Social media for plumbers: from emergency calls to tidy installs

Why plumbing posts feel hard, and the way around it

The problem is that the best plumbing is invisible. If you do the job well, nothing leaks and nobody thinks about it. So instead of trying to photograph the pipe, photograph what is around it: the finished bathroom, the new tap, the hot water unit in its tidy spot, the clean floor you left behind.

Think of every post as answering one question a stranger might have: do these people look reliable?

Hot water, bathroom renovations, kitchen sinks, outdoor taps and leaking fittings are everyday jobs people search for. If you name the job in the first line of the caption, someone with the same problem recognises themselves straight away.

Five post types that suit a plumber

You do not need a content plan. Rotate through a handful of repeatable shapes and you will never stare at a blank screen.

You can mix these across a fortnight rather than posting all five. A finished fixture on Monday, an explainer on Thursday and an availability note on Saturday is a healthy spread, and none of them takes more than a few minutes once you have the photo.

• The finished fixture: a new tap, basin or shower, with the room in shot
• The tidy-up: floor protected and cleaned, tools packed away
• The explainer: what a certain job involves, in two plain sentences
• The van and the team: who is turning up on the day
• The availability note: which days you have space this week

Handling the emergency job

Emergency work is the hardest to post about because it is stressful for the customer. Do not post a customer's flooded kitchen or their name. Instead, share what you can learn from it in general terms, such as how to find your main water shut-off before something goes wrong.

A short post like 'Know where your water meter and isolation valve are. Find them this weekend so you are not hunting in a hurry' helps people and shows you know your trade. Keep it to general advice, and recommend people call a qualified plumber for anything beyond a basic check.

If you do photograph an old or worn fitting, crop out everything about the home. An old corroded tap beside the new one tells a clear story about replacement without showing anything private.

Words to leave out

Plumbing is regulated, so be careful with strong wording. Avoid wording that sounds like an approval or a ruling on the job in a caption. You hold the licence details, certificates and any regulator wording, and you are the right person to keep those accurate.

Stick to what you did: replaced a tap set, relocated a vanity, installed a new hot water unit. Specific and plain beats grand and vague.

A good habit is to read your caption once as a stranger. Would you understand what was done? Would you know if you cover their area? If either answer is no, add a detail.

Make it local

Most of your customers live within a short drive, so name the suburb or area in your posts. 'Out in the northern suburbs today' is more useful to a local than a general line about quality.

If you have a Google Business Profile, post there as well. It is where many people look when a tap starts dripping and they need someone nearby.

Customer comments help too. When someone says something kind, ask if you can quote it with a first name only, and use only the words they actually gave you. Never invent or adjust a review.

How Ninjaneer Media fits

If you take a few photos on the job anyway, Ninjaneer Media can turn them into drafts. It is an invite-only beta: you upload photos and business details, review the drafts in a swipe feed and choose Schedule, Delete or comment a change.

Approved posts wait in a queue at posting times you pick, with a weekly cap. Live posting to social accounts switches on after the beta, so during the beta nothing leaves the queue.