to your services or products and your website doesn’t appear in the top results, they may not find your business at all. To improve your online visibility and attract qualified leads, consider implementing the following strategies:

Google Local Service Ads (Google Guarantee)

Google Local Service Ads image

To get found online when prospects are searching for roofing services, you can use Google Local Service Ads (also known as Google Guarantee). This pay-per-lead advertising platform allows you to increase website traffic, receive more phone calls, and book more jobs. By appearing on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) when your ideal clients search for related products or services, you can attract qualified leads to your business. The Google guarantee also adds an extra level of trust for your company, as it offers coverage for unsatisfied clients up to $2000 for jobs booked through local service ads.

Google Search Ads

Google search gif

Utilizing Google Ads (also known as Google AdWords) can benefit your roofing business by only paying for an advertisement when an online user clicks on it. This pay-per-click (PPC) method allows your business to display ads in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) through a bidding process, also known as an ad auction. In this auction, roofers bid on keywords that are relevant to their business and the search terms they want their ad to be triggered by. Once you have chosen your keywords, you can create an ad and set it up on the search engine platform, including the position you want your ad to appear in the results. Google Ads can be a valuable tool for your business because it can provide quick results, increase online visibility, have a lower cost per click, outperform competitors in search results, track and measure results, and offer budget flexibility.

Google Business Profile (Formerly called Google My Business)

Google Business Profile website

Having a Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business) is essential for generating more roofing leads for your business. When property owners search for roofing services in their area, Google will display a map of the local area with a list of roofing companies that are relevant to the search. By having a Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business), you will increase the chances of your company appearing on this map, which can drive more traffic to your website and increase the visibility of your business to potential clients. Additionally, having a Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business) allows you to manage your online presence, including responding to customer reviews, which can improve the credibility and reputation of your business. Overall, having a Google Business Profile (formerly called Google My Business) is an essential part of any roofing marketing strategy to attract more qualified leads to your business.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

SEO gif

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing your roofing website to increase its visibility on search engines like Google. When you optimize your website for SEO, you make it more visible to your ideal prospects when they search for roofing services or products like yours on Google.

There are various ways you can use SEO to help your roofing business be found when prospects are searching for your services. Some of these ways include:

Identify and use relevant keywords in your website content and meta tags. By using relevant keywords, you make it easier for search engines to understand what your website is about and rank it for those keywords.

Use title tags and meta descriptions to summarize the content of your website. These tags help search engines understand the content of your website and show it in the search results.

Use header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to organize your content and make it easier for search engines to understand the structure of your website.

Use alt tags to describe images on your website. This helps search engines understand the content of your images and show them in the search results.

By following these and other SEO best practices, you can improve the visibility of your roofing website on search engines and attract more qualified leads.

Yelp & Other Powerful Directories

Powerful Directories

By having a presence on Yelp and other directories, roofing businesses can increase their visibility and attract more potential clients. These directories serve as a source of recommendations for people seeking roofing services or products, so it is essential for a roofing company to be listed on them to remain competitive in the digital age. In addition to Yelp, other business directories such as the Better Business Bureau, Houzz, Home Advisor, Angie’s List, Bing Place for Business, and Yahoo! Small Business can also help a roofing business get found by prospects searching for roofing services online.

Tradeshows

Large crowd of anonymous business people at a trade fair

Trade shows are a great opportunity for roofing contractors to showcase their services and products to a large audience. These events can be a powerful way to generate leads by offering educational materials or freebies to attendees, as well as networking with other professionals in the industry. By participating in trade shows, you can get your name and brand in front of potential customers, as well as gather valuable insights from competitors and industry experts.

Networking / Word of Mouth

Local meet-ups and building relationships with property management companies

Networking and word of mouth are powerful tools for generating leads in the roofing industry. By actively participating in local meet-ups and building relationships with property management companies and other businesses in your area, you can showcase your services and expertise to potential customers. Additionally, joining your local chamber of commerce can give you access to a network of professionals and business owners who may need your services or be able to refer you to others.

Phone Books

Phone book numbers

Phone books can be a useful way for a roofer to reach an older demographic with a higher income. This is because older individuals may be more likely to use phone books as a resource when searching for local businesses rather than relying on the internet. Additionally, advertising in a phone book may be cost-effective because the phone book industry is declining, leading to lower ad prices. However, it is important for the roofer to consider the overall effectiveness of phone book advertising compared to other forms of advertising, as well as the potential reach of the phone book in their specific area.

Reaching Potential Clients Who Are Not Currently Searching for Roofing Services

While it is easier to market to potential clients who are already interested and actively searching for roofing services, it can be challenging to reach those who are not currently looking. Here are a few strategies for reaching out to potential clients who may not be actively seeking roofing services:

Facebook & Instagram Ads

Facebook and Instagram logo

Advertising on Facebook and Instagram can be an effective way for a roofer to generate more leads because these platforms have a large user base that can be targeted with specific ads. By understanding the behavior and needs of potential clients on these platforms, a roofer can create an appealing offer and advertise it to their ideal leads. Partnering with a social media marketing agency can also help a roofer craft a successful ad campaign on Facebook and Instagram. It’s important to note that while these platforms are not specifically designed for finding roofing services, they can be used to reach potential clients who may be interested in booking a job in the future.

Google Display Ads

Google Display Ads website

Google Display Ads can help you reach potential roofing leads who may not be actively searching for your services or products. With data on 40% of searches, these ads allow you to target prospects based on location, income, and other factors and provide them with information about your roofing services. You can also use auto-targeting strategies through Google Ads to attract leads interested in your roofing services at a later time. By advertising on Google, you can effectively reach prospects who may not be actively seeking out roofing services and educate them about your business.

Telemarketing (Cold Calling)

Telemarketer

Telemarketing, also known as cold calling, is a strategy that involves reaching out to potential customers who may not have expressed interest in your roofing services. By making phone calls to these individuals, you can try to convince them to consider booking a job with your company. Many telemarketing firms offer services to help roofing businesses generate leads through cold calling. These firms can call property owners and schedule appointments on your behalf.

Canvassing/Door Knocking

Man offering a special promotion or discount to encourage woman to use their services.

Canvassing, or door-knocking, is a traditional method of marketing that involves going door-to-door to reach potential customers. This strategy allows you to connect with people personally and can be particularly effective in the aftermath of a storm when there is a higher demand for roofing services.

Make sure to be respectful of people’s time and privacy, and be prepared for rejection. Carry brochures or other materials to leave behind with information about your business. Dress professionally and be well-spoken and polite. Consider offering a special promotion or discount to encourage people to use your services. Canvassing can be time-consuming, but it can also be a valuable way to generate leads and build relationships with potential customers. By being organized and persistent, you can effectively use canvassing to grow your roofing business.

Radio/TV advertising

Radio and television ads

Radio and television ads can be effective in generating more roofing leads, especially when used in combination. Research has shown that using both mediums can reach a larger audience than just one. These types of ads can be particularly useful for reaching potential customers who are not actively looking for roofing services.

Billboards

Empty billboard in the city

Billboards are a physical advertising medium that uses large, eye-catching prints to promote your roofing business and generate leads offline. They are typically located in high-traffic areas, such as city centers or along highways, to maximize visibility to pedestrians and drivers. Billboards have a high number of impressions and views compared to other marketing methods, as they are placed in busy areas. This means that even if someone is not actively searching for roofing services or products, they may still see your billboard and be interested in contacting your business for more information. As a result, billboards can be an effective tool for generating more roofing leads offline.

Vehicle Wraps

Red van wrap design

Studies show that more than 60% of potential customers will make a decision about whether to hire a company based on the professionalism of their signage. This means that your logo, branding, and messaging on your company vehicles can play a significant role in generating more roofing leads offline. By using unique branding on your trucks and strategically parking them in high-traffic areas, you can catch the attention of potential customers and encourage them to consider your business. Vehicle wraps are an effective way to promote your roofing company and stand out in a competitive market.

Parketing

Roofing Marketing + Parking = Parketing

When your branded vehicles are parked in high-traffic areas or driven around the city, they act as mobile advertisements that can attract the attention of potential customers. By branding your vehicles, you can increase brand awareness and generate more roofing leads offline. It is important to ensure that your branding is professional and consistent across all marketing materials, including your vehicles, to promote your business effectively.

Roofing Marketing + Parking = Parketing

Shop/Office Sign

Red shop sign

Attractive storefront or office signage is crucial for generating leads for your roofing business, even for those who may not be actively searching for roofing services. These signs serve as a physical advertisement for your business, attracting the attention of potential customers and promoting your company to passersby. Properly executed signage can increase sales, attract new customers who may not have otherwise been aware of your business, and prevent potential clients from choosing a competitor.

Pay Per Lead

Pay Per Lead gif

Pay-per-lead (PPL) services are a digital marketing method that allows roofing companies to generate leads and only pay for each piece of information received. Websites such as Angi and HomeAdvisor, which reach millions of homeowners, can be used by small and medium-sized roofing businesses to generate more leads online. Other agencies also offer PPL services, where you only pay after receiving a call or appointment based on the information provided. PPL can be an effective way for roofing businesses to generate leads and grow their client base.

Looking to Generate More Leads for Your Roofing Company?

Roofers

If you are a roofing company owner looking to generate more leads and grow your business, consider contacting us for assistance. We have a team of experienced professionals who can help you develop a targeted marketing strategy and implement it effectively to attract more qualified leads to your business. Don’t let your competition get ahead while you miss out on valuable opportunities. Contact BlackStorm today and see the difference it can make for your roofing business.

Categories
Marketing Plumbing

8 Important Plumbing Marketing KPIs You Should Be Tracking in Your Business

Increase your clients base, and maximize profits in your plumbing company with digital marketing KPIs

Do you have an idea of what makes your plumbing company’s marketing or advertising campaigns a success? Clues why is your business not generating enough leads? Why is a plumbing company doing so well?

KPI gif

Well, suppose you are not closely monitoring your plumbing marketing efforts online. In that case, you will never understand what is working or not, and that’s where digital marketing Key Performance Indicators come in. Using KPI, you can measure and track metrics that matter most to your plumbing business growth.

Before internet marketing was introduced, a plumber would only establish how a specific campaign was fairing based on office visits and the number of new clients acquired. However, such results rarely displayed an accurate calculation. But with the right plumbing marketing KPIs, you can know your weak areas and conduct the much-need tweaks in your strategies for maximum results.

That said, here are a few things to understand before selecting and monitoring your digital marketing for plumbers’ KPI.

What Are Plumber KPIs?

Portrait of plumber

A Key Performance Indicator is a measurable attribute showcasing how ineffectively or effectively your plumbing company reaches its desired goals. Plumbing marketing KPIs are quantifiable measures or metrics employed to assess the performance of your company’s marketing objectives. These metrics can be traced to different aspects of your plumbing business, ranging from employees and leads generated to sales.

Internet marketing KPIs go hand in hand with your company’s online marketing strategies regardless of sales growth, brand awareness, SEO strategy, and lead generation. Examples of such metrics include details on conversion rate, engagement rate, sales revenue, page conversion, marketing qualified leads, and SERP. Any measurable figure in your plumber marketing plan that can be acted upon constitutes a KPI.

KPI comes from Google Analytics, lead conversion tool, Google Ads, Google Analytics, or even from your plumbing sales representatives.

Why Track Your Plumbing Marketing’s KPIs? 5 Reasons

When properly used, plumbing marketing KPI tracking can be an incredible tool for growing your company. Some of the key advantages of measuring metrics and acting on data include but are not restricted to:

1. Monitor Your Plumbing Company’s Health

A plumber checking water management system.

Only a few KPIs are required to measure the health of your company. Plumbers who monitor metrics in categories such as employees, customers, processes, and revenue find it very easy to remain on track while keeping their income high.

2. Measure Processes

A plumber in the kitchen installs a new water tap.

KPIs are typically applied to show if your company is attaining its strategic goals set by the top management. Numerous KPIs are utilized to measure processes, such as productivity indicators, profitability indicators, and quality indicators amongst others.

3. Client Metrics

A man looking on a client metrics for his company.

Besides employees and processes, client metrics are also of utmost importance. They can help your company know the number of customers, the revenue generated, and even the cost of acquiring those clients.

 4. Operational Metrics

Plumber fixing problem with faucet in the kitchen.

Operations metrics are a good way to help your operations department enhance its day-to-day operations. You can use such metrics to make sure staffing, finances, and marketing are on the right track.

5. Measure Progress Over Time

measuring your business progress

 A good strategy for measuring your business progress is to set targets at the beginning of the year, such as revenue, gross margin, number of locations, and even number of employees. Then, you can use weekly, quarterly and monthly reports to remain on track with the KPIs and progress towards set goals at the start of the year.

