Dating back to the early 1900s with his great grandfather, you could say that plumbing runs in the Plumberlorian’s blood. He, (@theplumberlorian on IG), alongside his brother, has run a family-owned and operated plumbing service and repair company since 2005. He started in the plumbing trade as a part-time apprentice while he was attending college Read more
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Dating back to the early 1900s with his great grandfather, you could say that plumbing runs in the Plumberlorian’s blood. He, (@theplumberlorian on IG), alongside his brother, has run a family-owned and operated plumbing service and repair company since 2005.
He started in the plumbing trade as a part-time apprentice while he was attending college, and once he graduated, he decided against pursuing a career with the Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications he obtained, and became a full-time, licensed journeyman plumber, eventually getting his Master Plumbing license. “I learned most of my skills from working alongside my father as an apprentice; from there it was a matter of repetition and different experiences on the job that eventually led to me getting my journeyman’s and feeling 100% comfortable running a service truck on my own. I later got my master’s and here we are over 16 years later.”
Family is a big part of who he is, and it’s also what keeps him grounded. “I have a loving wife, and two beautiful boys whom I hope to pass down my skills to when they are old enough. I enjoy what I do every day, but for me, it’s not just about the work I do, but also the people I get to meet and help along the way,” says The Plumberlorian.
He says it’s always tough to keep a good work/family life balance. “If there’s work related stuff I need to discuss at home, I’ll get that out of the way usually once I get home, but for the rest of the evening I focus on my family, while trying to stay engaged with my wife and kids. I’m all for working late from time to time to get the job done, but you definitely have to find balance. The kids are only young once, and I intend on being there for them and my wife as much as I can,” says The Plumberlorian.
And it’s that family unit that has helped him throughout his plumbing career. The Plumberlorian owes a lot to his father and his brother, both of whom have guided and helped him. “My father would be my biggest mentor in and out of the trade for sure, being a licensed master plumber himself,” he says. “My brother, too and that’s weird to say because he’s my younger brother, but we grew up learning the plumber trade together, and we bounce ideas/tips off each all the time, which is always helpful.”
Does The Plumberlorian consider himself a mentor for others? He does now. “I started the Instagram account to blog my journey, but over just a matter of months, I’ve had a dozen or so reach out to me saying they love what I’m doing on social media and that it’s inspiring. It always catches me off guard when I hear that and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. I want to reach more people on here, not just those in the trade already.”
The Plumberlorian has met a lot of amazing people on social media, and he admits he was a “babe in the woods” starting off, yet he was fortunate to have a few people who supported what I was doing right in the beginning. “I have made some solid friends for sure. A few that I talk to on a daily basis, which is so awesome. I have also picked up a few tips and tricks as well from other plumbers on here. I think that’s one of the coolest things from a trades’ standpoint is that we can share with others so easily things we have learned.”
And while the Plumberlorian’s most trusted tools on the truck are his torch, pliers and tape measure, “it’s great that some of these tool brands and others I have used for years are so engaged with their audience. That’s another positive of social media, that it gives them a way to interact with their users, whether it’s just purely for entertainment purposes or their trying to shed some light on a new tool or product. I’ve had the opportunity of having some of my videos shared, which is always great.”
Speaking of social media, the handle @theplumberlorian is such a cool name. “Well, I am a plumber, and a big fan of The Mandalorian. I also can relate a lot to the main character Din or “Mando” in the show. It’s twofold for me: here you have this guy who goes on missions each episode and somehow the mission goes sideways at some point. Being a service plumber, I can definitely relate to that. I’m sure other trades can as well. Some jobs go smoothly from start to finish, but then there’s others that aren’t that way at all,” he says.
“The important thing is to have the knowledge for when they aren’t straightforward missions, and you can adapt to the changes in front of you. Mando also becomes sort of a father figure to Grogu, this child-like creature he stumbles upon, and being a father myself, there are some scenes that choke me up because in the end, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do to keep our kids safe. He’s a relatable character for a lot of people, and I think that’s why the show is as popular as it is. This is the way.”
