Plumbing Ads: 9 Ways to Attract Customers [With Examples]

1. Facebook advertising

Facebook is effective for plumber advertising because you can easily reach a large number of potential customers for free—and it’s easy to set up yourself. With 197.6 million users in the U.S., there’s a good chance your ideal customers are on Facebook.

Facebook ads are also affordable. On average, they cost 69¢ per click, or $12.58 per thousand impressions. This amount will vary depending on your location and target audiences.

READ MORE: 10 ways to optimize your Facebook business page

There are many ways to market your plumbing company on Facebook. One option is to boost a post on your timeline and invest money (as little as $1 a day) to share it with your audience.

You can also run a sponsored ad through Meta Ads Manager. This lets you customize your message, audience, geographic area, and budget to reach your business goals.

No matter what Facebook advertising method you’re using, try these ideas to turn followers into customers:

• Provide a clear call to action (CTA). This tells the reader what they should do next, like sending you a DM, calling a phone number, or visiting your website for more information.
• Address customer pain points in your posts. Griswold Well & Plumbing Services uses humorous plumber ads to address a common customer pain point in this Facebook ad—the fear of a cold shower.

2. Instagram advertising

Instagram relies on images and videos, making it the ideal place to show off the visual appeal of your plumbing work. With 179.9 million users in the U.S., it’s another very popular social media platform.  

Instagram ads cost $0.40–$1.25 per click, or $3.00–$6.00 per thousand impressions. You could pay more or less depending on your targeting and the time of year.

Like Facebook, Instagram lets you boost individual posts or run targeted advertising campaigns. Either way, you can use your own images or videos, choose your audience and location, and set a budget.

When you’re running Instagram ads, you’ll get more clicks—and more new customers—if you try ideas like the ones below:

• Use quality images. To stand out from other plumbing contractors, use strong images and videos that tell the story of the work you’ve done for past clients.
• Share testimonials. Text-based images can really stand out among photos and videos. This plumbing ad example from Impetus Plumbing highlights a positive review and helps build trust in the business.

3. Google advertising

87% of searches for plumbing and related services start on Google, according to Phil Risher of Phlash Consulting, a company that specializes in digital marketing for home services businesses. With 90% of the market, Google is the most popular search engine in the world.

A Google ad can range in cost, depending on your budget and the keywords you’re bidding on. It’s common for businesses to spend $1,000 to $10,000 per month on Google Ads.

There are several ways to run ads on Google: Google Local Services Ads, Google Search Ads, and Google Display Ads. We’ve outlined each option in more detail below.

Google Search Ads

Google Search Ads appear near the top of Google’s search results, below Local Services Ads. Bid on keywords that customers use to search for your services, like “plumber near me.”

This type of ad includes a headline with your target keyword, a description of your services, a call to action, and a link to your plumbing website.

Google Display Ads

Instead of showing up in Google search results, Google Display Ads appear as graphics, banners, or videos on individual websites as your potential customers browse the internet.

4. Quora answers

Quora is an online community where users can get answers to questions about any topic, including plumbing. Around 148 million of Quora’s 400 million users are from the U.S., so your ideal customers are likely on this platform.

Quora answers are also included in search engine results, as well as responses from AI tools like ChatGPT. Even if your customers aren’t Quora users, they can still see your answers when they ask a question online.

Sharing your expertise tells potential customers you’re knowledgeable, trustworthy, and you care about your customers. This can lead to more sales and a better online reputation.

Quora is free to use, but Quora for Business also lets you run sponsored Q&A ads that appear in users’ feeds. Bid on specific topics to display ads, using a daily budget of at least $5.00 USD.

Try these ideas to turn Quora users into paying customers:

• Provide useful information. Not all Quora users are in your area or will use your services. But when you build a reputation as a helpful business, users who live in your area and see your responses are more likely to contact you for services. Here’s one example of what a useful response could look like:

5. Lead generation websites

Lead generation websites, or marketplaces, help business owners connect with potential customers who are actively looking for plumbing services. Site users are highly qualified and motivated to make a buying decision.

While it’s essential to have profiles on these sites, you’ll usually pay to use them. They’re often pay-per-lead or pay-per-click, though, so they’re well worth the investment.

The cost and features of a lead generation website will vary depending on which site you choose. Look into websites like:

• Thumbtack lets homeowners search for plumbers who may be a good fit for their job. It also lets you adjust your target preferences to choose the types of plumbing leads you want to pay for. Your Thumbtack profile could look something like this:

6. Direct mail advertising

Sending postcards, flyers, door hangers, and brochures to homes is a great way to reach new customers in your service area. Simply hand them out in the areas where you want to work.

Direct mail has an average response rate of 3.75% for the home service industry, and 15% of responders become customers. This is a lower response than digital marketing (10.75%), but has a much higher conversion rate (compared to 1.75% for digital).