In a plumbing marketing campaign, tracking your KPIs is the only way to understand what is working or not. For instance, if you make good money from a specific marketing campaign, but you cannot show what generated that revenue or profit, then you will never know what you need to improve and where you need to invest more. Your site traffic, for example, could be the one driving all your qualified leads and your marketing crew or department is busy investing a lot of dollars on unnecessary channels.

Top 10 Plumbing Marketing KPIs You Should Be Tracking in Your Business

1. Cost Per Lead (CPL)

CCPL formula

CPL is a plumbing KPI used in lead generation to know how much each lead costs your company. In simple terms, it shows you the cost of bringing in a lead from your advertising or marketing campaigns. Leads help you understand which contact or user is a potential client. It is normally the initial step into knowing how your internet marketing is performing beyond simple reach from metrics like unique visitors to your plumbing website.

Cost per lead helps you understand where your brand awareness efforts in marketing are most crucial. They tell you whether your campaigns are generating desired results at an affordable cost or not. They assist you to understand the amount of money you need to get a particular set of leads for your plumbing company. Because leads are the starting point of your sales processes, improving and benchmarking your cost per lead is an important metric for your plumbing marketing efforts or campaigns.

2. Conversion Rate (CR)

Conversion Rate gif

In plumbing marketing, a conversion happens when a prospect or client completes a particular activity, such as booking a job or subscribing to your newsletter. It can also be any action that helps meet your plumbing company’s objectives. On the other hand, conversion rate measures how regularly a client completes a particular set goal,

Conversion rate is a crucial metric that shows you if your marketing campaigns are on track. They tell you how effective your strategies are in terms of attaining a set goal. A higher conversion rate implies more likelihood of prospects or clients converting after coming across your piece of content. This also means low costs in terms of acquiring customers, which saves you money in the long run.

Consequently, the more conversions, the better your plumbing gets in Google rankings. Thus, if you want to skyrocket your bottom line, make minor but worthy tweaks to your plumbing website. Use Google Optimize together with Google Analytics to test various elements of your website to increase your revenue without necessarily increasing your ad spend.

3. Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI gif

ROI denotes the amount of profit your plumbing company will earn from the money spent on a particular activity or investment like a marketing campaign. As an online marketing metric, ROI helps you know whether your company is profitable or not. It shows the expenditures as well as activities connected with them that are creating revenue and those that are not.

So, it is an important tool for planning your marketing or advertising budgets. While it is not possible to capture the total money spent on marketing activity, say a Google Ad campaign, it is crucial to make sure that your ROI is comparable to other internet marketing activities.

4. Bounce Rate

Bounce rate from website traffic

Simply put, bounce rate refers to the number of clients or prospects who visit your plumbing website and leave right away without completing any meaningful action. If your site has a high bounce rate, this is a good indication that there are flaws in your online marketing strategies, and some of them could be irrelevant traffic sources, weak landing pages, or poor targeting, amongst others.

A prospect visiting and clicking off your website also implies they didn’t find what they were searching for and the only way to make sure that they spend time on it is by auditing your content and identifying what they are looking for. This way, you will craft relevant content that will attract them.

5. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

Businessmen

CPA revolves around revenue after a lead becomes a paying client. It gives you a rough idea of how much you will spend to get a client to open his or her wallet. CPA is a deal for paid search marketing campaigns like Pay-Per-Click campaigns.

5. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR image

CTR is another internet marketing metric that quantifies the number of clicks on a specific content over the number of impressions it achieves. It is the percentage of prospects that click on a campaign after coming across it.

CTR is the simple form of engagement rate because the only engagement counted is the one that matters the most and clicks on a link. This metric shows whether your site content is interesting to grab people’s attention and lead them to click on the link and be redirected to the plumbing website.

In Google ads, CTR boosts your quality score each time a user clicks on an ad, and when this occurs, your ads are ranked on top of SERPs, which has other advantages, such as increased traffic and more conversions.

6. Lifetime Value

A higher customer lifetime value indicates that your plumbing business is doing well and often signals a profit.

Customer lifetime value refers to a KPI used to measure the amount of revenue you can expect from a specific client for the entire period of doing business with your company.

A higher customer lifetime value indicates that your plumbing business is doing well and often signals a profit. It helps you understand how valuable different customers are and thus allocate more resources to them.

 7. Business Growth

business growth metric

Another important KPI for plumbers is the business growth metric. This can be calculated in numerous ways, but estimating your annual gross profit margins is the most effective is the most effective. This is where you bring things like cost of operation like salaries, and cost of equipment into the equation. To find your gross profit margin, calculate your total sales revenue and subtract your total cost of operation, divide the figure you obtain with sales revenue again.

8. Customer Satisfaction

Woman thanking plumber

Lastly, client satisfaction. Do you know that it is much cheaper to keep an existing customer than to try to get a new one? This is why customer satisfaction is an important KPI for plumbers; since client satisfaction leads to retention.

You can assess your customer satisfaction levels by developing a questionnaire form and asking clients to fill it out. Keeping your eye on online reviews is also crucial. You can improve customer satisfaction by responding to all reviews (whether negative or positive) promptly and professionally.

Top Channels for Local Plumbing Contractors to Generate Qualified Leads

By analyzing your overall plumbing marketing strategy and how every lead source generates qualified sales for your company.

Then you can begin to work on the different marketing efforts with every channel to obtain more qualified leads, increase sales growth and reduce client acquisition costs.

While monitoring plumbing marketing KPIs your sales crew should come in to see how your collective advertising or marketing efforts generate results across the following channels.

Organic Search

Organic Search gif

Homeowners and property managers use search engines such as Google or Bing to find information about a local service business and click on the organic results shown to them. No advertisements. Organic site traffic will be one of the cheapest in terms of acquiring leads but will take the longest time to develop and achieve realistic results.

Paid Advertising

Google Local Service Ads

There are multiple ways paid advertising is showcased to your potential clients to boost website traffic, and here are some examples. But, if you want to increase your chances of increasing traffic to lead ratio, landing pages are a perfect way to achieve this.

  • Google Local Service Ads
  • Text ads from Google Ads
  • Display advertising on other sites
  • Paid ads on social media websites
  • Click to call ads from Google

Social Media Marketing

Go viral

Social media is one of those platforms that can help you in various ways. Not all resulting to direct sales, but offering you an opportunity to build and get:

  • Brand awareness
  • Potential client referrals
  • Client support channel

As you can see, a lot goes into each plumbing marketing KPI, and together they show a clear picture of how your company is performing online. Every monthly report combines it all and makes sure we continually drive revenue in the best ways possible. At Blackstorm Design +Marketing, we are in the business to create lifelong partnerships, and such plumbing business marketing KPIs hold our team accountable.

Let’s work together to create a strong online presence for your plumbing company so you can book more jobs on the web.

Schedule a free strategy session with Blackstorm Design + Marketing to learn how we can help your plumbing business grow today.

Categories
Marketing Plumbing

How To Become A Licensed Plumber in 6 Simple Steps

Plumbing is among one of the closely regulated trades in the U.S. This means that to become a licensed plumber, one must train under the supervision of a master plumber and sit for trade exams before they are registered. Almost all states have plumbing licensing or certification requirements for master and journeyman plumbers, but the trade exams and requirements vary from one state to another. Having gone through rigorous years of apprentice training and study, you want to ensure that you abide by the laws in your state to grow your plumbing business.

It is a well-known fact that skilled, licensed plumbers are always in high demand, and their job prospects are expected to be great through 2029 (and beyond!), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So, becoming a licensed plumber is a smart career decision. Getting your plumbing license is one of the most crucial steps to becoming a certified and licensed plumber. Most states won’t allow you to operate without a license, and with a reason too – plumbing is a skilled trade that requires education and professional experience.

Do you want to know how to become a licensed and certified plumber in your state? If so, we got you covered. In this post, we will discuss the process of how to become a licensed plumber in detail, outlining the different steps involved depending on the state where you reside. The plumbing licensing requirements can vary greatly from state to state. Therefore, you must identify the right process for your state; this is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution.

Without further ado, let us dive into our post!

How to Become a Qualified Plumbing Contractor

plumber in uniform holds drain pipe in the kitchen

Plumbing is an appealing and lucrative industry, which pays approximately $56000 per year (According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data). Homeowners regularly require plumbing installations or repairs, and there is always a demand for plumbers who can come to the rescue in case of any emergency like a clogged toilet or flooded basement. As such, more and more people are starting their plumbing companies to tap into this profitable market.

But how can you become a qualified plumbing contractor and get the license? What kind of information do you require to know before you launch your career in plumbing? While the requirements of becoming a certified and qualified plumber vary from one state to another, there are simple steps you will probably take no matter where you will be working.

Here are our simple steps to becoming a qualified plumbing contractor that you need to know:

  • Get on-the-job training by completing an apprenticeship program approved by the plumbing licensing board.
  • Obtain your plumber license so that you can book jobs and offer plumbing services without supervision
  • Become a legal plumbing contractor by starting a plumbing firm and subcontract work from other licensed plumbers
  • Make sure that you have the appropriate insurance including surety bond, general liability, and worker’s compensation insurance.
  • Develop your business management skills to keep up with the newest problems and trends to stay ahead of the curve.

What is a Licensed Plumber?

Licensed Plumbers

A licensed plumber is a professional tradesperson who has met all the testing and qualification needed to operate legally in their state or city. Licensing is a very crucial aspect of becoming a journeyman or master plumber. This is because once a plumber is given a license, they are certified as possessing the requisite expertise, experience, and knowledge to perform their work according to recognized plumbing codes and standards.

Licensed plumbers are given a compliance certificate to show to their potential employers. This certificate shows that a plumber will adhere to all relevant plumbing standards, regulations, and codes on the job. They are also insured to assist their clients if their plumbing work is faulty or substandard. Unlicensed plumbers may be penalized for performing work without a valid license.

How to Become a Licensed Plumber in 6 Easy Steps (With Tricks and Tips)

Since plumbing is a skilled trade, people who wish to become licensed plumbers must meet certain requirements. Plumbers handle different kinds of work for commercial and residential buildings. The time it takes to obtain the necessary plumbing licensing, certifications and training vary from state to state. If you want to know how to become a licensed plumbing contractor in your state, read the simple steps below to get started:

Step 1: Obtain Your High School Diploma or its GED Equivalent

you must meet specific minimum educational requirements

To become a licensed journeyman plumber, you must meet specific minimum educational requirements. The very initial and most important step how to become a licensed plumber is obtaining your education. High school diploma graduates have the best opportunity of getting a plumbing apprenticeship because of the math, English, and applied Physics skills gained, which will assist them when taking up their apprentice plumbing aptitude test.

After passing the aptitude test, the next step is to obtain specialized training in plumbing. This is where you learn the theoretical and practical aspects of the job. The common career path options can include going to a trade school or college with approved courses. Vocational training programs are crucial because they prepare you to handle day-to-day tasks and business aspects of your trade. However, a GED certificate will work in most plumbing apprenticeship programs if you don’t have a high school diploma.

Step 2: Join and Complete a Plumbing Apprenticeship Program

Joining an apprenticeship program

Joining an apprenticeship program is the next step toward becoming a licensed plumber. Many states will require you to have 3 to 4 years of experience as an apprentice before you apply for a journeyman plumbing license. You must actively work for a master plumber who will sponsor you in the apprenticeship program. During your apprenticeship, you will be working directly under the supervision of a master plumber, who will teach you additional skills.

To qualify for a plumbing apprenticeship program, you must be at least 18 years old, have a valid driving license, and pass a drug screening test to be accepted into the program. Once you have been accepted as a plumbing apprentice, you will actively work under the guidance/supervision of a master plumber for a set number of years. Normally this is between 4 and 5 years and includes a combination of both plumbing courses and on-the-job training.

Pro tip: Select a master plumber whom you have a good relationship with because you will spend many years under their supervision or guidance.

Step 3: Enroll in a Plumbing Trade School and Complete the Requisite On-the-Job Training/Classroom Hours

plumbing apprenticeship program

Every plumbing apprenticeship program will have its minimum number of classroom and work hours, and a master plumber normally supervises the apprentice to be eligible for the journeyman’s plumbing licensing exam. This varies from state to state, so be sure to check your state’s requirements. On average, most states will require you to complete at least 2000 hours of work each year and an addition to 250 hours of the classroom every year.

You may feel intimidated at first thinking that you are going to take a lot of time for training. But the good news is that you will be paid good wages as an apprentice plumber. You can comfortably earn between $15 to $ 25/hour as an apprentice plumber, depending on your skill set.

Step 4: Apply for a Journeyman Plumber Licensing Exam

plumber licensing examination

After you have completed your apprenticeship and formal education program, you can apply for your plumber licensing examination. You may be required to offer proof of doing an apprenticeship that lasted the set number of years. Inquire with your state’s department of labor to know where and when you can sit on the exam. If you finished your plumber apprenticeship program through a private plumbing contractor, you will be required to get an affidavit that confirms you have met all the state’s plumber licensing requirements and thus are eligible for an examination.

