Always be cooling: HVAC marketing strategies to grow leads

To build a profitable HVAC business, you’ll need to consistently have new customers to ensure you’re booking enough jobs. Because the HVAC industry is on-demand, repeat clients are less frequent. To keep the momentum going, it’s critical to focus your efforts on online lead generation tactics.

Why is marketing important to an HVAC business?

Marketing provides your business with strong online visibility to build trust with prospective clients –– making them more likely to consider booking with your business.

Nowadays, homeowners rely on online research and reviews to find the home services they need. That’s why it is vital to have a digital marketing strategy in place for your HVAC company to succeed.

If you are planning to start an HVAC business or already have one, you want to make sure potential clients, referrals and existing clients can easily find your business online to learn about your services.

What are the best HVAC marketing strategies?

Looking for HVAC marketing ideas? We’ve got you covered. Here are our top suggestions for growing your business.

Build trust with customers

Customer trust is essential for convincing people to let you into their homes. It can be challenging to establish that you’re a credible business, so that’s why it’s critical to take these steps to build trust with new customers.

Invest in a high-quality website design. Your website is a major part of your online reputation and is your first impression with customers — so make it a good one! Provide information about:

• Your customer experience
• The services you offer
• Your service area
• Contact information

Make sure your HVAC company website is mobile-friendly since most people use their phones to conduct searches. Making the online user experience as simple as possible will go a long way toward conversion — whether you’re asking them to call you for more information, fill out a form on your site or send an email.

Make it easy for customers to interact with you

Once your site is generating HVAC leads, ensuring a quick response time is essential. Customers sometimes go with the first company that responds to their inquiry, especially in emergency situations.

According to one study, nearly half of customers say the best way to improve their customer service experience is by responding in a more timely manner. That’s not surprising, given that the average business takes 12 hours and 10 minutes to respond to inquiries, according to research cited by CustomerThink. Shortening that time window is critical when prospective customers may be researching other providers while you’re catching up on phone calls.

Some ways to make it easy to interact with your company include:

• Adding a web chat option on your website
• Giving people the option to download your mobile app, if you have one
• Displaying your contact information somewhere prominent on your website
• Making it easy for customers to review your business since HVAC reviews play a crucial role in your search engine optimization (SEO) and ranking well for HVAC SEO

Focus on local SEO strategies

When a potential customer needs a new installation, maintenance or repair on their heating, ventilation or air conditioner system, they’ll turn to a search engine to find local options. They’ll likely start with whichever company they see first, so the higher your business ranks in those local listings, the more business you’ll draw.

As you build your HVAC marketing strategy, ranking on the first page in local search results on web and mobile should be your top priority. Here are steps you can take to improve your local search rankings:

1. Add your HVAC services in Google Maps

Begin by adding your business to Google Maps. Include a main keyword in your business name. Though it can have a negative effect on your NAP (name, address, and phone number) consistency, the rank boost you can get is often worth it. Updating all other NAP listings with the keyword-focused business name can also improve ranking and maintain consistency.

When you claim your business listing in Google, you’ll be awarded verified status and have more control over what people see when they click your listing.

2. Optimize your Google Business Profile

Your Google Maps listing is part of your broader Google Business Profile account, formally known as Google My Business, which also includes Google Reviews. Answer all the Google Business Profile questions completely because the more information you give Google, the better. All the following information should be present and complete in your listing:

• Phone number
• Business address
• Website address (URL)
• Business hours
• Business categories
• Details of your business
• Profile images
• Business description
• Reviews
• Frequently asked questions and answers

Good category choices to select in this industry are:

• HVAC contractor
• Heating contractor
• Heating equipment supplier
• Air conditioning repair service
• Air compressor repair service
• Air compressor supplier
• Air conditioning contractor

Pro tips: Enable the messaging and booking feature so people can get in touch without having to leave Google. Use the questions and answers area to address some of the most frequently asked questions.

