Should your plumbing company work with a marketing agency?

I am sure if you kept up with it, you probably received at least 30 calls this week from marketing agencies telling you that you need them. So let's get real! Do you really need marketing services?

I talk to plumbers regularly that are just confused by the whole thing; my goal is to break it down so you can be confident in your decision.

Marketing Methods

Yellow Pages  Used to be the bigger ad won out. With the yellow book, getting smaller each year the question is. Are your customers still using it? My mother is 78 this year and will not look online if she needs something. She still relies on that book, or she calls me.

Billboards  Are still relevant but do not look to the billboard alone to drive business. It must be part of an overall campaign you have going.

TV  So many people are cutting the cable cord and going with streaming services. TV is still a viable marketing channel if combined with other avenues. You can also tap into the streaming networks and show your ads there.

Radio  People do still listen to local radio but to expand your reach, consider tapping into the streaming channels focused on your local service areas.

Websites  Your website is your number one marketing channel; it is where you send people from all of your other advertising. It is the one thing on the internet you have control over.

Social Media  Social Media is a pay-to-play network, in general, it takes strategic social media planning to appear naturally in the Facebook Newsfeed. 

Search Engines  Yes, I included it here. In most areas, you can't just build a website and expect to come up in searches; it takes a little work to prove to Google and Bing that you are the best result for the services you provide.

So let's get back to the question, do you really need marketing services?

Yes. Here is why.

You own a company, and you are great at what you do. Unless you have a knack for it and just love search engine optimization and online marketing let the pros do their job, and you focus on your business. Google makes roughly 1,500 changes to the search algorithm a year, social media changes daily, oh and do you know how to do graphic design or video editing, to be able to put these campaigns together?

Have you heard the saying that people need to see something multiple times before they take action? It is still true. What you say, the pictures, all of the ads must look and sound the same or similar to trigger that familiar feeling they get. Oh yeah, I needed to call them. It is also necessary to be front of mind when you are needed. A quick mention of your company name will trigger all the times they saw you previously.

How to choose a marketing agency.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard, my niece, cousin, neighbors daughter, can build a website, manage my social media, I would be Scrooge McDuck. While some of these people may be able to do this for you, look at if they should. Unless they work in the space, they do not keep up with the changes that happen almost daily that could impact your business.

When you decide to work with someone, here are a few things to look at:

Who have they worked with in the past? Just because someone is good at what they do doesn't mean they are good at marketing in your industry.

Look at reviews. In our industry, reviews aren't the easiest things to get. Our clients are busy. We like it that way. So lack of reviews shouldn't be a red flag.

Look at the quality of their work. Are the websites mobile-friendly?

Who will you be working with? Many companies use sales reps, not a big deal really until you need a change done. It must go through your rep and be added to the pipeline.

Who is working on your campaign, some things are lost in translation. It is vital that you can give feedback on the quality of the leads/calls you are getting, lack of calls, or a social media post or adjustments, even quick changes to your website. Often sales reps are order takers and are paid to handle you.

How will they market you?

Marketing depends heavily on the budget available. Depending on how much you have to contribute, may include any or all of the options we mentioned earlier. If you are doing offline advertising, make sure the company you are working with has a way to help you track results through online tools.

An example: Call Tracking could be used on a billboard, radio ad, video ad, etc. to track calls received. Use a different number, so each medium can be tracked separately.

If you are looking for ways to market your plumbing company, we would like to speak with you. We have proven results in marketing plumbers and other home services businesses. Let's talk