Key takeaways
- Reviews come first for a plumber, because many customers call in a hurry and choose from what they can read on their phone. Ask at the door once the water is back on, and text the link that day.
- Set the rule by job: an emergency repair at the door, a water heater the next morning, a repipe after the final inspection. Ask every customer the same way, including the one who grumbled about the price.
- A customer who calls once every few years needs a reason to remember you: a sticker on the water heater, a yearly email, and a Google profile that still shows up when the next leak starts.
- Run paid ads only for jobs you can actually answer. An emergency ad at 2 a.m. with nobody on the phone pays for calls you miss.
In this guide
- Plumbing marketing ideas, in the order to try them
- When to ask for a review after a plumbing job
- What the plumber says at the door
- Plumber review templates: text, email and a leave-behind card
- Reputation management for plumbers: replying to the usual complaints
- Your Google Business Profile as a plumber
- Plumbing service pages that answer the search
- Keeping the customer who only calls every few years
- Paid ads for a small plumbing shop
- Common plumbing marketing mistakes
- Where Reputation Beam fits
- Keep going
A plumbing customer with water on the floor doesn't compare logos. They search on their phone, read a few reviews and call. That makes the most useful plumbing marketing ideas fairly simple: get a steady flow of honest reviews, then make sure the next person with a leak can find you and believe you'll turn up.
This guide starts where the money is for a small shop, with exactly when to ask (at the door when the leak is fixed), what the plumber says, texts to copy and how to answer complaints about emergency pricing. Then it moves through your Google profile, service pages, staying in touch with a customer who only calls every few years, and which ads are worth paying for. It's written for an owner who still runs calls. HVAC owners will want the HVAC version of the review routine.
Plumbing marketing ideas, in the order to try them
Start with reviews, then your Google Business Profile, then pages for your main jobs, then ways to keep past customers and win landlords and remodelers. Paid ads come last. A small plumbing shop has more calls to win from being easy to trust on a phone than from anything it could buy first.
Google says reviews feed into local visibility: "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking" (Google Business Profile Help). Here is a rule-of-thumb order, with what each step costs you in effort.
| Order | Idea | Effort | What it does for a plumber |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ask for a review after every job | A sentence and a text | Gives the next caller something to read |
| 2 | Fix your Google profile | An afternoon | Puts you in the map results for your towns |
| 3 | Pages for emergency, drains and water heaters | A weekend | Answers the question they searched |
| 4 | Water heater stickers and a yearly email | A small print order | Brings back the customer who forgets you |
| 5 | Landlords, property managers, remodelers | A few visits | Steady repeat work between emergencies |
| 6 | Paid ads | Money and tracking | Fills slots you already have open |
When to ask for a review after a plumbing job
Ask at the door, once the water is on and tested, because relief is the strongest thing a plumbing customer feels. Send the link by text the same day. The exceptions are a job whose result takes time to show, such as a water heater or a repipe, and a late-night emergency, when the text should wait until morning.
Here is a rule of thumb by job. Write it down and use it for every customer, including the one who sighed at the invoice.
| Job | Spoken ask | Text with the link |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency leak or burst pipe | At the door, water back on | Same day, or next morning after a night call |
| Drain or sewer clearing | After you've run the water | Same day |
| Toilet, faucet or fixture | When it's installed and tested | Same day |
| Water heater replacement | After you show them the controls | Next morning, after they've had hot water |
| Repipe or remodel rough-in | At the final walkthrough | After the inspection passes |
| Estimate with no work done | No ask | Decide once: a paid invoice triggers it, or nothing does |
| Landlord or property manager | Don't ask every job | Once a year at most |
A drain has a catch: it can clog again next month, and that may have nothing to do with your work. Don't wait and hope it stays clear, or you end up asking only the customers whose drain held. Ask on the same schedule, and if it does come back, the review reply below shows how to handle it.
The customer who only calls once every few years is why the same-day ask matters most. You may not talk to them again for a long time, so you won't get a second chance to ask. If you've never asked before, send the email at the end of the templates section once to everyone from the past few months, then switch to asking after each job.
