When someone needs to have their furnace replaced or they’re looking for AC repair, in the vast majority of cases, they’re going to look for a local HVAC company online.

People don’t often look for HVAC services in the phonebook anymore. These days, every HVAC company needs a good digital marketing strategy, but here’s the thing, not all strategies are made equal.

Most HVAC contractors don’t have an endless marketing budget, nor do they have an endless amount of free time in their schedule that they can afford to waste on an ineffective marketing strategy. Here are a few tips to help you build an HVAC marketing strategy that actually works for you.

7 tips for HVAC marketing that works

#1. Have a modern HVAC website

Most HVAC companies aren’t trying to sell any products online. Since an HVAC website is largely information, it doesn’t need to be too fancy. However, it does need to meet the needs and expectations of modern users.

First, your HVAC website needs to be mobile-friendly, which means, first and foremost, that it needs to have a responsive design. A responsive website will reconfigure itself based on the screen size it’s viewed on, which ensures the best possible experience on any device.

Second, your HVAC website needs to meet the expectations of your users. When visitors come to your website, they want to learn about your HVAC business and services, find your contact information or schedule a consultation from your website. Your website needs to be able to meet those needs.

#2. Get listed wherever people are looking

There is a long list of places where someone in your community might go to find an HVAC company online. Top Rated Local®, Angi and Facebook are just a few of the many places people go to look for local businesses.

Your best chance at being the HVAC company a new customer may turn to is simply being wherever it is they are looking. Make sure that your HVAC company is listed anywhere and everywhere your potential customers might be looking.

Also, make sure that your business information is consistent and up to date on all local sites, directories and apps. The last thing you want is for a customer to call an inactive phone number.

#3. Prioritize content marketing

Although there are many, many places where a potential customer could find your HVAC company online, most local business searches start with a Google search. And, unfortunately, most people won’t look past page one of the search results.

When someone searches “HVAC contractor near me” in your service area, you want to make sure that your website is listed near the top of the search results — as close to number one as you can get! That means that you need to prioritize HVAC SEO and content marketing.

There’s a lot that can be said about SEO, but a good place to start is by doing keyword research, adding content to your website on a regular basis and link building.

#4. Build a strong reputation

Whether someone finds your HVAC business in an ad, a Google search or on Top Rated Local, chances are, before they call to book an appointment or to find out about your rates, they’re going to read some of your reviews.

Reviews have become a huge part of the decision-making process for today’s consumers. When someone sees that past customers have had a good experience with your team, they’re more likely to entrust you with their business.

Focus on building a strong reputation for your HVAC company by making customer service a top priority, and by requesting (and listening to) feedback from your customers.

#5. Cultivate long-lasting customer relationships

New customers are great, but they’re also expensive. HVAC companies that thrive and succeed long-term are companies that have learned the art of building long-lasting relationships with their existing customers.

Email and text message marketing are a couple of the most powerful channels available to you when it comes to increasing the lifetime value of your customers and getting more repeat business.

Whether you’re asking for feedback after a recent service, reminding a customer about upcoming maintenance requirements or highlighting an upcoming offer, email and text message marketing are great ways to stay connected.

#6. Drive leads with multi-channel advertising

As I mentioned, you want to be found wherever your potential customers are looking. One of the best ways to ensure that happens is through multi-channel advertising on channels your customers are using the most, like Facebook, Google and Instagram.

SEO, reputation management, organic local listings — all of these things can take time to get up and running. The amazing thing about digital advertising is that you can use it to start generating HVAC leads right away.

Plus, you can maximize your advertising budget and your ROI by only targeting the right audience in your ad campaigns. This way, you’re not wasting any money advertising to the wrong people.

#7. Get active on social media

From catching up with friends to reading the latest news and searching for local businesses, people tend to spend a lot of time on social media these days. Capitalize on that by building a presence on social media.

Start by building social profiles on whatever platforms your customers are using. You’ll want to post consistently, so avoid biting off more than you can chew and try to build a presence on all of the platforms. For most HVAC contractors, Facebook will be the golden ticket.

Establish an active, consistent presence on whatever social platforms you’re using by posting regularly. If you have trouble finding time in your schedule to post, try scheduling out posts ahead of time with a social media scheduling tool.

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Originally published on 3/12/21