As a plumbing contractor, you’ve probably done a Google search of other plumbing companies in your area. And, what you discovered is that there are probably quite a few. Granted, not all of them are direct competitors of yours, but it still shows that you need positive ways to stand out from the crowd.

While the primary focus on your advertising and marketing budget should be getting the word out about your home service company and what it does, it’s the job of public relations to ensure that you build your brand so that you differentiate yourself in the market.

Know Your Competition

When you hire a PR partner, one of the first things they should ask you is who your major competitors are. They want to know this so they can see how you fare in the market when compared to those businesses.

If you’ve never taken the time to do a deep dive into your competitors’ websites, social media channels or by talking with any of your technicians who used to work for them, now is the time to start. If you want to grow and scale your home service business, you’ll need to know what your competitors are doing wrong – and what they are doing right.

While you’ll surely look at their service offerings and find out how they’re recruiting skilled employees, you also need to look at their online presence from a customer’s point of view. See if they’re easy to find on a Google search, find out how engaging they are with commentors on their social media platforms, and see if their websites are customer friendly.

You should also note how well they stack up to you in an organic Google search. If they rank higher than you, they are probably either paying for the privilege, or they’ve hired an effective PR agency.

A Well-Executed PR Plan

Many of the methods Google uses to rank companies for its organic searches are as secretive as a country’s nuclear launch codes, but we do know how some of it works.

One of those ways is an effective and well-executed public relations plan: the more often your company is mentioned online, the higher it will sit in a Google search.

But getting your name out to the public requires a PR strategy that includes everything from issuing press releases that speak to issues that are being talked about in the news to presenting yourself as a thought leader in the industry. This plan should also include writing regular blog posts that provide homeowners with helpful DIY tips or advice when they have plumbing issues.

If you’re not the plumbing company your local media taps to provide tips on how to prevent frozen pipes during the next cold snap, you need to be. And the way you build a relationship with the local media is by keeping your company’s brand top-of-mind.

If the press doesn’t contact you about the pipes, send out a press release providing the tips on your own. Make sure the release is written in Associated Press Style and triple check it for grammatical errors. If reporters see that you’re willing to go on the record about an article they are planning to write, they’ll love to have a built-in source.

You should also contact podcasts and trade publications that those in your industry listen to and read. Pitch your knowledge of market trends, changes in codes and regulations or any other newsworthy event that affects your industry.

By having your name and your company’s name appear organically throughout the internet in a variety of ways, you ensure that Google’s algorithm will note your appeal.

Your marketing team, and your competition’s marketing teams, are probably already pros at finding the right keywords and improving your technical search engine optimization (SEO). Since this is a common component of effective marketing, most companies know how to do this, and it is the reason why you need an additional boost.

By publishing high-quality content and being a respected online personality, you’re given that boost. But you need an exemplary PR team to do it. 

Finding a PR Partner

Now that you know how PR can help boost your online presence, you need a team to develop and execute a plan.

While you may be able to do this yourself, you probably don’t have the time. You are running a business, after all. It also takes someone who is skilled at developing content and knows how to reach out to the media, podcasters and others.

You can either hire an in-house public relations expert or you can hire a PR agency. While there are pros and cons to both, you need to ensure this person or team works seamlessly with you and your marketing department.

With an in-house PR expert, you’ll have a guarantee they will be looking out for your business because they are also employed by that business, but getting an employee who understands the industry and knows how to do the job well can be expensive.

If you opt for an outside team, you’re hiring a team of professionals, but you need to ensure you hire one that understands the trades and has the right contacts in the home services industry.

You can rest assured that if you’ve turned on your local news only to see your No. 1 competitor being interviewed about tips to prevent frozen pipes during a cold snap, your rival is likely executing a planned PR strategy.