If you have not completed your plumbing apprenticeship classroom hours, along with on-the-job training hours requirements, you cannot sit for a journeyman plumber licensing examination.

Step 5: Obtain Your State Journeyman Plumber’s License

plumbing license

Once you have passed the journeyman licensing examination, you will be given a state plumbing license as well as journeyman plumber certification. This plumbing license will have a fee associated with it, and you will be required to renew it annually. This is a nominal fee but will help to keep your certification valid and current.

Step 6: Continue learning to become a master plumber

consider learning more to become a master plumber

Once you have received your journeyman plumbing license, you may require to renew it once after three years, depending on your state’s law. But you must keep up with any new plumbing codes and regulations your state passes to ensure your work follows all applicable laws.

If you want to perform more advanced plumbing work or train other aspiring plumbers, consider learning more to become a master plumber. You will require five years of experience and passing a master plumber exam to obtain this designation.

How to Become a Licensed Plumber: Licensing Requirements for Every State

Each state has its own plumber licensing requirements as well as different licensure levels. Your plumbing license is as vital as your insurance, so make sure that you have all the details. That’s why we have compiled this comprehensive guide of 50 states and their plumber licensing requirements. But ensure that you confirm with your local licensing body for any new regulations.

Read to find out the plumbing licensing requirements in your state below.

Arizona

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Arizona

Is a license needed to work as a plumber in Arizona? Yes.

The state of Arizona requires all plumbing contractors to sit and pass two exams to obtain their plumber’s license. The first one is a business management theory exam, and the second one is a plumbing trade examination.

To be eligible for licensing, you will need at least two years of experience in plumbing. But you can substitute the experience with any training or education you have obtained.

After passing your licensing exam, you can get your license from the Arizona Registrars for Contractors.

Alabama

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Alabama

Plumbers must obtain a state license to book plumbing jobs in Alabama. To qualify for a journeyman plumber license, you must have a minimum of two years of experience as a plumber apprentice or must complete an apprenticeship program approved by the State of Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board. The good news is that you need one year of plumbing experience as a journeyman plumber to apply and sit for a master plumber exam.

Alaska

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Alaska

Is a state license required to work as a plumber in Alaska? Yes.

Without a state license or certification, you will not be able to conduct any professional plumbing work in Alaska.

To work as a plumber in Alaska, you will require a state license from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

You need at least 8,000 hours of experience installing residential or commercial plumbing systems to qualify for your journeyman plumber license. Or have finished 1,000 hours of related in-class experience. Besides, you will also be required to pass your plumbing licensing exam.

To get a plumber gas (PG) license in Alaska, you must show proof of over 4000 hours of experience with half of the time used to install gas piping systems.

To qualify for a plumber utility license(PU), you must complete at least 1000 hours of plumbing experience installing storm, water, and sewer lines.

Arkansas

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Arkansas

Plumbers in Arkansas are required by law to have a state license before they can perform any plumbing maintenance or installation work. The license is given by the Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing, and Natural Gas Division.

To qualify for a journeyman plumber license, you require a minimum of 4 years of experience as a plumbing apprentice. On the flip side, to apply for a master plumber license, you must have five years of experience as a journeyman plumber and pass the licensing exam.

California

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from California

To perform any plumbing installation or maintenance work in the state of California, you will be required to get a plumber license from the California Contractors State License Board.

To become a licensed plumber, you will be required to pass the California plumbers exam which consists of business management and law exam.

To be eligible for these exams, you require four years of experience as a foreman, journeyman, contractor, or supervisor. After you have passed the exam, you will be required to do criminal background checks and file a $10K bond with the licensing board.

Colorado

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Colorado

You need a state license to perform any plumbing work in Colorado. There are various plumbing license classes given by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and the State Plumbing Board. However, you must sit and pass an exam to get a plumber license.

  • Journeyman Plumber: You must show proof of 4 years (6,800 hours) of experience.
  • Master Plumber: You must have 5 years of experience as a journeyman plumbing contractor.
  • Residential Plumber: You must show proof of two years of experience (3, 400 hours).

Connecticut

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Connecticut

To perform any plumbing installation or repair work in Connecticut, you must understand the process of how to become a licensed plumber.

There are two types of plumber licenses: unlimited plumbing contractor and unlimited journeyman plumber.

An unlimited journeyman plumber helps plumbers work under the guidance of a licensed master plumber and execute basic plumbing projects. To obtain this license, you will require to apply and complete an apprenticeship program and then pass the licensure exam.

Unlimited plumbing contractor license allows performing plumbing projects unsupervised. Before you apply for this licensing exam, you need at least two years of experience as an unlimited journeyman plumber.

Delaware

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Delaware

The state of Delaware requires a plumber license for any organization or person that is engaged in any kind of plumbing activity- whether as a master or journeyman plumber for a company. To become a licensed plumber in Delaware, applicants must comply with the Delaware Department of Revenue.

To get your journeyman plumber license, you must show proof of two years of work experience and prove that you have finished an apprenticeship program before being allowed to sit for exams.

To qualify for your master plumber license, you will require a minimum of seven years of experience as a journeyman plumber.

Florida

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Florida

All contractors must be licensed to perform any kind of plumbing work in the state of Florida. This license will be issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

To work as a licensed and certified Florida plumber, you will have to pass two exams, the first on finance and business management, and the second one will be a plumbing trade exam.

Make sure that before you apply for a plumbing licensing exam, you have met all the additional requirements. These requirements may include a minimum of 4 years of experience, a current credit report, and assets worth at least $2,500.

You can obtain your plumbing license from the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board.

Georgia

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Georgia

You must be licensed to perform any plumbing installation or maintenance work in the state of Georgia. To get your journeyman-level plumber license, you will be required to show proof of three years of plumbing work experience and obtain approval from the state to sit for the licensing exam.

There are two different classes of master plumbers in Georgia namely:

  • Class one master plumbers: You will require at least five years of experience with two of them working as journeyman plumbers.
  • Class two master plumbers: You will need some years of experience as class one master plumbers, as well as specific experience with industrial or commercial plumbing systems. The main difference is that they are unrestricted and can bid on any plumbing work they choose.

Idaho

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Idaho

To do any plumbing work legally in Idaho, you must be licensed by the state. To become a licensed plumber in Idaho, any business or individual is required to sit and pass the Idaho plumber licensing examination administered by the Division of building safety.

Plumbing apprentices are required to complete a four-year apprenticeship program which consists of at least 8000 hours of relevant work experience and 576 classroom hours to qualify for a journeyman plumber license exam. Idaho also provides some specialty plumbing licenses that need additional training/education.

Illinois

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Illinois

In the state of Illinois, a plumber licensed is needed to perform any plumbing installation or maintenance work. To become a licensed journeyman plumber, you require four years of apprenticeship under a master plumber and pass a licensing exam. To get your license renewed, you must complete a minimum of four hours of continuing education.

Indiana

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Indiana

To work legally as a plumber in Indiana, you must have a license issued by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, Plumbing Commission. However, the licensing requirements will vary based on the type of license you want:

  • Plumber Apprentice: You do not need a license, but you must be registered.
  • Journeyman plumber license: You should apply via an approved apprenticeship school or plumbing company. You must have completed at least four years of training and have passed the trade exam.
  • Master Plumbers: To obtain your plumbing contractor license, you must complete a four-year apprenticeship program under a licensed plumber or be a licensed plumber from another state.

Iowa

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Iowa

To qualify to work as a plumber in the state of Iowa, you will be required to get a license from the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems board.

To get your journeyman plumber license, you must have completed a four-year apprenticeship program and passed the licensing exam.

If you want to graduate to become a licensed master plumber, you will need two years of experience as a journeyman plumber and pass the additional master plumbing licensing exams.

Hawaii

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Hawaii

You will require a state license to work as a plumber in Hawaii. These licenses are issued by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Board of Electricians and Plumbers. Here are some of the plumber licensing requirements in Hawaii.

  • Journeyman plumber: You should show proof of five years of experience and a minimum of 10000 hours in plumbing work by the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC).
  • Master Plumber License: To get licensed as a master plumber, you must have at least two years of experience working as a journeyman plumber.

Kentucky

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Kentucky

To perform any plumbing work in Kentucky, you must have a state license. There are several licenses issued by the Department of Housing, Buildings, and Construction, Plumbing Division.

  • Journeyman Plumber: Must have completed at least two years of relevant work experience and passed the trade exam.
  • Master plumber: You must have a valid journeyman license and pass the master plumber licensing exam

Louisiana

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Louisiana

You require a state license to do any plumbing work in Louisiana. The State Plumbing Board issues licenses to plumbing contractors. There are two levels of plumber licensing in the state of Louisiana. These kinds of plumbing licenses include:

  • Journeyman plumber: You must have completed an apprenticeship program approved by the licensing board. In addition, you must pass a trade exam.
  • Master Plumber: You must have a current journeyman plumbing license and pass a trade exam. However, if your plumbing work exceeds $10k, you will also be required to get a commercial plumbing license awarded by the State Licensing Board for Contractors. To get this license, you must pass a trade exam as well as a law and business exam.

Maine

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Maine

Plumbing contractors in Maine must have a state license to be allowed to operate. You must meet all the plumber licensing requirements for the particular license that you want. These licenses are issued by the Plumbers’ Examining Board.

  • Journeyman plumber: Minimum two years of experience and 4,000 hours of experience installing plumbing systems.
  • Master Plumber: You will require one year or 2000 hours of experience performing plumbing work as a journeyman plumber under the guidance of a master plumber.

Maryland

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Maryland

To do any plumbing work in Maryland, you need a state license. There are multiple levels of plumber licenses, and each one comes with special licensing requirements. These plumbing licensing requirements include but are not restricted to:

  • Apprentice plumber: You must be at least 16 years old.
  • Journeyman plumber: Minimum four years of experience as an apprentice, 7,500 hours under the supervision of a licensed plumber, 32 hours spent in backflow prevention management, and passing the licensing exam.
  • Master plumber: You must have at least two years of experience as a journeyman plumber, 3750 hours under the guidance of a master plumber, and pass a licensing exam.

Michigan

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Michigan

Plumbers must be licensed before they can be allowed to work in Michigan, and the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs awards these licenses. Here is an overview of plumbing licensing requirements in Michigan:

  • Journey plumber license: You must have attained a minimum of 6,000 hours of experience in less than three years as a plumbing apprentice and pass the licensing exam.
  • Master plumber license: You must have at least 4,000 hours of experience as a journeyman plumber in less than two years and pass an exam.

Minnesota

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Minnesota

To do any plumbing work in Minnesota, you must have a state license. These licenses are issued by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes, and Licensing Division. The plumber licensing requirements here include:

  • Plumber journey worker: You must have 7,000 hours of experience with 2000 hours in waste, vent, and drain installation, 1,000 hours in fixture installation, and 2000 hours in water distribution installation. You will also be required to sit and pass the licensing exam.
  • Master plumber: 1, 750 hours of experience as a journeyman plumber and pass the exam.

Mississippi

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Mississippi

You require a state plumbing contractor license to work legally as a plumber in Mississippi. These licenses ate issued by the State Board of Contractors. Plumbing licenses are needed for residential projects that exceed $10k in value, and it is also required for commercial projects exceeding $50K in value. But you must sit and pass an exam before obtaining a license.

No state license will be needed for plumbing projects that don’t meet these totals. But, there may be other local licensing requirements for plumbers. Check with a reputable plumber in your area to know more.

Montana

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Montana

A state license is needed for all plumbing contractors in Montana. These licenses are awarded by the state’s Department of labor as follows:

  • Journeyman plumber: You must pass through a plumbing apprentice program with five years of experience. You must pass a licensing exam.
  • Master plumber: A minimum of four years of experience as a journeyman level plumber under the guidance of a master plumber. Show proof of nine years of plumbing work-related experience. You must pass the licensing exam.

Missouri

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Missouri

No state license is needed to work as a plumber in Missouri. However, before starting any work, make sure you are aware of any local plumbing codes or requirements that may apply.

Massachusetts

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Massachusetts

To work legally as a plumber in Massachusetts, you must have a state license given by the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters. There are three classes of plumber licenses offered:

  • Apprentice plumber: You must be 16 years old and show proof of employment under the guidance of a licensed master plumber.
  • Journeyman plumber: 8,500 hours of plumbing work experience under the guidance of a master plumber, 550 hours of plumbing theory, and pass an exam.
  • Master plumber: You must have held your journeyman plumbing license for at least one year, including 1700 hours of plumbing work experience as a journeyman plumber.

Nebraska

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Nebraska

You don’t need a state license to book jobs as a plumber in Nebraska. But you must register with the state’s Department of Labor. But you need to verify any local plumbing regulations or licensing before you start any plumbing work.

Nevada

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Nevada

Plumbing contractors must have a state license to work legally in Nevada, and these licenses are issued by the Nevada Board of Plumbing Examiners.

