For HVAC companies, a successful advertising strategy should create a positive customer experience that drives conversions effectively. Although there are many pieces to this puzzle, there are three steps your business must take every day to succeed:
Reach your future customers where they are
Communicate with them promptly and in their preferred way (whether that be through text, via phone, chat, email, or social media)
Showcase your expertise and increase credibility
Each one of your customers’ priorities will look a bit different, so it is important to focus on a positive overall experience that caters to their unique needs. Let’s delve into some practical marketing strategies that will help accomplish the steps above to maximize your efforts and build a strong foundation for the future.
Step 1: Invest in Search Engine Advertising and SEO Services
Reach Your Future Customers Where They Are
As an HVAC business, even if you have a limited budget, you can make great strides by targeting your local market. Striking the right balance between HVAC search engine optimization (SEO) efforts and paid search engine advertising will build a strong foundation. If you need to make a quick return on your marketing investment, leaning on search engine advertising strategies like Local Services Ads (LSAs) can help drive leads immediately.
Local Services Ads display essential information about your business and give users the option to contact you directly from the search results. By investing in LSAs, you increase your chances of being the first business your new customers see.
When you consider the rising costs of other methods like pay-per-click (PPC) ads and how quickly consumers make decisions about their HVAC providers (hint: it’s more than half), it makes sense why LSA spending has consistently outperformed major digital ad channels year-over-year.
That doesn’t mean you should dismiss the power of SEO services and content marketing. Paid and Google Ads are important, but combining them with organic tactics can maximize visibility on search results and help meet your customers where they are. A strong SEO strategy can help make your business one of these top contenders.
SEO strategies are less focused on immediate leads and more focused on creating content that builds brand awareness and speaks to your consumers’ needs.
SEO requires expertise and a dedicated effort. The addition of AI into your HVAC SEO strategy can help accelerate and scale the impact of your performance. Scorpion’s Ranking AI analyzes 40,000+ data points for every keyword you want to rank better.
On average, companies using Scorpion’s SEO increased:
- Ranking by 3X in search results
- Unique leads by 10% year-over-year
- Organic traffic by 26%
Both SEO and PPC ads bring a lot of value to a local business, but improving response rates and meeting consumer needs will be the common thread that ties a strong HVAC advertising strategy together.
Let’s discuss the competitive advantage of quick communication in the HVAC industry. Here's to ensuring the first (and best) response takes the lead.
Step 2: Turn Quick Responses into Your Secret Weapon
Communicate with Customers Promptly and in their Preferred Way
When your future customers need HVAC help, they want it fast, and we can’t blame them. Nobody wants to be too hot or too cold for very long (just ask Goldilocks). Our research shows just how important it is to respond quickly.
With 54% of HVAC customers deciding on a provider in less than four hours, a quick response can mean the difference between a customer and just another click. But simply responding quickly won’t be enough to drive the conversions you need. It is important that your responses fully communicate your ability to meet their needs and solve the problem at hand.
There is no shortage of communication methods available today, and each new customer will have specific communication preferences. 70% of consumers want multiple ways to stay in touch. Providing multiple avenues for engagement will increase your chances of being contacted in the first place. Make sure your Google Business Profile and HVAC website are clearly updated with the best contact information for your business.
Our team can also help you connect with customers and bring all your messages—across email, text, and even Facebook Messenger and social media—into one centralized inbox. Our goal is to make communications more manageable so you can focus on serving your customers and making sure you don’t miss a single lead.
Leveraging solutions like Scorpion’s AI Chat can also streamline the process of answering customer inquiries, effectively guiding your website visitors to take action and book an appointment. Approximately 21% of live chat support requests go unanswered. With AI Chat, you can be the business that responds 24/7—guaranteed.
Take a look at the impact that AI Chat has already made on businesses like yours, and feel free to reach out to our team to learn more.
Step 3: Build Consumer Trust with Positive Reviews
Showcase Your Expertise and Increase Credibility
In the home services industry, businesses are often faced with a large dose of skepticism from consumers, and HVAC companies are no exception. When it comes to creating a strong HVAC advertising strategy, positive reviews are more than just the icing on the cake—they are the flour that holds your marketing strategy together.
Our research shows that 67% of consumers check at least three different review sources before making a decision, and if you have less than four stars, it is highly likely that potential customers won’t even consider your business.
If your HVAC business could use a little TLC on the most popular review sources like Google Reviews and Angi, don’t be shy about asking existing customers to leave their thoughts. Responding consistently to these reviews, negative or positive, shows potential customers that you are listening and you truly care about providing the best service possible, which goes a long way.
Above all else, happy customers are the best source of positive feedback for an HVAC business owner. Although 100% customer satisfaction is the best-case scenario, we understand that is not always the case. But even if your business gets a few negative reviews, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. When we asked consumers what could salvage poor review performance, 42% mentioned low costs or value of services, and 37% selected recent improvements in online reviews and scores.
Need some help improving your online reputation? Our team will help you track and engage with every customer on all the websites that matter to the HVAC industry. Learn more about review monitoring.
Get More Insights to Maximize Your HVAC Advertising Strategy and Dominate Your Local Service Market
In the HVAC industry, understanding and catering to your consumers’ needs is essential, and every strong advertising strategy should revolve around this. By reaching them where they are, communicating effectively, and building credibility, you can create a positive experience for your HVAC customers that maintains your success.
The team at Scorpion is dedicated to equipping HVAC business owners with strategies that give you a competitive edge and help you thrive. Contact us today to learn more about our digital marketing services.
