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Marketing an Electrician, Plumber or HVAC Company

About 3 hours

Something breaks at the house and a person grabs their phone. They type "electrician near me" or "plumber near me" and pick whoever looks real and close. For a home service company, that moment matters a lot. This guide covers what to do about it, in the order that matters. Plan on about three hours.

You need: your Google login, a list of what you fix, and a phone to take photos.

Step 1. Set your service area and hide your address

If customers do not come to your address, such as when you work from home, hide your address and set a service area. That is what Google's rules call for.

  1. Go to business.google.com and select Edit profile, then Location.
  2. Next to Service area, select Edit.
  3. Choose or type the cities you really serve. You can have up to 20.
  4. Select Save.

List where your trucks actually go. Google says a service area generally should not extend more than about two hours' drive from your base. For the full steps, see How to Choose Your Google Categories, Services and Service Area.

Step 2. Pick your category and list each service

  1. Pick the most specific primary category, such as plumber or electrician, whichever fits what you are.
  2. Select Edit services and add each service separately, like drain repair, panel upgrades or AC tune ups. Add a short description of each.
  3. Add a price only if it is current and you will honor it.

Step 3. Set hours, including emergency hours

Set regular hours. If you take emergency calls, say so, and say when. If you do not, say that too. Set special hours for each holiday, and make sure your voicemail says the same thing as your profile. See Check Your Hours Before the Holidays.

Step 4. Add real photos

Finished jobs, your truck, your crew at work. Add them a few at a time. See Which Photos to Put on Your Google Listing.

Step 5. Post a before and after

One post proves the work better than any ad: the before and after.

  1. Take a photo of the job when you arrive. Take another when you finish. Same angle if you can.
  2. Get the customer's okay first.
  3. Check that no house numbers show, and nothing else private.
  4. Write two or three sentences: the problem, the fix and the result.

Copy this and fill in the blanks:

Before and after: [what it was and what you did]. Done in [time frame]. Call [number] if you have a similar problem.

People hiring a tradesperson want to see that you do it right. A real photo says that better than words.

Step 6. Ask for reviews, and reply to every one

Text the customer a review link as you finish the job, while the work is fresh. The steps and the words to say are in How to Ask for a Google Review Without Feeling Awkward. Reply to every review. See How to Answer a Google Review, Good or Bad.

Step 7. Say what your license says

If you are licensed, say so on your website and your profile, and make sure it is true. Check what your state requires in advertising. In Arizona, ask the Registrar of Contractors whether a license number must appear in ads and on your website.

Do you need Instagram?

Plumbers and other home pros often wonder. Honest answer: not first. Start with your Google profile, because that is where people look when a pipe is leaking. Then pick one place to show your work.

Instagram is good for photos of finished jobs, but only if you will keep it going. A page that stops after two posts does not help. If you will not post, skip it and put the effort into Google. If you do want to start, see How to Set Up Facebook and Instagram for Your Business.

Keep the details matching

Your hours, phone number and service area should read the same on Google, your website and any other listing. If you close early because a job is running long, change it everywhere the same day. See Make Your Name, Address and Phone Number Match Everywhere.

Check your work

  • Search "[your trade] near me" on your phone, then your business name. Does your profile look real, close and open?
  • Your service area, hours and phone number are right.
  • Each main service is listed.
  • You asked for a review after your last job.

If you would rather hand this off

Home service owners are out on calls all day, and marketing is the thing that gets dropped. We keep your Google profile, website, social accounts and listings matching, reply to reviews in your own voice, and write and publish your posts on schedule. We never post hours, closures or specials you have not told us. See our marketing for plumbers and electricians, or get started.