Tag Archives: Content Marketing

How a Content Writer Works: Insights From Blair Fawcett

What does it look like when a content writer plans out their newest website? Today, we’ll take a close look at their process as we interview Blair Fawcett, one of the skilled content writers at Plumbing Webmasters.

You can view the whole interview on YouTube, or explore our Content Marketing section for additional details about our services.

Table of Contents

Introductions With Blair Fawcett

Madison: Hey guys! Welcome back to the Plumbing Webmasters Podcast. I’m Madison. Today, we’re going to shake things up a little bit. We’re going to be talking about content creation, but from the perspective of one of our content writers. We have Blair Fawcett with us today. She is one of our spunky content writers here at the Webmasters. I’m going to be interviewing her, asking her some questions about her process.

Blair: Yes, indeed. Very spunky!

Madison: Let’s go ahead and jump right in. Blair, can you tell us a little bit about what led up to working with the Webmasters?

Blair: Absolutely. I have a degree in Creative Writing from the University of North Texas. After I graduated, I became a teacher for a few years in the public school system. After that, I decided I really wanted to focus on journaling, writing, becoming a journalist. That’s where I found the Webmasters.

Madison: Cool! You caught the bug and you’ve been writing since you’ve been in grade school? That’s awesome. A lot of our content writers start with one different degree – anthropology I think was Shabnam’s (one of our other writers) – and they end up in a few years writing as a career. But I think it’s cool to see somebody who’s been writing her entire adult life.

The Content Writer Planning Process

Keyword Research and Placement

Madison: Why don’t we go ahead and get started on your writing process? Before we start big though, let’s go on a smaller scale. Let’s take a single service page, say “Water Heater Installation” or something like that. How would you start planning that page and what’s your process for working that page?

Blair: I’m so glad you asked! I focus on two different parts of the question. One: How do I optimize the page for SEO? The other: How do I make it where it’s really easy for the customer to read?

The first thing that I do to make sure that I’m optimizing for SEO is that I make sure the word count is correct, that the headers are aligned with the subject matter. I make sure that there’s a call to action, there’s a linked phone number so the customer always has easy access to the company. They know what the company does, so they can say “Okay. Clearly this company does…” What did you say?

Madison: Water heater installation.

Blair: So if I’m the customer and I say “You know what? I need a new water heater.” This is the company that popped up and they popped up because I had my page SEO optimized. That’s great.

Madison: Okay, so you’ve clearly done your keyword research and made sure that’s ingrained into the page itself.

Blair: Keyword research is so crucial for this aspect.

Writing Content for People

Madison: Now you said you had a second goal, which was making for an easier reading experience. How are you going about that?

Blair: So I do this thing called “Kiss it. Don’t kill it.” K.I.S.S it means “Keep it short and sweet.” K.I.L.L. it means “Keep it long and lengthy”.

Madison: That’s cute. Kiss it; don’t kill it. Nice.

Blair: What I do there, I make sure it’s direct. It’s to the point, and I also make sure that the customer has access to what’s going on in that page, as opposed to it’s just long/length/tedious sentences that are missing the point.

Courting Customers and Converting Leads

Madison: That’s so important! A natural reading experience makes for great reading for the [consumer], but it also feeds back into the conversion process of actually turning a prospect into a sale, which is what our clients want. So what sort of stuff are you doing to create that natural experience and to maximize that conversion process?

Blair: I think perspective is so important. I imagine two things. I imagine that I am the customer who’s looking for service (like I mentioned earlier), and I also imagine that I’m the company. What is the message that I want to convey from the company? I do one thing that is really important: I do a logical, an ethical, and emotional appeal.

Let’s say that I have a burst pipe in my home. I’m the customer, and I want a service. I’m going to look for something that’s logical, that makes sense to me. “Yes, I need a plumbing repair right now.” Ethical: “Okay, this company is insured, they have the right certifications. Those are important from an ethical standpoint.” Then finally, we have the pathos, which is emotional. I’ve actually had a burst pipe in my home, and it was terrible! I really feel for the customer there.

Madison: That’s so cool! So you’ve been able to take a lot of your own experience (both as a teach and as a homeowner) and feed that back into your writing. That’s great. You mentioned different sorts of appeals you can make: the ethical, the emotional, and the logical. That’s really feeding back into that natural reading experience. So many plumbing websites are missing that. They focus on the sale, sale, sale. “This is why our services are great…” but they don’t relate it back to the customer.

Blending SEO With Natural Reading Experience

Madison: That’s something that many websites struggle with. How do you make sure that you have that balance with those SEO elements (and clearly displaying services) with that natural reading experience? Is that a struggle to balance those?

Blair: No! I actually have a really good team that works with me all the time. I have graphic designers that make sure the website layout is really clean, pristine, and nice. That all the buttons click where they’re supposed to go. Also, something that I personally do is make sure that all of the pictures that are associated with the services they match what exactly is going on in that page.

