If you’re a plumber looking to make your mark in a competitive field, UGC or consumer-generated content could be your secret weapon.
User-generated content is usually more memorable than other media types.
It’s valuable because it offers a real and trustworthy evaluation of a plumber’s skills and the quality of their work.
Key Takeaway
In a time when people are wary of advertisements, UGC is a refreshing and genuine way to show your worth.
Are you curious about how to apply UGC to your plumbing business?
The following post is a guide to user-generated content for plumbers and shows you how to use customer testimonials, social proof, and product reviews to your advantage.
Be ready to be inspired by real-life examples.
Why Is User-Generated Content Effective for Plumbers?
Plumbing is all about trust since technicians go into customers’ homes to solve important problems.
UGC, like reviews and personal stories, helps build this trust by showing how reliable and high-quality your services are.
Picture this: you’re considering a plumber for your next home repair, and you stumble upon photos of their immaculate work, glowing testimonials, and even interactive before-and-after visual content, all shared by real users and influencers. This instills a level of trust that no ad or marketing strategy can match.
Also, plumbers can benefit immensely from UGC due to their localized operation sphere.
Positive customer testimonials on platforms like Google Business Profile act as localized endorsements, setting your product or service apart in a fiercely competitive scenario.
Establishing a dialogue with your clientele via UGC fosters a sense of brand community.
Clients who’ve had great experiences are generally inclined to share these instances with others, catalyzing valuable word-of-mouth referrals from social media platforms, a tool indispensable in the home services trade.
In addition, frequent content updates and user reviews may enhance your business’s ranking on search engines and brand awareness, thereby amplifying the visibility of your enterprise to audiences online.
Plumbing businesses that utilize user-generated content see a 26% increase in web traffic.
Now, let us explore how to effectively implement UGC content for brands tailored to plumbing.
Implementing User-Generated Content in the Plumbing Business
So, you see the value of user-generated content for your plumbing business.
But how do you go about implementing it in your marketing posts or campaign?
Below, Plumbing Webmasters dives into the most important principles for UGC.
1) Make Sure Your UGC is Original
Remember, carving out authentic UGC is key. It is not a novel concept, so standing out from the crowd is vital.
You can start by studying your competitors.
What’s their UGC game? How is the audience responding?
A Competitor Analysis Tool, such as SE Ranking, can help you delve deeper into your competitors, scrutinize their organic and ad traffic, and carve out a unique approach for your plumbing service.
2) Create a System to Collect UGC
Creating an efficient system to collect UGC is a must.
Also, remember to get permission to reuse creative content volunteered by UGC creators.
You can leverage your own data with a tool like DataPins, which allows you to showcase your recent work.
Encourage your customers to share their experience with your plumbing service on online platforms and social feeds — be it pictures, videos, or customer reviews.
3) Diversify The Source of Content Creators
Valuable content from different users can spark inspiration on the variety of plumbing issues a business can handle.
This can boost the business’s credibility, as potential customers can see their own plumbing problems reflected in these shared stories.
Each user has different social media habits and networks.
By encouraging diverse users’ creativity to share content, a plumbing business can reach different groups of customers across various platforms.
4) Encourage Users to Share UCG
To promote your UGC, aim to make it simple and worth it for your customers.
Think over your gamification plan: give them incentives, like discounts on the next services or entries into giveaways for free plumbing inspections, to inspire creator users to get involved.
Pro Tip: Make sure not to apply any of these strategies to customer reviews, however, as they violate the guidelines of the review platforms.
Always engage with every customer’s feedback by publicly thanking them and showcasing specific content on your website and social media platforms.
This strategy encourages more customers to share and fosters a sense of community around your social media marketing brand, further boosting trust and visibility.
5) Host UGC Competitions or Challenges
Challenges are effective in boosting interaction.
Opt for a theme linked to your services, which prompts users to join in.
An idea could be a “Greatest Plumbing Challenge” competition where UGC creator volunteers share tales and images about their toughest plumbing problems and their solutions.
6) Publish UGC on Your Website and Social Media
Plan how to display UGC campaigns on your website.
Consider sections like “Customer Stories” or a “Gallery” for project photos.
Add testimonials on service pages to highlight the success of your work.
The DataPins tool automatically adds a “pins” section to your website for job-based UGC.
The UGC should be appealing and easy to access.
Take a look at some examples:
- Website: Add pins, reviews, and testimonials to your homepage and other pages. Service detail pages are great for before-and-after photos to reveal your work’s effectiveness.
- Blog: Use blog posts for case studies or to share the story of major projects. Include customer photos and feedback for added credibility.
- Social Media: Share selected UGC on your social channels like Instagram, Twitter (now X), TikTok, and Facebook, and link back to your site. This enhances your social media posts and brings more traffic to your website.
- Email Newsletters: Feature customer stories or top testimonials in your emails to show off your work and motivate more customers to share their experiences.
7) Track Success
Finally, don’t forget to track the success of your UGC efforts.
This will help you refine your strategies and ensure that you’re moving in the right direction.
Outstanding User-Generated Content Examples
Hold on, we’re not done yet! What about notable examples of user-generated content?
They could come from various sources – employees, brand loyalists, and, most importantly, customers.
Let’s take a sneak peek at some mini UGC examples tailored for specific types of user feedback.
Employees
Employees are often an untapped resource for creating promotional content.
Just look at the treasure trove of gratitude plumbing workers leave on review sites (you can add them to your website, too):
Source: Indeed
Imagine a short video clip of your plumbing team showcasing a completed project or sharing behind-the-scenes snaps of their day-to-day tasks.
Not only does this humanize your business, but it also provides strong visual proof of your work quality.
Sometimes, plumbing companies have extraordinary staff workers. Having them should definitely be exposed in your UGC marketing (yes, adding humor to your UGC is always a good idea):
Source: Pipecraft Plumbing
Brand Loyalists
Brand loyalty can be boosted by unofficial ambassadors for your business.
Embrace the power of original content in text format, Instagram stories, customer reviews, blogs, social proof, etc.
They can share stories on how your plumbing services saved their day, left a lasting impression, or simply stood out in terms of promptness and professionalism.
These genuine shares can significantly influence your brand’s credibility.
Here’s an example of a potential brand loyalist that could bring new customers and employees to your business: How to get a plumbing apprenticeship – Gateway gives you a taste of on…
Although the previous video was shot by a brand, it feels very genuine and credible. Some purely user-generated video content will be less likely to show up your brand but more likely to tell a story tons of social media users would like to share.
And never forget about memes – here’s a pick of 33 plumber memes created by users you don’t want to miss.
Customers
Customers hold the key to authenticity in UGC through their experiences with your services. Turn customers into brand ambassadors; encourage them to share before-and-after photos, videos, or detailed reviews of your work.
This video is a perfect example of a customer review with a drip of storytelling: Brian Kelly’s Testimonial of Emerald Repipe.
The beauty of UGC is in trust and credibility. Each individual contribution helps to paint a unique and honest picture of your plumbing business.
Final Thoughts on User Generated Content
Content from UGC campaigns can give your plumbing business a strong online boost when it comes to reputation and engagement.
With a unique approach to your own content, your business can stand out from competitors and win the trust and loyalty of the target audience.
Consumers trust content shared by social media accounts and other 3rd party platforms more so than promotional material like paid advertisements; that’s why UGC fosters unlocking greater success for your plumbing business.
