It can be tough to build a plumbing business from the ground up when there are many competitors in your area. Business growth is all about catering to the needs of as many customers as possible while making yourself easy to access. Understandably, many people struggle with how to grow a plumbing business.

You can quickly grow a plumbing business with a social media campaign, a strong website, and targeted advertising. Organic growth is also essential, and you can achieve that with positive customer reviews and strong relationships with local builders and businesses. Offer emergency plumbing services to expand your customer reach and run promotional discounts several times throughout the year.

Start a blog and focus on search engine optimization (SEO) so your website draws search engine traffic to reach more customers. Plumbing businesses are essential, so you have a built-in need within your service area that will also organically attract customers. Follow along as we explore how to grow a plumbing business, reach more customers, and earn more money.

How to Grow a Plumbing Business

The best way to grow a plumbing business is to build a presence online and within your community. Social media and a strong website are just as important as your presence within the community you operate in. Paid ads on search engines and social media are just as important as organic growth from positive reviews.

That said, you don’t need to spend a fortune to grow a plumbing business if you prioritize reputation management and your relationship with your community. Let’s look at the best ways to grow your plumbing business.

1. Build a Website

Currently, 71% of businesses have a website, and a website is essential if you want to grow your plumbing business. Potential clients will quickly judge your business based on the layout of your website. That includes everything from the user interface to the readability and colors you use.

Add a tool to your website to let customers book appointments online. Make sure to include an email sign-up tab so you can stay in touch with the customer. Your contact information should be easy to find, and you should include before and after pictures to show clients what you’re capable of.

2. Start an SEO Campaign

Your plumbing business cannot grow if nobody can find it online. Search engine optimization (SEO) lets you attract customers online via keywords related to your field and business. Include several tabs on your website that focus on different aspects of your plumbing business and use strong keywords that relate.

For example, you can include a tab for each service you provide and use the appropriate keywords. This will drive local customers to your business when they search those keywords, and increase the chances they visit your website.

3. Raise Brand Awareness With Social Media

Over 302 million people in the U.S. use social media, and it’s an invaluable tool. More than 80% of Instagram users follow at least one business account, and it’s one of the best marketing platforms. Create an account for your plumbing business and follow other users within your service areas.

Post at least 2-3 times per week to maintain engagement with your followers and grow your plumbing business. You can also invest in targeted ads on social media that will appear to local users. Organic social media growth doesn’t work as quickly as targeted ads, so it’s a great idea to use both.

4. Build Relationships With Local Businesses

One of the best ways to grow a plumbing business is to network with other businesses in the area. Homeowners will account for a large chunk of your client base, but local businesses need consistent plumbing work as well. Give business cards to local businesses and engage with them on social media to reach them as clients and maintain a strong relationship.

5. Maintain Engagement via Email

Email marketing has grown over the past several years, and it’s projected to reach a value of $18 billion by 2027. Use your website to get visitors to sign up for emails and have your team members ask for clients’ emails. You can grow your plumbing business if you send email updates, service reminders, and coupons to existing clients.

Include a referral prompt and incentives so your clients will help you recruit new customers in exchange for discounts.

6. Recruit a Strong Team

Your plumbing business can only grow if you have an incredible team that will impress your clients. Create a list of requirements for your new hires to ensure you onboard people with useful experience. That said, you should never discount plumbers who have little professional experience but have learned the trade.

This will give you the chance to instill your knowledge and show them how you want things done before they carry bad habits over from other businesses. Train them in customer satisfaction as well to create repeat customers.

7. Hire a Financial Advisor

Financial advisors are invaluable if you want to grow your plumbing business. They can provide invaluable advice based on your financial investment, current expenses, and income. Hire a financial advisor to see what you should prioritize and budget for to ensure your business can grow and earn as much profit as possible.  

8. Run Promotions

Run promotions and discounts to grow your plumbing business and attract customers you may not otherwise get. According to a Capital One survey, 93% of consumers in the United States are likely to stick with businesses that offer discounts. Create limited discounts centered around holidays and weather changes.

Set discounts between 10% and 20% to get a strong reaction from potential clients. Otherwise, you can create price-specific discounts for customers who spend over a certain dollar amount.

9. Set Up a Google Business Profile

Google makes it easy to grow your plumbing business as you can set up a business profile for free. This profile will appear when people search for plumbing businesses in the area. You can include your contact information, address, and a link to your business’s website.

10. Use Paid Ads

Organic marketing is quite effective, but it takes much longer than running paid ads online. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is one of the best ways to reach new customers and grow your plumbing business. You must pay a small fee each time someone clicks on the link to your ad.

Paid ads appear at the top of the Google page based on the topic and location. People within your service area will quickly find your plumbing business when they search for local plumbers.

11. Invest in CRM Software

Your relationships with your customers ultimately determine their loyalty and your reputation as a plumbing business. Customer relationship management (CRM) software makes it much easier to engage customers consistently even when they don’t need your service. This software lets you log their contact information and easily send them updates throughout the year.

For example, you can use CRM software to send mass emails and texts to your customers about promotions you run. You can also use it to send weather updates and remind customers about precautions to prevent frozen pipes during winter.

