A commercial plumbing marketing manager keeps the company on builders' bid lists and in front of the owners who buy repairs and new water heaters. They make the project sheets, proposal layouts and emails that reps use to win bids and service accounts.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, plumbing and HVAC contractors · BLS, May 2025
Lead strategic marketing initiatives to support and grow commercial plumbing services while driving brand awareness and lead generation.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and execute comprehensive marketing campaigns tailored to the commercial plumbing market.
Create and implement effective brand strategies that reinforce our market position.
Design and optimize lead-generation strategies to drive customer acquisition.
Collaborate with sales and operations teams to ensure alignment of marketing initiatives with overall business objectives.
Analyze marketing performance data and adjust strategies as needed to maximize ROI.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Oversee production of digital and traditional marketing materials.
Manage content creation for social media, email marketing, and website updates.
Monitor and report on campaign performance metrics and lead quality.
Engage with external vendors and partners to support campaign execution.
Conduct market research to understand industry trends and customer needs.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Increase in qualified leads generated: 15% quarter-over-quarter growth.
Brand awareness improvement: Achieve a 20% increase in social media engagement.
Campaign conversion rate: Target a minimum of 10% conversion from lead to customer.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Achieve an average rating of >4.8 stars in post-service surveys.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in marketing, with a focus on campaign development and lead generation.
Proficient in digital marketing platforms, analytics tools, and CRM systems.
Strong communication, project management, and strategic planning skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in the home services or commercial plumbing industry.
Background in B2B marketing with demonstrated success in lead generation.
Familiarity with trade associations and industry-specific marketing tactics.
Proven track record of driving measurable growth through innovative marketing solutions.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in a standard office environment.
Occasional travel to client sites and industry events may be required.
Standard computer work with prolonged periods of sitting may be expected.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard office hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional extended hours during major campaign launches or events may be necessary.
Limited travel required for industry events and client meetings.
Collaborative and high-energy office environment focused on innovation and results.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 - $90,000 USD annually, commensurate with experience.
Performance bonus based on successful lead generation and campaign performance.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance provided.
401(k) plan with employer matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits and opportunities for professional development.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a dynamic, growth-oriented company committed to excellence in the home services industry.
Our culture emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
Employees are encouraged to leverage their strengths and take initiative in driving company success.
We celebrate achievements and maintain a supportive environment where every team member can thrive.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
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What changes for a marketing manager in commercial plumbing
Most work here comes from bids and long account ties, not a homeowner searching at night. Marketing feeds the estimators and reps. Its claims also run into federal rules on tax breaks, water labels and email.
Get on the invite lists
New buildings and tenant improvements reach you as invites to bid from general contractors, often through online bid portals and plan rooms. Keep your profile current on each portal your target builders use. List trades, service area, job sizes and recent projects. Then track which builders invite you and which never do.
Write up every finished job
Owners and builders want proof you've done their kind of building. After each job, write a one-page sheet: building type, builder, plumbing scope, schedule and one problem the crew solved, such as fitting restroom work around a school calendar. Get the client's written okay before you name them. Hand the sheets to estimators for every bid package.
Retire old 179D pitches
The federal tax deduction for energy-saving commercial buildings has covered hot water systems, so water heater upgrades were part of the pitch. Under IRS guidance on the 2025 tax law, no deduction is allowed when construction of the property starts after June 30, 2026. Take it out of ads, web pages and proposal templates. Send owners with tax questions to their own adviser. Source: IRS: FAQs on the 2025 tax law's changes to 25C, 25D, 25E, 30C, 30D, 45L, 45W and 179D.
Name WaterSense fixtures, don't borrow the mark
Owners with big water bills may ask about water-saving toilets, urinals and faucets. In ads, name the WaterSense labeled model in words. EPA's mark guidelines say only a partner in good standing with a signed agreement may use the label. The label belongs next to a specific labeled product, and no mark may suggest EPA backs your company. Source: U.S. EPA: WaterSense program mark guidelines (PDF).
Email to facility managers is still covered
Owners and building managers often get service offers by email, such as maintenance plans or water heater replacement deals. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says mail sent from one company to another is covered too. Put your postal address in every message, give an opt-out that works, and remove people who use it within 10 business days. Keep subject lines true to what's inside. Source: FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide for business.
How much commercial plumbing marketing managers make
Marketing managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $124,540 a year ($59.87 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $166,790 median for marketing managers in all industries. About 410 of the 395,240 marketing managers in that survey work for plumbing and HVAC contractors.