  • Journeyman plumber: 4 years of experience in a plumbing apprentice program and pass an exam.
  • Master plumber: One-year of experience as a journeyman plumber and then pass an exam.

New York

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from New York

There are no plumbing licensing requirements in New York. But, in many counties and cities, there are strict regulations, so you should check with your local government authorities before you start to work.

New Jersey

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from New Jersey

You must register to work as a journeyman plumber or plumbing apprentice in New Jersey. To operate as a master plumber, you must have a license awarded by the New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers.

  • Journeyman plumber: You should be registered.
  • Master plumber: One year of experience as a journeyman plumber and pass an exam in the business and law section.

North Carolina

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from North Carolina

To work as a plumber in North Carolina, you must have a state license. Available plumber licenses include:

  • Plumbing contractor: 2 years of experience and pass a licensing exam.

Ohio

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Ohio

You don’t need a license to work as a plumber in Ohio. But commercial plumbers may be required to obtain a license from the Construction Industry Licensing Board.

Oklahoma

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Oklahoma

To work as a plumber in Oklahoma, you are required to have a state license issued by the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board. This plumbing license includes:

  • Apprentice plumber: You don’t require a license but must be registered with the relevant authorities.
  • Journeyman plumber: You must have at least three years of experience as an apprentice and pass a licensing exam.
  • Master plumber: Have a minimum of three years working as a journeyman plumber and pass an exam.

Oregon

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Oregon

As a plumbing contractor, you must have a state license to operate legally in Oregon. The license is issued by the Department of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Division. To qualify for a journeyman plumber license, you should have at least four years of experience as an apprentice in a registered program, and you must also pass the exam.

Pennsylvania

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Pennsylvania

You don’t require a state license to work as a plumber in Pennsylvania. But, make sure that you check the local plumbing licensing requirements before you start to work.

Rhode Island

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Rhode Island

To work as a plumber in Rhode Island, you must have a state license before you book any plumbing job. The licenses are awarded by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Workforce Regulation and Safety, and Professional Regulation Unit under two classes:

  • Journeyman plumber license: Prove that you have four years of experience as an apprentice and pass an exam.
  • Master plumber license: You must be a journeyman plumber for at least one year or more and pass the licensing exam.

South Carolina

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from South Carolina

In the state of South Carolina, you need a license to work as a plumber, and these licenses are given by the Department of Labor after passing an exam.

South Dakota

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from South Dakota

The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Plumbing Commission issues three kinds of licenses which include:

  • Plumbing apprentice license: You must have several years of experience under the guidance of a licensed plumber (mostly for four years)
  • Journeyman plumber license: You must have four years of experience as an apprentice and pass an exam.
  • Master Plumber: You must have at least six years of experience in the plumbing company and pass the licensing examination.

Tennessee

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Tennessee

In Tennessee, plumbing licenses are issued both at the local and state level, and it will also depend on the kind of plumbing projects you want to do. Here are the details about state-issued licenses:

  • Limited license plumber: This is needed for small projects, particularly if you don’t have any local requirements. You must pass an exam.
  • Plumbing contractor: This is needed for projects that exceed $25,000. You require at least three years of plumbing experience and pass an exam.

Texas

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Texas

To work legally as a plumber, you require a state license in Texas. Here are some of the plumbing licenses you need in Texas, plus their licensing requirements:

  • Journeyman plumber: You must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent, registered as a plumbing apprentice, and pass an exam.
  • Master plumber: A journeyman plumber license plus four years of experience and pass an exam.

Utah

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Utah

You need a state license to work as a plumber in Utah, and these licenses are issued by the Department of Commerce in Utah.

  • Journeyman: You must show proof of four years as an apprentice and pass the licensing examination.
  • Master Plumber: A minimum of two years working as an apprentice plumber and pass an exam.

Vermont

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Vermont

To work as a plumber in Vermont, you will need a state license. These are awarded by the Department of Public Safety, and each license requires you to pass an exam.

  • How to become a Journeyman plumber: You must complete a state-approved apprenticeship program before being allowed to sit for the exam.
  • Master plumber: You must have a one-year of experience as a journeyman plumber and pass an exam.

Virginia

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Virginia

Plumbing contractors in Virginia must be licensed by the state. But you must pass the licensing exam.

  • Journeyman plumber license: prove four years of experience as an apprentice
  • Master plumber: Have one year of experience as a journeyman plumber license.

Washington

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Washington

You must be licensed to work as a plumber in Washington. The plumbing licenses you need include but are not limited to:

  • Journeyman: Four years as a plumbing apprentice, with experience in both industrial and commercial installation.
  • Specialty residential plumber: Six years of experience under a certified plumbing contractor.

Wisconsin

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Wisconsin

To do any plumbing work in Wisconsin, you need to be licensed by the state. Understanding the process of how to become a licensed plumber in Wisconsin is crucial. Here are some of the plumber licensing options in Wisconsin:

  • Journeyman plumber: Complete a plumbing apprentice program approved by the state and pass an exam.
  • Master plumber: Get three years of experience in the field as a journeyman plumber and pass the licensing exam.

Wyoming

Plumbing Licensing Requirements from Wyoming

You don’t require a state license to work as a plumber in the state of Wyoming. However, certain municipalities have their local licensing requirements for plumbers, so make sure that you check them out.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Become a Licensed Plumber

FAQs

How much does a plumber’s license cost?

This is a common question among aspiring plumbers. In most states, you will be required to pay a small application fee to get your plumbing license.

How long to become a licensed plumber?

Plumbing is more than tinkering with pipes and drains. Plumbers also install, maintain and repair cooling, gas, water supply, ventilation, heating systems, and more. In the U.S., licensed plumbers are always in high demand. If you are wondering how long it will take to become a licensed plumber, then we got you covered.

Truth be told. The process of how to become a licensed plumber doesn’t happen overnight. Like in other skilled trades, your journey to becoming a licensed plumber starts with an apprenticeship program (usually four years) under the guidance of a master plumber, along with sitting for written and practical trade exams.

Grow Your Plumbing Service Business

plumbers

Once you have attained all the requirements for a plumbing license in your state, it’s time now to spread the word to prospects of your availability for service jobs and to scale your plumbing company.

By implementing a set of proven plumber marketing strategies, you can make sure that all the efforts you put forward to get a license can be put to profitable and good use. Also, ensure that you keep abreast of all digital marketing for plumber trends to help you stay ahead of the curve.

Schedule a free discovery call with Blackstorm Design + Marketing for more information today.

Categories
Marketing Plumbing

Why Should You Invest in Digital Marketing for Plumbers?

Digital marketing for plumbers provides your company with a variety of strategies for driving sales, attracting leads, and generating leads online.

If you are searching for innovative ways to attract more clients to your plumbing business, then you cannot understate the essence of digital marketing strategies for plumbers. According to plumbing marketing experts, digital marketing is one of the most important assets for your business in the modern world.

Digital marketing for plumbers

When you own a business in the competitive plumbing industry landscape, there are countless opportunities to generate more qualified leads and scale your business growth. But to achieve this, you need to reach the most important leads while making the most out of your return on investment with digital marketing for plumbers. Without further ado, let us dive into our post.

What is Digital Marketing for Plumbers?

Digital marketing for plumbers

Digital marketing for plumbers is the promotion of plumbing service companies through online platforms, including mobile applications and the Internet. Examples of online platforms include search engines, text, emails, social media apps, and websites.

A few decades ago, marketing your plumbing services was achieved through word-of-mouth referrals or advertising. If you got a call to repair a flooded basement and did an awesome job, chances are that clients would call you back if their drain was clogged and recommend you to their family or friends when they experienced the same problem.

But nowadays, the most effective place to begin marketing your plumbing services is online. It is very simple to scale as your plumbing company grows, and you can reach a wider audience with less effort and cost than with offline plumbing marketing (billboards, print advertisements or door-to-door canvassing).

As a plumber, digital marketing is one of the cost-effective ways of marketing your plumbing services online, as most of your prospects or clients are already online.

9 Digital Marketing Strategies for Plumbing Companies

The world is moving towards technology and innovation in all segments. As a result, many services and products you get nowadays could be because of online platforms.

The basic concept is the theory of marketing. While plumbing marketing has been with us for some time, you may have begun more and more plumbing contractors transitioning to digital marketing.

More plumbers reinvest in digital marketing because they understand that they must go where their target audience is to book jobs online. As such, the right plumbing digital marketing strategies normally focus on one important element, the aspect of attention and attraction.

Digital marketing for plumbers is a formidable force and has impacted how people make purchasing decisions. You can market your plumbing company digitally to persuade more people and help them to leverage the benefits your plumbing services have to offer.

The marketing tactics and digital strategy for a plumbing company will differ from those of other types of companies. The following are some strategies you can better use in digital marketing for your plumbing company.

  1. It All Starts with Your Plumbing Brand

Plumbing service logo

When you thought about creating a successful plumbing company from scratch, you did not anticipate that you will be spending much of your time repairing a sweating copper pipe and all night analyzing your ad traffic and plumbing website traffic.

But you understand way more about internet marketing for plumbers than you think. You have created a company name and plumbing logo. You have spread the word about your new business to your family and friends. You have requested all your existing clients for referrals.

Guess what? These are all regarded as standard plumbing marketing practices.

Now, let’s go back to your plumbing brand.

To make the most out of your marketing efforts, we recommend that you start with your branding activities.

Related: The Ultimate 5-Step Plumbing Branding Strategy For Your Business

Your brand is the promise you make to clients. It is what distinguishes you from the competition and the reason that clients will hire you from dozens of other plumbers when they type in “plumber near me” on Google search.

Here are some questions that will guide you to establish your plumbing business brand:

  • What unique offering or service do you bring to the market? What makes your business unique?
  • Who is the ideal client you are attempting to reach?
  • What are your company’s values and beliefs, and how do they reflect in your day-to-day operations?

Use your answers to the questions above as the basis for coming up with your plumbing company tagline.

For instance, if your plumbing business is committed to offering superior customer services and top-notch craftsmanship, you could create a tagline such as “Once a client, always a client.”

  1. Create and Optimize Your Plumbing Website

Plumbing Website

A plumbing website is your 24/7 sales representative, which offers information to prospects or clients round the clock and helps them to schedule service appointments from anywhere, anytime. Your plumbing website is an important part of digital marketing for plumbers. It is essential to make sure that your plumbing website as those who know your business will look for it online and expect to get accurate information. Furthermore, prospects who are not aware of your plumbing company will be able to learn about your business if it has a properly optimized plumbing website.

A plumber’s most potent digital marketing arsenal is their plumbing company website. Your business claims some digital real estate on the web by buying a domain name and creating a quality plumbing website.

Prospects will want to know more about your plumbing professionals, experience, overall knowledge, and values in the plumbing industry.

However, having a plumbing website is not enough.

Your plumbing website should be updated and remain competitive with other new plumbing websites. Simply put, you want to ensure that your internet marketing partner or agency can continue updating your website to load faster, is visible, and aligns with the best search engine optimization practices.

Your digital plumbing marketing partner should know how to update your website, optimize it and make sure that simple details such as your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone number) and plumbing services are easy to find.

At Blackstorm Design + Marketing, we understand that building a website is both a science and an art. Therefore, we use our skills, expertise, and knowledge to create a website that helps you achieve your goals.

  1. Optimize Your Plumbing Website for Local Search

Ranking your plumbing website

One of the most effective digital plumbing marketing strategies to increase your organic traffic is search engine optimization (popularly known as SEO). It is the process of ranking your plumbing website at the top of internet searches. This process is attained by creating a well-structured and optimized website for the target keywords relevant to your company.

The idea here is to make your plumbing business visible online so that more will discover and explore your services. When doing so, clients will be able to discover you more quickly when they specifically look for the name of your company or search for plumbing services within their neighborhood.

For example, let’s say you are a plumbing business in Murfreesboro, TN and you want to obtain qualified leads. Your plumbing search engine optimization strategy should revolve around targeting keywords to this specific area and performing website optimizations to increase your organic rankings.

If your digital marketing strategy contributes to local search, you account for those homeowners searching for your plumbing services in your area. Putting your plumbing business on a local search feature like Google Business Profile for plumbers or a similar feature for Bing will consequently lead to more online visitors.

Related: The Ultimate Plumbing SEO Guide: Best Practices And Tips To Get Clients Online

It can assist you to start a great flywheel that encompasses clicks, sales, and visibility. However, kindly note that these results cannot be achieved overnight. You must partner with a plumbing marketing expert who can apply the right digital marketing strategies for your business.

Remember that marketing for plumbers does not have to be challenging, but it does require the right activities done in a consistent manner so that you can achieve your goals. Work with an agency that understands search engine optimization for plumbers and has experience applying the appropriate plumbing marketing strategies to increase opportunities for their customers.

  1. Publish High-Quality Content

Premium content is essential to digital marketing for plumbing companies.

