[ch4s3]

Have to seems like a strong phrase. I found my last plumber and window guy on a facebook neighborhood group. Local ads for general services can be quite expensive, but doing some marketing through local groups only costs your time. I can see how driving business though clicks is attractive, but I'd be surprised if there was no alternative.

[piva00]

Have to if you want to scale the business, if you are a sole trader doing small gigs it's probably very achievable to only use local groups. If you rely on people searching for "plumbers in <X> city" while running a small business with some 5-10 folks I don't think you'd get enough work.

[bryanlarsen]

You don't want to use a plumber that has scaled their business. That means that they're sending out a new hire to do your plumbing rather than the plumber that originally built the company's reputation.

The best plumbers spend $0 on advertising. They've got enough business through repeat customers and word of mouth to keep their small set of plumbers busy, and they're expanding slowly enough to properly train apprentices and ensure quality.

[ncruces]

And, as a customer, you find that plumber how? What about when they tell you they'll be available 2 months from now for a 1 day service?

[lotsoweiners]

When I needed an emergency water heater I asked my boss who manages a few of his rental properties. When I needed a new roof I asked one of Facebook/Reddit/Nextdoor. I’d always favor word of mouth recommendations vs advertising.

[bryanlarsen]

You find the plumber by asking your local network. Neighbors, etc.

[insane_dreamer]

That's great for already establish plumbers, not for new ones.