Salary is the base, and the bonus usually rides on qualified leads and how campaigns perform. The template's range starts near the BLS tenth percentile for plumbing and HVAC contractors and stays far under their median, so a marketer with construction experience will likely ask for more.
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$124,540$124,540 median Middle half $96,470–$159,070 10th–90th $71,300–$193,190
All industries
$166,790$166,790 median Middle half $123,020–$216,410 10th–90th $90,260–$293,610
$0k$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k$350k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Plumbing and HVAC contractors
$71,300
$96,470
$124,540
$159,070
$193,190
All industries
$90,260
$123,020
$166,790
$216,410
$293,610
BLS reports plumbing and HVAC contractors together, residential and commercial. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Writing project sheets and proposal sections that builders and owners actually read
Running a CRM so each lead ties to a bid or a service account
Email and LinkedIn campaigns aimed at facility managers and builders
Managing a budget, a printer and outside vendors on deadline
Getting the facts for case studies out of busy plumbers and project managers
Teach these on the job
Commercial plumbing scopes: new buildings, tenant improvements and replacements
Which general contractors and property managers you target, and why
Your bid portals and how estimating takes a lead from there
EPA's WaterSense mark rules and the end of the 179D deduction
Your crew capacity and the jobs you turn down
Expect a CRM shared with sales, an email platform, a design tool for project sheets, and the bid portals your builders use, such as BuildingConnected or ConstructConnect. List your CRM and portals in the ad, and note who edits the website.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Marketing recurring services
The owner wants to grow backflow testing and drain maintenance contracts with property managers. How do you plan it?
A strong answer: Targets property management firms and facility managers, explains the compliance and cost benefits plainly, builds a simple offer and follow-up process, and tracks contracts signed.
Behavioral · Measuring results
Tell me about a time you proved, or disproved, that a marketing effort produced signed work, such as a trade show booth or a property manager mailing.
A strong answer: Explains how they tracked it through the CRM to contracts and what they did with the answer.
Those template targets are samples only. Work out your own from the past year's bid log and service account counts, and look again each quarter.
Increase in qualified leads generated
Count leads the sales team accepts as worth a bid or a site visit, such as an invite from a new builder or an owner asking for a replacement price. Compare by source each quarter.
Brand awareness improvement
Track replies and shares on the channels your buyers use, mostly LinkedIn and email. Note which posts drew a reply from a builder or building manager. Likes from other plumbers don't tell you much.
Campaign conversion rate
Of all leads a campaign produced, find the share that turned into an awarded bid or a service agreement. Bid awards can lag by months, so report it on a rolling basis.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Send a short survey at closeout to the builder's project manager and to the owner's facility contact. Keep their scores apart, since each judges different things.
Career path
Proposal coordinatorFormats bid packages, keeps portal profiles current and pulls bid log reports.
Marketing managerOwns campaigns, project sheets, the proposal template and lead reporting.
Marketing and business development directorPicks target markets and builders with the CEO and leads a small team.
Sales managerSome move over to run the reps and the bid pipeline once they know the buyers.
Who writes a commercial plumbing proposal: marketing or estimating?
Estimating owns the price, the scope and the exclusions, and marketing should never change them. Marketing owns the parts that repeat: the cover letter, the company overview, the project list, team resumes and the layout. Build a proposal template with locked sections for each. The rep or sales manager then sends one package that reads like one company wrote it.
How much does a commercial plumbing marketing manager make?
Marketing managers who work for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors earned a median of $124,540 a year ($59.87 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $96,470 and $159,070 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Which trade events should a commercial plumbing marketing manager attend?
Go where buyers meet, not just where plumbers meet. Local AGC and ABC chapters draw builders' estimators and project managers. BOMA and IFMA chapters draw the building managers who buy repairs and replacements. Plumbing groups like PHCC and MCAA help more with training and peers. Pick the people you want to meet before each event, and log follow-ups in the CRM the next day.
Can marketing post photos from a client's building?
Only with written permission. Some subcontracts limit publicity, and some owners, such as banks, hospitals, schools and government sites, don't allow photos of mechanical rooms or entrances. Ask the builder and the owner at closeout, keep the approval with the photos, and crop out faces, badges, plates and screens. When in doubt, show the pipe, not the place.
Does a company that wins work by bid need a marketing manager?
Bid work still depends on who invites you. If most revenue comes from a few general contractors, one slow year at one of them can empty the backlog. A marketing manager widens the builder list and grows service accounts with owners, which can even out construction cycles. If you can't fund the role yet, a coordinator who keeps portals, project sheets and the CRM current covers the basics.