What the plumber says at the door
The plumber who did the work asks in one sentence, after showing that it works, and says a text is coming. It sounds natural because the customer is usually still saying thanks. Give every plumber the same sentence. Here are made-up versions for three common jobs.
You
All done. The new shutoff is in and I've run it twice. No more drip. That's the part that failed, if you want to keep it.
Customer
Thank you. I thought I'd be mopping all night.
You
Glad we caught it. We ask every customer for an honest Google review. We're a small shop and it helps people find us. I'll have the office text you the link, if you'd like to.
You
Your new water heater's running. Here's the shutoff, here's the temperature dial, and the sticker with our number is on the side.
Customer
When do I get hot water?
You
Give it about an hour. We'll text you tomorrow morning to check it's all good, with a link for a Google review if you'd like to leave one.
Customer
That's more than I expected for a Saturday night.
You
I understand. The after-hours rate is on the invoice, and the office can go through it with you on Monday. The drain's clear now, and here's what to watch for.
The office closes the loop by sending the text, and it can ask for texting permission at booking: "Can we text you about your appointment and follow up afterward?" Record the answer. Written consent on the work order is stronger, as the texting rules guide explains.
Plumber review templates: text, email and a leave-behind card
Send a text the same day naming your shop and the job, asking for an honest review, with one link. Naming the job in the customer's own words ("the leak under your sink") shows the message was written for them. Text only customers who agreed to it, and let everyone else get the email or the card.
The FCC's rule (47 CFR 64.1200) requires prior express written consent for texts that include an advertisement or count as telemarketing, and it treats a "stop" reply as a reasonable way to revoke consent. This is general information, not legal advice. Add a line to the work order, as below.
Consent line for a plumbing work order
I agree that [Business name] may text me at the number above about this job and to ask for a review afterward. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out. Agreeing is not a condition of service.
Text: emergency repair
Hi [First name], it's [Your name] from [Business name]. Thanks for calling us about [the leak under your sink]. Would you take a minute to leave an honest review on Google? [review link] Reply STOP to opt out.
Text: the morning after a night call
Good morning [First name], it's [Business name]. Hope the rest of your night was dry. If you have a minute, would you leave an honest Google review? [review link] Reply STOP to opt out.
Text: drain or sewer clearing
Hi [First name], [Business name] here. Thanks for having us out to clear your [kitchen drain]. Would you share an honest review on Google? [review link] Reply STOP to opt out.
Text: water heater, next morning
Hi [First name], it's [Business name]. Hope the hot water's working well. Call [phone number] if anything's off. If you have a minute, we'd be grateful for an honest Google review: [review link] Reply STOP to opt out.
Text: one reminder, a few days later
Hi [First name], [Business name] again. If you still have a minute for a Google review, here's the link: [review link] Either way, thanks for calling us. Reply STOP to opt out.
Leave-behind card, tucked in with the invoice
Thanks for having us in your home today. If you have a minute, an honest Google review helps a small plumbing shop like ours. Scan the code or visit [review link].
[Your name], [Business name], [phone number]. We answer [hours].
Email: repipe or a big job
- To
- [Customer email]
- Subject
- A quick favor after your [repipe]
Hi [First name],
Your [repipe] passed inspection, so that wraps up our work. Thank you for trusting [Business name] with it. If anything needs attention, call me at [phone number] and we'll come back.
If you have a few minutes, would you leave an honest review on Google? It helps other homeowners in [town] decide who to call.
Leave a review: [review link]
Thanks, [Your name]
[Business name], [street address, city, state, ZIP]. Don't want emails like this? [unsubscribe link]
Email: one time, to everyone from the past few months
- To
- [Customer email]
- Subject
- Would you review [Business name] on Google?
Hi [First name],
We're asking all of our recent customers for an honest review on Google. It takes a minute and helps people nearby decide who to call when something leaks.
Leave a review: [review link]
Thank you for your business, [Your name]
[Business name], [street address, city, state, ZIP]. Don't want emails like this? [unsubscribe link]
How to find your Google review link covers getting and testing the link, and a Google review QR code makes the card easier to use. Yelp's content guidelines say "Businesses should never ask customers to write reviews," so keep Yelp links off the card. The FTC's guide on soliciting reviews adds: "Don't ask for reviews only from customers you think will leave positive ones."
