As a plumber you seek out new customers to grow your business. It’s a competitive industry and that’s why reducing your business risk and staying ahead of the game with smart, targeted marketing strategies is vital.
But before we dive into five surefire plumbing marketing tips for plumbers that can help increase plumbing sales, let’s step back a little and focus on the big picture for plumbing business owners.
What do plumbers do?
To sum up what may seem like a straightforward trade (but actually is far from straightforward), the day to day work of a qualified plumber in Australia may see these trade qualified professionals perform a wide variety of tasks.
On any given day, plumbers can be found planning, installing, maintaining, and repairing just about all of the systems in commercial, residential, and industrial buildings. Plumbers’ perform vital work that enables water and gas to flow safely through built environments.
These systems can be found in bathrooms, kitchens, laundries, roofing systems, pools, barbecues, and more. Another thing plumbers are responsible for is keeping all the unsightly pipes, valves, and fixtures out of sight yet fully functional and accessible. After all, plumbing infrastructure gives us access easy to essential gas and water amenities, but it’s not very pretty to look at.
The main types of plumbers
There are six main types of plumbers in Australia. These include:
- Water supply plumbers: Installs water supply to bathrooms and kitchens.
- Sanitary plumbers: Installs sanitary fixtures (toilets, basins, and sinks), suspended drains, and waste pipes.
- Gasfitting plumbers: Installs and test gas hot water services, heaters and cooktops, and natural gas fitting lines.
- Roofing plumbers: Fabricates and installs metal roofing, gutters and downpipes, skylights, and roof vents.
- Drainage plumbers: Laya stormwater and sanitary drains, repairs underground drains, and installs sewage treatment systems.
- Mechanical services plumbers: Installs hydronic heating, ducted heating, evaporative coolers and splits, and sheet metal ductwork.
Plumbing qualifications and courses
Becoming a licensed plumber requires completing a four-year plumbing apprenticeship under the supervision of a licensed plumber and obtaining a Certificate III in Plumbing from a nationally accredited registered training organisation (RTO) such as TAFE or a private RTO.
However, to become a fully licensed plumber and operate your own plumbing business, you will also be required to complete the Certificate IV in Plumbing And Services (Operations Stream) plumber course.
How to market a plumbing business in five steps
Here are five simple plumbing marketing tips and digital marketing strategies that can help bring new customers to your business and grow your plumbing business.
1. Create helpful plumbing videos
When you target marketing, remember that video is an excellent and highly engaging medium to help market your plumbing business. Not only are they interactive and a great way to connect with your customers, but video is a highly engaging medium that can easily be shared on your social media channels, your website, and more.
There are many different plumbing topics and tutorials you can cover to help engage, educate, and assist your audience to increase plumbing sales. You want to make your videos easy to follow, jargon-free and based on simple issues that can be fixed without going into complex plumbing scenarios.
You may consider creating short how-to videos around:
- How to unclog a sink;
- How to stop a leaking tap; and
- How to install a shower drain.
Sharing your knowledge and expertise will help build trust in your brand while strengthening your reputation and creditability as a plumbing professional. Building trust with your existing and potential customers helps grow your business through word of mouth and testimonials, both of which help create a stronger online presence.
2. Get your business noticed online
You’ve worked hard to establish your plumbing business, now it’s time to get out there and get noticed online. One of the first steps you can take is to create a Google My Business listing. This is one of the most popular ways people discover local businesses online, especially when it comes to specific types of businesses locally.
Your listing includes your business contact details such as phone number, email, address, and website address, all of which makes getting in touch easier than ever. Listings also include a feature for customers to review your business and share their experience. Reviews are an opportunity to build your plumbing business’ reputation and brand in the community through real-life customer experience.
3. Master the art of social media
One of the easiest ways to market a plumbing business is through social media. From Facebook to Twitter, TikTok and Instagram, there are plenty of ways to connect with your audience, but the trick is to not overwhelm yourself by trying to use all of them at once.
Target marketing is all about finding the right marketing strategies for your business. Each plumbing business is going to have their own unique approach when it comes to marketing, so invest in the types that align with your brand and what you feel comfortable using. For example, you may want to use Facebook as your primary channel for contacting, sharing information on jobs, and for customers to contact you.
4. It’s wise to advertise your plumbing business
There are many different avenues to invest in plumber advertising for your business. Whether you are just starting out or been around for some time, getting your brand noticed and in the minds of customers is going to help you stay around for the long run.
Strategies for advertising a plumbing business come in many shapes and forms, from the traditional ad in the newspaper or magazines to billboards and online advertising such as cost-per-click ads via Google and targeted campaigns through social media channels. If this is something you don’t feel overly confident with, there are many digital marketers out there who can help set up and manage your account.
The following resources can help get you started with your digital marketing and plumber advertising:
5. Stand out from the crowd
To successfully promote your plumbing business, consider how your plumbing business can stand out in the crowded marketplace. The power of catchy signage and a memorable logo are sure-fire ways to make your plumbing business stand out from the crowd, which can lead to an increase in plumbing sales. Once you’ve established your signs and logos, it’s important to keep your branding consistent so customers remember who you are no matter where they see it.
Ways that you can take your branding that one step further include getting eye-catching signage wrapping for your company vehicles for your company vehicles to help advertise your plumbing business, create some merchandise like magnets and do a letterbox drop. You may also look into sponsoring a local sporting team, which can be a very effective form of local marketing.
Being involved with your community is an opportunity to network and let the locals know about your business. Getting involved with business support groups and the chamber of commerce are going to help get your name out there. However you choose to go about it, when you creatively promote your plumbing business you will increase your chances of standing out from the crowd.
Protect your plumbing business with BizCover
Managing all aspects of your plumbing business whether it’s local marketing or accounting, takes time, money and effort. That’s why it’s important to ensure you have the right business insurance* in place to protect it against unplanned challenges.
At BizCover, we offer a range of business insurance from some of Australia’s leading insurers to safeguard your plumbing business with options like Public Liability insurance, Portable Equipment cover and even Personal Accident & Illness insurance just to name a few. Jump online or give us a call today to experience insurance made easy.
Will you offer licensed plumber services in Victoria?
Are you a licensed plumber in training in the state of Victoria? Or perhaps you are a licensed plumber based close to the Victorian border (whether in NSW or South Australia) and you provide plumbing services to clients in Victoria.
As detailed by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA), all licensed plumbers operating in Victoria are required to provide evidence to the VBA that they hold the relevant plumber insurance before the VBA will issue or renew their plumbing licence. In fact, it is against the law provide licensed plumber services without plumbers insurance in Victoria.
In Victoria, homeowners and renovators are protected from faulty building and plumbing work by the builder or the plumber on the job. If you intend to operate as a licensed plumber in Victoria, ensure that you are aware of your plumbers insurance requirements in the state.
Explore your plumbing insurance options with BizCover today and discover just how fast, easy, and pain-free business insurance can be when you choose BizCover. Compare competitive insurance quotes online or call us on 1300 920 868 and enjoy a better business insurance experience.
