A well-crafted marketing plan can turn your plumbing business from a struggling, low-visibility service into a well-known, profitable brand. Over the last 5+ years, we’ve partnered with over 1,000 plumbing professionals to help them connect with their ideal customers through search engines, direct mail, and more. There’s no universal solution that fits every plumbing company, but combining the right strategies with the right mindset and technology consistently leads to long-term growth.
Below, you’ll find 18 proven plumbing marketing strategies designed to help your business thrive in 2025.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
With nearly 71% of Google clicks going to organic results, SEO remains the core of any successful plumbing marketing strategy.
Unfortunately, many plumbing companies are disappointed with SEO only about 30% report satisfaction with their current providers. This is largely due to bad actors in the industry who put profit before performance.
Despite the frustration, skipping a modern, AI-optimized SEO strategy almost guarantees missed opportunities. When implemented correctly, SEO generates the highest-quality leads in the plumbing industry.
Estimated ROI: 800% – 5,000%
On-Page SEO
Optimizing title tags, header tags, and content structure on your website can significantly improve search rankings. Even minor changes can lead to top rankings for localized service keywords.
Off-Page SEO
External signals like backlinks, business listings, and online mentions strengthen your site’s authority and rankings. Consistent brand representation across platforms is essential.
Multichannel SEO
Boosting visibility on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook can enhance your Google rankings and bring in leads from multiple channels.
2. Local SEO (Google Maps Rankings)
“Getting on the map” is more literal than ever in 2025. Today, Google Maps is where most local search traffic goes.
Location-based search results display the “Local Map Pack,” the top 3 listings on Google Maps based on relevance and proximity. Being in this 3-pack significantly boosts visibility and clicks.
Estimated ROI: 100% – 5,000%
Google Business Profile
Claim and verify your listing, then fully optimize it with correct details, business hours, images, and links.
Google Maps Optimization
Ranking factors include distance (from the searcher), prominence, and relevance. Having a centrally located business address helps with impressions.
Local Citations
Add your plumbing business to directories like Yelp, BBB, Angi, and HomeAdvisor. These listings improve your credibility and influence map rankings.
3. LLM Optimization (LLMO)
Optimizing for Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini is becoming essential as AI-generated search results grow.
Google’s AI Overviews use LLMs to generate conversational results, often pulling directly from trustworthy websites. Optimizing your site to be chosen as a source can drive traffic.
Estimated ROI: 500% – 3,500%
ChatGPT
More users are turning to ChatGPT for local recommendations. Publishing branded, helpful content can increase your chances of being featured in AI-generated responses.
Google Gemini
Gemini is being integrated into all areas of Google Search. Following the same best practices used for other LLMs can help improve visibility here as well.
AI Overviews (AIO)
To appear in AI Overviews, focus on relevance engineering creating expert content on all your services and building strong branded signals across the web.
4. Reputation Management
Your business’s reputation is a powerful marketing tool. Customer reviews and public feedback play a big role in how prospects perceive your brand.
Using tools like DataPins helps simplify the review process by allowing customers to leave reviews on Google or Facebook directly from your website. The tool also sends automated reminders.
Respond professionally to any negative feedback and request removals if the reviews are inaccurate.
Estimated ROI: 100% – 500%
Google Reviews
Google reviews directly influence your Google Maps ranking. When someone searches your brand, your Google Business Profile, along with your reviews, is the first thing they see.
Yelp Reviews
Yelp reviews often appear high in branded search results and hold significant consumer trust, making them an important part of your online reputation.
Showcasing Reviews
Feature your reviews in one place using a review slider or widget on your website. Pulling from multiple platforms enhances credibility and builds trust.
5. E-E-A-T & Social Proof
Google uses E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) to evaluate websites. For plumbing businesses, this is closely linked to social proof.
Think of E-E-A-T as a framework for building trust, both with users and search engines. Highlight real jobs, credentials, awards, and customer feedback to demonstrate your company’s reliability.
