Marketing For Plumbers: The 7 Best Strategies to Try

As a plumber, you need a reliable way of finding work. Referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations are perfect, but they aren’t always enough to sustain a busy calendar, let alone grow a business. Whether you’re a sole trader or running a team, knowing how to market your plumbing business is crucial to finding more work, making more money, and getting more out of your business.

In this guide, we cover the 7 most important marketing channels for plumbers, from local marketing to digital marketing, reviews, and more.

Keep reading or jump ahead:

Create a brand, not just a business

Whether someone has used your services before or they saw your logo somewhere, it’s crucial that your business is memorable and sticky. 

Your core services and work you do for your clients is of course important – but that’s your business. Your brand is the way you package your business and present it to your customers. Think of any successful brand and you’ll immediately start to see that they all share a few key similarities including:

• A clean, clever, and simple logo
• Standardised brand colours used across all promotional materials
• A particular font 
• Taglines or phrases 

It’s best to get these things sorted at the very beginning of your business, or at least as you start with a more thought-out marketing plan. This is because you’ll be using your branding across almost every different marketing strategy – from online advertisements to business cards and everything in between. 

You may wish to get the help of a freelance designer or do it yourself – but the key here is to make a choice and be consistent. 

Repeat Business: The cheapest & easiest way of getting more work 

Why is repeat business so important? In a nutshell, customers you’ve already worked for are far easier to book jobs for than completely new ones.

You’ve probably been on the receiving end of this too: a good first-hand experience with a tradesperson and you’re not going to start looking for another one

Once they trust you, your life becomes so much easier. 

This might not sound like marketing, but it all contributes towards the same end goal. Here are some things you can do to impress customers and keep them coming back (beyond simply doing a good job, of course):

• Check up after the job: A quick “How’s everything working?” message or a polite thank-you email shows you care and builds trust.
• Maintenance packages: Especially for organisations, offer plumbing inspection and maintenance plans. These packages provide a steady and predictable income stream for your business.
• Go the extra mile: Small gestures like leaving the job site spotless, offering preventative advice, answering the phone quickly, remembering preferences, or providing emergency support can leave a great lasting impression.

Digital Marketing for Plumbers

Your website or online reviews are often the first point of contact a potential customer has with your business. Making a strong first impression is critical, as people quickly form opinions while browsing the internet.

Essential Features for a Plumber’s Website

A plumber’s website doesn’t need to be overly flashy or complex. In fact, a straightforward and functional site is ideal for independent tradespeople or small plumbing businesses. Here’s what your site should include:

• Visible Contact Information so customers can reach you quickly.
• A Clear List of Services you provide, including specialties like emergency callouts or boiler repairs.
• Customer Reviews and Testimonials to establish trust and reliability.
• An About Section to personalise your services and share a bit about your business.
• Social Media Links to showcase photos of your work and connect with customers.
• A Clear Call-to-Action (CTA), such as buttons for booking services or requesting quotes.

Above: Kentish Plumbers

Boosting Visibility with SEO

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) ensures your website ranks higher in search results, making it easier for people to find you. For plumbers, local SEO is particularly important since your customers are typically nearby.

To optimise your site:

• Use local keywords strategically, like “plumber in Manchester” or “24/7 plumbing service in Cardiff.”
• Claim and update your Google Business Profile with accurate details, photos, and reviews.
• Add structured data (schema markup) to help search engines correctly display your business information.

Here’s an example of a Google Business Profile, which appears on the right side of Google search results:

Using Digital Ads to Attract Customers

Google Ads can position your business at the top of search results when customers are actively looking for plumbing services. Focus on high-intent keywords that indicate a customer is ready to book, such as “emergency plumber near me” or “leak repair in [your area].” Avoid targeting general terms like “plumbing tips”, as people searching for them aren’t likely to book a plumber.

For effective ads:

• Write clear and compelling copy, including a strong call-to-action (CTA).
• Use ad extensions, such as click-to-call buttons, so customers can contact you directly.

By focusing on these strategies, you’ll be able to connect with local customers, build trust, and grow your plumbing business online.