In the end, he says the plumbing industry needs to do a better job attracting people to the trade; there’s a negative picture painted of blue-collar work by a lot of people who pass it down to their children. “It starts in the home really and it’s a tough nut to crack for some. I’ve met plenty of people who have a positive viewpoint of the trades, but I’ve met others that acted as if it’s beneath them,” says the Plumberlorian.
He says that social media is one outlet for individuals to show blue collar work can be cool, and show a different side of things. “I’ve had so many people reach out to me that I inspire them. Which is crazy to hear, and never gets old. Some have been in their trade for years, others just starting out. That’s what keeps me going, just knowing that maybe I’m making a difference on there. We need more people out there investing in our youth and keeping a positive spin on the job,” he says.
But it starts in the home. What picture are the parents painting, asks the Plumberlorian? “College isn’t the only option, and it may not even be the best option for some so why keep pushing it on your kids? Because that’s what they have stamped in their brain. We have to reach them somehow and change that line of thinking.”
He went the college route because that’s what society was pushing on him, but it’s not for everyone. “You can have a successful life going into the trades, and I will always be an advocate of that,” says the Plumberlorian.
Do you have a strategy for your social media? How does your customer base see you on social media? Are you reaching new customers? These are all great questions as a business owner you should ask yourself when doing social media. You should also be asking your social media partner these questions and how are Read more
Do you have a strategy for your social media? How does your customer base see you on social media? Are you reaching new customers? These are all great questions as a business owner you should ask yourself when doing social media. You should also be asking your social media partner these questions and how are they going to help achieve your goals.
There is a lot more that goes into social media than just putting out an organic post or wanting to run ads on Facebook or Instagram. Just like any other form of media you need to have a strategy and need to have a full funnel approach to make sure you are able to capture new and existing clients wherever they are at in their buying cycle.
We are going to talk about 5 tips when doing social media in the trades.
First Tip: Goals
What are your goals for social media? Is it lead generation, traffic to the site, brand awareness, engagement, etc.? Understanding each of these goals will determine how you go after your existing and new customer base. You should have separate budgets for each goal so that you know exactly how each campaign and goal is performing. You need to set up each campaign based on your goal and make sure that each creative matches what the goal is.
Second Tip: Creative
Creative is key for social media. Creative needs to match your brand, audience, and platform that you are going after and engaging. When looking at social platforms, understanding who the end user is going to be on the other end is crucial. You need to match your creative to the platform and the audience who is consuming that media. You also have to look at what your goal is for each campaign. If you want them to fill out a form for an estimate or get more information that creative needs to guide the end user to filling out a form either on your website or through their social platform. All creatives must have a strong call to action (CTA) for what YOU want them to do. Once you know how you want your new potential customer to interact with your company, tracking is going to be KEY!
Third Tip: Tracking
Tracking is crucial for you to not only see your ROI, but also understand how your customer base and new potential customers are interacting with your brand. Tracking in Facebook ads, Facebook events manager and Google Analytics is key.
What is a conversion for your business? Phone call, form fill, chat, or scheduling an appointment? Once you know what a conversion is, work with your social media partner to make sure that you are measuring the same data points. What is the goal of each campaign as a lead generation campaign is going to be measured differently than a website traffic campaign? Make sure that you are setting up conversions and understanding the data and how many touch points your customers and potential customers need prior to converting is important to your strategy. This is why doing the full funnel approach is critical to any successful campaign. We already know that your average consumer needs four to seven touch points prior to converting.
Fourth Tip: Platforms
What social media platforms should you advertise and post on? This also plays into goals, as we want to match the correct platform for your goals. Not all social platforms will match your goals. There are so many social media platforms that you can go after. You will look at each platform and evaluate each one to see what makes the most sense for your business and your end user. The creative will also need to be a little different for each platform for the end user. When looking at goals your social media partner should make the recommendation of which platform makes sense and what the creative should look like.