Here’s something that I love! Sometimes the companies will give us a whole bunch of pictures that we can work with.

Madison: Oh yes! Pictures are so nice when [clients] actually give them to us. We sometimes have to work with stock photos. We definitely don’t want to if we can avoid it. It’s okay, but if we can get those original photos…that’s fantastic.

Blair: It is. It’s authentic!

Non-Text Elements Crucial to Content Writers

Madison: Now, taking a tangent off that, you’ve mentioned that this is just one of many non-text elements. What other sort of non-text elements really feed into your process that are really important for the page?

Blair: Something that we do is incorporate Righteous Reviews…for the customers to have easy access to the reviews and then also have access to the services themselves. We have a really clean look. We really work with our [clients] to make sure that their plumbing website looks exactly the way they want their plumbing website to look like. We personalize it. We make it really stand out as a beacon of what that company’s message is and what they’re about.

Madison: Now is that from a graphical standpoint, or formatting? What sort of styling are you thinking of?

Blair: From my end as a content writer…I do a lot of research into the company. I see what they’re about. I see how long they’ve been around. Every single company is different. Whenever I work with a company, I make sure to incorporate those individual characteristics (those little details) are worked into the page as much as I can, while also continuing to have it SEO optimized and have all the easy reading.

TLDR, a Challenge for Content Writers

Madison: Speaking of reading, there’s a challenge that many content writers and businesses in general face today. There’s a saying that you’ll see on the internet:TLDR which stands for “Too Long; Didn’t Read.”

Blair: Ah! What a travesty!

Madison: So many people are crunched for time. Maybe they’re browsing for services while they’re at work or they’re at their pilates class, and they need to find information quickly. How do you deal with this challenge in a way that ensures that people actually get to the content that you want them to?

Blair: Madison! You’ve actually hit the heart of the issue. The best way to address that is to make sure that it is a pleasant reading experience. I never want my customers to feel like “Wow. I’ve gotten sold to.” I want them to feel like “Oh. This is informative. It’s telling me about this company. It’s telling me about the service.” That’s what a good website will do. That is what a good message will do.

Madison: Mmhmm. I think a lot of great websites, when you’re reading them it feels almost like a conversation that you’re having with a person, not somebody telling you “Okay, this is how X, Y, and Z goes.” It’s such a relatable experience, that it feels like you’re talking with a person.

Key Takeaways for Great Reading

Madison: What do you think are the most important elements in your content writing that are providing a great user experience for somebody that’s visiting the site (maybe for the first time)? They need services and they’re trying to get information.

Blair: I put in some imagery. I put in some metaphors; I put in some details…

Madison: There’s that creative writing for you!

Blair: Ya! Exactly…describe a burst pipe. “Ah! A burst pipe is in your home and that’s terrible.” That way everybody feels emotionally invested in the process.

Madison: So you’re scene setting?

Blair: Exactly. Scene setting; getting some imagery in there. Everyone likes a good metaphor.

Madison: So many plumbing websites when you read through them, they’re just so dry. I’m like “Ya, I know what plumbing is, but this doesn’t really relate to me.” But the way you’re describing it like a person can see the situation going on in the page. That’s really cool!

A Broader Point of View

Madison: Let’s blow up this perspective and look at it from a whole, cross-site view. How are you going to make sure, as a whole, that your content across the entire website is successful (cohesive, informative, not overlapping)? What are you going to do to try and ensure that?

Blair: Whenever you’re managing a really big website, you’ve got a lot of pages. You’ve got 60 pages that you’ve gotta make sure have a really similar message. That it all works together. To that end, on the front end [it’s about] all the research you do on the front end from the very get go. You’re going to reap the benefits of that as you go through the website and create the content.

Madison: That’s a good point. So you know ahead of time what all the services are so you’re not accidentally overlapping on content. And what else are you doing?

Clear Messaging in Website Content

Blair: Something else that I’m doing is that I’m making sure to review and convey the company’s message in a succinct way. Again, I’m making sure that… “You know what? This company really advertises trenchless plumbing repairs. Let’s make sure that message is clear, and let’s hyperlink back to it.” Because if there’s a related service, let’s hop back there. Let’s make it really easy for the customer to have access to these different pages in this big website. It’s a great undertaking to create a website, and with that comes a lot of responsibility.

Madison: Oh ya! I know from experience that process can take weeks to go through, maybe even a month depending on the size of the site. A lot of formatting, a lot of navigational structure is going in. The graphic design team is helping with that, and of course we have people like Amberlynn [our top editor] who are going in and editing it and making sure the message is consistent. There’s so much going in.

Key Takeaways for Plumbers

Madison: Now Blair. Let’s say that up to this point nobody was listening whatsoever. What would you say to plumbers if you had one thing you wanted them to take away from our discussion? What advice would you give to them?