Estimated ROI: 300% – 1,000%
Experience & Expertise
Showcase completed jobs using photos and location pins. Include your company history and affiliations on your About page.
Authoritativeness
Differentiate your brand with a broad range of services and strong design. Get backlinks and brand mentions from respected platforms.
Trustworthiness
Display licenses, accreditations, and badges on your website. A live review feed helps establish trust from third-party sources.
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6. Content Marketing
Content marketing involves using various types of content to promote your plumbing business. Platforms like Google, YouTube, and Facebook thrive on content, and your business can too.
Plumbers can use these channels to share valuable content and establish a strong online presence. For example, showcasing a recent plumbing job with details about the materials used can enhance credibility.
Repurposing that content across platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube expands your reach and attracts more potential customers.
All of this strengthens your brand authority, which leads to better search engine rankings over time.
Estimated ROI: 100% – 300%
Web Content
While blog articles were once the go-to for SEO, they’re no longer as effective. Today, the most impactful content is real-world examples, photos, and write-ups of actual plumbing jobs.
Email Content
Email copy is also a key form of content marketing. To succeed, it should be short, action-driven, and engaging,g designed to inspire clicks and conversions.
Social Media Content
Social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are driving content engagement. Short-form videos (reels, shorts) are the most consumed format among potential plumbing customers.
7. Google Ads (PPC)
When organic efforts take time to generate leads, Google Ads helps you fast-track visibility.
PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns allow your plumbing business to show up at the top of Google for targeted search terms like “emergency plumber near me.”
While PPC can get expensive, optimizing your landing pages for conversions makes every click more valuable.
Although not ideal for long-term strategy, Google Ads can generate leads while you build your organic presence.
Estimated ROI: 10% – 100%
Search Ads
These appear above the organic results on Google and cost money per click. They’re great for visibility if your website isn’t ranking yet, though organic leads tend to convert better.
Display Ads
These visual or video ads show up across Google’s network, including Gmail and YouTube. They’re more passive but help increase brand awareness.
Local Service Ads (LSA)
These are pay-per-lead ads that connect to your Google Business Profile. They appear above even the search ads for local service queries, and display reviews and contact info.
8. Social Media Advertising
Your ideal customers are already scrolling Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Although reaching them organically can be tough, paid ads on these platforms allow you to target specific demographics quickly.
Using Meta’s Advantage+ AI tools, you can serve ads to highly relevant users across Facebook and Instagram.
Different ad types, like lead forms, allow you to collect customer details without users leaving the app.
Video ads perform especially well on these visual platforms.
Estimated ROI: 200% – 800%
Facebook Ads
Options include video, image, story, messenger, and lead ads. Lead ads are especially useful because they gather contact info directly from the user’s Facebook profile.
Instagram Ads
As part of the Meta network, Instagram supports the same campaigns as Facebook. Short-form video ads are particularly effective here.
YouTube Ads
You can choose from formats like skippable/non-skippable in-stream ads, bumper ads, or overlay ads. These ads appear while users are watching videos, making them highly visible.
9. Social Media Marketing
You don’t have to rely only on paid ads. Organic posts on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn still provide value.
Although they might not bring in leads immediately, they improve your brand visibility and contribute to local SEO.
Even having a social profile strengthens your legitimacy in the eyes of Google and your customers.
By sharing your website content across platforms, you increase brand signals and SEO strength.
Estimated ROI: 0% – 100%
Facebook Marketing
Organic reach is limited to around 5.2% of your page’s followers, but it still adds value to your broader marketing strategy.
Instagram Marketing
Engagement is low here, too, but the content contributes to your brand presence and can support your paid campaigns.
YouTube Marketing
YouTube is the best platform for organic reach. Its suggestion-based algorithm keeps users watching, and its integration with Google helps videos show up in search results.
10. Email Marketing
Email marketing can offer high ROI in most industries. While plumbers may not see the same results as e-commerce businesses, it still plays a useful role.
