Knocking on people’s doors to ask if they have a leaky pipe, or sharing flyers offering discounts, are no longer very effective in getting you plumbing clients. Whether you’re new to the business or you’ve been into plumbing for a while, it’s essential to generate online leads which expand your business and keep you ahead of competitors. The keyword here is ‘online’ because people, including those needing plumbing services, now turn online to find solutions to their needs.
In this article, we will explore various strategies plumbers can implement to generate leads and increase their customer base. Newfound Marketing offers and uses these strategies to help plumbing professionals grow lead generation.
Why Should Lead Generation Matter to Plumbers?
The plumbing business is a very competitive industry, and many plumbers in the US and Canada are competing in different areas. The large numbers might scare you, but the good news is that you can stand out among your competitors.
How? Online lead generation.
Taking advantage of lead-generation tactics like content marketing, email marketing, Google Ads, and SEO marketing is necessary as more plumbing business move online to attract customers. All these might sound strange, but this article will break down all the tactics to help you understand how to implement them for your business.
Steps to Generate Online Leads for Plumbers
Plumbing businesses differ in some ways, like location, size, and experience. However, all plumbers can use one or more of the following techniques to attract new clients.
Create a High-Quality Website
We are not judging if you’ve been running your plumbing business without a website. However, we must let you know that as a plumbing business in 2023, one of the best things you can do for your business is create an online presence.
Invest in building a professional website with information about your business, like your services, location, contact details, and certifications. Your website can give potential clients a reason to choose you over your competitors. Websites also act as the backbone for other lead-generation tips like SEO marketing and Google Ads.
Get Traffic Through Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO might sound technical, but it is one of the best ways to improve online visibility. SEO refers to all the strategies implemented to rank high on search engine results like Google.
Let’s break this down. John and Sons Plumbing has a website, but when you search for plumbing on Google, the website doesn’t come up.
This is where SEO comes in, as it helps improve your company’s website so that you can rank higher for your various services. The better your SEO, the higher you rank in organic search, which can be the difference between page five of Google and page one.
There are different strategies for SEO, but one of the most common is keyword optimization which involves adding relevant keywords to rank higher. For instance, if John and Sons Plumbing had a keyword that says ‘fix leaky pipes in Quebec,’ they might have a higher ranking among customers in the area.
To increase your chances of ranking high on Google, investing in user-friendly features and top-notch content is crucial. Slow-loading websites tend to rank lower, while sites with optimized interactive elements such as images, headings, videos, and descriptions are more likely to rank higher.
If SEO doesn’t sound like something you can get into yourself, you can choose Newfound Marketing as your partner. We have implemented SEO strategies for clients who are now experiencing a significant improvement in their ranking, organic traffic, and sales.
Launch an Email Campaign
Email marketing for plumbers? Absolutely! According to a finding in 2019, plumbers can expect a $42 return for every $1 spent on email marketing.
First, you need to create an email list.
You can create a pop-up page on your website’s landing pages to prompt people to provide their emails. Another option is to encourage your customers to share their email addresses to get updates and discounts. As people sign up on your website, you can accumulate their emails to create an email list using a suitable Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool. You can send your email list newsletters, updates, discounts, and coupons for your plumbing business.
Consider Google Ads/Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)
Pay-Per-Click advertising involves placing ads strategically on search engines like Google. This is one of the best strategies to reach people actively searching for plumbing services. PPC advertising is a very effective strategy as it allows you to bid for relevant keywords, control your budget, monitor performance, and make adjustments to optimize your campaigns. Paid online advertising also effectively targets a specific audience or location.
Invest in Social Media Marketing
Creating social media accounts for your business might be daunting, considering every other marketing tip out there. However, engaging customers through social media is a great way to build brand awareness, generate leads, and improve customer relationships. Plumbers can leverage social media apps to connect with past and prospective clients, highlight your selling points, and position your company as a thought leader.
Some important social media marketing tips include creating valuable content, running social media ads, and interacting with your audience. Valuable content can include helpful tips on plumbing issues at home, reviews from past clients, and before and after images/videos showcasing your plumbing projects. Other content includes employee spotlight, company culture, memes, live videos, and educational content.
There are different social media platforms, but we always recommend that our customers use the ones most relevant to their target demographic.
Take Content Marketing Seriously
Content hasn’t stopped being king, so plumbers need to leverage its power to engage their customers. Content marketing is a great way to keep customers visiting your website interested in getting your services. Also, content marketing is one of the strategies to establish yourself as an industry expert.
There are different forms of content, including blog posts, infographics, videos, guides, etc. Most of these forms of content should be educational and created with the intent to help your audience. You can create content centered on simple plumbing fixes, the best plumbing materials, and questions & answers about your services. Centering your content around your audience’s needs will drive engagement levels and increase the chances of them converting into paying customers.
There are some tips to note while creating content for your plumbing website. Some of them include:
- Creating relevant and accurate content
- Avoiding plagiarism and incorrectness
- Incorporating keywords to increase your ranking
- Including visual images to improve readability
- Adding a call to action (CTA) to increase conversion rates
If writing blog posts or creating guides isn’t something you can do yourself, you can consider outsourcing it to a professional writer or an agency like us.
Four-Step Process for Implementing the Strategies:
1. Goal Setting
The first step in every marketing strategy is to set a goal. Determine your business objectives, define your target audience, and specify your desired outcomes. What do you want to achieve with your lead generation strategies? Write them down to help you identify the best metrics to track your progress.
You can also consult with Newfound Marketing, where we help plumbing professionals define their goals and tailor their objectives specific to their business needs.
2. Strategy Development
Which of the strategies do you think are the most important for your business at the moment? Social media marketing? SEO? Content Marketing? Is it a combination of all? Identify the strategies you want to implement to address your plumbing business needs. Next, create a detailed description of how to implement these strategies to maximize your lead generation potential.
Newfound Marketing works with clients to create a tailored marketing strategy by combining different digital marketing strategies like SEO, PPC advertising, social media marketing, and email marketing.
3. Implementation and Monitoring
Once you’ve created a detailed marketing strategy, it’s time to implement those strategies across various platforms. Launch the email campaign, pay for the Google Ads, post some content on social media, and optimize your website. Also, it’s essential to note that most of these strategies require consistency. For instance, social media marketing requires consistent posting of educational content and promotional content for it to lead to success.
You can also collaborate with us to implement the recommended strategies across various platforms.
4. Analysis
Plumbers need to know that lead generation can’t be labeled successful unless there is proof that it has produced high-quality leads. A great way to monitor the success of your lead generation strategies is by measuring and analyzing essential metrics such as website traffic and conversion. You can consistently test these metrics to improve your conversion rate and generate more leads.
Also, lead generation isn’t a one-time investment. The best way to get great returns as a plumber is by monitoring your strategies and tweaking them when necessary. You can adjust your marketing plan, processes, and budget to stay relevant and meet the needs of your business.
Partner with Newfound Marketing
Are you a plumbing company or a plumbing contractor who wants new clients? You can generate better plumbing leads by working with us at NewFound Marketing. We are a digital marketing agency with experience helping plumbing professionals and companies in different fields grow their customer base and increase leads. We offer different lead-generation strategies, including SEO, PPC, social media, and email marketing. Whether you want to focus on just one strategy or invest in all, you can trust us to set up a tailored campaign for you.
Contact us today for consultation on how to invest in your plumbing business and increase leads through effective digital marketing strategies.