Blair: I would say “Hi! How are you?” Dear plumbing friends, a well-designed website can work wonders for your company’s image. A really good website can tell the customers who you are in a clear way. Your website is your first point of contact with a lot of your new customers, and some of your old customers. By getting a good website, you’re putting a good foot forward on the internet and in real life.

Madison: And you’re balancing that SEO with natural reading experience so that people can not only find you, but choose you as well. Thanks for coming in, Blair. We’ll see what we’re gonna talk about next time. In the meantime, thank you so much for listening in plumbers. We’ll see you next time.

Blair: Thank you!

Related Pages From Plumbing Webmasters

For More Research:
– How to Craft a 5-Star Website User Experience (Article)
– Brown Friday: Rockstar Plumber (Podcast)
– How Plumbers Should React to the Google BERT Update (Article)

Services From Plumbing Webmasters:
– Custom WordPress Plumbing Websites
– Plumbing Leads
– Plumbing Content Management

Email Marketing for Plumbers: 10 (Awesome) Tips for 2022

Did you know that email marketing for plumbers boasts one of the highest return rates, but less than a quarter of US small businesses planned on using it in 2021? With careful segmentation, consistent scheduling, and regular testing, any plumber can craft a sophisticated (and productive) email campaign. Considering how easy and cheap the marketing channel is, it’s a wonder that more businesses haven’t made an effort to enhance their plumbing digita l marketing through email.

Today, we’ll explore ten easy ideas to power up your email marketing campaigns for stronger lead generation. If you’ve been struggling to get your email list off the ground, be sure to read along. Remember, even the most robust email campaigns work better when partnered with a healthy website and local search optimization.

Idea #1: Reader Segmentation

Do your would-be clients receive the same emails as your long-time customers? If so, you could be missing out on a whole lot of leads! While you may not experience the 750% increase in revenue that Campaign Monitor speaks of in its recent guide, email marketing for plumbers naturally benefits from matching clients with the content that suits them best.

How can you effectively break your email list into cohesive groups?

Idea #2: Segmenting by Interest

Toilets vs water heaters. There’s a huge interest gap between these two topics. Likewise, the client base in your email list is made up of different segments with very different interests. Some crave insight on how to save on water utilities. Others want to avoid the sort of emergencies that require calling your business early Saturday morning!

But how can you construct fitting segments for each of these groups?

A Potential Email List Segmentation Strategy — One Potential Segmentation Strategy Would Be to Divide Repair Clients from Installation Clients.

Take a look at each client’s service history. If you’ve kept good records over the last few years, this should be an easy task. For customers who’ve called for emergency repairs in the last three to sixth months, consider sending content related to home maintenance, leak prevention, and/or clog situations. For original installation customers, you may want to contact them with remodeling guides and style tips!

Idea #3: Segmenting by Sales Funnel

Your prospective clients might not be as eager to hear from you as your faithful company fans. One of the easiest ways to segment your email base is to consider where each individual is in the sales funnel. If you aren’t familiar with the term, a sales funnel represents the various stages of interest in your services.

When it comes to email marketing for plumbers, you may distinguish a few different levels in the funnel:

Early-stage browsers (top)
Deeply interested researchers
Spenders (bottom)

Early-stage prospects usually don’t have as much motivation to read through dense informational content, but they might be tempted with a special offer email. Your researchers, on the other hand, should be more willing to spend time reading. Client stories and limited-time-offers might be the encouragement they need to make the jump to spenders!

A Plumbing Company's Client Review — This Previous Client Might Be Interested in Learning About Septic Maintenance in a Marketing Email.

Former clients, especially happy ones, have a much higher likelihood of coming to your business for larger installations in the future. For these people, you may spend some time talking about remodeling ideas and high-efficiency products. You might even create a segment specifically for recurring clients, the ones that like to share content with their friends!

Idea #4: Personalized Email Design

Names are very powerful. There’s something wired deeply into the mind that lights up when someone’s name is called aloud. The same can be said when a company takes the time to personalize an email with a client’s name. It has tremendous conversion-boosting power, which is why the best email marketing services work so hard to gather that personal information.

In fact, it’s said that a personalized email subject alone can increase open rates by 26%.

A Concept Explaining Personalized Email Subjects — Name Usage is a Powerful Tool in Email Marketing for Plumbers. Image Source: Campaign Monitor

Custom Email Copy

Why stop at a subject line though? Imagine receiving an email specifically written with your name, service history, and interests sprinkled throughout the content! That can be a reality with today’s advanced email marketing software companies. Brands like MailChimp and AWeber offer exciting tools for personalizing your standard email campaigns with each client’s name.

Personalized emails enjoy higher click-through rates (CTR) than non-customized emails sent out en masse. Even if you can only manage to plug in the client (or prospect’s) name, it still has tremendous value for your campaigns.

