HVAC Contractor Marketing Strategies to Increase Your Customer Base

Updated on March 17th, 2022
HVAC Contractor Marketing Strategies to Increase Your Customer Base

The HVAC industry is competitive. Every HVAC company out there is looking for an edge. To cut through the noise and differentiate yourself from the others, you need to have a solid HVAC marketing strategy in place. Here are some of our best HVAC marketing ideas you can put to work to help your business grow.

Optimize your website.  

It’s not enough just to have a website –  you also need to optimize it. If your site is still using 20-year-old technology because you created it using Windows XP in 2002, it’s long past time for an upgrade. Technology and HVAC clients are rapidly passing you by. 

For example, a slow-loading blog will frustrate website visitors. Having quality images on your website is crucial for an HVAC service provider. But if the images take too long to load, or appear garbled on a mobile device, your site is not delivering its full potential.

You should consider the following when creating your HVAC business website. 

  • Optimize your business page so the site loads quickly.
  • Ensure you make navigation on your website easy. 
  • Make your Call To Action be conspicuous to website visitors. 
  • Let customers know you have easy, convenient financing available. We can help you with that part. 
  • Add a subscription link or form on your landing page.
  • Pitch your special offers, discounts, sales offers, etc., quickly. 
  • Include short videos
  • Consider employing a digital marketing agency to optimize your business page.
  • Make your Call To Action be conspicuous to website visitors. 
  • Add a subscription link or form on your landing page.

Leverage ‘pay-per-click’ ads.

Suppose you employ a digital marketing agency to handle your HVAC company marketing for you. In that case, one of the first digital marketing strategies the agency will likely set up is a ‘pay-per-click’ (PPC) for your HVAC company. PPC advertising is when you set up your HVAC company ads across different online platforms to reach leads and pay when they click on them. What PPC does is allow you to only pay for the ad as each lead clicks on them. 

Reach out to customers via email.

Many digital marketers say email marketing is their primary lead generation tactic. Well, that's true. Every $1 spent on email marketing generates $38 in ROI. 

To get started: you should first focus on building an email subscribers list. Whether you have done it before or you are just starting your email campaign, you need a list of subscribers. 

You can start by putting up simple forms on your website for users to sign up for your HVAC business updates, news, promotional offers, etc.

Ensure the information you request is limited so you do not seem intrusive. Only ask for their names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers. Be sure to tell them what information they will be getting in return for their contact information, including any planned future events or promotions like discounts, distress sales, giveaways, exclusive HVAC content, flash sales, and the like. 

TIP:  Optimize your emails to work easily and look attractive on mobile devices. 

Note that email marketing may not generate immediate sales. It takes time for your email list to grow, and it takes time for customers to become ready to buy from you. Keep sending regular and value-added emails, and soon you’ll start converting your share into active leads, appointments, and sales. 

Stay active on social media.

HVAC companies with a strong social media presence attract more business.

Studies show that more than 90% of prospects use social media to make purchase decisions. Social media is a proven ground for generating home improvement leads and providing vendors with an opportunity to interact with the public about your HVAC business - and convert them to sales. 

As part of the plan to optimize your social media content, we advise HVAC companies to share only related, and quality content on their social media handles to increase brand awareness and improve their online presence. 

You can use Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Each of these platforms have their own advantages and disadvantages. 

Target local search terms. 

Another helpful HVAC marketing strategy is to start a local SEO campaign. The idea is to generate qualified leads and new customers specific to your local vicinity. 

Local Search Engine Optimization is a targeted searching engine strategy that helps your local services to connect with future customers close to your local company and service area. 

To improve your marketing campaign with local Search Engine Optimization, you should:

  • Ensure you complete all local SEO directories by adding your name, company address, and phone number to your website. 
  • Enter business listings and generate citations in your local directories. Search engines will use your citations to add your HVAC local business to the local SEO directories. 
  • Optimize your Google My Business (GMB) to improve your SEO rankings and brand recognition on search engine results (SERPS). Local customers can always find your business on the top of search results on Google. Google Maps also uses this information in generating driving directions. 
  • Create and share locally-focused content about your local services to connect with people within your local community. 

Leverage customer reviews and feedback.

Reviews and feedback help you measure and gauge customer satisfaction. Plus, customers will alert you to problems in your business you may never find out about on your own. 

Negative online reviews are often more helpful in brand improvement than positive ones. We advise HVAC contractors to ask for customer reviews upon completing their works. This is critical information, and the business that best harnesses consumer feedback has a definite competitive edge. 

Prospects often trust what other people say about you more than you say about yourself as an HVAC contractor. So, sharing customer reviews and feedback is a failsafe strategy to market your HVAC services. In fact, showing reviews on your website makes it look more attractive. 

TIP: You can even request video reviews from your happy clients. 

Embrace video marketing. 

YouTube allows you to share information not just about your company, but also industry news, tutorials, do-it-yourself guides, maintenance and safety tips, installation advice and the like. 

Also, many HVAC contractors use YouTube because it is cost-effective. Interestingly, YouTube has added new features like YouTube Shorts - a new video-making feature that allows HVAC companies to share short videos from time to time. 

Finally, HVAC companies can add YouTube-hosted videos directly to their websites. 

Create offers, discounts, bonuses, and referral perks.

Generating qualified leads is not all about pitching unique services. Sometimes, you need to offer something unique on a temporary basis to establish a ‘buy now’ factor.. Examples include price discounts, bonuses, coupons, and special offers.

In other cases, it may involve special access to information, such as white papers, tutorials, or guides. In each case, the customer should move further down the sales funnel. 

Write "customer appreciation" posts.

Part of HVAC marketing strategies is appreciating your customer. This is a very effective customer retention tactic. Small businesses that want to build a strong customer relationship should understand the need to appreciate their loyal customers. It shows that they are concerned about the needs of the customer. 

Since you have a website and social media handles, writing appreciation posts for your customers will go a long way in rewarding brand loyalty and generating new leads. 

Invest in customer service.

Good customer service is another practical marketing tactic. Having a professional customer service system is a stage to convert a doubtful lead. Leads interested in your HVAC services who want to know more will often start by contacting your sales or customer service staff.  

How you respond to their inquiries and objections affects your brand identity and market image. Your customer service team should be respectful, cordial, and professional in their dealings.

Sara Hafeman

With years of experience in the consumer financing industry, Sara Hafeman currently leads marketing and partner development at Time Investment.