70% of customers prefer to obtain information about your business through an article or blog post instead of an ad. As a result, premium content is essential to digital marketing for plumbing companies.

Content marketing for plumbers is another excellent SEO tactic that can scale the growth of your local business. It is the process of sharing and creating important digital content to help drum-up interest in your plumbing company.

There is no steadfast rule as to the kind of content you must create. If you want more plumbing leads, you need to create content that your prospects or clients are interested in (tip: keyword research helps) and publish it on the platforms they use.

Content marketing solidifies your plumbing company as not only a service but as a valuable resource that helps with all plumbing-related topics. The greater amount of quality content you offer to the public, the more you appear as an expert.

Related: Plumbing SEO content

And naturally, clients always want to hire professionals to solve their plumbing problems, which leads us to our next point. Your digital plumbing marketing strategies must have measurable and clear goals.

For instance, let’s say you want to invest heavily in blogging. Publishing and creating content is not actually sufficient to generate exclusive plumbing leads. You need to understand who your target market is and tailor content to their search intent and interests.

Once you identify who your ideal client is, you will want to request, “How does this content relate to my plumbing company?” “Does this offer value” “Am I utilizing plumbing keywords effectively?” “Does this resonate with the user intent” and more.

  1. Manage Your Online Reputation

Online Reputation

Online reviews are the new digital word of mouth. Favorable online plumbing reviews can break or make your business in the digital age. Not only do they impact your reputation as a business, they also generate qualified leads.

Managing your online reviews is crucial for all kinds of businesses. You can partner with a reputation management expert at a digital marketing business to maintain its reputation online.

Besides this, it is important to approach the aspect of feedback differently. Remember that local plumbing businesses that can engage with their customers will help to enhance experiences and help prospects see that your company is transparent and honest.

See how your customers feel about your plumbing services and make sure that they see what went wrong in your service delivery.

It is advisable that you interact with your potential and current clients to make sure that you clear up any misunderstandings on review websites. This is where internet marketing services will play a critical role; the right online marketing agency can provide reputation management services and help you to enhance your internet marketing performance.

  1. Supplement SEO Traffic with Pay-Per-Click Ads

Pay-Per-Click advertising

Pay-Per-Click advertising is one of the effective methods to advertise your plumbing service company online. It is very popular among local plumbers because it can assist to generate plumbing leads fast. This is because pay-per-click advertising targets relevant market groups suited for your plumbing business.

Google Ads allows plumbing companies to rank their landing pages above organic search results via paid ads. Paying for a plumbing website early in your digital marketing campaign makes sense for plumbers. Furthermore, because plumbing SEO can take up to six months to adequately index, pay-per-click ad clicks can supplement organic traffic and generate leads.

Ideally, your plumbing marketing incorporates both.

But make sure that you perform A/B testing regularly. A/B testing is a great way to tweak your plumbing PPC ads to be more effective and guarantee a higher conversion rate for lower CPC.

  1. Use Social Media Marketing to Promote Your Plumbing Services Online

Social Media Marketing

In today’s era, marketing through social media has become one of the key ways to promote any kind of business. Many plumbers have taken their business to a whole new level via social media marketing. Thus, you can utilize social media to improve your plumbing business reach.

Partner with a digital marketing agency for plumbers to create customized messages and profiles for every social media platform to market your business. Remember that social is all about being engaging and active. Respond to your clients who contact or message you about your plumbing company details.

  1. Claim all Plumbing Business Citations Online

Host of directories online

Local plumbing companies will have a host of directories online to submit their citations, creating no follow backlinks to your plumbing website. NAP citations can also distribute your contact details throughout the internet, making it easier for Google to identify your company as a specific entity.

Most plumbing contractors know important directories like Better Business Bearue, Angie List, and Home Advisor. Still, thousands of more exist for plumbing companies. Investing in a citation service can help you instantly submit citations to a wide range of directories.

  1. Build a Strong Customer Base with Email Marketing

Email Marketing

Email marketing offers the highest returns compared to others forms of digital marketing for plumbers. What makes email marketing for plumbers so effective is your message is delivered directly to your prospects in their inboxes. However, for email marketing to be effective, you need a list of email addresses. Rather than paying for these, we highly recommend that you implement a lead capture form on your site to create a mailing list of web browsers already interested in your services.

From there, you send quality content regularly just to ensure that you are not overwhelming them to a point that they hit the unsubscribe button.

Some email marketing campaigns include promotional emails, crucial company announcements, and newsletters. Email marketing offers amazing marketing opportunities to personalize messaging, build relationships and reshare content with loyal clients.

Measuring Digital Marketing Results for Plumbers

Every internet marketing campaign for your plumbing business should have a goal, and you should track the results. Using tools such as the Google Search Console, you can monitor your digital growth and appropriately attribute certain campaigns to the leads. But before you can track anything, you must identify your objectives as a plumbing business. For instance, you wish to generate X amount of leads each month while spending Y dollars on marketing or advertising. The ROI will be Z, and the quarterly income will be Y. Also, the best digital marketing agency for plumbers will offer these reports on demand.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console website

Search Console is a free tool by Google that can help you track technical errors with your website and search engine performance. Through GSC, plumbers can be able to visualize queries that attract the most traffic to their website and which pages are popular for search engine users. Based on this data, plumbers can tweak their site content to satisfy user intent better. For instance, if a search query has many impressions but fewer clicks, you may wish to change your page titles to gain more clicks.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics website

Google Analytics is a tool that helps plumbing contractors to track site visitors, engagement, and behaviors. If you don’t know how to set up a Google Analytics account, click here to learn more. Once you create your GA account, you can start creating goals and monitor your success over time. For plumbing SEO in particular, it is crucial to wait for about two months before analyzing the accumulated data.

Google Business Profile Insights

Google Business Profile

GBP offers plumbing contractors an in-depth portrait of how Google Maps users locate their company. For instance, it shows which queries (such as plumber near me) cause users to click on your Google Business Profile listing and how regularly the user contacts the business through the GBP listing. Based on your results, you want to improve your GBP with more Google posts, Q&A’s, and photos.

Facebook Insights

Facebook Insights

Facebook audience insights offer plumbers detailed information about general Facebook users and followers. Based on the statistics, plumbers can create content for their Facebook page, boosting engagement and contributing to sustainable plumbing business growth.

Work with Blackstorm Design + Marketing to Obtain More Plumbing Clients Through Digital Marketing

Digital marketing agency

Conclusively, you can utilize numerous strategies when marketing your plumbing business. The right digital marketing agency for plumbers will present a comprehensive strategy that will assist you to gain online visibility and obtain leads. Whether you are searching for plumbing leads or want more from your current marketing efforts, our plumbing marketing team can assist.

We have assisted many plumbers to improve their online presence, use social media platforms to meet goals, and increase search engine rankings while optimizing their marketing costs.

If you are searching for help with taking your plumbing business online through effective digital marketing strategies, schedule a free profit session with Blackstorm Design + Marketing to help you optimize your inbound marketing, social media channels, and the lead generation today.

Categories
Marketing

Top 5 Social Networking Sites for Medical Professionals

Networking with other medical professionals can be very helpful in your practice. For instance, interacting with specialists can assist you when making patient referrals. It is also crucial when seeking second opinions, especially when solving a problem. Doctors have limited time even to use social media, and personal social network accounts may take long before they are updated. Fortunately, there are specific sites that have been created for healthcare professionals.

Here are the top 5 Social network sites for Medical Professionals

SERMO

social network platform for physician

SERMO is the most famous website for doctors worldwide. It has around 600,000 members around the globe, and members must be credentialed and verified to access this website. Here, doctors can openly communicate about issues affecting them, keeping the information private and confidential.

DOXIMITY

social network platform for physician

Doximity is another healthcare professional’s website with a large pool of members drawn from all parts of the world. More than 500000 U.S doctors are members. One major advantage of this website is that members can earn CE/CME points just by reading journals found on this website. You can also receive and send faxes from your mobile phone.

QUANTIAMD

social network platform for physician

QuantiaMD is famous because of its learning and collaboration component. There are more than one thousand U.S health experts who provide advice and knowledge through intervals of 5-10 minutes, and this means they can easily fit into your tight schedule. The website seemingly connects more than 200K members through laptops, phones, and tablets.

WEMEDUP

social network platform for physician

WeMedup is another social site that connects healthcare professionals all over the world. Members here include dentists, physicians, and administrators, and the site allows members to search for job openings globally.

FIGURE1

social network platform for physician

Figure1 has a member base of more than one million worldwide. Healthcare professionals here include doctors and students from all specialties of medicine, including dentistry & nursing. One prominent feature of this site is that you can submit photos of an ailment and compare them to those available on the site.

Almost half of the patients use social media to locate the nearest practice or hospital. Social network sites can bring many benefits to healthcare professionals, as discussed below:

Cost-Effective Marketing

Cost-Effective

One main benefit of healthcare professionals’ social networking sites is attracting potential patients or retaining existing ones. Social media may assist you in reaching those clients who may not have heard from you in a while.

Enhances Patient-centered Relationships

Patient-centered Relationships

Many patients want to interact with their physicians online to help them manage their health better. The Doctor-patient relationship is two-way traffic, and social networking sites can help you attain that effortlessly.

Categories
Marketing Plumbing

The A-Z Guide of Plumbing Marketing: Ideas, Strategies, Slogans, and Tips to Grow Your Business

Get the best plumbing marketing strategies that will help you generate more qualified leads, booked jobs, revenue, and more from industry experts.

Did you know that the plumbing industry is expected to grow by 15% between 2020 and 2030 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics? This presents a great opportunity for your plumbing company to optimize its marketing and generate more qualified leads.

Why should a homeowner hire you to repair or replace their clogged drain? That’s the major question if you want to create a successful plumbing business. And the answer lies in plumbing marketing. But where do you start marketing your plumbing business?

plumber marketing strategies

The way a plumbing company works to market its services has changed entirely in the past few years. A few decades ago, people normally used to go to their local directories or phone books to find a local plumber, but nowadays, prospects depend on Google search results to hire a nearby plumber.

Why should plumbers be on top of marketing?

As the industry continues growing, your company needs to remain competitive and relevant to generate more plumbing leads. Developing comprehensive plumbing marketing ideas can help you achieve just that.

This guide is designed to remove the guesswork and give you successful plumber marketing strategies that will help you get a higher return on investment (ROI). Without further ado, let us dive into our post.

The Benefits of Marketing your Plumbing Business You Need to Know

Marketing strategy

Most plumbing contractors are always busy servicing clients and operating their businesses to think about marketing. Marketing is one of those things that you don’t know you require until your phone stops ringing. But here are some reasons why you need to market your plumbing business even when your calendar is fully booked:

  • Solidify Your Brand

Excellent brand

An effective plumber marketing plan strengthens and solidifies your brand’s voice. Suppose you develop a marketing strategy that includes elements of social proof (for instance, online reviews and client testimonials). This is how your company communicates its trustworthiness and authenticity to homeowners. With such an excellent brand and voice, it will be difficult for existing and new clients to turn away.

  • Reach More Clients and Grow Your Company

More prospects will become aware of your plumbing services

Marketing provides an excellent way for plumbers to increase their exposure in their target market and generate more leads. More prospects will become aware of your plumbing services, which can help to generate more qualified leads into your sales funnel.

  • Obtain Data and Insight Into Your Company Operations and Its Clients

Enhance your business operations and client retention tactics.

Plumbing marketing is not just an effective way to create your database of client contact details, but it can also offer important client insights that help you enhance your business operations and client retention tactics. For instance, if your company targets homeowners, you can obtain relevant data on the type of promotions they love, their ever-changing demands, and a lot more.

  • Understand the Plumbing Industry Trends

Plumbing Industry Trends

To stay ahead of the curve, you should always remain updated on the latest plumbing industry trends. Through plumber marketing, you can understand more about current plumbing demand trends, what your rivals are doing, and clients’ needs. By learning more about the industry, you stand a good chance of building a sustainable plumbing company.

  • Boost Salesboost your sales

Your plumbing business stands to gain a lot by creating innovative plumbing marketing ideas and implementing them. The return on investment for effective plumber marketing can be significant.

What is the Target Market for Plumbers?

Identifying your ideal customer

Identifying your ideal customer helps you to focus your advertising or marketing efforts on a specific segment of the market that needs your plumbing services. Otherwise, you may spend thousands of your hard-earned dollars marketing to a large group of prospects that rarely require your services when you could have spent far less and target property owners you know need new plumbing systems.

A target market for your plumbing company refers to a group of people labeled as clients of your business. The target market normally shares similar demographic traits including but not restricted to:

  • Gender
  • Age
  • Education
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Location

Determining your target market can assist you to define your ideal clients and develop effective plumbing marketing strategies.

Instead of spending thousands of dollars trying to reach every prospect, knowing your plumbing target market helps you to develop a more intentional and personal outreach, particularly to those who are ready to book your plumbing services.