Idea #5: Regulating Frequency

We get battered by a barrage of emails every day. One of our content writers boasts that his personal (non-work) inbox is filled with almost 20,000 unread emails. Marketers describe the growing resistance to opening and reading inbox messages as “email fatigue“. While you may think that people who voluntarily signed up for an email list would be a hard drive away, that simply isn’t the case.

Does your email list seem to be shrinking on a regular basis? While some regular turnover is to be expected, a rapidly dropping number of subscribers could be a symptom of email fatigue. Many plumbers operate on a monthly schedule, while others simply blast out emails whenever they feel up to it. Consider switching to a scheduling cycle with fewer releases. This allows more time to plan and craft an impactful message and offer. It also makes for higher opening percentages and reduced fatigue.

How to Schedule Delayed Email Marketing for Plumbers — Regular Email Intervals Increase the Chances of People Finding and Opening Your Emails.

Idea #6: Switch to a Scheduled Release

Does your email production schedule look random from the outside? Many contractors are so busy, they simply don’t have the time to manage a regularly recurring email campaign. However, your clients and prospects will better respect a regular release period. People like to know when to expect email!

If you’ve been wondering how to do email marketing on a tight time budget, simply write the emails whenever you have the time, and schedule them through your email provider. For instance, you can arrange delayed release through your regular Gmail account.

How to Pick a Date for Delayed Emails — If You Have Little Available Time to Write, Use Delayed Releases to Maintain Your Schedule.

Idea #7: Protect Against Email Fatigue

Worried about over-sending in your email campaigns? Having trouble keeping track of how many times you’ve mailed a particular segment? Thankfully, there are tools to assist you as your team tries to avoid creating email fatigue!

For instance, Thinbox monitors your email campaigns to see who your company contacts the most. If you lose track of posting frequency and over-push your welcome in a particular address’s inbox, Thinbox issues an alert to warn you. You can also use the planning software of the other big brands we’ve mentioned to keep tabs on your posting frequency.

Remember, moderating volume is a make-or-break challenge in email marketing for plumbers. If you successfully find your perfect posting rate for each segment, you’ll see remarkable returns on your investment!

Idea #8: Start A/B Testing Emails

We all feel the pull of routine. Writing emails for a large pool of individuals takes time and serious effort. While it’s tempting to rely on tried and (fairly) true templates, there’s also the real possibility that your emails could become even more effective at creating leads for your business.

That’s where A/B testing, the process of running two different versions of an email, comes into play.

A Graphic Explaining the A/B Testing Concept — Some A/B Testing Tools Allow You To Send the Best Performing Templates to the Rest of Your List. Image: **Zapier**

Email marketing for plumbers takes a lot of trial and error, but A/B (or split) testing makes it much easier to determine what type of materials, email lengths, images, etc. work best with your audience. Both MailChimp and AWeber provide convenient tools for convenient A/B testing, but you can theoretically save the subscription fee and do it manually. It’s just a lot more work doing it by yourself.

Going Small

Idea #9: Try Micro-Emails

In email marketing for plumbers, one of the most decisive elements of email design is the actual length of the material. 2000 word essays about the credibility, ratings, and skill of a plumbing team may do more harm than good, driving away members of your email list. In contrast, some of the most successful email marketing campaigns rely on brevity to communicate important sales, events, etc.

What if you could boil down your longest emails into 300-word releases? These short, sweet, and to-the-point emails work exceedingly well for prospective clients, particularly when combined with tasty deals. When you A/B test the same email with different lengths, just make sure you use addresses from the same user segment. This makes it easier to determine if email length is really the driving factor in stronger CTR.

New Attractions

Idea #10: Switch Email Lead Attractions

Do you use the same “Free Inspection” hook for every single email? You might experiment with some new lead attractions. There are so many alluring materials, resources, and deals to try out!

Special coupons
BOGO deals
Pro tips
YouTube how-to guides
Downloadable pamphlets
Consultations
and More

As we mentioned earlier, early-stage prospects may not respond well to certain promotions. YouTube videos and coupons are great ways to lure in would-be clients. In the meantime, you might use special maintenance promotions to bring past clients back into circulation!

Need a Digital Marketing Team?

At Plumbing Webmasters, we support hundreds of businesses around the nation with custom web design, local SEO, reputation management, and paid advertising campaigns. We’ve helped so many plumbers find page one rankings for their local service area, leading to lasting growth opportunities.

How Plumbers Should React To The Google BERT Update

You may be wondering who BERT is and what he did to affect your business. The answer would simply be: Not much. BERT is the latest major update in a long line of releases from Google.

Algorithm updates generally pursue two objectives: enhancing the average user experience and drawing people deeper into Google services.

