Admittedly, content marketing and plumbing may seem—at first—like they exist in totally separate universes. When a home or business owner has a plumbing emergency, after all, he or she is likely to just pick up the phone and dial the first local plumbing company to appear in a Google search window—meaning the need for things like Facebook posts, blog entries, and press releases is minimal, at best. Right?
Not necessarily. While it’s true enough that Google has fundamentally changed the ways in which consumers seek out plumbers and other home contractors—instead of looking to the Yellow Pages, most of us simply pull out our smartphones or our tablets—it’s not quite fair to say that the first plumber found is going to be the first plumber called.
Searching for Answers
Consider the nature of most plumbing problems. While real plumbing emergencies do happen, it is not as though the average homeowner regularly finds himself or herself with a torrent of water spraying out of a busted pipe, or with a basement that is quickly flooding. (If this is the scenario you find yourself in, then perhaps you should call the first plumber you can find!)
In most cases, the issue is going to be something altogether more elusive. The garbage disposal is emitting a foul odor, and the homeowner does not know why. The toilet is making a peculiar noise, and the homeowner does not know why. When these things happen, the average homeowner is going to go straight to a search engine—but rather than simply call the first plumber listed, he or she is first going to try to figure out what the problem is, and what needs to be done to fix it.
Establishing Authority
That’s where content marketing enters the picture. By posting informative and instructive content to the Web, you can ensure that yours is the plumbing company to rise to the top as homeowners search for answers. And, by providing information that helps with the diagnosis—and perhaps even the correction—of a major plumbing problem, you’re effectively establishing your plumbing company as one that is authoritative, people-oriented, trustworthy, and ready and eager to help.
Just take the earlier example of a toilet that’s making noises. If a local homeowner Googles for an answer and stumbles across your company blog, addressing this very topic, then you’ve already established yourself as the plumber who helped him with their problem. If it turns out they need a new toilet, or a repair that most lay people can’t make, you’re likely to earn his business because you’ve already earned his trust. And if the problem is something the homeowner can address on his own, you’ve at least cultivated the idea that you are reliable and helpful—something that homeowner will surely remember for the next time there’s a plumbing snafu.
Retaining Customers
Content marketing works for building client loyalty, too, by the way. If a homeowner uses your company for repairs, then checks out your Facebook page after the job is done—and if what he or she finds there is a series of helpful plumbing maintenance tips, green plumbing insights, DIY projects, and so on—then you stand to win their attention, and ultimately keep your name in front of them for any future plumbing needs.
Content marketing and plumbing do not exist in separate universes—not by any stretch. In fact, a content marketing initiative may be one of the very best ways for the plumbers of today to win loyal, enthusiastic patrons.
The team at Grammar Chic specializes in a variety of professional writing and editing services. For more information about how we can help you, visit www.grammarchic.net or call 803-831-7444. We also invite you to follow us on Twitter @GrammarChicInc for the latest in writing and editing tips and to give a “like” to our Facebook page. Text GRAMMARCHIC to 22828 for a special offer.
Amanda E. Clark founded Grammar Chic in 2008. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and holds degrees in Journalism, Political Science, and English. She launched Grammar Chic after freelancing for several years while simultaneously leading marketing and advertising initiatives for several Fortune 500 companies.