If you’ve got a plumbing business but not a website, you’re missing out on potential business. Word of mouth is great. And many plumbers or local small business owners can do quite well with just a simple sign, a branded truck, and a phone number. You might be thinking ‘Leave the internet to the big guys, I’m doing just fine’. But as a small business owner, you’d be foolish not to expand your reach and engage with new customers. And best of all, getting your business online doesn’t have to be a huge headache.
Why not install a new pipeline that can fuel your business growth?
We’re not talking about a new spigot. We’re talking about a virtual pipe that creates a steady flow of customers straight to your business. Here are 3 ways that a website can take your plumbing business to the next level:
1 – Reach more people
Word of mouth can only travel so far. And sometimes you’re on a job, spending time with family or even…SLEEPING! All of these things and more mean that you can’t always be available to take calls or schedule new jobs. Your website can help fill the void and let people know what you specialize in. Which areas you cover. What your typical hours and rates are. You can also let visitors learn a little bit more about you and your business on the personal side. Potential customers will feel more compelled to work with you if they can relate to you as a person.
2 – Collect online leads
The infamous online lead machine. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A simple contact form where visitors can fill out their name and contact information, as well as a short description of what they’d like you to do for them. Most website builders and platforms include some way to create a contact form out of the box. In WordPress, we use the apps Contact Form 7 and the Flamingo. If your website doesn’t have a contact form tool, you can try services like Survey Monkey or MailChimp to set one up.
3 – Schedule online
There are lots of online scheduling tools out there as well. Most of the good ones cost a little money either on a monthly or annual basis. The great thing about many of these tools, though, is that not only can they embed right on your website, they can also serve as the scheduling tool for your business overall. Many of them have separate interfaces where you, an office worker, or secretary can add jobs that don’t come through the website as well. This has the added bonus of helping to avoid scheduling conflicts and confusion. Examples of this service include TimeTap and BookingBug.
4 – Track your calls
If you’re still not sure if you should take your plumbing business online, there is an easy way to measure your success. With a custom 800 number, you can track the calls that you get from your website. Grasshopper, CallRail, and Google Pay-per-call all offer services that allow you to track calls that come from website visitors. This is a great way to show just how much your website has helped your business.
Don’t have the time to set up a website yourself?
Not to worry, we’ve got you covered. We love working with small business owners, which is why we’ve created our exclusive small business website package. These affordably priced packages are built for speed so you can get up and running quickly.