Major updates tend to send companies scrambling to find out how their business (and/or their clients) will be affected in the keyword rankings. While this year has certainly been an impactful one for millions of listings across the US, we aren’t seeing the dramatic change with this latest algorithm renovation. As Search Engine Land’s Barry Schwartz reassuringly tells us, “…many SEOs and many of the tracking tools did not notice massive changes in the Google search results while this algorithm rolled out in Search over the last week.”.

Google representative Danny Sullivan goes even farther with his Tweet on the subject:

Danny Sullivan on the Google BERT Update

Google Rep Danny Sullivan Underscores the Company’s Focus on Informative Content.

What Does the Google BERT Update Change?

Essentially, BERT enables better interpretation of long-tail conversational search phrases. It better analyses user intent behind longer search queries, and subsequently provides stronger listing matches. Long-tail searches take up a smaller percentage of search volume compared to the popular (and ultra-competitive) short keywords, yet Google believes this update will affect 1 in 10 searches across the nation.

It’s clear that the Google BERT update has clear ramifications for businesses across the country, but what takeaways can your business pull from this release?

No Rush

Tip #1: Don’t Rush to Rewrite Your Content

Every time a new major algorithm change comes from Google, there’s an instant urge to burn everything to the ground and start over. Don’t put the torch to your content just yet, because the Google BERT update probably won’t impact your rankings very much (in the short term). If you’ve already taken the time to connect with your target market through informative content, you may notice higher rankings thanks to the update!

Take a little time to examine this last week’s Google Analytics results against numbers from previous weeks, just in case.

You should also read Google’s blog article on the subject, where they discuss in detail BERT’s effects on search query results. The update has been steadily rolled out over the last month in numerous languages. We also know from Danny Sullivan’s tweets that the Google BERT update has ramifications for both organic and local search results (such as featured snippets).

New Inspiration

Tip #2: Get Reinspired to Make Quality Content

Every new question to the Google team seems to come back with the same answer: Continue making excellent content for your users. There’s been such a heavy emphasis on keyword-optimization in the past, that many plumbing contractors forget the ultimate purpose for website material. Content is meant to provide helpful insights to guide behavior and solve problems.

Does your content directly answer the key questions that searchers are asking?

If not, let the Google BERT update inspire you to make greater steps towards insightful content. Your materials may include video, original photos, infographics, podcasts, and a host of other engaging devices, but everything comes back to user value. The good news: you can draw people to your website with user-friendly content, and still create leads for your plumbing company.

Time Investment

Tip #3: Invest More Energy in Content Marketing

If you haven’t taken time to learn more about the latest SERP features, check out our guide on the subject. Featured snippets and local map packs are dominating local search results, and Google continues to place more emphasis on them. As we mentioned already, BERT impacts both organic traffic and snippets, which is traditionally won by content marketing materials.

To this day, it’s still a struggle trying to convince plumbing professionals why they should invest time in blogging and other practical forms of content marketing.

Not only does content marketing enable your website to rank for more keywords, it provides more opportunities for interacting with potential clients. By solving real world problems that a would-be client faces, you create that much respect for your business and recognition for your website. Plumbing companies that do really well can earn featured snippets, which offer tremendous traffic boosts (ie: potential leads) for their website.

In Summary…

Don’t let this latest release from the search engine giant intimidate you. Watch out for digital marketing companies that might claim the Google BERT update comes with changes that only they know how to address. You shouldn’t feel any major effects in the near future, at least as far as your general website traffic goes.

However, there are some valuable lessons that we can learn from our buddy BERT.

Google remains heavily invested in directing users towards great content.
Even long-tail queries have significant impact in search.
Google has a vested interest in SERP features, such as snippets.
Content marketing will continue to play a key role in featured SERP results.

Testing Process Used for Google BERT Update

Google Continues to Test Out New Layouts for SERP Pages. Pay Close Attention to Search Results in Your Area!

If you haven’t been taking stock in long-tail keywords till now, it’s time to heavily consider infusing some into your content. While they may not have the volume that search volume that shorter plumbing phrases do, they’re valuable for their heavy user intent and higher conversion rates. As we’ve talked about before in previous blog posts, developing a diversified keyword strategy typically provides better traffic and growth for your business online.

Don’t miss out on traffic that you could be earning with content marketing either! Even one blog post a month could have significant value for your brand and for your local searchability. If you aren’t sure what sort of materials perform best, try seeing what sort of content your top ranking competitors are producing. You can also check out our page on perfect content for plumbing sites!

Need a Hand?

Our team at Plumbing Webmasters would love to help you grow your business online. With our custom web design, in-depth keyword strategy, and dedicated content development, plumber businesses like yours enjoy incredible rankings in local search! To learn more about our services or ask questions about the industry, call us at (877) 388-9884.

