The Simple Content Strategy for Growing Plumbers
Welcome to a drafty garage in Fairbanks, Alaska. It’s probably not the "high-end studio" you’d expect from a marketing expert, but that is exactly the point of today’s lesson.
Life loves to throw curveballs. I recently moved to Minnesota, but a house sale brought me back to the frozen north of Fairbanks for a few days. I packed for a quick trip—which means I didn't bring my fancy studio lights, my 4K camera, or my "content development kit." My schedule is a mess, I’m tired, and I don't even have a printer for a script.
In this situation, I had two choices:
Stay silent because I couldn't make a "perfect" video.
Order a cheap microphone and a tripod on Amazon and keep talking to my audience.
I chose option two. Being "there" is infinitely better than being invisible. If you’re a plumbing business owner waiting for the perfect time, the perfect camera, or the perfect hair day to start your social content strategy for leads, you are leaving money on the table. Let’s talk about how to fix that.
The "Water Filter" Principle: Turning Service Calls into Gold
One of my biggest pet peeves is a plumbing company that wants massive growth but refuses to spend ten minutes a day on content. You have the best content in the world, literally sitting in the back of your van.
Think about this: My brother is a plumber. He told me about a specific water filter in my house that clogs every six months and kills the water pressure. Because of his advice, I know exactly what to look for.
You give tips like this ten to twenty times a day to individual customers. Why are you only telling one person at a time? Every time you finish a job and think, "I wish homeowners knew [X]," that is your signal. Pull out your phone before you even put the van in gear. Don't worry about the grease on your forehead—that’s called "authenticity," and people love it. Tell the story: "Hey, I just left a house where the water pressure was dead because of a $20 filter. Check yours every six months so you don't have to call me for an emergency." That 60-second clip is pure gold for your brand.
Stop Thinking Landscape, Start Thinking Vertical
If you want to be discoverable in 2026 and beyond, you need to stop filming like it’s a 1990s home movie. Turn that phone sideways. I mean, keep it vertical!
We are looking for "Shorts," "Reels," and "TikToks." These are the formats that the algorithms are pushing right now. When you record that quick tip, post it to your business page first, then share it to your personal page.
You’re going to notice something: some videos will flop, and some will skyrocket. That’s okay! I do this for a living, and my videos do the same thing. Content is a game of "at-bats." If you only swing once a year, you’re going to strike out. If you swing every day, you’re eventually going to hit a home run. When you find a video that gets a little traction organically, that’s when we pour gasoline on the fire.
The $60 Lead Engine: Scaling Your Content with Ads
Organic reach is great, but let’s be honest: stuffing 300 people into a room sounds like a lot, but in the digital world, it’s a drop in the bucket. If you want to build a business that supports a team and gets you out of the truck, you need scale.
Here is the secret: Take that one tip video that performed well and put $60 behind it as an ad.
In the marketing world, we talk about CPMs (cost per thousand impressions). For sixty bucks, you can get your face and your expertise in front of roughly 10,000 local homeowners. Imagine if you did that once or twice a week. Suddenly, you’re reaching 200,000 people.
Now, let's set some expectations. Out of 10,000 people, you aren't going to get 1,000 phone calls immediately. Human beings don't work like that. But what you are doing is building "top of mind" awareness. When their water heater actually explodes three months from now, they aren't going to Google "plumber near me"—they’re going to think, "Oh yeah, that guy in the van who told me about the filters. He seemed like he knew his stuff."
Why "Good Enough" is Better Than "Not Done"
I run Mammoth Marketing for Plumbers, and we help guys go from zero to $8 million and beyond. Do you know what the biggest hurdle is for the companies that get stuck? It’s the hang-up on perfection.
If I waited until I was back in my Minnesota studio to record this, I would have missed a week of connecting with you. My team depends on me to keep the machine running. I need lead flow to keep my employees busy and my business growing.
The same applies to you. You have people depending on you. You can’t afford to wait for a professional film crew to show up at your job site. Your "social content strategy for leads" should be raw, it should be real, and it should be frequent. Whether you’re in a garage in Alaska or a basement in Ohio, the camera on your iPhone is plenty of "kit" to get the job done.
The Reality of Modern Advertising
There is no "magic playbook" that works 100% of the time because humans are unpredictable and the internet changes every fifteen minutes. But there is a science to testing.
By creating consistent content, you become a better communicator. You learn what your local audience reacts to. You find out that maybe people in your town care more about hard water than they do about leaky faucets. You can’t learn those lessons from a textbook; you learn them by running ads and looking at the data.
Don't just run a boring ad that says "Free Consultation." Give them meat on the bone. Give them value. Show them you’re a human being who happens to be an expert at plumbing. That is how you win the market.
Let’s Build Your Roadmap
I’m going to be here in Fairbanks for a bit, likely shooting more videos in front of this garage door or hopping over snow piles. I’m not letting my surroundings stop me, and you shouldn't either.
If you’re a plumbing business owner and you’re tired of guessing what your next move should be, my team and I want to help. We don’t just "run ads"; we build roadmaps for growth.
If you want the Tyler Williams crew to take a look at what you need to focus on to grow your business, I invite you to schedule a consultation at my website here. We’ll take a look at your current marketing, see where the holes are, and give you a clear path forward.
Stop waiting for perfection. Get the phone out, hit record, and let's get to work.