Fifth Tip: Results
Reviewing your results each month is important. Measuring the metrics monthly will allow you and your social media partner to determine if a campaign needs to be adjusted. This could be the creative, the audiences, location, or starting to use A/B creative in the campaigns. Testing will help determine if you need to make adjustments, but starting everything all over again. This will also give you insights into what works during the year and going back to best practices and creative each year. It is extremely important for you to create the ads manager yourself so that you can also keep historical data. Social media can help with additional touch points within the customer journey. How you work your social media strategy will help with your business goals, engagement with your existing customers and new customers, plus bringing brand awareness.
Social media is a platform that all trades should be part of. We all do some much for the communities and helping others in need of help and your customer base and new customers want to see that you are part of their community. When you are part of a community you want to support local business. This is what social is all about and these are some of the items that you want to incorporate into your strategy, but also post on a regular basis to show the community that you are there for them.
Organic social posting should also be discussed during your social media evaluation. Too many businesses are forgetting about organic posting. You should be posting two to four times a week, and it should be a mix of culture, reviews, education, and promotions. Getting more of your organic followers to be engaged with your organic posts will help others see them. Boosting organic posts will also help your brand to be seen. Just remember boosting is a different strategy than a paid strategy. Hopefully this article has sparked your interest to review your social strategy. Really look to see if you are getting the most out of it!
Chris Yano is CEO of RYNO Strategic Solutions.
When you have your own business, you always need to make sure that you’re doing what you can to get more customers. Unless you’re an established business and you’re starting to get a lot of referrals from customers, it can feel like you’re waiting to grow. But, you will find that you are able to Read more
When you have your own business, you always need to make sure that you’re doing what you can to get more customers. Unless you’re an established business and you’re starting to get a lot of referrals from customers, it can feel like you’re waiting to grow. But, you will find that you are able to get to where you want to be as long as you know to put the work in. The thing is, you might be wondering exactly what it is that you need to do.
That can often be the trickiest thing is usually knowing exactly what it is that you need to do to stand out in the first place. Your expertise is your trade and not marketing. So it’s not always easy to know what you need to do to get interest and promote what you do. Let’s take a look at what you need to do.
Know Your Customer
Before you start, you have to know your customer. It’s a good idea for you to think about who you’re targeting and who will buy from you so that you know how to reach them and get them to find you.
Advertise Locally
Then, you’ll want to try and advertise locally in your area so that people can find you. From local flyers and adverts in local papers to having banners and sign writing on your vehicles. This will show off what you do and get people to take notice.
Build A Great Website
You might then want to think about working on your website. It can be a great way for customers to find you. You’ll also want to work with an SEO company to help you to rank well on Google. So when people are searching for your business you’ll come up and they’ll reach out to you.
Use Social Media
From here, you’re also going to want to make sure that you’re using social media too. When harnessed well, social media can really make a difference in your small business. It can allow new people to find you and see what you do, it can gain loyal customers, and gain more business. So make sure that you’re shouting about what you do.
Test And Retest
The thing about marketing is that you can’t just work on one thing once and hope for the best. It’s all about testing, retesting and optimizing what you’re doing. It’s so important to look at your data, see what is performing on your website and what’s driving you traffic and getting you customers and then focusing more on that. Just trying new things and ideas is all it takes for you to start getting results.
Marketing your business can be such a hard thing to do when you’re not really sure what you need to do to make it happen. But the good news is, you only have to focus on a few things. When you’ve worked through these ideas, you should start to get a bit of traction for your business.
Program builds upon Oatey’s robust social media community to build connections with Oatey’s end users Oatey Co., a leading manufacturer in the plumbing industry since 1916, today launched its Social Media Ambassador Program, partnering with influential plumbing professionals and Oatey brand loyalists to promote Oatey’s products across social media platforms. As Ambassadors for Oatey in Read more
Program builds upon Oatey’s robust social media community to build connections with Oatey’s end users
Oatey Co., a leading manufacturer in the plumbing industry since 1916, today launched its Social Media Ambassador Program, partnering with influential plumbing professionals and Oatey brand loyalists to promote Oatey’s products across social media platforms.