Plumber Online Marketing Confusion | The Plumbing SEO Podcast

Lately, we’ve talked with a lot of plumbing companies about highly technical services that marketing agencies try to sell them. In today’s podcast, Nolen and Jason talk about the dangers of single-service “cure all” solutions. To help you understand some of these crucial terms, we’ve also provided a short terminology guide at the bottom. If you’ve struggled to determine what your plumbing company needs to succeed online, be sure to listen in! Look Out for These Key Points

Can a singular service improve my rankings online?
Is a low-dollar service package a good deal?
What do these online marketing terms mean?

Confusion Regarding Online Marketing

For roofing contractors, explaining concepts and processes to homeowners is a crucial portion of the job. Not only do you manage expectations better this way, you also enable your customers to make informed decisions based on their needs. Now imagine a homeowner that claims they need a particular service (which you know to be unnecessary) because a shady roofer said so. Naturally, you’d want to guide your client towards the best solution, and steer them away from potentially wasteful suggestions. When it comes to online marketing, plumbing contractors often rest at a significant disadvantage to the professionals within the marketing industry. That’s because marketing experts spend countless hours researching the latest trends in online search. Most businesses use this information to better serve their current and future clients. Unfortunately, some marketing companies try to exploit this knowledge gap for the own ends. That’s where we see the rise in buzzword marketing, promoting a technical service in a way that sensationalizes both the function and the results of the solution. In buzzword marketing, an agency salesman often takes a service out of context with the rest of search engine optimization (SEO), making it difficult to understand its purpose. Of course, the sales pitch usually comes with dramatic claims of soaring site traffic and customer leads.

Be Careful of Cure-All Solutions

Plumber SEO is influenced by hundreds of different factors. Many rest within the confines of your commercial website and how well it’s optimized for search. Other external factors include your business’ reviews, the completion of your Google My Business listing, and your social media marketing activities. All of these points contribute towards your overall online marketing success. If a business struggles with low rankings, slow traffic, and poor lead generation, it’s almost never because of one factor. So when a marketing firm comes along and promotes a singular service to turn everything around, plumbing contractors should automatically be suspicious. If a company approaches you with a brand new, highly complex solution, take it with a pound of salt!

Taking a Full Health Approach

The most successful (results-producing) marketing companies always examine their clients from a broad point of view first. Our team at the Plumbing Webmasters examines hundreds of data points whenever we take on a new client. That’s because your search engine marketing (SEM) success depends on your success in several key areas. Crucial Factors for Success

Factor #1: Your Company Website – Coding, Keywords, Content, and Management
Factor #2: Your Advertising – Adwords PPC Campaigns, Facebook Ads, etc.
Factor #3: Social Media Content – Visitor Experience, Reviews, Response Speed
Factor #4: Citations – Reviews on Google; Listings on Yelp and Angie’s List
Factor #5: Phone and Email – Employee Courtesy, Responsiveness, Organization
Factor #6: Credentials – Licenses and Certifications (Including Their Promotion)

All of these elements contribute towards your lead generation and online search rankings. If that seems like too much to handle for your plumbing business, don’t worry! Experienced digital marketing companies have both the time and the experience needed to handle all of these elements (minus the credentials, that’s on you). Below, we’ve taken some of the big industry buzzwords and provided a brief explanation for each. The next time a marketing company tries to sell you something you don’t need, you’ll have a wonderful surprise waiting for them!

8 Fancy SEO Buzzwords Explained

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) This is a broad term encompassing all the activities devoted to promoting your business on Google and other search engines. Practically every element of online marketing falls under SEM.

SEO Elements Illustration for SEM Reporting

All of the Outside Elements Feed Into Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Another broad term, typically referring to website design and other activities meant to get your site acknowledged, analyzed, and (highly) ranked by Google and other search engines. It can be divided into two categories:

On-site SEO: activities and elements inside of your website meant to improve rankings
Off-site SEO: activities and elements outside of your website meant to drive better site rankings

Keywords / Key Phrases These are words and phrases intentionally placed inside your site content. Ideally, your content should include words and phrases frequently searched by people in the Google Search Bar. The search engine identifies these words inside your site and uses them to determine a page’s relevance during a consumer’s search query. Content This short, but profound term refers to any material created by a business, organization, or individual for the purpose of consumption. This may include written material, videos, infographics, pictures, and more. In the context of a plumbing website, content usually refers to the material in your service pages, homepage, “Contact Us”, “About Us”, and blog posts. Content Marketing This concept made its popular debut over 5 years ago now. It refers to the development and distribution of non-sales oriented content for the purpose of creating followers. This is why businesses now produce so many guides, top 10 lists, industry FAQs, blog posts, and podcasts (like this one). While the process takes time and consistent effort, content marketing is designed to grow brand value, enhance rankings, and establish your company as an authority.

Content is a Crucial Element on Online Marketing That Drives Engagement and Promotes Your Brand!

