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The US HVAC Services Industry is predicted to grow to 35.8 billion by 2030 because of the rising population level and increasing urbanization rate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the U.S. is set to increase by almost 7% during 2019-2029.
This means homeowners will require heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) services. You’ll need to adapt your HVAC marketing strategies to meet these demands as an HVAC contractor. A solid HVAC marketing plan will help you attract book more jobs and bring in a new customer (or two...or three).
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best HVAC advertising ideas to generate more leads and sales.
HVAC Marketing Ideas
1. Try seasonal HVAC advertising.
Knowing when to get busy with advertising is essential. Timing plays a critical role in this sector. Homeowners will need you the most in the summer and winter, so timing is crucial whether you’re trying to retain customers or generate new leads. Try to start advertising six to eight weeks before the busy seasons. This will put you ahead of the game, so homeowners know just who to call when the busy season comes around.
Additionally, you should target people by location. Local service ads will only show up for people who are searching Google in your service area.
2. Give direct mail a chance.
Many think that direct mail is a thing of the past in the age of the internet. However, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact:
- About 54% of consumers prefer to receive promotions through direct mail.
- Open rates for direct mail can reach up to 90%.
- Around 42% of recipients read or scan the direct mail they receive.
- Direct mail responses are 5 to 9 times higher than any other advertising channel.
The statistics above are why you cannot push direct mail aside or eliminate it from your HVAC contractor marketing plan. Advertising your HVAC services through various channels like direct mail and digital marketing gives you an advantage over your competitors.
A quick search online will bring up thousands of HVAC advertising templates for flyers and other forms of direct mail for you to choose from. This way, you don’t have to worry about wasting money or time creating your own.
3. Run a pay-per-click campaign.
Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) advertising tool allows you to run a Google ad using certain keywords. For example, you can bid on certain keywords like HVAC services. When someone types in that keyword, your ad pops up first in the Google results.
The best thing about PPC advertising is that you only pay if someone clicks on your ad. The bad thing about it is that you can lose money if those clicks do not convert into customers. You can also end up spending a good amount on getting on page 1 of Google since the HVAC industry is highly competitive.
Several things are factored into your cost per click, including how relevant Google thinks your website is to the targeted keyword, how long visitors stay on your page, and your conversion rate.
Start with a small budget per day and play around with your PPC ad. You can change them often and see what works best.
4. Create a well-designed website.
People are now doing their research online. This means they’re heading straight to your website through whatever advertising channel you use. Your HVAC website will help them figure out if they want to hire you for the job when they get there.
Your business website should look professional and be attractive. In a Stanford Web Credibility Research study, it was found that people judge your business based on the way your website looks. The research also shows that you need to include a few crucial marketing elements that can convert visitors to your website into customers.
These include:
- Ensuring that your contact information is visible and stands out on every page of your website.
- Your “About Us” page has real photos of you and your team.
- You include lead capture forms by offering discounts by signing up, signing up for your newsletter, etc.
Lead capture forms are necessary because a study by Kissmetrics shows that 96% of people who visit your website are not ready to become your customer just yet. A lead capture form gives prospects a chance to gain something of value for their contact information.
You can then use their contact information to follow up and hopefully convert the lead into sales.
Additionally, your website should prioritize search engine optimization (SEO) as a marketing strategy. Essentially, SEO is the process of improving your website so it comes up on search engines such as Google and Bing when people search online. SEO will help your HVAC website stand out among competitors and bring more leads in. There are different SEO strategies, including local SEO and content marketing.
5. Improve response with Google follow-up ads.
Some prospects may leave your website without filling out your lead capture form. However, all is not lost. Google follow-up ads are a retargeting or remarketing tool that helps to make sure no lead goes down the drain. According to a study by CMO.com, Google follow-up ads can improve response up to 400%.
You can combine a follow-up ad campaign with your direct mail campaign for the best results. The process starts when a prospect receives some form of direct mail from you. They then head to your website to learn more about your company, the people, and the services you offer. However, they may not need your services just yet, so they leave your site.
They don't know that they got tagged with a piece of code while on your website. This code tells Google to start showing them banner ads. As they browse the internet, your ad will pop up on numerous sites on Google’s network. This way, whenever they need HVAC services, your company comes to mind right away.
You can add Google follow-up ads to your direct mail campaign using DirectMail2.0. Once you set everything up, you don’t have to worry about it as it operates independently. DirectMail2.0 combines your direct mail with online advertising and campaign tracking to always keep you in the loop.
6. Establish trust with reviews and testimonials.
According to BrightLocal, more consumers are reading online reviews than ever before. 77% of consumers read online reviews when looking for a local business to help them form their own opinion of your business based on previous testimonials by past customers.
All you have to do is ask past customers to leave you feedback on their experience with your company. If you end up with negative reviews, try to address them as soon as possible and work things out. The same study by BrightLocal found that 89% of consumers are more likely to use a business that responds to all of its online reviews.
7. Attract more business with a referral program.
According to Nielsen research, 83% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know. Trust is huge for the HVAC industry and not only because your customers will be spending lots of money. You’ll also be working in their homes which can be scary for many homeowners.
Happy customers are more than willing to give referrals, but sometimes you just need to give them a little push. A referral program will provide those customers with the push they need to refer your company to their friends and family.
Your referral program can include discounts on their next service, free tune-ups, etc. You should also make sure that your technicians know your referral program so they can mention and promote it while on the job.
8. Close more sales with consistent marketing.
The truth is that your prospects aren’t going to jump at every ad of yours they see. Most times, prospects will see your ad via direct mail, banner ad, etc. They may make a mental note if they think they may need your services soon. Other than that, they don’t give it much thought.
If your prospect sees your ad a second time, it will ring a bell. This is because they saw your ad before. This is one easy way to build brand recognition. When your prospect sees your ad for the third time, they will start to develop a favorable opinion of your company. This is because they may see you as a stable, consistent, and dependable HVAC company.
When the time comes, and your prospect needs their air conditioning system fixed, they can type in AC repair, and Google will bring up your listing along with your competitors. However, the prospect will recognize you and more than likely choose you over the others.
Remember that the more often you contact your prospects, the better. This ensures that you are first in mind when they need HVAC services.
9. Create a follow-up plan.
Collecting leads from the lead capture forms is just the start of the process. No marketing plan is complete without an effective follow-up plan. Following up on leads a couple of times a week or months can convert those leads to sales.
You may not see it right away, but in the long run, it can prove beneficial. It doesn’t matter how you do it whether you send direct mail, email, newsletters, retargeting, etc.. - just follow up.
10. Consider social media advertising.
Social media advertising is a great way to promote your HVAC business. It's important to advertise on various marketing channels, and not just one popular search engine. Most social media platforms have advertising services that you can use for your HVAC service. When the summer or winter comes around, and a potential customer is scrolling through their social media feed, if they see your Facebook ad, they might be reminded and compelled to start researching your HVAC business. For a well-rounded HVAC marketing strategy, you need to diversify your ad spend.
Let Scorpion Help With Your HVAC Advertising
Your HVAC marketing plan needs to change from time to time to meet the rising demands in the growing home services industry. These nine HVAC advertising ideas will help you attract more customers and book more sales for your small business. However, if you’re still having trouble with your HVAC marketing plan, contact Scorpion for help with SEO services.
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