12. Go Digitial

While you can still provide a paper invoice to your client, you must keep a digital copy. Store all invoices and customer data in a single database for accounting and organization purposes. This will save plenty of time and make it easier for you to manage your plumbing business.

It’s also one of the best ways to grow a plumbing business because you can quickly observe data and see what changes are necessary. That includes everything from prices, working time, service areas, and client base.

13. Nurture Vendor Relationships

As a plumbing business, you will consistently spend money on supplies from vendors. Because of that, it’s important to nurture strong relationships with vendors to get the best deals and leads. You may be able to negotiate bulk deals and get discounts as a loyal customer.

Vendors are always quite resourceful and can provide leads for jobs as well as local plumbers you could recruit to grow your business.

14. Offer Several Payment Options

Accepting credit cards can keep customers happy and even expand your customer base. This is especially true for plumbing emergencies when your client may not have the money set aside to pay for repairs that day. Currently, 82% of adults in the United States have credit cards, so accepting them is beneficial for you and your customers.

15. Request Client Reviews

Positive reviews serve as free marketing that can drive new customers to your plumbing business. Just under 100% of participants in a recent survey said they check reviews for businesses before they decide to patronize them. Politely ask customers to post reviews after you finish your work to appeal to potential customers who are choosing between plumbing businesses.

16. Embrace Mail Ads

Many business owners mistakenly stopped sending mail ads and focused on emails instead. Emails are useful, but they don’t replace mail ads. A recent study showed that over 70% of mail ad recipients open mail ads the day they get them.

17. Set Up an Emergency Line

Plumbing emergencies can happen at any time, but not everyone can access professional help quickly. Set up an emergency line or switch your business hours to 24/7 to cater to emergencies and grow your plumbing business. You will be able to service a wider range of customers and nurture strong relationships so they keep you in mind next time a plumbing emergency pops up.

Depending on the size of your business, you can rotate “on-call” shifts among your team members to respond to plumbing emergencies. Responding to plumbing emergencies can boost your business’s income and increase your customer base.

18. Outsource to Freelancers

The last thing you want to do is turn down paying customers because your team isn’t big enough to help them. Outsource to freelancers if you and your team cannot accommodate all your clients. This can be tricky if your plumbing business is new and you don’t have many local connections, but the Internet makes it much easier.

Post on social media that you need freelancers and share it with as many people as possible. You can also post job listings on websites like Zip Recruiter and Indeed to reach as many plumbing freelancers as possible. It also helps to ask vendors if they know any freelancers in the area.

19. Endorse Local Events

Get involved in your local community and endorse events to attract new customers. This is a great way to organically grow your plumbing business as it will plant a seed in the mind of the average local customer. It’s especially useful if you live in a tight-knit community that hosts many fairs, runs, festivals, and charity events that sell ad space.

20. Start a YouTube Channel

YouTube is one of the biggest platforms in the world, and it’s an essential tool for many businesses. The best part about growing your business with YouTube is that you can easily cater to a specific viewer base. Look up common plumbing problems on YouTube and use your expertise to create succinct videos that explain solutions.

Include links to your YouTube channel on your website and share them on social media to expand your reach. You can also invest in paid ads on YouTube to drive customers to your business.

21. Reach Out to Local Builders

Local builders subcontract to other businesses for niche needs and that includes plumbing businesses. Because of that, it’s important to reach out to builders and establish a relationship to collaborate with them. Builders often require more intensive work than the average homeowner, you can earn high-paying jobs when you collaborate with them.

22. Expand Your Service Areas

Every plumbing business must establish a service area where they operate. You can grow your business and reach more customers if you expand your service area to cater to more people. Recruit more team members and invest in more company vehicles whenever possible to ensure you can reach as many customers as possible.

23. Set Up a Geofence

Targeted marketing is essential for growth, and geofencing is one of the best ways to achieve it. Geofencing lets you set up an invisible perimeter where smartphone users will see ads and emails for your plumbing business. The geofencing market has increased in value by 28% since 2017, and it’s become one of the best ways to grow a business.

24. Start a Blog

Your plumbing business’s website can serve as a blog to attract people who wouldn’t easily find your business. Start a blog on your website that includes posts about common plumbing problems and use your expertise to craft inciteful articles. Include before and after pictures to show what you’re capable of and make a bigger impact.

Focus on SEO so people can quickly find your website on search engines like Google. Your blog posts will appear to local searchers and even people outside of your state. You can also monetize your blog which will help your plumbing business grow and earn extra income.

25. Focus on Management

Focus on management once you have a big team that can take care of all the plumbing work that comes in. This will give you the chance to recruit new clients and team members while you oversee the finances and day-to-day operations. Once you focus on management, you may be able to cut some expenses, such as your financial advisor, once you have a tight grip on your business.

Let Us Help Grow Your Plumbing Business

Our research shows that a strong online presence and focus on SEO are the best ways to grow a plumbing business. Your website and social media profile will drive customers toward your business and ultimately create new clients. Organic marketing resources like positive reviews, vendor relationships, and community awareness can also help a plumbing business grow.

We can help you explore both organic and digital marketing tactics such as SEO, geofencing, and pay-per-click ads to grow your plumbing business. Let us help you with everything from reputation management and brand awareness to building an impressive website that will attract and maintain consistent customers.