11 advertising mistakes plumbers should avoid

March 7, 2014
The first step in the design of any ad is the identification of the objective Most contractor advertising appeals to men, even though women select plumbing contractors You can no longer take out a big Yellow Pages ad, wait for the phone to ring, and consider that a marketing plan Often the messaging from one plumber looks and sounds just like the marketing messaging from any other plumber Good graphic design can spell the difference between an ad that works and one that fails Advertising and marketing requires repetition    

Marketing is a challenge for most plumbing contractors.  They don’t know where to market or what to say.  Here are the most frequent advertising mistakes plumbers make.

Mistake No. 1 — No objective: The first step in the design of any ad is the identification of the objective. What do you want the ad to accomplish? It’s hard to aim if you don’t have a target.  What do you consider to be a successful result? Is it gross revenue attributable to the marketing?  Or, is it gross profit? Or incoming calls? Is it to attract new customers or existing customers? 

Mistake No. 2 — Wrong target: Most contractor advertising appeals to men, even though women select plumbing contractors.  Talk with your call takers about the person who calls for service. Ask your plumbers to describe who answers the door and pays the bill. Describe this person. How old is she? What does she want from a plumbing company? What does she fear?  How can you win her trust? Then, make sure your marketing and advertising appeals to her.

Mistake No. 3 — Wrong media: If you pick the wrong target, chances are good you are going to pick the wrong media. It should be no surprise that plumbing contractors tend to advertise in places that appeal to men. For example, instead of radio and cable ads on sports stations and channels, consider the stations and channels women listen to and watch. For social media, stress female dominated Pinterest over male dominated Twitter.

Mistake No. 4 — Lack of media balance: The old days of monolithic Yellow Pages advertising are over. You can no longer take out a big Yellow Pages ad, wait for the phone to ring, and consider that a marketing plan. Today, you need a balanced approach that includes digital (website, blog, social media, web video, banner advertising, search engine marketing, etc.), print (Yellow Pages, newspaper, city magazines, newsletter ads, direct mail, shared mail, flyers, etc.), outdoor (truck, building, billboard, door hangers, etc.), and broadcast (broadcast TV, cable TV, radio, and Internet radio like Pandora).

The right media mix is based on a number of factors, including affordability, geographic precision (i.e., how well the media matches your service area), segmentation (i.e., how well the media reaches your target demographic), and timing. Ultimately, your media mix should result in consistent call volume throughout the year.

Mistake No. 5 — No Differentiation: Too often the marketing messaging from one plumber looks and sounds just like the marketing messaging from any other plumber. What makes your company different from everyone else? What causes your company to stand out? How are you communicating uniqueness?

Mistake No. — No call to action: A call to action instructs the prospect on a specific action.  A call to action is strengthened when there’s urgency (e.g., an ending sale date, an expiration of tax credits, etc.). What do you want a prospect to do after seeing your ad? Should she visit your website? Should she call you? Why should she call you? When should she call you? What should she ask about?

Mistake No. 7 — Poor design: Good graphic design for digital or print ads can spell the difference between an ad that works and one that fails. Unfortunately, plumbing contractors know less about graphic design than graphic designers know about plumbing. In both fields, it pays to hire a professional. If you are going to use DIY graphic design, at least study the subject.  Learn about layout, how the eye travels, the use of white space, and so on. Deploy color strategically. Limit the use of fonts (i.e., just because you have 500 fonts doesn’t mean you should try to use all of them in an ad).

Mistake No. 8 — Bad headlines: The most important copy in a print or digital ad is the headline. It should speak directly to your target. It should grab the target’s attention. What need are you addressing? What desire are you invoking? What in your headline will compel the prospect to read further?

Mistake No. 9 — Bad copy: Poor grammar and spelling scream a lack of professionalism as loudly as a posterior vertical smile. Conversely, don’t expect good results from copy that’s as exciting as a freshman term paper. Have a conversation with the prospect. Tell a story. Engage.  Write so the prospect wants to read to the end.

Mistake No. 10 — No staying power: Advertising and marketing requires repetition. One and done advertising is a waste of money. People need to see an ad multiple times to notice it, and then need to notice it multiple times before paying real attention. When you invest in advertising, invest enough to give it a chance to succeed.  Set your minimum budget at the start of a campaign and stick with it. Then, measure the ad’s results against your objective.  Did it achieve your objective? If not, why not? Can it be improved? Is there a better use of your advertising and marketing funds?

Mistake No. 11 — No calendar: Related to staying power is the marketing calendar.  A marketing calendar is a visual depiction and plan for your marketing over the next 90 days at a minimum.  It helps you ensure that you are advertising consistently and that you are using a mix of media. 

Matt Michel is CEO of the Service Roundtable, contracting’s largest business alliance. Check out the free downloads at ServiceRoundtable.com. For pre-designed, fully customizable marketing solutions specifically for plumbing contractors, try the Service Roundtable at $50 per month. Visit www.ServiceRoundtable.com or call 877.262.3341 and ask for a free tour of the site.

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