As Ambassadors for Oatey in the field, program participants will champion the Oatey family of brands (including Oatey, Dearborn, Hercules, Cherne and more), creating unique multimedia content to be shared across social media and other digital platforms. Each Ambassador will receive a curated kit of Oatey-branded gear, including Ambassador-exclusive swag. They will be provided with a range of products to support their day-to-day work, will be among the first to know about new-product launches, and will have the chance to try new products firsthand. Ambassadors will also have the opportunity to travel to Oatey’s headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, for a two-day Ambassador event.
Danielle ‘Twig’ Browne
By amplifying the Oatey brand across the Ambassadors’ social media platforms, the Ambassador program will build upon Oatey’s robust, highly engaged social media community. The 2021 class of Oatey Ambassadors includes experienced licensed plumbers Danielle Browne, Trey Young, Alex Gouin, Omar Harris and Bobby Drescher, collectively representing a diverse range of plumbing backgrounds and years of unique application expertise from across North America.
“Oatey’s social media community is a special place, and our Ambassador program provides an opportunity for us to further expand our footprint and grow our relationships in that space,” says Katherine Lehtinen, Senior Vice President, Brand and Digital Marketing. “We’re honored to partner with five, exceptionally talented individuals in our inaugural class of Ambassadors, and we’re looking forward to seeing them represent Oatey through their unique perspectives and experiences.”
A new class of Ambassadors will be selected each year. Individuals interested in becoming a future Oatey Ambassador can submit their information on the Oatey website for consideration.
For additional information about Oatey’s Social Media Ambassador Program, visit www.oatey.com.
Is your plumbing business experiencing a drought? Things drying up a little bit? Jokes aside, it can be disheartening for things to slow down for your business, especially when you work for yourself. But while things might seem a little quiet right now, it doesn’t have to be this way for long. With some simple Read more
Is your plumbing business experiencing a drought? Things drying up a little bit? Jokes aside, it can be disheartening for things to slow down for your business, especially when you work for yourself. But while things might seem a little quiet right now, it doesn’t have to be this way for long. With some simple steps you can help pick yourself back up, ready for a busy summer.
Take a look at some things you can do to give your plumbing services a boost this summer.
Reconnect with existing clients
If your clients aren’t coming to you, perhaps it’s time to go to them! While you might be looking for ways to get more repeat customers, it doesn’t hurt to focus on the ones you already have. A courtesy call or email to see if there’s anything they need could be a good way to book in some work. You might even be able to offer a discount on your typical rates as an incentive.
Push summer-related services
While a lot of people need plumbing services in the winter, you could be surprised at how busy the summer months can get. Outdoor plumbing can face all kinds of issues, which isn’t ideal for your customers who need to maintain their lawns and keep their flowers healthy. It’s also a great time for people to create water features, maintain their pools, etc. Do some promotion around your summer-related services to see if you can bring some new customers on board.
Give your customers what they want
Do your plumbing services cater to your customers’ needs? Different developments in the industry could mean that you’re behind your competition in terms of what you offer. One simple and fast way of upgrading your business is to get a chip reader so that you can accept card payments from your customers – it’s a little thing, but it can make a big difference to customers who can’t pay in cash. You should also ask about the kinds of services they’d like to see and work out if this is something you can offer your clients.
Use social media to build up recognition
Social media isn’t just for big companies with big budgets to make a splash, it’s perfect for small, local businesses like yours too. There are some effective ways of using social media for your small business, including some paid-for ads using local targeting. Even showing off your latest work can be a good way to get people interested – start following some people local to your area and start pushing your services.
It’s normal for businesses to experience quiet periods, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay idle during this time. You can use this time to market your services, but it can also be a chance to do some additional training so that you can offer even more services to your clients. It could also be an excuse to take a much-needed vacation, so that you’re nice and refreshed ready for the next busy period!