 “When you combine the Buyer Persona/ Profile with Buying Insights, you will have clear guidance for the decisions you need to make to win their business.” -Adele Revella

Here are the different kinds of clients you are likely to encounter in your plumbing company:

1. Homeowners

different kinds of clients

One of the apparent plumbing company personas is the homeowner. However, it is important to note that this persona varies based on geographical areas. Some homeowners may be too sensitive to cost and prefer to repair their plumbing systems themselves. For other homeowners, their priority is to get the repair done right for the first time.

Homeowners have beliefs and mentality that are contrary to the suggestions of professional plumbers. For example, repairing plumbing problems themselves becomes their major priority. As a consequence, they opt to do DIY plumbing instead.

2. Real Estate Agents

different kinds of clients

Realtors typically perceive plumbers as their partners. Why? It is because the goal of a real estate agent is to help clients in selling/buying properties or houses. Generally, many homes require plumbing repairs before they are put on sale.

Such repairs need to be done faster, more efficiently, and within your budget. If they find a professional plumber like you, they can rest assured that their problems will be resolved promptly. Plumbers utilize specialized tools that assist them in monitoring tasks, projects, and even the plumbing services they offer to customers.

3. Small Business Owners

different kinds of clients

Like restaurant entrepreneurs, small company owners need plumbing services that are responsive and quick. They care more about elements such as the capability and actual size of your plumbing company since they wanted to look for a reliable partner with whom they can have a business relationship in the long term.

4. Facility and Property Managers

Property Managers

This buyer persona wants your plumbing services to be available round the clock. Property managers are always on the lookout for affordable rates. They work in the commercial sector. They may need services such as bathroom and kitchen repairs, flood restoration, and pump truck services, based on the situation.

Digital Marketing for Plumbers-Where to Start?

Different types of digital marketing strategies.

The internet provides numerous opportunities for your plumbing business to reach potential clients or leads. How do you get valuable plumbing leads, though, and increase your return on investment (ROI) from plumbing marketing?

By learning about internet marketing for plumbers and using digital marketing services.

Keep reading to know about marketing for plumbing companies, from the tactics that provide the most value to the online marketing services available for plumbers.

Without further ado, here are different types of digital marketing strategies you can use to grow your plumbing business.

First things first.

1. Set, Adjust and Manage Your Plumbing Marketing Budget

Plumbing Marketing Budget

Allocating a plumbing marketing budget implies committing a specific percentage of your revenue to advertise your services in whatever combination works best for your business to reach more clients.

Plumbing industry experts recommend that you allocate at least 10 percent of sales towards marketing your service if you want to grow your business. Set your plumber marketing budget, then look at your plumbing marketing expenses and where you should spend those advertising dollars to obtain maximum return on investment. Options may include conventional advertising on newspapers, billboards, TV or sending and printing direct mail fliers.

Mastering digital plumbing advertising strategies – from Google local service ads, paid social media posts to targeted email marketing campaigns-boosts your brand awareness for your plumbing business and helps to improve your online reputation.

Test a combination of digital and traditional plumbing marketing ideas for optimal results or concentrate on one before going to another. Once you have allocated your marketing budget, adjust and manage it regularly by monitoring results for every campaign.

2. Make Your Plumbing Website Your 24/7 Sales Representative

Your website should be optimized for mobile devices

Many home service contractors, especially plumbers, wrongly think a cell phone is all that is required to connect with people in their neighborhood. But nowadays, people turn to Google to find information about plumbing services near them. To stay ahead of the curve, your plumbing company needs its website.

Your plumbing website should be your 24/7 sales representative and should generate massive amounts of new leads. If you want your plumbing website to work while you sleep, it should have these features:

  • It needs to load fast: The average client expects your plumber website to load in less than three seconds.
  • It Should be optimized for mobile devices: More than 50% of all online traffic comes from tablets and smartphones.
  • It should be secure: Over 40% of the plumbing websites on the first page of Google are HTTPS, which should not be a surprise because Google has already confirmed that they favor HTTPS sites.
  • Frictionless: Clients should be able to obtain what they require from your plumbing website within one or two seconds. That implies helpful shortcuts, seamless navigation, and quality content that resolves their issues.
  • Quality, helpful content: A major ranking factor in Google or Bing search results is the quality of your plumbing content.
  • Functional: Your plumbing website should be coded properly for SEO, which implies adding structure to your website with metadata like optimized images, meta, and title tags.

If your plumbing website is missing any of these features, you need to redesign it ASAP or else lose new leads to the competition.

3. Optimize Your Plumbing Website for Local SEO to Get Found by Prospects Online

Implementing good SEO strategies into your plumbing marketing plan.

Think about a modern busy homeowner as your brainstorm about plumbing advertising ideas to enhance your business’s search engine optimization (SEO) rankings. SEO is a plumbing marketing term used to describe the steps required to make sure that Google and other search engines find your business website when people search for your plumbing services.

Here are some tips you can use to optimize your plumbing company website for search engines:

  • Select location-specific keywords: For instance, plumbing contractors Manchester, TN or Murfreesboro plumbers.
  • Use a consistent name, address, and phone number.
  • Create and optimize your plumbing Google business profile.
  • Add your plumbing company to local online business directories.
  • Create high-quality plumbing SEO content.
  • Integrate plumbing keywords throughout your website.
  • Get backlinks from authorities in the plumbing industry.

If you are a plumbing business in Nashville, for example, make sure that you use “Nashville toilet repair” as one of your primary keywords. Use variations of the plumbing keywords on your landing pages, subheads, blog contents, meta descriptions, and meta tags to enhance the SEO health of your plumbing website.

Implementing good SEO strategies into your plumbing marketing plan ensures your site can be found on Google for phrases and words your prospect is actively looking for.

If you boost your plumbing website’s visibility, that can drive more visitors to your website, which converts your site into a lead generation machine that can work for your business 24/7/365.

4. Claim Your Free Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile

Your plumbing business must have an online presence to reach the right prospects or clients. The initial step for so doing starts with claiming and verifying a Google Business Profile listing. It is a part of local SEO and helps prospects discover your plumbing business easily online.

Google Business Profile is a free service by Google that helps you to create a listing on the web. Here, you can include all the important information related to your plumbing business, such as contact information, address, and hours of operation.

You can also add posts and images related to your business on GBP. Customers can also leave reviews about your plumbing business and share videos/images on this profile. With an updated Google Business Profile, there is a high chance of your company appearing for Google’s 3-pack and local searches too.

5. Use Pay-Per-Click Advertising to Reach People Looking for Plumbers

PPC ads

If you are searching for paid plumbing marketing solutions, Pay-per-click advertising is a perfect option. PPC ads are paid ads that show up in search engine results above organic listings.

PPC ads are one of the tested and proven ways to get valuable leads for your plumbing company. You only pay when prospects click on your ad. Because PPC ad targets prospects who are already looking for plumbing businesses like yours, it will assist you to get more qualified leads.

Like plumbing SEO, you will perform keyword research to identify the appropriate keywords for your campaign. Once you have picked your keywords, you will be required to bid for the placement of your ad.

You will also require to set your maximum bid, which is the amount of money you are willing to spend every time a prospect clicks on your ad. This amount should be flexible and can be altered at any time. Keyword research will assist you to know the value of plumbing keywords so that you can set the right bid.

Your quality score and the maximum bid will affect your ad’s placement. Once your ad is placed, you will launch your PPC ad.

This technique helps you to set a budget that works for your plumbing company. Whether you invest $100 or $1000, you are the one to choose. However, you need to know that the amount of money you invest will affect your plumbing marketing campaign’s success.

PPC also gives you total control over your Google or Bing ad campaign. This means that you not only choose your budget but also select the time to run your ad and for how long. This helps you to build a campaign that works for your target audience and your plumbing company.

6. Social Media Marketing for Plumbers

Choose the social media platforms that your prospects or clients are utilizing.

Among the cost-effective plumbing marketing ideas, developing a social media presence to maximize your reach is actually near the top. It is low-cost (free if don’t use paid ads), and there is no question that plumbing contractors that don’t have a social media presence in the modern market lose their marketing potential. A social media platform provides you with better credibility, accessibility, and visibility to find your plumbing services. Plus, you can use posts to show off previously completed projects and satisfied clients.

When posting on social media, it is crucial to have a variety of content, like videos. Uploading videos can be helpful for prompt DIY plumbing problems, and the viewer may then call you for other plumbing service needs. For an unsought service such as plumbing, the visibility and shareability of posts can help your company to be more present in local clients’ minds.

Marketing experts for plumbers typically recommend that you focus on one of these social media platforms including:

From here, you will be required to access most of the online social media users. Another social media marketing tool for plumbers you may consider leveraging is Facebook ads.

We highly recommend that you choose the social media platforms that your prospects or clients are utilizing instead of using a single one.

7. Manage Your Online Reputation

Online Reputation

It’s frustrating when a client goes online and writes a bad review about your plumbing business, particularly when you have done your best to offer the best service possible. But prospects care about online reviews, and that’s why it is crucial for plumbing business owners to manage their online reputation.

To achieve this, you should claim your plumbing business on online directories like Google Business Profile and Yelp. This will allow you to reply to online reviews and confirm that all the business details listed are accurate.

Homeowners want excellent client service and constant communication with their plumbing contractor, and you can show your service by promptly and professionally responding to each review:

  • Appreciate customers who leave stellar reviews.
  • Respond professionally to negative and neutral reviews. Acknowledge the reviewer’s concerns and if possible, request them to contact you and offer you a second chance to make things right.

Once you have completed your work, ask clients to leave a review on your online profiles. Here are some strategies that can help you to leverage the power of online reviews in plumbing marketing:

  • Engage with clients whenever they leave online reviews- this helps people to know that you are a serious plumber who values clients.
  • Use testimonials in content marketing campaigns to attract similar clients.
  • Make sure that your contact details are visible readily on all profiles.
  • Ask for reviews and referrals from clients when a project is completed.
  • Help people to leave reviews on your Facebook business page.
  • Engage and monitor authentically!

8. Email Marketing for Plumbers

Create high-quality email marketing content.

If you are a plumbing business owner, you understand that idle trucks and silent phones mean a high overhead cost and upset crews. If you want to attract new clients while retaining existing ones (and keep your calendar filled with booked jobs), then consider incorporating email marketing into your advertising strategy.

There are several factors that you need to consider when creating a plumbing email marketing plan, like making sure that your email is responsive and also looks great on both mobile phones and computers, ensuring it is CAN-SPAM compliant, and writing persuasive calls to action to generate more plumbing leads online.

Here are some tips that can help you get started with email marketing for plumbers:

  • Set your plumber email marketing goals to help you evaluate the effectiveness of your plumbing marketing campaigns so that you can refine future email advertising campaigns.
  • Build your email list.
  • Create high-quality email marketing content.
  • Test, track, and optimize.

9. Invest in Video Plumbing Marketing

Video Plumbing Marketing

Businesses and homeowners want to know precisely the benefits they are likely once they hire you as their plumber.

Specifically, they want to know what projects each plumber has completed previously and how they were done. You can write about these amazing projects on your plumbing website, but videos and photos are much more convincing.

Include videos or photos of previous projects throughout your website, and think of dedicating one page or two to a gallery portfolio. You can also create unique videos to show prospects how you have completed particular projects, specifically ones that presented issues or were complex along the way.

As part of your plumbing marketing strategy, you might also opt to include interactive tools on your estimate or contact page. This makes your website more compelling and also helps customers visualize your work, which might be the final motivation they require to contact your plumbing business.

10. Content Marketing

You must have a blog on your plumbing website.

One of the goals of digital marketing for plumbers is to generate more qualified leads. However, you can obtain those leads without providing information. Your prospects or clients turn to Google to research their options, as well as general details about hiring plumbers, and your plumbing website should offer everything they require.

The best content type for a plumbing business may be blog posts in form of answers and questions. Create a blog post title with questions that most people ask you as a plumbing business owner, and write a blog by answering the question as comprehensively as possible.

Create pages that answer particular questions and address common problems. These pages should mention your specialties, services, and any other details that may attract a customer. Be sure to do plumbing SEO so that your posts can be found in search engines like Google or Bing. Then, add a compelling call to action requesting readers to submit a contact form. It should help visitors to leave their name, email, and address, along with other important information.

By offering valuable information, you show site browsers that your plumbing business is a reputable resource for resolving their questions. And as you establish that trust, they are likely to contact your plumbing company.

Categories
Marketing Plumbing

The Ultimate Guide of How to Start a Plumbing Business in 12 Steps

Becoming a self-employed plumber has many benefits. Starting your own plumbing business, calling all the shots, and being the boss are all very great aspirations for any plumber with an entrepreneurial urge.

If you are reading this post for the first time, you have probably been figuring out how to start your plumbing business for a while but haven’t yet made up your mind. Or, you may have been working for another plumbing contractor and feel that it’s time to become your own boss.

The plumbing industry is growing rapidly, and there is a high demand for licensed and experienced plumbers in the US is high, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With the current plumbing industry pegged at $124 billion (and constantly growing everyday), there has never been a great time to start a plumbing business than now. Furthermore, many plumbing business owners currently in the field are attaining retirement age, leaving great opportunities for more plumbers to break into this lucrative industry.

For many home service contractors like roofers or plumbers, the prospect of starting their own companies provides a way out of the grind, offering great freedom and income than working for a private plumbing company.

We have you covered if you are among the many experienced and licensed plumbers who want to know how to start a plumbing business. But launching a successful business will take more than your plumbing know-how and experience. Read on to learn everything you require to know from registering your business, general advice, and marketing tips to managing your cash flow.

Without further ado, let us dive into our post!

Benefits of Starting a Plumbing Business

there are multiple benefits to charting your own path in the plumbing industry

Working for other plumbing contractors can sometimes get exhausting, particularly if there’s little room for growth. If you are not making ends meet despite getting burnt out from working overtime for a company, starting your own plumbing company may be the solution.

While creating a new plumbing business from the ground up can feel overwhelming initially, there are multiple benefits to charting your own path in the plumbing industry that make the challenge worth your time and effort. Here are some of the advantages that you can enjoy when you decide to start your plumbing business.

Great Earning Potential

A plumber

One of the major benefits of starting your own plumbing business is the possibility of higher income potential. As a self-employed plumber, you will have full control of your business’s revenues. This implies that you can go out and book as much work as necessary to raise the higher income as possible without being restricted to jobs that your former boss would assign. It also means that you have full control of how much you charge for every job and how income is to be split between new supplies, paychecks, and other important costs.

The average salary for self-employed plumbers in the US is approximately $38 per hour or just under $80,000 annually. Although these salary scales vary from one state to another, experienced and established plumbers who start a plumbing company stand to earn more than those who work as employees. If you plan to do a fair share of work on your own, you will have fewer labor expenses, benefits, and insurance to distribute as well, offering you even a greater share of the income.

Independent Work Schedule

you have full control over who your customers are and when you partner with them

A good reason to start a plumbing business is the independent job schedule that comes with it. When you start a plumbing company, you have full control over who your customers are and when you partner with them. Self-employed plumbers are only bound by the plumbing projects they have already accepted. This flexibility helps you to select and pick the jobs you want to book instead of just responding to work orders offered by the dispatcher.

If you want to schedule residential plumbing jobs, you can concentrate on partnering with homeowners or property managers in your service area or create a strong customer base among households in nearby communities. When it comes to contractual work and plumbing repair jobs, you need to complete jobs in a timely manner as part of superior customer service. But, when scheduling future jobs, you have full flexibility when it comes to selecting the hours and days that you will work.

Room for Growth

skilled tradespersons

The scarcity of skilled tradespersons, including plumbing contractors, continues to increase the demand for plumbers across the U.S, particularly in the current market. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there has been a major shortage of licensed and experienced plumbers across the US. With demand for skilled and licensed plumbers exceeding supply, you have an opportunity to bargain for higher pay, particularly for those starting their own plumbing business.

Customer Interaction

a plumber and a client

A self-employed plumber is typically able to meet with every client individually. Whether these customers are homeowners that require a pipe to be repaired or general contractors who would like to start a new project, a self-employed plumber will accurately represent his business and offer appropriate customer service for the situation at hand. This can translate to higher earnings through client loyalty and excellent services.

Choose a Specialty You Enjoy

Starting your plumbing business helps you to handpick jobs that you have specialized in

Starting your plumbing business helps you to handpick jobs that you have specialized in –such as steam fitting, installing sprinkler systems, or pipe fitting. Becoming an expert on a specific type of plumbing work will set you apart from the competition and potentially earn a higher revenue in the process. Finding a high-value niche within the plumbing industry can also lead to huge contracts with large companies that wish to outsource the very best to meet their specific plumbing needs.

Starting a reputable plumbing business involves a lot of things more than knowing how to repair or install pipes. A successful plumbing company needs patience, knowledge, people management skills, and perseverance, among other traits. In this post, we will discuss the whole process of how to start a plumbing business. So, wear your entrepreneurial hat, and let’s dive in!

How much Money Do You Need to Start a Plumbing Services Business?

you will need set money aside for website setup, marketing, and advertising expenses

Are you wondering about the amount of money you require in order to start a plumbing business? Well, there are a lot of factors that are involved to help you determine the actual cost of starting a plumbing company. Some of the startup expenses may include staff uniforms, business registration requirements like licenses and insurance, vans, and trucks amongst others. Furthermore, you will need set money aside for website setup, marketing, and advertising expenses. But if you want to start a plumbing company with no money will no doubt cost you everything that you treasure.

Is Starting a Plumbing Business Hard?

Starting a new plumbing business is not easy

Starting a new plumbing business is not easy as there are other established plumbers already operating in this field. Furthermore, you will be competing with the same clients, and your small plumbing business will have to aggressively advertise or market its services. But there are many other important aspects that you need to figure out when making a solid dive into starting a plumbing business.

12 Steps to Starting a Plumbing Business From Scratch

Starting a Plumbing Business

As earlier stated, there is more to starting a plumbing business than just registering it with the state. Launching a successful plumbing business takes energy, commitment, and time. While it may seem challenging at first, the process becomes much simpler to navigate once you understand the basics. If you are still on the fence about how to start a plumbing business but don’t know where to start, our simple eleven-step guide will help you get started!

1. To Start a Plumbing Company, Save Money

Save Money

Just like any other investment, to start a plumbing business, you will require money to fund your dream project. Your savings should be sufficient to support your unique business requirements, and it should include your working capital which will depend on your business model and needs. As a beginner, most plumbing contractors recommend a slow growth rate initially. In this case, you should aim to recover the initial cost of machinery before purchasing more.

2. Define your Plumbing Business Before You Start

a) Select a Name for Your Plumbing Business

Plumbing business name

The initial step to starting a plumbing company is to select your business’s name.

This is a very crucial decision because your business name is your brand and will last for the lifespan of your company. Ideally, you should pick a name that is memorable and meaningful. Here are our top tips for selecting a name for your plumbing business:

  • Keep it simple. The best plumbing business names are normally easy to spell, pronounce and remember.
  • Ensure that it’s available. Check your preferred name against trademark databases and a list of the registered business name to see if it’s available.
  • Think about marketing. Choose a plumbing business name that reflects the focus of your company or desired brand.

b) Choose What Plumbing Services You Will Provide

plumbing niche

Choosing to focus on a specialty with the plumbing niche will make your plumbing company stand out from other plumbers in your region. This will not only bring repeat clients but also tons of referrals. Niches in the plumbing business include:

  • Plumbing repair, installation, or both: Your plumbing company can also provide loads of installation and repair services. These can include clogged drains, leakages, installation of pipes, and repair of flooded basements.
  • Commercial or residential plumbing: You may opt to specialize in providing residential or commercial m plumbing services.
  • Emergency plumbing
  • Backflow testing and repair

c) Understand Your Ideal Target Market

Target Market

Knowing your ideal target clients can assist you to define your policies to suit their interests and preferences. For instance, because you are starting a plumbing business, your potential clients would include homeowners and business owners in the area where your plumbing business is situated.

3. Create a Plumbing Business Plan

Business Plan

A business plan is synonymous with a plumbing diagram for your company’s sales strategy. It describes the routes to your business success and how elements like cash flow and marketing can contribute to a healthy plan. A plumbing business plan can help to persuade suppliers, plumbers, and lenders to support your company.

A good plumbing business plan should include the following:

company overview

  • Executive summary – This section should summarize your whole business plan so readers can instantly understand the main details of your plumbing business.
  • Company overview – This section tells the reader about the history of your plumbing business and what kind of services you offer.
  • Industry Analysis – Here you will point out the key details about the plumbing business. Perform marketing research and document how large the plumbing industry is and what trends are influencing it.
  • Customer Analysis – Here you will document who your ideal or target market is plus their demographics.
  • Financial projections
  • Marketing strategies
  • Growth opportunities
  • Long-term/short-term goals
  • Financing options

A clear plumbing business plan is important for success as a plumber, and it will assist you to map out the specifics of your company and discover the unknowns.

4. Form a Legal Entity: Select a Plumbing Business Structure, Register Your Company and Obtain Appropriate Licenses

Legal Entity

The most common plumbing business types are sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC), partnership, and corporation.

Starting a plumbing business such as a corporation or LLC safeguards you from being personally responsible if your plumbing company is sued.

You will need to have a plumbing company legally set up before you begin taking on your initial customers.

Use our checklist below to get started:

Select Your Legal Business Structure

Choose between a sole proprietorship, partnership, or limited liability company.

Choose between a sole proprietorship, partnership, or limited liability company. Choosing a great legal entity will assist you to maximize your operational success and financial opportunities. The main kinds of legal business structures include:

  • Sole Proprietorship: In this type of structure, you run your own plumbing business without a specific structure. Your personal liabilities, business, or assets are not separated.
  • LLC (Highly recommended): This plumbing business structure will safeguard your assets from your plumbing business liabilities. All the losses and profits in this kind of entity are typically taxed as loss or income loss to the plumbing business owner. This is the most preferred legal structure for a plumbing business.
  • S-Corp: These corporations are also preferred, but they have a limit on the maximum number of members. S-Corps offer small plumbing businesses a tax benefit by getting waivers on Corporate taxes.

Register Your Plumbing Business Name

ensure that no other plumber is using your plumbing company name

If you want to start a plumbing business in the US, perform a quick search to ensure that no other plumber is using your plumbing company name, and then register your business name with the local state authorities.

Register Your Plumbing Business with IRS

egister your plumbing business with Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Next, you require to register your plumbing business with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which will prompt the IRS to offer you an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Most banks will require you to have an EIN so that you can open an account with them. Furthermore, to hire technicians, you will need an EIN because it helps the IRS to track your Payroll tax payments.

But if you are a self-employed plumber without employees, you don’t need to have an EIN. Instead, you would use your Social Security Number(SSN) as your taxpayer identification number.

Open a Plumbing Business Bank Account

It is crucial to open a bank account in your plumbing business name. This is the initial step towards legitimizing your plumbing company idea. A bank account in your plumbing business name will assist you when filing taxes. It will also help you in tracking down your expenses, managing salaries, receiving or deposit payments, and planning your plumbing business budget more accurately. Here are some crucial things that you need to do after opening a bank account for your plumbing business:

  • Get a business credit card: This will help you separate business from personal expenses.
  • Obtain checks: Most clients still prefer to write checks, and that’s why you should write checks. You may also realize the need for accepting client checks instead of the bustle and hustles of processing credit card payments.
  • A credit line (possibly):  A credit line can be likened to a financial safety net, and it helps you have extra funds whenever you require them. You won’t require to finish cumbersome applications or vet potential lenders to obtain extra funds.

Get the Right Insurance

your plumbing company requires appropriate insurance

From the first day you start your plumbing business, you expose yourself to various risks. Your plumbing business is at risk even before beginning your first project. That’s why your plumbing company requires appropriate insurance. One lawsuit could threaten to close your business even before it starts. There are different kinds of insurance you will require to start a plumbing business. The most common plumbing company insurances include:

1. Professional liability insurance – This is also known as omissions and errors insurance; this will assist to pay for the expenses of a lawsuit over a plumbing defect. Professional liability insurance is appropriate for your plumbing business since your niche involves interacting with clients and recommending specific plumbing products and services. It safeguards your plumbing business from the cost of lawsuits if your advice or recommendations results in a loss to your client.

2. General Liability Insurance – This insurance is strongly recommended for plumbing business owners. It covers everything from customer injuries, client property damages, and other related lawsuits that may arise. If your plumbing business is sued as a result of property damage or injury, you may be required to pay a lump sum amount in terms of compensation. General liability insurance will assist you to cover this kind of eventuality.

3. Workers Compensation – Most states require plumbing contractors and businesses-even without employees –to have workers’ compensation insurance to cater for the cost of injured employees and medical expenses and compensate them for lost wages.

4. Commercial auto insurance – if your plumbing business is using vehicles to ferry equipment and employees to and fro job sites, you will require vehicle insurance to cover any damages in case of an accident.

5. Umbrella Insurance While general liability insurance caters for most claims, you may obtain accidents or lawsuits that may be so tragic that they can threaten to deplete your primary cover. In this case, the umbrella insurance will protect you from paying out-of-pocket fees to cater for damages that exceed your primary policy.

Pro tip: Find an insurance broker, tell them about your plumbing business and its unique requirements, and they will recommend policies and prices that match those needs.

