Marketing with AI
Marketing with AI: How Plumbers Can Ride the Wave Instead of Drown in It
Hey, Tyler Williams here—founder of Mammoth Marketing for Plumbers. If you're a plumber or run any kind of home service business, you've probably been hearing the term AI tossed around like a wrench at a job site. You’ve seen the ads: “AI will change everything!” or “This tool does it all—no thinking required!”
Well, today I want to take you behind the scenes, plumber-to-plumber (okay, marketer-to-plumber), and walk you through the good, the bad, and the hilarious when it comes to Marketing with AI.
Spoiler: It’s not magic, but it is the most powerful tool we've had since someone figured out you can unclog a drain without taking the whole house apart.
The AI Genie Is Out of the Bottle
Let’s just start with this: AI isn’t going anywhere. It's like the internet in the early 2000s or credit cards in the '90s. People were skeptical at first, but now you can’t run a business without it.
AI is this crazy whirlwind of innovation, and yeah—it’s overwhelming. But that doesn’t mean you’re going to get left behind. I genuinely believe that if you take a smart, steady approach, you’re going to crush it.
At my agency, we use AI every day. Not in every single way yet (because, let’s be honest, the quality isn’t always there), but we know it’s getting better. There’s a saying in the AI world: “This is the worst it will ever be.” And that’s the truth.
Two years ago, I tried to generate an image of a woolly mammoth—because, you know, my agency is called Mammoth Marketing—and it came out looking like a hairy blob with more tusks than logic. Now? I can prompt an AI to make a mammoth in sunglasses and a branded polo shirt, and it looks legit.
Imagine what that means for your business.
How Customers Are Adapting to AI
Here’s something wild—we implemented an AI voice receptionist for one of our clients. They were missing calls after hours but didn’t want to hire more staff. So, we tested an AI answering service.
And guess what? It worked. Sometimes the AI would text the customer a scheduling link. Sometimes it’d forward a message. And yeah, sometimes customers were like, “Uh, no thanks, robot lady.” But that’s changing fast.
People will get used to it, just like they got used to ordering fast food on a screen or typing their credit card numbers into a sketchy website (shoutout to my parents for yelling at me the first time I did that).
This hesitation is temporary. And the faster you get used to using AI tools in your business, the faster you’ll start seeing results while others are still scratching their heads.
The AI Tool Jungle (And How Not to Get Lost in It)
There are thousands of platforms claiming to be “the best AI for XYZ.” It’s a mess. It’s like walking into a parts store where everything is labeled “BEST PLUMBING TOOL EVER!” but half of it doesn’t work.
My advice? Don’t try to use every shiny new thing. AI is raising the floor for everyone—meaning that basic tasks are getting easier and more affordable.
You can now have one live CSR backed by two AI bots that never sleep. Your call coverage just got turbocharged with barely any added effort. And the same thing applies to content creation, marketing, lead nurturing, and more.
Creative Marketing Is Getting Weirder—and Better
Now here’s where it gets fun.
A client needed a referral ad campaign. In the past, that would've meant hiring actors, a video crew, and spending a big chunk of the budget. Instead, I used AI to:
Generate a realistic image of a middle-aged woman in her kitchen.
Write a fun, relatable script.
Record my voice, then replace it with a female AI voice.
Sync the AI lips to the voice.
Boom—instant ad. She talks about her bestie “Sally,” referral cards, scented candles, and a fridge full of casseroles (because nothing says Midwest quite like unsolicited lasagna).
Would I have been able to do that a year ago? Heck no. But now? It’s fast, scalable, and funny—which is the holy trifecta in advertising.
No More Stock Photos, Please
Another one of my pet peeves: stock images of “fake plumbers” in shiny overalls. We all know that guy's never touched a wrench in his life.
But now I can just say, “Hey AI, give me a plumber in a fuchsia polo shirt standing at a front door,” and I get a customized image that actually matches the client’s brand.
It’s like hiring a graphic designer, photographer, and stylist—without the HR paperwork.
Two Roads: Authentic vs. Ultra-Creative
Here’s where marketing is headed. It’s going to split into two major paths:
Authentic Content – This is you on your phone, shooting a quick video on the job site. No polish, just real talk. People love this stuff because it feels honest.
Ultra-Creative AI Content – Think: bodybuilders who hate hauling water jugs. Yeah, I made that ad too. The dude just wanted a water filtration system so he could fit through doorways again. Pure comedy, high engagement.
Both of these paths work—but only if you use AI as your tool, not your crutch. If everyone’s using AI to do the same thing, you still have to stand out. That's where creativity, storytelling, and strategic thinking still matter big time.
The Secret to Winning with AI? Know Your Problems
AI is overwhelming. I get it. There’s too much happening, and the learning curve can feel like a climb up Mount Everest... in flip-flops.
So here’s my battle-tested approach:
Pinpoint the pain in your business.
Ask, “Can AI help with this?”
If yes, only focus on that one area until you figure it out.
Then move to the next.
One of my favorite experiments was uploading 10 years of financial data into ChatGPT and asking for trends. Did I trust the output completely? No. But it gave me insight I couldn’t have gathered in Excel without taking a two-week sabbatical.
And I didn’t have to hire a CFO for it.
Let’s Recap: Marketing with AI Is Here to Stay
AI isn’t going to replace you. It’s going to replace the repetitive, boring, time-sucking stuff you shouldn’t be doing anyway.
And it’s going to give you tools to:
Generate better ads.
Talk to customers faster.
Create smarter, more fun content.
And stand out in a noisy market.
But you still need to bring your imagination, your humor, and your unique brand to the table. Otherwise, you’re just part of the AI noise.
If you want help figuring out what parts of your business could be better, faster, or funnier with AI—that’s where I come in.
Let’s Talk About Your Business
Want me and the Mammoth Marketing crew to take a look under the hood of your business? Maybe find the AI tools that could save you time, money, or even your sanity?
Schedule a consultation at https://tylerwilliams.net/ and let’s map out how you can grow your business without working 80-hour weeks—or worse, using stock photos of pretend plumbers.