Reputation management for plumbers: replying to the usual complaints
Reply to every review within a few days, keep it to three or four sentences, explain your general practice and give a name and number. Plumber reputation management comes down to this, plus fixing what the complaints point to. Don't post what the customer paid, and never trade anything for a changed review.
| Complaint | What's usually behind it | What the reply does |
|---|---|---|
| "Charged a fortune" for a night call | After-hours rate they didn't expect | Explains that rates are quoted before work, offers to go through it |
| "Drain clogged again" | Roots, grease or a real miss | States the warranty and offers a camera look |
| "Paid for a visit and they didn't fix it" | Diagnostic or trip fee | Explains the fee in general, offers a call |
| "Said two hours, took six" | A previous job ran long | Apologizes without excuses, says what you're changing |
| "Tried to sell me a new water heater" | A replacement pitch | Says you give options and the choice is theirs |
| "Left a hole in my wall" | Access cuts not explained | Explains how you handle patching, offers to look |
Here are three made-up replies. The first is the classic.
Greg H. (example)
GoogleCalled for a leak on a Sunday night and the bill was outrageous. Fixed it fine but I felt robbed.
Reply from Harbor Street Plumbing (example)
Thank you for the feedback. A Sunday night call does carry an after-hours rate, and our plumbers should explain it before starting, so if that didn't happen, I want to hear about it. Please call me at [phone number] and we'll go through the invoice together. Ray, owner
Dana W. (example)
GooglePaid to have my main drain cleared and it backed up again three weeks later. Not impressed.
Reply from Harbor Street Plumbing (example)
I'm sorry you're dealing with that again. Main lines can back up for several reasons, and a repeat within our warranty period gets a free return visit, including a camera look so we can see what's causing it. Please call Ana at [phone number] and she'll set it up.
Marisol T. (example)
GoogleDanny showed up within the hour, found the leak behind the washer, and cleaned up after himself. Would call again.
Reply from Harbor Street Plumbing (example)
Thank you, Marisol. I'll pass this along to Danny, and we're glad the leak's taken care of.
Don't threaten a reviewer. The FTC says a business can't use an "unfounded or groundless legal threat" or intimidation to stop or remove a review (FTC questions and answers), and it prohibits fake reviews too. Fix a billing mistake because it's a mistake, separately from the review: Google prohibits "requests for revision or removal of a review or rating in exchange for an incentive." How to respond to negative reviews has more, and how to remove a Google review covers the ones that break Google's rules.
Your Google Business Profile as a plumber
Set up your profile as a service-area business with your real name, the towns you actually serve, plumber as your category and each service listed. Hide your home address if customers don't come to it. Fill in the hours you really answer: a 24-hour listing means someone picks up at 2 a.m.
Google's guidelines say "you should hide your business address from customers" if you're a service-area business, and that your area "shouldn't extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time from where your business is based," though larger areas may suit some businesses. Some plumbing listings stuff "emergency" into the name, but Google says "including unnecessary information in your business name isn't permitted, and could result in the suspension of your Business Profile." Use the name on your van and license.
Before
Harbor Street Plumbing 24/7 Emergency Plumber Drain Cleaning
After
Harbor Street Plumbing
The services go in the services list. Keywords in the name risk suspension.
Before
A rented mailbox in the next town over, to appear local there
After
One profile based where you really operate, listing that town in your service area
Google says a virtual office isn't eligible unless it's staffed during business hours.
Before
A stock photo of a smiling plumber
After
Your van, your crew, a clean water heater install, with no house numbers showing
Real photos show there's a real local shop behind the listing.
Google's services page explains Edit services. List what you really do: leak repair, drain cleaning, water heater installation, sewer line repair, fixture installation. Keep prices and phone numbers out of custom service names, as Google asks.