Social Media Marketing for Plumbers

Choosing the Right Platforms

Social media platforms provide excellent opportunities for plumbers to expand their visibility and client base. Focus on platforms like:

• Facebook for engaging local communities and running ads targeted to your area.
• Instagram to share photos of your work, such as before-and-after transformations or pipe installations.
• TikTok for short, engaging videos explaining plumbing hacks, behind-the-scenes moments, or quick maintenance tips.

Engaging Content Ideas

Use social media to demonstrate your expertise and engage your audience by posting:

• Plumbing tips, such as how to identify leaks or maintain pipes during winter.
• Photos or time-lapse videos of finished projects.
• Seasonal offers, like discounts on boiler servicing in autumn or winter.
• Team photos to show the human side of your business and build trust.

Dean Jones is a great example to follow. Here’s his Instagram:

Local Marketing For Plumbers

While digital strategies are effective, local marketing remains crucial for plumbers to gain visibility and attract community clients. Here’s how to promote your business locally:

• Distribute Flyers in your neighbourhood to get directly in front of potential customers.
• Advertise in Community Newsletters or parish magazines to connect with local residents.
• Use Branded Van Wraps featuring your business name, services, and contact details to increase visibility when driving or parked in the area.
• Sponsor Events like local charity drives or fairs to meet nearby homeowners and build rapport.
• List Your Business in local directories for added exposure.
• Optimise your website for local search terms and create pages for each area you operate in and each service you carry out. 
• Create business cards to hand out to customers, leads, and anyone else that might be interested in your services. 

Email Marketing Strategies

Despite GDPR restrictions, email marketing remains an excellent tool for plumbers, provided you’ve gained proper consent from recipients.

Email Marketing Best Practices

• Ensure customers have actively opted in to receive emails and avoid using bought lists.
• Provide an easy way for recipients to unsubscribe from future emails.

What to send?

• Maintenance reminders, such as “Time to check your pipes before winter!”
• Educational content, like “5 Signs Your Boiler May Need Servicing”.
• Exclusive promotions or customer loyalty discounts.

Gas or Oil Service Reminders

If you do heating work as well, consider sending out annual gas or oil service reminder emails. Customers appreciate the gentle nudge, and they’re a highly effective source of work.

Gas Engineer Software is ideal for heating and plumbing companies as the platform can fully automate the reminder email at a set time before the service due date.

Collect & Use Online Reviews

A decently-sized collection of great reviews is crucial if you want to catch people’s eyes online. 

Some people will leave reviews unprompted, but the reality is most will not. If you want to get reviews, you need to ask for them.

Here’s how:

• Send a follow up email or text to your customer a few days after the job has been completed, along with a link for them to leave a review (on Google or Trustpilot, for example).
• Ask for a review in person at the end of the job if the customer is pleased and happy. 
• Add it to your email signature. This might not get you the most reviews, but it’s low effort and every review you can get counts.
• Sign up to software and add it as a line on your template for sending out invoices. This is quick and easy on Gas Engineer Software.

Always respond to reviews—thank your happy clients and address negative feedback professionally to show commitment to customer satisfaction.

Once you’ve got reviews, don’t stop there. Add them to your website, post them to social media, and share them with your team. 

Create a referral programme

Customer referral programmes don’t have to be complicated. Simply offering a discount for both the person that referred you and the person they referred can be enough to incentivise lots more word-of-mouth work. 

You can advertise this referral programme in your other plumber marketing materials like leaflets, business cards, social media posts, and emails.

Partner with Local Businesses

Collaborating with other local businesses can be a great way to expand your network and attract new clients. For example:

• Partner with Real Estate Agents who can recommend your plumbing services to homebuyers.
• Collaborate with Property Maintenance Companies or builders on renovation projects.
• Work with Other Trades Businesses that subcontract out plumbing work for larger projects.

These partnerships can take a little effort to set up but are often highly effective, and operate on the basis of being mutually beneficial for both parties. 

For example, homeowners associations will benefit from having a reliable plumber they know they can trust, while you will be able to refer and be referred through a partnership with a builder. 

You could even look at partnering with other plumbers that work in a slightly different area to you, so you can pass leads to each other closer to home.

We recently wrote a partnership guide for gas engineers, from which you can take inspiration.

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