8 Best Plumbing Ad Types in 2020

Plumber Advertising Strategies Proven to Increase Leads

If you’re like most plumbing companies we partner with, you’re an expert when it comes to repairing stoppages and clogs. But what do you do when there is a clog in your company’s lead pipeline?

Right now, there are potential customers in your local area searching for things like “emergency toilet repair” and “water heater replacement.” Will those potential customers find you?

Both of those searches show a high likelihood of converting from a lead into a sale, and if you’re not following plumber digital marketing best practices or investing in one of our eight best ad types for plumbers, potential customers won’t find your business.

Instead, the searcher will see a Google ad for one of your savviest competitors. Unless every single potential customer in your service area knows your business’s name and services by memory, they’re most likely going to choose a competitor who is maximizing their search engine real estate on Google—like you should be.

Does your company want to increase leads, optimize your marketing costs, and differentiate yourselves from your local competitors?

Our in-house digital marketing experts put together a list of the eight best plumbing ad types every plumber needs to invest in to generate more business from Google.

1.    Google Local Services Ads

What Are Google Local Services Ads?

Local Services is a pay-per-lead platform owned by Google that allows plumbers to advertise at the very top of Google’s search results—the most coveted real estate on Google. Remember, 40% of people only consider one local contractor before making a decision, according to Consumer Barometer, so it’s critical for your plumbing company to be found at the very top of Google’s page one search results.

Investing in Local Services ads is the best way to:

• Be found at the very top of Google on a computer, tablet, and mobile device
• Increase inbound leads to your plumbing company
• Generate more affordable leads

Instead of targeting keywords, Local Services ads target popular plumbing services like:

• Sewer line repair
• Repiping
• Drain cleaning
• Fixture installation
• Garbage disposal installation
• Plumbing repair
• And more

How Local Services Ads for Plumbers Work

When someone searches for a plumber in your area, you have the opportunity to appear at the top of search results after your business undergoes a thorough screening and background checks, and qualifies for the Google Guarantee badge through the Local Services platform.

Once you’re certified:

• You will receive a green check next to your company’s name (the Google Guaranteed badge)
• Homeowners can see you’re a trusted plumber in their community, endorsed by Google

Why Plumbing Companies Need Local Services Ads

Another reason why Local Services ads are the number one best type of plumber ads to run is that you only pay per each lead who calls you, as opposed to paying for each click, like pay per click marketing for plumbers.

Plumber SEO services can get you near the very top of Google, but to get the #1 spot, you need Google’s Local Services ads.

Not convinced? Check out how one contractor achieved a 24:1 ROI from their Local Services ads campaign.

2.    Google Search Ads

According to Search Engine Land, 75% of people who click on ads say search ads make it easier to find the information they’re looking for.

Search ads are digital ads for plumbers through the Google Ads platform. Search ads are located on page one of Google, but underneath Local Services ads, as shown in the screenshot above.

One of the significant advantages of using search ads is that your ads will display just underneath Local Services ads—the second-most coveted real estate on the search engine. You can now add the most powerful platform for paid search to your digital marketing tool belt.

After setting your campaign live, you can drive more traffic to your website, which generates more leads and sales for your plumbing company.

You have the power to set your daily budget for each campaign you’re interested in running, and you’ll be in control of choosing bids for each ad group and keyword. Once you set your daily budget, you will never pay more than your monthly maximum.

Google’s reporting features help you to track more information about your ad’s performance and allow you to make more data-driven decisions.

Some of our other plumbing partners are very open about the fact that they are not experts at generating leads and sales online and would prefer to have someone manage it for them.

If, after reading this post, you’d like some help managing your Google search ads, we would love to help! Contact us today to get started with a Google PPC campaign or to have us audit your current campaign and identify areas of opportunity for better performance.

3.    Google Display Ads

Display ads are another ad type offered by Google Ads. Google knows you may want to use two kinds of ads, which is a great strategy to have, if you execute it correctly.

Think of billboards along a highway. They are displayed to anyone who drives by them. Similar to billboards, display ads give your business greater visibility online. For example, display ads leverage the demographic data collected by your website’s previous visitors, then serve a “digital billboard” to customers who fit the same demographics.

Google’s display network reaches 90% of internet users worldwide, creating a diverse list of websites that will let you get your ads in front of the people you need, wherever they are on the internet.

Google display ads are like your secret agent going out and tracking down potential customers, then showing them ads that Google thinks they’re interested in seeing. You’ll be able to hit that customer at just the right time and drive them to your site.

Google display ads allow you to get hyper-specific with the targeting of your ads. You can ensure your efforts are focused on the people most likely to convert to customers.

What about people who visit your site, but don’t give you a call?