Plumbing service pages that answer the search
Write one page for each main job, in the words people use when something's wrong: emergency plumber, drain cleaning, water heater replacement. Each page should say what you do, where you come, how you price it, and how fast you can get there. The fear behind each search is different, so the pages shouldn't be copies.
| Page | What that customer is worried about | What the page should say |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency plumbing | Water damage, night rates | What to shut off now, how after-hours pricing works, your real hours |
| Drain cleaning | Whether it'll come back | Snake or camera, what you find, your warranty |
| Water heater | Cold showers, replacement cost | Repair or replace, how fast, what's included in an install |
| Sewer line | Digging up the yard | Camera first, then your options |
| Leak detection | A bill they can't explain | How you find it, and the cost of opening a wall |
| Repipe | A big job in their home | Timeline, patching, permits, inspection |
Your best material is what you already say on the phone. Write down your answers to the last ten questions you were asked, and put them on the page. Add a line with what to do in the first five minutes of a leak, because someone standing in water wants that before anything else.
- 1
Harbor Street Plumbing answers emergency calls in Harbor City and nearby towns.
Who and where
Name the towns you can reach quickly.
- 2
Shut off the water at the main valve, usually near the meter. Then call us.
Right now
Useful before they've hired anyone, which is why they'll call.
- 3
We answer until 10 p.m. every day. After that, leave a message and we'll call at 7 a.m.
Real hours
Honest hours prevent the 'nobody answered' review.
- 4
We tell you the after-hours rate on the phone, before we come.
Pricing
This one line heads off the most common complaint.
- 5
Your license number, and two or three of your Google reviews.
Proof
Ask permission before reusing a review on your own site.
Put your license number on the site and everything else you print, and check your state's rules. In California, the Contractors State License Board's advertising guidelines say licensed contractors must include their license number in "all forms of advertising," and that C-36 plumbing contractors must display their business name, address and license number on each side of commercial vehicles in letters at least 1 1/2 inches high. Other states differ, so ask your own licensing board. Skip town pages for places you don't serve, and don't copy one page twenty times with the town name swapped. How to add Google reviews to your website explains how to show reviews on these pages.
Keeping the customer who only calls every few years
A plumber's past customer may not need you again for years, so make your number easy to find when the next leak starts. Put a sticker on the water heater and the main shutoff, send one useful email a year, and show up in the same place on Google. None of this costs much, and it saves paying for the same customer twice.
2 stickers
On the water heater and near the main shutoff (rule of thumb)
1 email
A year, tied to something useful, such as freezing weather
1 question
Asked on every call: how did you hear about us?
Where the weather fits, send a reminder before the first hard freeze about outdoor faucets, or a yearly note about water heater upkeep. Send it by email, because written consent is the safe basis for promotional texts. Here's one to adapt.
Email: yearly reminder before a freeze
- To
- [Customer email]
- Subject
- Before the first freeze: outdoor faucets
Hi [First name],
A hard freeze is forecast for [town] soon. Two minutes now can save a burst pipe: disconnect your hoses, and shut off any outdoor faucets that have an inside valve.
Our number is on the sticker on your water heater, or call [phone number] if you'd like us to take a look.
[Your name], [Business name]
[Business name], [street address, city, state, ZIP]. Don't want emails like this? [unsubscribe link]
Landlords, property managers and remodelers
One property manager with a dozen units can call more often than any single homeowner. Remodelers and builders need a plumber who shows up when the walls are open, and real estate agents hear from buyers after inspection reports. Go in person, leave a card with your license number, and answer quickly the first time they call. Be honest about capacity: a one-person shop may not suit a builder on a tight schedule.
Worth trying for a small shop
- Property managers and small landlords
- Remodelers and kitchen and bath shops
- Real estate agents and home inspectors
- A referral credit for past customers, with no link to reviews
- Van lettering, with your license number if your state requires it
Be careful with
- Lead sites that sell the same job to several plumbers
- Door hangers that say which neighbor you were just helping
- Group coupons that bring one-time bargain hunters
- A social media calendar that takes time from answering the phone
- Reward cards tied to leaving a review, which Google prohibits
You may reward someone for a referral. You can't do it for a review: Google prohibits offering "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services" for one. For neighbor recommendations, see how to get recommendations on Nextdoor.
Paid ads for a small plumbing shop
Paid ads make sense for a plumber when someone answers every call and the job is worth the lead. Try Google's Local Services Ads first, for one service area during your open hours. Search ads for emergency terms can work too, but only with someone on the phone. Pause when you're booked out.
