Marketing: the what & the why

Business sma r ts

60 MARKETING: THE WHAT & THE WHY 62 HUMAN IMPACTS OF A CRISIS

66 LAUNCHING WELLBEING ON TAP 68 EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVES

70 ESTIMATING JOB HOURS 72 WARNING OR DISMISSAL?

MARKETING THE WHAT & THE WHY

In this Q&A, Master Plumbers Marketing Manager Luke Pirie explains why marketing your business is essential—and how to go about it.

Q: With so many plumbing firms flat out with work, is business marketing necessary? A: Unless you have an exceptional database of customers, you’ll eventually run out of work if you don’t pay attention to your marketing. You need to be in it for the long term. In smaller areas, where there’s not so much competition, you may be able to rely on word of mouth for repeat business, but in the major cities you need to work much harder to be found.

Q: How exactly do you define marketing? A: Marketing is much more than advertising your services. It connects with almost every aspect of your business: from your brand values right down to the details, such as the colour of your uniforms, the promises you make—even the way you deliver your invoices or answer the phone.

Q: So, where do you start - particularly if you’re new to business? A: First, think about what services you deliver, so you can determine your market. Is it residential or commercial, new builds or maintenance, plumbing, gasfitting or drainlaying—or all three? Then consider how you want your brand to be perceived. Will you go for the tried and true approach or do you have a significant point of difference that will make you stand out in a crowded marketplace? Q: What are the essentials in your first marketing budget? A: A logo, a lead-generating, user-friendly website, and Google Ads would be my top three. Google is king—and, for plumbing services, ‘emergency plumber’, ‘after hours plumber’ and ‘24hr plumber’ are among the top keyword searches. By its nature, plumbing work is often needed NOW, so your website should be easily found when people do a Google search— and Google Ads will help with this.

Q: How much does it all cost? A: If you’re starting out in business, marketing costs will be higher in the first couple of years. There are huge numbers of providers offering logo and website development services, and charges vary enormously—so do your research and take recommendations. It’s worth investing in a good website that makes it easy for people to contact you. As well as easily visible contact details, your website could include an online booking service or even a chatbot.

Your website developer should also understand the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) to ensure maximum visibility for your website. Having the right keywords in your content will help your search engine rankings but you really need to pay for Google Ads, too. If you’re confident that a customer has had a good experience, you should ask them to write a Google review. Five-star reviews help your rankings—and reviews are free.

Ongoing website costs will include hosting, domain name licensing and content management (unless you do this in-house).

Q: What about social media? A: You might want to consider a Facebook page or website blog to showcase your work, encourage reviews or give advice—but only if you have a content strategy and the resource to do it well. A poorly performing social media presence can be more detrimental than not having one at all. A lot of people think Facebook is free, but to get a business page seen, you really have to pay for Facebook Ads to boost your posts.

Top tip

Guarantees give customers assurance and gain their trust—both high on the list for consumers when hiring a plumber. The residential Master Plumbers Guarantee is a great way of showing your workmanship is covered. Does your business also have its own customer service guarantee (late arrival compensation, for example)?