Many plumbers either spend too little and stay stuck, or spend a lot on ads while missed calls quietly waste the money. This guide gives you a starting number, a way to build your own budget, the order to spend in, and how to check that every dollar is working.
Start With a Sanity Check
The U.S. Small Business Administration has suggested that small businesses with revenue under $5 million put 7 to 8% of revenue into marketing, assuming margins around 10 to 12% (SBA, archived).
| Your situation | Where you might land |
|---|---|
| Steady, strong repeat and referral work | Lower end |
| Growing, adding vans or plumbers | Higher end |
| New business or new area | Possibly above the range at first |
| Thin margins | Fix lost calls and follow-up before spending more |
Build Your Own Budget: Work Backwards
Step 1: Pull your numbers
From your job software or CRM, for the last 6 to 12 months:
- Average ticket for service calls and for big jobs (water heaters, sewer, repipes)
- Booking rate: booked jobs divided by leads
- Cost per lead by channel
- How many more jobs your team can handle
Step 2: Do the math
Example (made-up numbers): you want 30 more service calls a month and book 50% of leads, so you need 60 leads. If Local Services Ads leads cost about $50, that channel needs about $3,000. At an average ticket of $350, those 30 jobs bring about $10,500 in revenue.
Step 3: Think in customer value
Some service-call customers later need a water heater, sewer work or a repipe, and some become repeat customers. The real value of a new customer is often higher than the first invoice.
Spend in This Order
| Order | Fund this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Answering every call, 24/7 if you offer it | Saves jobs you already paid for |
| 2 | Google profile and reviews | High-intent urgent calls at low cost |
| 3 | Website: service, emergency and town pages | Turns searches into calls |
| 4 | Local Services Ads | Paid leads at the top of Google |
| 5 | Search ads, partners, other channels | Extra reach once the base works |
A Sample Monthly Split
Example only for a small shop spending $3,500 a month.
| Item | Share | Example amount |
|---|---|---|
| Local Services Ads and search ads | 45% | $1,575 |
| SEO and website | 30% | $1,050 |
| Call handling, reviews and follow-up tools | 15% | $525 |
| Past-customer and partner marketing | 10% | $350 |
Time Your Spend
Plumbing is steadier than HVAC, but there are predictable spikes:
- Freezes in colder areas: raise budgets and on-call coverage before the first hard freeze.
- Heavy rain: sump pump and backup calls rise.
- Holidays: kitchen drain and disposal calls rise around big meals.
- March: the EPA’s Fix a Leak Week is a credible hook for leak inspection offers (EPA).
Judge Everything by Cost per Booked Job
| Metric | Formula |
|---|---|
| Cost per lead | Channel spend divided by leads |
| Booking rate | Booked jobs divided by leads |
| Cost per booked job | Channel spend divided by booked jobs |
| Return | Gross profit from those jobs divided by spend |
Use a tracking number for each channel and record the source of every booked job. Review monthly and move money toward the channels with the lowest cost per booked job.
Ways to Save Without Losing Calls
- Fix missed calls first. See how to get more emergency plumbing calls.
- Start paid search with Local Services Ads, and set job types carefully since out-of-scope leads are no longer credited.
- Follow up on every quote. See how to get more plumbing leads.
- Ask every customer for a review. See our plumber review guide.
Questions to Ask Any Agency
- Will you report cost per booked job, not just clicks?
- Who owns the website, ad accounts and call tracking numbers?
- What will you do in the first 30 and 90 days?
- How long is the contract?
Our plumbing marketing plans start with a $1 full audit, so you can see where your money would do the most good.
Sources
Want this done for you?
Start with our $1 full audit: your Google Maps ranking, reviews, website and missed calls, plus a 30-minute video walkthrough.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of revenue should plumbers spend on marketing?
A common starting point is the SBA guideline of 7 to 8% of revenue for businesses under $5 million with healthy margins. Growing or new businesses often spend more for a while.
Should a new plumber spend on ads or SEO first?
Fund call handling and your Google profile first, add Local Services Ads for fast calls, and build SEO for the long term.
How do I know my plumbing marketing is working?
Track cost per booked job by channel and compare it with the gross profit from those jobs.
Is it worth paying an agency?
It can be, if they track booked jobs, not just clicks, and you own your accounts and tracking numbers.
When should plumbers spend more on ads?
Before predictable spikes: hard freezes in cold areas, heavy rain seasons and the holidays.
More Plumbing Marketing Guides
Or see how it all fits together on our plumbing marketing service page.