3. Get online reviews and testimonials as an HVAC contractor

Customer reviews and word-of-mouth testimonials keep many HVAC businesses running. Google Reviews, unlike Yelp, allows you to ask your customers for reviews as long as you do so ethically.

Beyond Google, it’s a good idea to encourage customers to review your business on Facebook, Angie’s List, Porch, Yelp and HomeAdvisor. Simply ask your customers in person to leave a review when you finish the job. Alternatively, you can hand them a card with the review QR code to make it easy for them or follow up with an email with the links to leave reviews.

Always respond promptly to reviews, both positive and negative reviews. When a customer leaves a negative review, be sure to address their feedback appropriately.

4. Create useful content for your HVAC website

Adding a blog to your website will give you more opportunities to capture top spots in search rankings. It will also allow you to add a bit of content marketing to your overall strategy. When creating content, focus on speaking to clients instead of industry professionals.

Center your efforts on writing about what your audience is searching for. For example, you could create posts such as “How to Choose the Right HVAC System for Your Home” and “Why You Need Regular HVAC Maintenance.”

5. Embrace social media marketing for HVAC professionals

Social signals are one of the ranking factors Google uses to determine where to place your website in search results for keywords. You’ll need to include social media as part of your online marketing efforts.

Start with a Facebook Page. To help you promote your business on Facebook, be sure to share:

• Links to your blog content
• Photos and videos of projects you’ve completed
• The types of services you offer

Use the built-in analytics data Facebook provides to learn more about how people are engaging with you on social media, how your content is performing within the Facebook algorithm and understand the kinds of customer feedback your business is generating.

6. Try out community partnerships and referral marketing

As an HVAC professional, one of the best ways to grow is to forge strategic partnerships with other local businesses in your community. Here are some ideas:

Donate services to nonprofits as silent auction items to generate new business from the winner and publicity throughout the community for your donation.

Work with contractors in other industries who can recommend your services to their clients — and do the same for them.

Join professional trade organizations, such as:

• Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA)
• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• Radiant Professionals Alliance (RPA)
• International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR)

7. Get a boost with paid HVAC advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) ad campaigns with Google AdWords and Facebook Ads can help generate traffic for your business. After your marketing campaign is launched, your ad will display in relevant Google searches and the newsfeed of Facebook accounts belonging to your target audience. It will also appear on channels like Instagram and Facebook Messenger.

Google Ads, when executed well, are estimated to yield a powerful 100% return on investment. You should also consider investing in ads on other home improvement sites where you’re trying to build your online reputation, like local directories, Porch, HomeAdvisor and Angi (formerly Angie’s List).

8. Use email marketing and direct mail to encourage repeat and recurring business

Invest in email marketing and direct mail to stay in touch with past customers and promote a referral program where customers can be rewarded for sending new customers to you.

Although a lot of HVAC work is last minute, plenty of maintenance services are recommended annually. A strong email and direct mailing marketing strategy plays a critical role in encouraging your customer base to schedule their upcoming HVAC services. These efforts boost your bookings and create a solid database of repeat customers.

What are the benefits of HVAC marketing?

HVAC marketing provides you with a more solid online presence and helps you stand out among your competitors. Other benefits of HVAC marketing include:

• Improving your online visibility
• Increasing your number of qualified leads
• Boosting your bookings
• Becoming a trusted business
• Expanding your HVAC clients

Things to remember about HVAC marketing

When it comes to marketing your HVAC company, you’ll use many of the same tactics other businesses out there are using. Knowing how to use the methods to create an industry-specific HVAC marketing plan makes the difference.

As long as you have a strong, professional online presence and focus your efforts on showcasing your value proposition to potential customers, your small business will be a success.

How Broadly can make HVAC marketing easier

At Broadly, we’re passionate about assisting business owners in growing their online presence. By helping our clientele get new online reviews, they can showcase top-notch customer experiences.

Our team of marketing experts is here to guide your HVAC company in getting more reviews, streamlining communications and revamping your web design.