Google's Local Services Ads page lists "Plumbers" as a US category and says you "only pay when a customer gets in touch from your ad." Its screening page says plumbing is an urgent category where professionals "undergo an additional level of screening," including background checks for service professionals, so allow time for that.
A rule of thumb: set a monthly test budget you could lose without it hurting, and ask every caller how they found you. If the number of booked jobs doesn't cover the spend after a full month, change the service or the area before you add more. Costs vary too much by town for a general figure to mean much, so be wary of anyone quoting one without knowing your market.
Common plumbing marketing mistakes
Wasted plumbing marketing usually skips a step or pays for calls nobody answers. These are the ones to watch for.
- Asking only after a good job, or letting each plumber decide who gets asked.
- Never asking on emergency calls because the customer seems stressed.
- Keywords in the business name, or a rented address in the next town.
- Paying for 24-hour emergency ads with an answering machine on nights.
- Posting what a customer paid in a reply to their review.
- Pages for towns you don't serve, copied with the name swapped.
- Leaving a job without a sticker, a card or anything with your number on it.
Plumbing marketing setup
0 of 11 done
Where Reputation Beam fits
Reputation Beam sends review requests by text and email from one dashboard. If you run your jobs in Housecall Pro or Jobber, finished visits can come in from there and a request can follow each one, so an emergency call on a busy day still gets its text. Templates use placeholders for the customer's name, your business name and the review link, and follow-up reminders can go to people who haven't responded. Each request has its own link. Each customer's permission to be texted is recorded, and imported customers aren't texted until it is. Google and Yelp reviews arrive in one feed, and you can reply to Google reviews from there.
Keep going
Google's review policy has the full rules on asking, and the best time to ask for a review covers timing for other trades. For showing what customers wrote, see using customer reviews in marketing. Neighboring trades have their own versions in electrical contractor marketing, pest control marketing and roofing marketing ideas.
Questions people ask
What is the best way to market a small plumbing business?
For a small plumbing business, start with Google reviews and a complete Google Business Profile, because many plumbing calls come from someone searching on a phone with a problem right now. Next, build a page for each main job: emergency repair, drain cleaning, water heaters. Then keep past customers with a sticker and a yearly email, and build relationships with landlords and remodelers. Add paid ads last, for jobs you can answer.
When should a plumber ask for a review?
A plumber should ask at the door once the work is done and tested, because that is when the relief is real, and send the review link by text the same day. After a late-night emergency, send the text the next morning. For a water heater, wait until the customer has had hot water overnight, and for a repipe, wait until the final inspection passes. Use the same rule for every customer.
What is reputation management for plumbers?
Reputation management for plumbers means asking every customer for an honest review after each job, replying to the reviews you get, and fixing what the complaints point to. Common plumbing complaints are emergency pricing, drains that clog again, and late arrivals. A short calm reply, with a name and number to call, does more for the next customer than an argument. Never pay for reviews or offer a discount for one.
How do you reply to a review saying a plumber charged too much?
Thank the reviewer, explain in general terms how you price the work, such as after-hours rates or a diagnostic fee, and give a name and number to go through the invoice. Don't post what they paid, and don't call the reviewer cheap. If you made a billing mistake, fix it whether or not they change the review. Google prohibits offering refunds or discounts in exchange for changing or removing a review.
Should plumbers use Google Local Services Ads?
Local Services Ads can suit a small plumbing shop that answers its phone, because Google lists plumbers as a category and you pay for leads instead of clicks. Google says plumbing professionals go through an additional level of screening as an urgent category, including background checks for service professionals. Test one service area, count booked jobs, and turn the ads off during hours when nobody can take the call.
Do plumbers need their license number on ads?
It depends on the state. In California, the Contractors State License Board says licensed contractors must include their license number in all forms of advertising, and it sets lettering rules for plumbing contractors' commercial vehicles. Other states have their own rules, and some license plumbers through a separate board. Check with your state licensing board before you print van lettering, cards or door hangers.
Was this guide helpful?
Get the free review request checklist and new guides
Twenty checks to run before you ask customers for reviews, as a one-page PDF. After that, a short email when new guides go up, at most once a week.
