Starting from Scratch: A Guide for Plumbers With No Marketing Budget.

So you’ve decided to start your own plumbing business.

Congrats! 🎉

Going out on your own can be scary but also incredibly rewarding.

However.

As a brand new plumbing business or one trying to grow in this tough old climate, your pockets aren't exactly overflowing with cash to splash on fancy marketing campaigns and glossy flyers.

I get it.

Times are tight.

But have no fear.

You don’t need to break the bank to get your plumbing business off the ground.

There are plenty of budget-friendly ways to spread the word and bring in those first precious jobs.

Follow this starter guide to kickstart your marketing with little-to-no budget.

We’ll cover the basics across online and offline channels so you can build awareness for your plumbing business fast without haemorrhaging money.

Let’s dive in!

1.  Start With The Basics to grow your plumbing business.

I know you’re itching to start drumming up work, but before you do anything else you need to make sure you’ve ticked off these essential to-do’s:

➡️  Register your plumbing business.

This makes everything legit and means you can open a business bank account.

Do it ASAP!

➡️  Create a logo and brand identity for your plumbing business.

This will cost a bit if you outsource it but you can have a go at designing something yourself using free tools in the first instance.

Though my biggest tip…

As soon as you do have a budget GET YOUR LOGO DESIGNED BY A PROFESSIONAL.

It’s the base of absolutely all your future marketing and they will know how to brand you to attract the types of clients you discover you want once your business gets going.

Get it on your to-do list right away.

In the meantime, take a read at how rebranding Ken’s business helped him quit attracting the small jobs and land quality refurbishments for his bathroom business.

Shows the power of branding when the time is right. 👌🏽

➡️  Print business cards for your plumbing business.

You can get good deals for print online when you’re starting out.

Every plumber needs ‘em.

These might take a bit of time and small initial spend, but they’re crucial for looking credible as you start approaching potential customers.

Again.

Once you start raking in some business though, be sure to get in touch with your construction marketing agency to get you some real game-changing business card and stationery designed for your plumbing business.

2.  Leverage Your Network to grow your plumbing business.

Before worrying about marketing to complete strangers, tap into connections who already know and trust you.

Tell your friends, family, old colleagues and acquaintances that you’ve gone solo and are taking on plumbing gigs.

Make sure they have your new business cards and spread the word on social media.

Offer them an introductory discount on labour rates to sweeten the deal on the provisory that in exchange, they will leave you a glistening review online (try get them to paste it on a Google Business profile and then one other platform you intend to grow e.g. Facebook).

Have a think about what social media platforms your Ideal Clients for your plumbing business are using, to deicde which social media channel to grow and where to start having those reviews pasted.

As long as you do quality work the discounted jobs will pay off when they recommend you afterwards.

And when those bad boy reviews start piling up.

This should drum up a handful of jobs while you work on wider marketing efforts.

I know what you’re thinking.

“Begging my friends to give me work? This all sounds like serious admin... Can’t I just stick an ad in the local paper and watch the phone ring off the hook instead?”

Well, we’re not living in the 1990s anymore treacle.

And print ads cost actual money (crazy, I know).

Putting an ad in the paper every week is out the window on our micro-budget plan, okay?

We need to think smarter here people.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.

There are still cheeky ways we can get the word out without ransacking the kids’ university  funds or selling a kidney on the dark web.

For example.

Why not offer your plumbing services to local property agents, developers and landlords free of charge?

I’m talking free emergency call outs, free quotes, even discounted jobs once in a while.

Gasp! Free work?!

“But that sounds TERRIBLE for business!” I hear you cry.

Yes it does.

On the surface...

But by going above and beyond for these folks early days on a ZERO budget, guess what happens?

They love you (obviously), and then they recommend you to ALL their property contacts because you’re the best plumber in town who actually helps them out.

Ker-ching!

Just make sure you lay some ground rules on the freebies from the start.

Emergency call outs only.

Non-emergency visits will need quotes as usual, and you reserve the right to charge if it wasn’t a genuine emergency blah blah.

They’ll be delighted you’re being so generous they won’t care.

And soon enough those exclusive recommendations start flooding in.