Geo-Fencing / Geo-Targeting Google Adwords and other paid search ad platforms provide the ability to target specific geographic area. This is by no means a new capability, though it is an important factor in creating a cost-effective and productive ad campaign. To visualize it, imagine choosing a point on a map and drawing a circle around it with your chosen mile radius. That’s geo-targeting. Social Media Marketing / Advertising Social media platforms (such as Facebook or Instagram) are excellent places to promote your business. Social media marketing is the process of promoting your brand, company, and services through these platforms. Facebook Business is a particularly helpful tool, as businesses can easily create a highly-functional place for potential customers to research and interact with your company. Social media advertising involves using these platforms to post advertisements to potential customers. Multi-billion dollar giants like Facebook have done a great job of equipping your business to target specific users and geographical areas. Schema Markup / Coding Think of these as special features coded into your website for higher functionality and better recognition from Google. These are small elements of search engine optimization (SEO) that can have profound effects on your rankings, but only in partnership with quality content, professional website design, etc. When our team at the Plumbing Webmasters says that we’ll provide a custom-built website for your business, we’re often referring to this special coding and graphic design.

Team Up With the Plumbing Webmasters!

We hope that you’ll take the knowledge here and use it in your journey towards productive online marketing. Remember, your success depends on healthy optimization for your overall strategy, not just one area. Should you decide that your business requires a professional digital marketing team, our crew at the Plumbing Webmasters would love to help you! Our clients earn better rankings, deeper engagement, and higher-quality leads. To learn more, simply call us at (877) 388-9884.

Resources For Additional Information

Earlier Podcasts and Articles on Online Marketing: – Launching a New Service: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/new-plumbing-service-launch/ – For New Companies: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/how-to-start-a-plumbing-company/ Our Related Services: – Big Picture SEO: https://www.plumbingwebmasters.com/seo-services/

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3 Ways to Leverage Your Facebook Business Page

At Plumbing Webmasters, we work with numerous plumbing contractors across the country as they work to streamline their social media marketing efforts. Time and time again, we see that familiar light bulb go off as they realize the power that social media platforms (particularly Facebook) offers for their plumbing SEO and advertising efforts. Because of the enormous marketing power that the tech giant offers professionals around the US, our team developed a handy guide for getting more out of your Facebook business page!

Keep in mind, these tips may work for other social media platforms too. If you read along and think “Hey, this could work for my Twitter Account!”, go for it.

Pro Tip #1: Share (and Re-Share) Content

Nothing adds fresh life to your website like rich visual media and informative guides. Google loves this type of content! With thorough plumbing SEO and proper formatting, your content may earn a spot of the top of consumer SERP results as a featured snippet.

Then again, there’s only so much real estate in your plumbing company website. Sometimes there’s simply no room for that high-quality video of a recent project. Your Facebook business page offers a perfect place to showcase your most attractive work that (for whatever reason) can’t be posted to your blog or gallery.

Plumbing Contractors Leave a Post on Their Facebook Business Page

Have a Great Guide You’d Like to Share With Potential Customers? Share it on Your Facebook Business Page!

Unless your company blog already has a substantial following, content rarely travels beyond the page. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer valuable results! Much of Google’s ongoing website evaluations depend upon a steady stream of new content. Facebook offers an environment much more conducive to sharing your best materials. That includes both organic sharing and paid advertising.

A New Content Lifecycle

The plumbing industry rarely experiences dramatic change, at least on a year to year basis. That means that practical guide or homeowner savings blog you wrote last year (or even two years ago) still offers great value for your clients! It simply needs updates. One of our favorite tricks at the Plumbing Webmasters is taking outstanding, but aged content and refurbishing it. For instance, we grabbed an older guide, updated the content, added invigorating visuals, and re-released one of our favorite plumber SEO guides (Your 2019 Plumbing Content Strategy).

So how can your business take advantage of this convenient trick?

Recycling Old Content on Facebook

Step #1: Take any well-performing content from previous years.
Step #2: Review the material and make updates for the current year/audience.
Step #3: Add fresh keyword optimization. Target hot questions from People Also Ask.
Step #4: Infuse fresh visuals, including diagrams, photos, and/or infographics.
Step #5: Re-post on your company blog page.
Step #6: Take the new version and post it to Facebook (minus any internal site links).

Pro Tip #2: Build Your Brand

A Plumbing Company's Facebook Review Page

Nothing Creates Trust Faster Than Open Accountability! Keep Asking for Those Google and Facebook Reviews.

Think of your Facebook business page as the younger brother to your company website. No only does it offer your customers valuable information about your operating times, reviews, etc., it also provides you with opportunities to enhance your brand image! The three most essential qualities you can convey about your business are expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Also known as the E-A-T factors, these traits promote deeper interest with prospective clients and higher rankings on Google SERPs.

E-A-T Up!

So how can plumbing contractors use their Facebook business page to create stronger relationships? Look for activities that naturally develop your E-A-T factors! Below, we identify ways to develop your Facebook profile in a way that emphasizes these qualities.