Apply for the Required Permits and Licenses

In order to start a plumbing business, you will be required to obtain the necessary licenses and permits. The requirements for licensing vary from state to state. Permits and licenses help you operate a legal plumbing business. You can get plumbing business from your town hall or city. A plumbing company may require the following permits and licenses:

A General Plumbing Business License: A general plumber license helps you to hire subcontractors and get respect among prospects and fellow workers. But, getting a state plumbing license is a cumbersome and involving process, which requires you to meet particular qualifications along the way.

Local plumbing business permit: You can get a local plumbing business permit from your town or city hall. The government may be needed to do zoning, planning, and safety inspection approvals before offering you the permit.

Hire an Accounting Firm and Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping will assist you to keep accurate financial records. Moreover, the law stipulates also plumbing companies maintain accurate books and records.

Do try to do accounting or bookkeeping on your own unless you are professionally trained and experienced in this field. Trying to micromanage everything on your own will make you lose focus and grit, which can affect the growth of your plumbing business. Hiring a professional accountant and bookkeeper will assist you to avoid these errors.

5. Establish Your Pricing

set your pricing

After you have completed your research on the demand for plumbing services in your area, it’s time to set your pricing. Yes, you will want to provide competitive pricing to attract new clients, but you should consider your overhead and pay your bills.

Come up with a budget that includes all your expenses such as labor, insurance, materials, marketing, rent, and other recurring, outgoing costs. Once you have an overview of your yearly and monthly overheads, you will have a clear grasp of pricing and the number of customers you will require to maintain a consistent cash flow.

6. When You Start a Plumbing Business, you will require to Nurture/Form Relationships

Establishing your plumbing business as a credible entity

When starting a plumbing business, it is important that you form and nurture relationships with suppliers, employees, and subcontractors. Establishing your plumbing business as a credible entity is crucial to helping you dominate your local service area.

Outsource or Hire the Plumbing Work

Outsourcing some plumbing jobs

Outsourcing some plumbing jobs can ease the stress and time constraints that may be caused by working alone. Although you may prefer these services yourself, outsourcing some tasks to plumbers that specialize in a specific aspect of your plumbing business will offer relief, especially when working on fixed timelines.

Hire Professionals

Professionals succeed because they have diverse suggestions or ideas of how best to attain desired results on a particular project. When starting a plumbing company, you should leverage this diversity and hire professionals to bring fresh perspectives and unique ideas to your plumbing business. True professionals will actually save you money by offering expert opinions on matters.

7. Acquire the Right Plumbing Tools, Equipment, and Financing

Plumbing Tools

With your plumbing business plan ready, it’s time to start seeking financial aid from venture capital firms, banks, and other sources of funds. Schedule meetings with financial or credit managers and table your business plan for consideration. Make sure that you open a checking account beforehand to make sure that your company income and private assets remain separate entirely. By so doing, you will give your plumbing business more credibility and safeguard you from potential liabilities in the future.

Once you identify an interested partner to invest in your new plumbing business, you can figure out the best way how you will utilize the funds. Buying a few important plumbing tools and equipment will save you from going to the hardware store for each job service.

But don’t risk all your working capital into buying new shiny plumbing equipment. Begin with the fundamentals, purchased used if you can, and only buy or rent equipment for specialized jobs if you have the skills, license, and customer demand.

Here are some inventory, safety equipment, and tools that you will need to keep in your toolbox.

Inventory and Supplies

Pipes (both copper and plastic)

  • Inlet valves
  • Pipes (both copper and plastic)
  • Fittings
  • Thermostats
  • Elements

Safety Equipment

Plumbing water pipe and safety gloves

  • Heat shields
  • Plumbing gloves
  • Knee pads
  • Safety goggles

Plumbing tools

Plumbing tools

  • Pipe cutters
  • Grips
  • Hacksaws
  • Hand tool set
  • Cordless battery toolset

Besides, you may also want to purchase a reliable van or truck strictly for your plumbing business purposes.

8. Market Your Plumbing Business Locally

Promote plumbing business

Once everything is set, it’s now time to market your small plumbing business and generate qualified leads. By now, you have identified who your ideal client is, and you just require to be strategic to get in front of them.

Spending time on digital marketing strategies is a necessity that few plumbing businesses can afford to ignore today. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on marketing or advertising agencies, especially when starting out a plumbing business. Instead, try to focus on simple plumbing marketing strategies to generate exclusive leads for your business.

Define Your Brand

Creating a strong brand helps to differentiate your plumbing business from the competition. It is a representation of what your plumbing company stands for, goals, and values for business and client success. Depending on the type of plumbing business you want to start, defining and developing your brand involves the following steps:

Create a Good Plumbing Logo

Plumbing Logo

Your plumbing logo is one of your best marketing materials since it is what prospects or clients see when they think about your business. It can represent value for money, reliability, and quality. Your company logo is essential because it will be plastered across all advertising mediums or formats. It often represents your first impression to prospects or clients, so make it count! To make it happen, you can choose to hire a professional logo design agency with a large portfolio of successful designs.

Market and Promote Your Brand

Advertise Your Brand

Now that you have established your brand, it’s time to market or promote it. Outrank your competitors by assisting people to remember your brand while also showcasing professionalism.

Informational/ Promotional Posts can be an effective way of drumming up support for your plumbing business and getting your brand name out there. Printing high-quality fliers and brochures describing your plumbing services and distributing them to local plumbing businesses is a great method for improving local brand awareness.

Professional and well-designed business cards are a tried and proven way of building brand awareness for any plumbing business owner. The good thing with business cards is that they are easy to carry because you never can tell when a marketing opportunity can present itself. A savvy plumber is always on the lookout for a new source of prospects or clients.

Email Marketing is an easy yet effective way to offer a huge ROI on a small budget. It provides a great way of putting your plumbing business in front of thousands of prospects at once or promoting a new plumbing service or offer.

9. Establish a Vibrant Online Presence Before You Start a Plumbing Business

A professional plumbing website is an invaluable marketing tool for any plumber.

Since most of your clients will be searching for your plumbing services online, make it hassle-free for them to find your business with a few internet marketing strategies for plumbers.

A professional plumbing website is an invaluable marketing tool for any plumber. It offers a great way of gathering information from prospects or clients, sharing more information about your offerings, and reaching out to learn more.

For many new plumbing businesses, the prospect of creating a professional website can seem expensive and overwhelming, and this couldn’t be further from reality. In fact, there are tons of affordable and easy ways to obtain a custom website for your plumbing company without hiring expensive freelance web developers or web design agencies.

10. Create a Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile

Since most clients turn to the internet to find new plumbing businesses like yours, it is important to claim your Google Business Profile as soon as possible. This profile provides a lot of helpful information for clients at glance-including closing and opening hours, location, and your company’s telephone number. From your profile page, prospects or clients can navigate straight to your plumbing website for more specific details about your business and the services you offer.

Related: The Ultimate Guide for Google Business Profile for Plumbers

With time, clients will start to leave pleasant reviews of their experiences on Google Business Profile- something that will distinguish your plumbing company from low-rated plumbers online.

11. You Will Need to Obtain Leads After You Start a Plumbing Business

generate leads

Generating leads is one of the main challenges faced by new plumbing businesses. But, obtaining high-value qualified leads is key to any new plumbing business. Here are some tips on how to generate leads for your new plumbing company.

  • Invest in plumbing SEO: SEO provides a great platform to offer valuable plumbing content to your potential customers and generate leads for your business. Plumbing SEO has a lot of benefits for your company; it brings in the highest volume of leads in your service area, and it’s a long-term investment that will pay off in the long run.
  • Take out PPC search Ads: Although expensive, PPC is among the most effective and fastest ways to generate leads for your plumbing business. Your ads will begin to run in less than a week if you do it properly. Plumbing PPC ads have the following advantages; they will help you get hot leads that are actively searching for a plumber in the area, and although it’s expensive, it has immediate results.

12. Focus on Scheduling Service Appointments When You First Start a Plumbing Business

After setting up your plumbing business and all the marketing strategies in place, you will begin to schedule service appointments with existing and potential customers. When scheduling an appointment, always remember the following:

Politely and Promptly Answer the Phone

answering the phone call

Always answer your business phone call instantly since such calls are the lifeblood of any plumbing business (so treat them with utmost importance).

Gather Information

Record all the information regarding a specific project properly. Avoid errors of omission, which lead to underpricing or overpricing of a particular project.

Customer Satisfaction

Make sure that your customers are satisfied by being empathetic and helpful. Work with client’s schedules to avoid any inconveniences that may cause clients to be dissatisfied.

13. After You Start a Plumbing Business: You Need to Build Systems

With time, your plumbing business will require systems that resonate with the current technology. There are several kinds of technologies developed to help plumbing businesses complete tasks and function effectively. A properly established system helps technical or service teams, salespeople, and office staff to manage all plumbing projects easily.

14. Once You Get Started: Improve on Everything

proper planning

Plumbing is a service-based industry, and the revenues can fluctuate from time to time. Factors such as weather patterns and natural calamities will significantly affect your profits. That’s why plumbing business owners require a lot of proper planning to increase their profits. Growing your plumbing business depends on new customers and ideas, which can be attained by:

  • Regularly updating your plumbing website
  • Improving your plumbing advertising strategies
  • Improving your customer satisfaction
  • Broadening your selling skills and increasing the closing rate

Final Advice and Tips About How to Start a Plumbing Business

While it takes a lot of hard work and time to start a plumbing business, it doesn’t have to be a daunting task every step of the way. Having access to the right knowledge and resources can make the process less overwhelming. Here are a few tips that will assist your new plumbing business to thrive in an increasingly competitive market landscape.

Don’t Try to Micromanage Everything On Your Own

consider hiring additional plumbing technicians

Gone are the days when plumbers felt compelled to take on a huge share of daily responsibilities alone. As a plumbing business owner, you can make life easier by hiring administrative staff to deal with incoming calls, contact clients concerning overdue invoices, and schedule meetings with potential employees. You may also consider hiring additional plumbing technicians if you are currently struggling to keep up with work orders.

Plan to Take Time Off

take some time off work for family trips or weekend vacations

Whenever possible, take some time off work for family trips or weekend vacations. Working more than 10 hours daily can make you feel exhausted quickly, so try to execute delegation as much as possible to minimize the workload. While there is still an urge to micromanage everything to keep your business operating smoothly, it is highly recommended that you rely on the support of your staff when you require it.

Always Develop Ways to Reduce Overhead Costs

Reduce Overhead Costs

Finding ways to cut unnecessary costs will help you to keep your company profitable and offer the much-needed buffer for times when there are no jobs.

If fuel expenses on your company vehicles are too high, think of investing in more efficient renewable energy sources like electric or natural gas.

Another money-saving tip is to only buy plumbing supplies as they are required instead of stocking them up in advance. Purchasing in bulk may appear like a great idea, but your space may end up getting full that you don’t have space for storing crucial equipment.

Always Reward Yourself and Your Team for a Project Well Done

After completing an important milestone or project, show your appreciation by taking your team out for dinner or giving them a gift card to a local hardware store. You can also share a portion of your yearly profits with employees, admins, and supervisors.

Giving back to people who make your plumbing business successful will motivate them to strive even harder for the prospect of getting a huge bonus next year.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Start a Plumbing Business

FAQs

How do I start a plumbing business from the ground up?

To start a successful plumbing company, you should:

  1. Select a name for your plumbing business
  2. Write a business plan
  3. Select your preferred business structure
  4. Register your plumbing business legally
  5. Decide on the kind of plumbing services you will provide to clients
  6. Hire additional plumbing technicians and other administrative staff.
  7. Develop a cutthroat plumbing marketing strategy
  8. Offer a good experience to your clients and establish loyalty

Is a plumbing business profitable?

Yes, a plumbing business is a lucrative business idea since every home or business required clean water and a functional sewerage system.

What do you require to start a plumbing business?

To start a plumbing company, you need:

  • Business Registration
  • Skilled plumbers and labors
  • Professional with sales and marketing skills
  • Plumbing materials
  • Business Insurance
  •  Plumbing work training

How do you price plumbing jobs?

While pricing your plumbing services, you should:

  • First, understand the scope of work
  • Estimate labor costs and material costs
  • Calculate overhead costs
  • Add your preferred profit margin to the breakeven of the plumbing job
  • Create and share your plumbing bid.

Are you ready to start a plumbing business?

start a plumbing business

Starting a plumbing business isn’t the easiest process, but multiple generations of plumbers know how lucrative it can be. Plumbing contractors are naturally hardworking and resourceful and continue to make their companies work.

At the same time, home service contracting businesses like plumbing or roofing have the highest rate of closure in the initial first five years. So the huge challenge is beginning on a strong foundation and remaining successful.

That’s why the best advice we can offer you if you are searching for information about how to start a plumbing business is this: Don t go it all alone. Partner with people that will offer you resources and support your efforts translate into real business success.

Do you have any questions or inquiries about starting a plumbing business?

Schedule a free discovery call with Blackstorm Design + Marketing, and our experts will be happy to help you launch your plumbing marketing campaign today.

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