3.  Optimise Your PLUMBING marketing Google Business Listing.

Chances are when someone needs a plumber, the first place they look is Google.

So, making sure you show up on Google Business is a must.

This doesn’t cost a penny.

Just time to complete your profile fully optimising key plumbing terminology, adding photos of your work and responding to any reviews (most important part in my humble opinion!).

This helps local searchers find and connect with you.

Keep it updated with new images and content whenever you complete jobs.

Best bit?

You don’t need a plumbing website to have a Google Business profile.

So no need to panic.

You can attack a website slightly later on as your plumbing business grows.

Free listing.

Free marketing.

4.  Partner Up With Relevant Trades to grow your Plumbing Business.

Rather than seeing other trades as your competition, view them as potential partners who can send plumbing work your way.

If you hit it off with any electricians, builders, kitchen fitters etc introduce yourself and offer to reciprocate on recommendations.

Boom.

Even better.

Offer them a referral partnership where if they pass work to you that ends in a job, you’ll pay them a small finder’s fee.

That incentive will get them actively looking for opportunities to put you forward.

Building up a network of like-minded, highly skilled Trades (like you) means you can lean on each other to help refer each other Ideal clients for your plumbing business marketing.

5.  Shout About your Plumbing Testimonials.

As you deliver those first jobs make sure you get written or video testimonials from happy clients.

This builds social proof fast for minimal effort.

And sometimes you don’t even have to lift a finger.

Why not ask a plumbing client to create a selfie video talking about the great job you’ve just finished for them.

Costs nothing and you don’t even need to be there for the filming.

Result.

Then whenever you complete a new job ask the customer if they’d be willing to leave a review on Google.

Or record a short video testimonial on their phone that you can post on social media.

It might feel awkward at first.

But decent people are usually more than happy to help out small businesses in this way.

And you can repay them with thank you gifts.

Pretty soon you’ll have a steady stream of nice reviews under your belt so prospective clients can see you deliver.

Then it’s just a case of continuing to do great work.

6.  Harness The Power of Social media to grow your plumbing business.

With so many people glued to social media every day, platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok offer plentiful opportunities to boost awareness without spending a penny.

Start by creating Business Profiles for your plumbing company on key channels you believe your ideal clients would use.

Flesh them out fully.

Descriptions, contact details, vibrant branding and shots of you in action.

Then build engagement organically by sharing typical plumbing jobs and handy household/business tips and tricks.

No hard sell.

Just useful info.

Reply to all comments and messages so followers feel listened to.

And join local community Groups (like on Facebook).

Responding helpfully to questions while subtly highlighting your services in a gentle, value-adding way.

Show you know your onions.

When sharing posts, use relevant hashtags to tap wider audiences.

#YourTown #Plumber #PlumbingTips

And don’t forget the power of video.

Grab clips of you tackling common issues and upload nifty how-to’s.

Entertaining videos often get great organic reach.

Collaborate with aligned brands too.

For example.

Team up with a plumbing merchant to shoot joint “plumbing hack” videos packed with plumbing tips.

Fun, creative stuff you both can share.

Essentially become a friendly and familiar face in your local area.

Build authority and trust through consistency and value on social media.

When followers eventually NEED a plumber, they’ll already feel they know and like you.

Starting a plumbing business from scratch and making it a success *is* possible even with a small budget.

You just need commitment, hustle and smarts when it comes to marketing.

⬇️   A Guide for plumbers with no marketing budget Rundown:

1.    Start with the basics – register your plumbing business!

2.    Leverage your network.

3.    Set up your plumbing Google Business listing.

4.    Partner up with relevant Trades.

5.    Shout about your plumbing testimonials.

6. Harness the power of social media for your plumbing business.

🛠   Need a little more help nailing your Plumbing Marketing?

Course you do.

First. Let’s work out where you are with all things Plumbing marketing.
Got 3 minutes?

Take our Trades Quiz to discover how you score with all things ‘Off The Tools’.

We have heaps of tips, tricks, and hacks for your plumbing business in our cheat sheets, videos and ideas waiting for you on the other side… i.e., your results page.

So, you can improve your score.

And NAIL your plumbing business.

Nice.