4.    Google Remarketing Ads

Customers who see retargeted ads are 70% more likely to convert on your website.

Have you ever shopped for a product online, then all of a sudden you start to see that product everywhere you browse? You’re then served a Facebook ad of the product, and you see it again while scrolling Instagram, and it seems like you just can’t get rid of these ads?

That’s Google remarketing ads.

Google remarketing ads connect your plumbing company with consumers who previously visited your website. In the example above, I recently visited the websites for both Nike and Naked Juice. Their websites remembered that I had visited recently, and when I got back online to check the news, I was hit with a well-timed digital ad that intended to drive me back to their site.

Google remarketing ads will get your company’s ads back in front of people that have shown interest in your brand, helping to keep your company top-of-mind and giving your ad another opportunity at converting that person into a lead.

5.    Microsoft Ads (AKA Bing Ads)

We have discussed Google a lot in this blog, and for good reason—they’re the internet’s largest search engine. For number 5 on our list, we’d like to discuss the 5^th most popular search engine, Bing. If you’re wondering why we jumped down to the fifth most popular search engine, remember this—Bing powers 36% of U.S. desktop searches.

Not only that, but research shows that Bing handles 1 out of every 5 searches in the United States

Some benefits of running PPC campaigns on Microsoft Ads include:

• Affordable ads – Microsoft ads cost roughly 25% of the cost of Google ads
• Multiple ad types – Run search, display, and remarketing ads (just like Google Ads)
• Less competition – Fewer invest in Microsoft ads, because search volume is lower on Bing than Google
• More brand visibility – Less competition means greater brand visibility for your plumbing company because fewer competitors are advertising on Bing

When talking about the best types of plumbing ads, it’s important to remember that when trying to stretch your dollar the furthest, Microsoft Ads are a viable option.

6.    Facebook Lead Generation Ads

Facebook may seem like an odd choice for this list, but Facebook allows you to get in front of real homeowners that are active on the social media giant.

Facebook lead generation ads make the tedious process of filling out a lead form a million times easier. It’s like upgrading from a regular power drill to an impact drill.

Once users click your ad, Facebook populates the form with contact information the user has listed on their platform, like name, email, etc. This gives you:

• A connection with customers on their terms
• An opportunity to convert customers while they’re engaged online
• An easy way to collect data and build your email marketing database

With less work necessary to submit the form, you can make it easier for potential customers to complete info forms and generate more qualified leads for your business.

7.    Facebook Video Ads

If you show your friend how easy it is to rid their basement of 12 inches of standing water, you’ll be the person they call if one of their pipes bursts. Your friend trusts you to get the job done because you’ve helped them before. Using Facebook video ads, you can establish that same kind of trust with thousands of homeowners in your local area.

Facebook’s video ads are one of the best ad types for plumbers because they help your business promote unique content, boost engagement, and offer valuable information without asking for anything in return. You can become the most trusted plumber someone knows without ever meeting them.

Video ads allow you to create videos that your customers will love and are easy to make. You can use video ads to target a specific audience, and similar to remarketing, you can retarget customers who have previously visited your website.

8.    Nextdoor Local Deals

Facebook, Google, and Bing aren’t the only places plumbers need to advertise in 2020.

Nextdoor is the #1 neighborhood app, serving over 212,000 neighborhoods across the United States. It’s changing the way businesses advertise within the local community and is one of the best types of ads for plumbers.

Nextdoor Local Deals are special offers, discounts, and promotions that your company can post to residents of specific neighborhoods, allowing you to advertise your plumbing services, coupons, maintenance agreements, etc. to the exact customers you want to target within a 10-mile radius of your business’s physical location.

Nextdoor Local Deals allow you to advertise to the exact customers you want to service, in the exact neighborhoods you want to work in.

If you’re interested in learning more about Nextdoor Local Deals, we go more in-depth in our blog, What Are Nextdoor Local Deals?

Another reason why Nextdoor Local Deals are one of the best types of ads for plumbers is because they display how many recommendations (AKA reviews) your plumbing company has received on the Nextdoor platform directly in your offer.

Reviews are vital for your plumbing business, because over 92% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase a product or service if they have read a trusted review about it.

Blue Corona Knows Plumber Advertising

Blue Corona is home to the plumbing marketing experts. We have over ten years of proven experience growing plumbing companies similar to yours.

We often see that the plumbers we partner with aren’t experts in how to generate leads and sales online, a skill their competitors seemingly have mastered.

We know you’re dealing with real problems, like a broken sewer line under a customer’s house. Let us handle all of the crap on the internet, so you can focus on what matters most—serving your customers.

Contact us today to find out how internet marketing for plumbers can measurably improve your plumbing business strategy, or keep reading to learn more about our internet marketing services for plumbing companies.

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