10 HVAC Marketing Strategies to Increase Revenue in 2018
Vanessa Williams
Connecting Top Marketing, Communications & Creative Design Talent w/ Job Opportunities | Marketing Recruitment Agency |? Magical Marketing, Design, & Purple Unicorn Recruiter ??
One residential customer can be worth $10,000 more. And if you are bidding for a commercial client, the revenue could be extensive.
The problem.... the HVAC industry is one of the most competitive industries as it relates to marketing.
So how can you get your fair share (or more) of business without breaking your bank?
#1: SEO
What is the first thing people do when they are in need of A/C or Heater repair? The GOOGLE YOU!
Proper SEO monument, upkeep, and optimization, is now just a part of business in 2018.
You need to ensure not only that you have this as part of your business, but that you have someone that is dedicated to monitoring in updating your SEO. And I don't mean to use your 13 year old kid to manage it (even those they are pretty smart).
Google utilizes an ever changing algorithm for SEO placement, that if you don't the 200+ factors that could help or hurt your ranking, you could be blowing money into the wind.
#2: Mobile Advertising
This goes with out saying....if you aren't marketing, targeting, advertising, or have a website that is optimized for mobile devices....then just close up shop now.
More people use their mobile devices to search and research MULTIPLE businesses before deciding on who to call.
#3: Use Social Media
Social media is the "new" word of mouth.
We all know that when we have had an amazing or HORRIBLE experience with a company, the first place we go to inform THE WORLD about it, is straight to our social media.
Friends, family, and connections see these posts almost as recommendations.
So it is up to you to not only use social media to engage with current and potential clients, but to drive leads by extending offers and incentives for key promotions.
But similar to SEO, be wary of who you have managing and placing ads on your social media. Too many ads or irrelevant ads to the wrong person will leave a bad taste in some peoples mouth. Used correctly and the amount of leads you attract can have you seeing green!
#4: Utilize Online Video Marketing
Most people will watch a video to gauge your knowledge and expertise about your business.
It's also a great tool to use because it can be ultilized in multiple areas throughout the digital landscape.
Place videos on your website, on your YouTube page (also owned by Google and will help your SEO), on your social media and more.
Videos can educate customers about problems they are currently facing or ones they didn't even know they had. You can show tips and tricks to be proactive about certain areas thus bringing in an element of trust with your business.
Remember, society today can be a bit lazy, and would rather watch a short video than read a short article.
Above is an example of [SERP] Organic Results
#5: Retargeting
This is like insurance for your website. Point blank.
We all get busy. But if a customer made it ALL THE WAY to your website, wouldn't you want to make sure they don't forget your business later on that day or week (depending on the reason why they are looking you up in the first place)?!
Retargeting takes analysis of who is visiting your website, and how they interacted with your website. So you can deliver a particular message for a duration of time to increase the opporutnity to convert them to a customer.
Don't forget to also take advantage of Facebook Pixels to acquire additional analytics.
I caution you though, make sure you have frequency caps on your retargeting. If someone is looking for repair, they are going to make a decision rather quickly, so you don't need to keep messaging them for 2 or more weeks.
#6: Website Optimization & Development
First things first....if you don't have Google Analytics attached to your website, your are already losing money.
Analytics allows you to learn more about who is visiting your website and thus the opportunities for growth and optimization to your website and any marketing strategies.
Next, a website that doesn't look like it was stuck in the 80's or that isn't easy to navigate will not only make the experience for the potential customer bad, but could [AGAIN] hurt your SEO. So, your website design is key to your success.
You want your website to do a couple of things:
- Be fast to load - if it takes to long to load, your prospect is on to the next HVAC company.
- Being mobile friendly - we already talked about this earlier.
- Easy navigation with text large enough to click (think mobile users) but not having to make the prospect have to look too hard to find what they need.
- Have your phone number at the top and the bottom of your page (towards the right) and your navigation buttons towards the center or the left part of your page.
- Don't have TOO much text on one page. Or break up the text with strategically placed images. Again, people are lazy and will stop reading half way through if it's not of interest to them.
There are plenty of people out there willing to help. And no, websites don't have to cost $10K (some do, but it's usually because they have a TON of products to sell amongst other things). So do some searching and find a trusted person to build your site.
#7: Referral Program
Happy customers are going to talk to their friends, family and neighbors. They are MORE likely to talk if there is an incentive for them.
Make sure you are able to track your referrals though, to ensure efficiency in prospect follow up and incentive delivery for the referral.
#8: Educating your Customers
Building trust and authority will help you attract new customers and help your rankings.
Post videos, create blogs, share articles that are relevant. It can be pretty simple.
Clients and prospects will remember and value these items.
#9: Seasonal Marketing
Although you don't close your business during down times, you will want to strategically market during the seasons.
Change your keyword searches (Google Ads - PPC) during each season. Use relevant content on your social media and website during the season changes. Make sure your videos and all creative speak the language of each season.
#10: Google My Business Listing
First off...make sure you have this. And make sure the content is correct and up to date - not only on Google, but Bing and Yelp too.
Make sure that you, or someone, is monitoring and responding to all reviews.
Post pictures and short videos of your business, services, logo, etc. People look at the pictures and videos more than you might realize.
PLEASE make sure you website is linked and phone number is correct!
Make sure your service area isn't too large, and is realistic to where you want to have your trucks travel to.
Place posts on your listing. Not many busiensses take advantage of this, and can make you actually stand out against your competition. Post specials, deals, incentives, etc.
Inaccurate and outdated posts and information will make clients lose trust in you and your business.
EXTRA HVAC marketing strategy tips:
- Drive online reviews. These are a direct SEO ranking factor.
- PPC / pay per click / PPC ads/ paid ads can get pricy in your industry. Make sure you have someone with the right credentials working with you on this.
- TARGETED email marketing is still strong. Make sure to capture emails to reconnect but work with someone to reach out to potential prospects.
- Monitor your google analytics and know your data.
- Direct mail is all but dead and a waste of money for generating new customers.
- Call tracking is a simple way to track leads.
- Customer service is critical to generating the best possible online reviews.
- Content marketing helps to build your brand and is great for SEO
Myself and my company have a strong track record of proven success with HVAC companies locally, regionally, and nationwide!
To learn more about the possible solutions available to starte increasing your leads and revenue. Visit my website www.AdvertiseinJax.com