Plumbers and plumbing companies stay busy year-round making repairs, installing new plumbing, and performing maintenance tasks. Unlike some businesses that have a specific target audience or seasonal market, a plumber’s services may be needed by a huge variety of people. Anyone who owns a home, rental property, or commercial business is a prospective customer. Given that there’s such a broad range of customers, it’s easy to imagine that plumbing companies wouldn’t need to work too hard to generate leads. The truth is, lead generation is a necessity for plumbers. It not only attracts new customers but it also encourages past customers to come back.

What is Lead Generation for plumbing companies?

Lead generation is the process of identifying potential customers and then cultivating a relationship with them. Lead generation for plumbers begins with establishing the plumbing company’s expertise by offering useful advice and relevant information. A good lead generation strategy will result in increased sales, more repeat business, and a more successful plumbing business. Some lead generation techniques to incorporate include:

Build a Conversion Focused Website

A web presence is an absolute necessity for a plumbing business, no matter how small it is. Why? Because the vast majority of people turn to their smartphone or other connected device to do an internet search for a plumber. It’s not enough to have a simple web page that lists the services offered and the hours operation. Plumbers need to provide valuable information that prospective customers can use to make a sound decision. How? By building a conversion focused website that includes:

• A Crisp, Clean Design – A plumbing company’s website needs to portray a professional image and attitude. Keep the design minimal and remember to allow for plenty of white space to break up text and images.
• An Informative Header – The last thing that a prospective customer wants to do is search a site to find the company’s contact info. The business name, address, and telephone number should be prominently displayed at the top of the page.
• Personalized Photos and Images – Never use generic stock photos or text to describe a plumbing business. Plumbers should take their own pictures of their team in action, completed projects, and other relevant images if they really want to stand out and attract customers.
• Pages for Every Service – It’s never a good idea to lump all of the plumbing services offered into one generic services page. Instead, create specific pages for every plumbing service that is offered from fixing a leaking faucet to new plumbing installation.
• Reviews, Testimonials, and Authority Logos – The best way for a plumber to prove they’re trustworthy is to post previous customer’s reviews and testimonials. In addition, a plumber should use the logos of prominent companies whose products and supplies they use to bolster their credibility.
• Special Deals and Offers – Running a special or limited time offer is a great way to drum up business. The best way to do this is to create a page that explains the offer in detail to website visitors. This simple addition to a plumber’s site could be the factor that pushes a prospective customer to become a paying customer.
• Focus on Strengths – The purpose of a plumber’s website is to tell prospective customers why they should use the company versus another. To do this, a plumber should focus on their unique strengths, services, products, and experience and why those things make them the best choice.
• Optimize for SEO – Search engine optimization is key to a high ranking in Google and that begins on the website. Include keywords and phrases that plumbing customers are looking for in every piece of content produced. This simple step will help the site rank higher and generate more leads.

Start Blogging About Plumbing

People have questions about plumbing issues and as an expert in the field, a plumber is in the perfect position to become their trusted authority. Customer’s most frequently asked questions are a good base and from there, it’s natural to cover more in depth topics over time. It’s not a good idea to simply focus on the company’s services in these blog posts. It’s better to offer actionable suggestions people can use to solve their own plumbing problems with a promise that the plumber will be there to help if they need it.

Use Video to Educate

Videos are a great way to grab the attention of prospective customers and to get the word out about a plumbing business. A good video will not only educate the viewer, but it will also be entertaining. One way to do this is to capture video common plumbing issues people face and show them how to fix it themselves. Another way is to create a video that shows how complex the installation of new plumbing is and why it’s always best to leave it to a professional. Posting the video to the website, the business’s social media accounts, and on YouTube will help gain maximum exposure.

Google My Business Listing

Most people use Google to search for businesses that offer the products and services they want and need. There are many local plumbers and each wants to stand out from the crowd. The best way to do that is with a Google My Business listing, which helps both the listing on Google and on Google Maps. Make sure that all of the information is correct, such as the phone number, address, and hours. It’s also a good idea to add photos and respond to customer reviews, which helps boost the company’s visibility to potential customers.

Build an Email List

Email marketing is a great way to remind past customers of the plumbing company’s services and to attract new customers . It’s also a superb way to stay connected to current customers. An email campaign doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be consistent. Send out a weekly email with helpful tips and tricks, answers to frequently asked questions, or interesting industry news. Sprinkle in a few emails that mention special offers and deals and to keep the reader’s attention.

Get Professional Help

Most plumbers aren’t marketers and all these lead generation tips are great, but a busy plumber doesn’t have a lot of time, energy, or interest in pursuing them. Rather than spending hours, days, weeks, or months to learn and implement lead generation tactics, a smart plumber will seek the help of an individual or agency with experience creating websites and other online content for plumbers.

Lead generation isn’t just for large plumbing companies, in fact, it’s essential for plumbing companies of all sizes. Missing this important step can mean losing business to a more proactive plumber who puts the time, effort, energy, and money into building their online presence. A smaller plumbing company might not have a big budget for marketing, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take action. Implementing just a few of these tips such as posting to a social media account or blog on a regular basis will result in more leads and more sales. As sales pick up and income increases, some of the more elaborate ideas such as a new, optimized website can be implemented to increase leads even more.