It’s most effective when you personalize emails and segment your list based on customer behavior or location.
With tools like Mailchimp or AWeber, you can send targeted offers at the right time and nurture leads over time.
Estimated ROI: 100% – 4,000%
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11. Remarketing / Retargeting
Remarketing involves showing ads to people who have already interacted with your business, such as visiting your website.
Using tools like Facebook Pixel, you can retarget these users on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Since these users are already familiar with your brand, retargeted ads tend to convert at much higher rates than standard ads.
This makes remarketing a cost-effective strategy for plumbing companies looking to re-engage past visitors and drive more conversions.
Estimated ROI: 1,000% – 4,000%
12. AI-Powered Marketing
Integrating artificial intelligence into your marketing processes can boost productivity and reduce workload.
Plumbers can use AI for customer relationship management, content generation, and marketing automation, for example, sending follow-up texts or booking appointments automatically.
AI tools like DataPins help plumbing companies highlight recent jobs for SEO and user engagement.
By automating repetitive tasks, plumbers can focus on scaling their business while maintaining a professional, tech-savvy presence.
Estimated ROI: 100% – 4,500%
13. Billboard Advertising
Although traditional, billboard advertising still holds value in many local markets.
As Google increasingly emphasizes branding, billboard exposure can indirectly improve your SEO by generating branded searches.
When commuters repeatedly see your plumbing ad on the highway, they’re more likely to search your business by name, which boosts brand credibility and online visibility.
Tracking billboard ROI is difficult, but their long-term branding impact makes them a worthwhile option for plumbers in high-traffic areas.
Estimated ROI: 25% – 500%
14. Business Cards
Business cards remain a cost-effective tool for plumbers despite their traditional nature.
Leaving a business card with clients after a service can increase repeat business, reviews, and referrals, especially when it includes a call to action to leave a Google or Facebook review.
Older homeowners, in particular, respond well to physical cards, making them a small investment that can support broader digital efforts.
Estimated ROI: 0% – 200%
15. Print Advertising
Print ads in newspapers, magazines, and event programs can still be effective for plumbing companies.
Even though most publications are now digital, print ads deliver 37% higher brand recall than digital ads, making them more memorable.
Event programs are especially useful when placing your plumbing company’s ad in local event materials, offers targeted, physical exposure.
Estimated ROI: 0% – 150%
16. Telemarketing (Cold Calling)
Cold calling has a reputation for being intrusive, but it can still be an effective tactic for generating leads and collecting customer feedback.
While it’s not ideal for established plumbing businesses with steady inbound leads, it can be useful for startups trying to gain early traction.
Cold calls also provide direct insights that can improve your messaging and inform your digital marketing strategy.
Estimated ROI: 0% – 100%
17. Television Advertising
Like billboards, TV ads help establish strong brand recall and local recognition.
Today’s TV viewing happens across both traditional broadcasts and streaming services, many of which include non-skippable ads.
Plumbers who advertise on TV can make a strong impression, helping position their brand as a household name in the local market.
This approach is less about generating instant leads and more about long-term brand building.
Estimated ROI: 300% – 500%
18. Vehicle Wraps
Wrapping your plumbing truck with branded graphics turns your vehicle into a mobile advertisement.
Truck wraps serve as moving billboards, constantly exposing your business to potential customers within your service area.
Modern wraps often include a website link or QR code, making it easy for people to learn more or get in touch instantly.
Although the initial cost can be high, vehicle wraps provide lasting exposure and strong local brand recognition.
Estimated ROI: 100% – 500%
Grow Your Plumbing Business with Expert Marketing
At Plumbing Marketers, we specialize in marketing strategies tailored to plumbing businesses. With over a decade of experience and tools like our proprietary DataPins software, we’ve helped thousands of contractors find the right mix of tactics for long-term growth.
From SEO and Local SEO to AI tools, branding strategies, and even vehicle wraps, we know what works. Our insights are based on real-world experience and proven success, and we’re here to help your plumbing company achieve measurable results.