Postcards and other direct mail items are easy to create using PostcardMania’s free templates. They’re also affordable to distribute since you can mail them out in bulk using your customer contact list.

Direct mail is a more traditional way to advertise, but there are still new ways to do it. Consider ideas like the ones below.

• Track success with promo codes. Offer special deals with neighborhood-specific promo codes like “Brooklyn” and “Queens.” This shows you which areas bring in the most new customers or the highest-value jobs, so you can focus your efforts on more profitable neighborhoods.
• Send magnets and stickers. These can be handy items for customers to keep around. For example, if you send out a branded magnet with cooking measurement conversions, customers are more likely to put the magnet on their fridge. This keeps your brand front and center in their kitchen and can help them contact you when they need a plumber.
• Make it feel personal. Provide information to help the customer get to know your company. Here’s an example of postcard marketing from Modern Plumbing and Heating. The photo of Master Plumber Raun Grover and his son adds a personal touch to the ad:

7. Lawn sign advertising

After every completed job, ask the homeowner (ideally a satisfied customer) if you can place a sign on their front lawn. This helps grow brand awareness for any ideal customers passing by and it tells them that you work in their area.

Keep these tips in mind if you’re considering lawn sign advertising:

• Use a simple but informative design. Your sign should include your business name and logo, phone number, and website URL. That way potential customers can find out more about you and get in touch to book services.
• Start small, then order in bulk. It’s relatively inexpensive to print a handful of lawn signs when you’re starting out. Pricing is often under $20 per sign, with the price per unit decreasing as you buy larger amounts. But hold off on buying 200 signs until you know this advertising method is helping you win profitable work.
• Offer an incentive. Customers may not want to display your sign on their lawn, so give them a reason to. For example, in exchange for allowing the sign, enter customers into a draw to win a gift card to a local restaurant. Pure Plomberie does this with good results:

8. Vehicle wraps

A vehicle wrap or decal advertises your plumbing business wherever you go. After the up-front printing and installation costs (usually around $2,000–$5,000 for a full wrap), it’s a free ad that lasts for years.

Vehicle wraps get around 70,000 impressions per day, depending on where you operate. And most people who see it are ideal customers, since they live or work in your service area.

When you’re designing a vehicle wrap, follow these tips for best results:

• Work with a professional. While you might be able to print a vehicle sticker yourself, a design and print shop can create a high-quality version that’ll look great and last longer. This makes your brand look more professional and makes better use of your budget.
• Include essential information. Your vehicle wrap should have your business name, logo, slogan, services, phone number, website URL, and any other information that potential customers should know. That said, keep the design simple so the information is easy to absorb in just a few seconds.
• Use your company branding. Your vehicle needs to stand out from other plumbers’ vans. The design should use your colors, fonts, symbols, and any other visual elements that help set your brand apart. Here’s one example of a van wrap from Guest Plumbing:

9. Video advertising

If your business operates in a high-competition area, has multiple locations, and has a large enough budget, you should consider producing videos for TV and YouTube. You can also use these as ads or post content on platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

Plan to spend a few thousand dollars on production. This will involve hiring a professional production company to create the best plumbing ads possible.

A cable ad will start around $200 for ad placement, with some networks and time slots costing thousands of dollars (and even more for prime-time events). YouTube ads can cost less, starting around $5–$10 per day, but this can scale to fit your budget.

While it costs more than other advertising channels, video marketing is a great way to quickly share your message with a very large group of people. We recommend making your ad dollars go further with these ideas:

• Explore different networks. Start by purchasing ad space with small, independent television networks. Your message won’t go as far, but you can try a few plumbing ad ideas and see what works best. You can move to the bigger networks once you know which ads are earning phone calls and website visits.
• Reuse your ads in different formats. YouTube and TV commercials are short, usually 15 to 30 seconds long. You can easily repurpose these to advertise on Google’s ad network and various social media platforms. They can even be used in customer emails and on your website.
• Shoot multiple commercials at once. You can save time and money shooting three or four commercials in one day with the same actors and locations. For example, shoot in a bathroom to show how your team fixes leaks, then move downstairs to show a water heater repair. This also helps your ads feel more visually consistent, which helps customers recognize your brand.
• Get creative. It’s easier for customers to remember interesting ads that grab attention and tell a story. Roto Rooter is known for its memorable TV ads that appeal to customers of all ages and walks of life. This one has over 3 million views, thanks to a little wordplay about clogs. They also produced 15-second and 30-second versions of this ad to fit different ad formats—a great example of repurposing:

Plumbing ad tips to help you get started

Not sure where to begin advertising your plumbing business? Follow these tips for creating an ad campaign that wins new customers: