4 Smart Retargeting Strategies To Win Back Lost Plumbing Leads
The tricks learned in this blog post have saved our clients $1000s on lead generation.
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If you are running ads or getting any kind of website traffic, retargeting ads for plumbing services might be the easiest way to squeeze more profit out of the clicks you already paid for. Instead of letting visitors leave and forget you, retargeting quietly follows them around the web and reminds them to call you the next time their pipes explode at 10 pm.
Want a website that makes you money? Book a strategy call with Digital Dream Homes now.
Studies show that retargeted ads often get a click through rate around 0.7 percent, which is about 10 times higher than standard display ads at just 0.07 percent. Users who see retargeted ads are also 70 percent more likely to convert than people who never see them. For a local plumber, that can mean more emergency calls, more water heater installs, and more high ticket jobs from the same ad budget.
Why Retargeting Ads For Plumbing Services Are A Secret Weapon
Most plumbers run regular search or Facebook campaigns, get some clicks, then watch visitors disappear forever. Retargeting ads for plumbing services change that by only targeting people who already showed interest in you.
Here is what that looks like in the real world:
A homeowner in your town Googles “emergency plumber near me”
They click your ad, land on your site, read a bit, then get distracted by a crying kid or work call
A tracking pixel quietly tags them in the background
The next day, they scroll Facebook or read the news and see your “Local 24/7 Plumber” ad again
When the problem gets worse, they remember you and finally hit the Call Now button
Because these people already know your name, retargeting clicks are usually cheaper and more likely to turn into actual booked jobs. In remarketing campaigns, a healthy click through rate often sits between 0.5 and 2 percent, which is strong for local service businesses.
If your plumbing site is already built to look professional and convert visitors – like the examples in Best Plumbing Website Design Tips For More Calls – retargeting simply gives you more second chances to win the job.
How Retargeting Works For A Local Plumbing Business
Retargeting is simpler than it sounds. There are three main pieces.
1. Install Tracking On Your Website
You or your marketing partner add small snippets of code called pixels or tags from platforms like:
Google Ads
Facebook / Instagram
YouTube
These pixels track who visited your site and what pages they saw, so you can later show them specific ads.
If your website is still outdated or confusing, start by fixing that first with a strong foundation like How To Create A Professional Website For Your Small Business. A better site makes every retargeted click more valuable.
2. Build Custom Audiences
Next, you create audiences based on visitor behavior. For plumbers, smart audience segments might be:
People who visited your emergency plumbing page but never called
Visitors who checked your water heater replacement page
Past customers who visited your contact or thank you pages
You can then show different ads to each group. For example, anyone who visited your water heater page might see ads like “Stop Cold Showers – Same Day Water Heater Replacement”.
3. Show Follow Up Ads Everywhere Your Customers Hang Out
Retargeting ads can show up on:
Facebook and Instagram feeds and stories
Google Display Network on news and blog sites
YouTube pre roll video ads
Compared to regular display campaigns, retargeting clicks are much more engaged because you are talking to warm prospects who already met you once. Retargeted display ads typically have a click through rate about 0.7 percent vs 0.07 percent for generic display ads.
Smart Retargeting Strategies For Plumbing Services
Here are practical retargeting strategies any plumber in the United States can put to work.
1. Follow Up On “Price Shoppers”
Scenario: A homeowner visits your “Drain Cleaning Specials” page, scrolls, then bounces.
Retargeting strategy:
Show them a Facebook ad that says
“Still Dealing With Slow Drains? Local Plumber, Upfront Pricing, Same Day Service.”Send them to a simple landing page with a clear offer and phone number
This works even better if you treat the page like part of a sales funnel, similar to what we talk about in Sales Funnel For Small Business Website That Prints Money.
2. Stay Top Of Mind For Big Ticket Installs
Scenario: Someone spends time on your tankless water heater page but does not contact you. They are interested but not ready.
Retargeting strategy:
Run YouTube or Facebook ads that explain benefits like lower bills and endless hot water
Include an offer such as “Free Estimate On Tankless Installations This Week”
Because people researching big ticket jobs take longer to decide, retargeting keeps you in front of them while they collect quotes.
3. Turn Website Visitors Into Referral Machines
If you are already following the tips from How To Get More Referrals For Small Local Business Fast, add retargeting on top of it.
You can:
Show past visitors ads asking for reviews
Encourage them to share a “Friends and Family Discount” landing page
Run list based retargeting campaigns to customers who already hired you once
The more times someone sees your brand, the more likely they are to remember you when a neighbor complains about a leak.
4. Promote Helpful Content, Not Just Coupons
One of the easiest ways to make retargeting feel less pushy is to send visitors back to helpful content. For example:
A blog post like “5 Things To Check Before Calling An Emergency Plumber”
A listicle style article, similar to the format explained in What Is A Listicle And Why Your Website Desperately Needs One
Helpful content builds trust, positions you as the expert, and warms people up for your higher value services.
Budgeting And Measuring ROI On Retargeting Ads
Good news for plumbers with tight budgets: retargeting usually costs less per lead than cold prospecting ads because you are advertising to a smaller, warmer group of people.
Many local businesses start with as little as 5 to 10 dollars per day in retargeting budget and scale up as results come in. Retargeting campaigns often deliver better click through and conversion rates than cold display traffic, which helps keep your cost per lead under control.
Track these metrics:
Impressions – how many times your retargeting ads were shown
Click through rate (CTR) – what percentage of people clicked
Conversion rate – how many of those visitors called, filled out a form, or booked online
Cost per lead – total ad spend divided by number of leads
If math is not your favorite thing, that is exactly where a skilled partner helps. Retargeting really shines when it plugs into a larger system that includes Google Ads, solid landing pages, and a clean site structure like the one outlined in 9 Reasons Small Business Should Hire A Google Ads Agency.
Plug Retargeting Into A Complete Plumbing Marketing System
Retargeting is powerful on its own, but it works best as part of a complete online strategy:
A clean, professional website that loads fast and looks amazing
Use ideas from Best Plumbing Website Design Tips For More Calls to improve conversions.
A simple sales funnel that moves people from ad to landing page to booked job
Think of the structure shown in Sales Funnel For Small Business Website That Prints Money.
Traffic sources like Google Ads, Local Service Ads, and Facebook campaigns feeding new visitors to the site
Retargeting ads that recapture visitors who are not ready to call on the first visit
Once that engine is running, every new visitor becomes an asset. Even if they do not contact you today, your retargeting system keeps tapping them on the shoulder until they need a plumber.
Final Thoughts: Make Retargeting Ads For Plumbing Services Your “Second Chance Machine”
Most plumbing companies waste money by only giving visitors one chance to call. The businesses that win in competitive markets are the ones that follow up intelligently.
Retargeting ads for plumbing services turn your website into a second chance machine, bringing back distracted homeowners, strengthening your brand, and lowering your cost per lead over time. If you want help building a plumbing marketing system that ties together your website, funnels, content, and retargeting ads so everything works in sync, we would love to help.
So knowing the benefits of running retargeting campaigns and having your own website for your plumbing business is one thing, but actually making the switch and reaping those rewards is another. But don’t worry, we’re here to help…
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