Expertise

Qualifying Expertise

A Company Directly Links Their Website to Their Facebook Business Page

This Particular Company Uses a Website Portal to Showcase Their State Plumbing License.

Does your plumbing company offer the necessary credentials and experience to warrant a higher ranking on Google SERPs? That’s the question that the search engine tries to answer every time it evaluates content from your website. After all, directing people to an un-certified professional would reflect poorly on Google’s listing capabilities. That’s why plumbing contractors must properly showcase their…

State License(s) and/or Certification(s)
Brand Certifications
Training Certifications
Related Association Membership Badges
Years of Experience

All of these website elements show that the company and employed individuals offer the necessary expertise to provide quality service. Your Facebook business page deserves the same treatment. After all, some homeowners shop exclusively through Facebook. Be sure that your certifications and licenses are featured prominently on your Facebook homepage (or under a “Licenses” page). Likewise, anyone creating blog posts or having content posted under their name should also have their credentials visible at the top or the bottom of the page in a brief bio.

Authority

Displaying Authority

This Bio Shows Clear Expertise and Authority. Source: PM Mag

Who would you trust more: a master plumber with 20 years experience or a hobbyist with no certifications? Expertise focuses explicitly on the qualifications of a business and employees. According to Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, authoritativeness examines the website as a whole, the content within, and the authority of the plumbing contractors.

Questions Google Might Ask

Does the website incorporate professional design with competent navigation?
Does the content link to authoritative industry sources?
Does the site review and refine content on a regular basis?
How often does the site produce new content?
What are the content developer’s qualifications on the subject?
How many other sites link back to material in this website?

If your business has already been around for years, odds are you and your employees already have significant industry knowledge that’s worth sharing. Share your professional insights (or have a content writer ghost-write them for you) in a simple guide. Just make sure you proudly share your credentials in certification form or in a bio (as in the example above). Authoritative content shared by an experienced industry authority: that makes for good plumber SEO and great shareability!

Trustworthiness

Earning Trust

Trustworthiness offers a bit of a conundrum. On one hand, you can easily spell out the various activities and qualities necessary to earn trust. On the other, building rapport with followers and customers takes genuine effort and (often) a lot of time. The fastest way to prove your company’s trustworthiness is to let your happy customers lay the groundwork!

Examples of Great Reviews on a Facebook Business Page

Most People Trust Online Reviews as Much as a Recommendation from a Friend or Family Member.

Of course, you’ll have to ask for reviews to receive them! If you haven’t already, try creating a special “Please Review Us!” card (or text program) that your professionals can distribute to customers after a job. Facebook page is the perfect place for reviews for many reasons.

Why Facebook Business Reviews are Awesome

They’re prominently featured across each page.
Customers tend to speak more informally.
Your business can easily write back to customers to thank them.
Facebook reviews can be easily seen by Google too, affecting trust ratings.

While it may be tempting, never erase negative reviews unless they contain inappropriate or hateful speech. Show a clear, thoughtful attempt to address any unhappy client posting in the reviews. An unhappy review here and there actually creates a sense of credibility that you wouldn’t have with only 5-star ratings.

Pro Tip #3: Generate Additional Leads

With over two billion active users on Facebook, no other social media platform offers such fantastic opportunity for developing leads away from your website. As we mentioned before, your Facebook business page provides a capable second outlet for connecting with potential clients. To support plumbing contractors and professionals in other industries, the social media giant provides incredibly sophisticated analytical tools too! Perhaps the most important tool is Facebook Insights.

What sort of information do you have at your disposal?

A List of Data Elements Businesses Can Glean From Facebook Insights

Examine the Demographics and Behavior Patterns Behind Your Target Market! Source: Buffer

Think of this analytical tool as a report card for your Facebook business page, but one that offers infinitely more detail. Your social media marketing team can easily track performance, outreach, and engagement with your target community. The platform also makes it easy to take your most popular posts and turn them into paid advertisements via the “Boost Post” feature. Do you have a particular video or guide that people just go crazy for? Try turning that content into an ad and target your geographical area.

Speaking of targeting, a huge percentage of wasted ad budget can be traced back to campaign / target mismatch. You have the right promotional message but the wrong audience. With Facebook’s ability to deliver pinpoint targeting (demographic, monetary, industry, etc.), you can rest assured that your advertising shows up in front of the eyes you want to see it. Now you can reach new markets you’ve been dying to test.

To learn more about Insights and other invaluable tools, check out the Facebook Business page!

Plumbing Webmasters & Social Media Marketing

Feel like your team has neither the time nor the energy to successfully manage a Facebook business page? Our team at Plumbing Webmasters would love to help! Our social media marketing team specializes in building long-term engagement and optimizing your page for search. We also target those essential E-A-T factors (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) to expand your business online. Clients regularly experience faster lead development, increased ROI on ad spend, and superior plumber SEO development.