How to market your HVAC business | Email Marketing
The days of simply listing your company in the Yellow Pages and expecting to stay in business are over. If you’re looking to market your HVAC business in today’s world, you’ll need to have a strong internet presence. But that’s not all. Here’s how you can increase awareness and profits, in six simple steps.
1. Create an SEO-friendly website
It’s one thing to have a website for your business, but it’s a whole other matter to have a website that appears on the first page of a Google search. You want potential customers to be able to easily find you, and that’s where SEO comes in.
SEO, or search engine optimization, includes using keywords that your potential customers enter into search engines to find HVAC services. Do some research to figure out the words and phrases your target audience uses to search for HVAC services online, and then incorporate those keywords into your website’s copy.
Aside from sprinkling general HVAC-related keywords throughout your website, you’ll also want to include your location and any other services you offer.
Pro tip: Be careful not to overuse these terms, also known as keyword stuffing, because it can hurt your SEO efforts. Just use your keywords naturally throughout your website.
Related: Beginner’s SEO guide — Search engine optimization for small business websites
2. Use email marketing to keep customers engaged
If it’s not already, make it a habit to collect your customers’ email addresses.
Email marketing is one of the best ways to communicate with your clients, and your campaigns are more likely to have a bigger impact if you have an extensive contact list.
To decide what kind of email campaign to run, first decide what your call-to-action will be. For example, if you’re looking to get more blog readers, your email should provide a teaser to one or several recent blog posts that are relevant to your customers. Use a catchy subject line to prompt subscriber to open your emails, and be sure the content is useful so that they’re more likely to open future emails.
Related: Beginner’s email marketing guide for small businesses
3. Get your HVAC business listed in online directories
When people need an HVAC expert, they’re most likely going to do a Google search for HVAC businesses in the area. While using SEO best practices will help your website appear higher in search results, you’ll also want to be listed in online directories, such as Yelp and Foursquare. This helps to ensure that your HVAC business will appear numerous times in search results, and potential customers will see your business’s name on a listing website they already know and trust.
You’ll likely want to market your HVAC business on these directories:
- Google My Business
- Bing
- Yelp
- Foursquare
- TripAdvisor
- Citysearch
- YP
- eLocal
You can create accounts for your company on each of these directories, or you can use a tool like Local Business Listings from GoDaddy, which will do the work for you for a nominal monthly fee.
4. Partner with other local companies to market your HVAC business
When your HVAC business offers a deal or a discount, you promote it to those in your network. However, when you cross-market with other local businesses, you’re able to promote your services to everyone in their network as well. By offering to do the same for them, it’s a win-win for both of you.
As an HVAC company, you might consider partnering with local schools or daycares who’d be willing to put your ad in their school newsletter or the playbill of a school play. You could also work with local restaurants, giving out coupons for free ice cream or pizza for every maintenance appointment scheduled. Or it might make sense to partner with a local social media influencer.
Related: How to market a local business through strategic collaboration
5. Start a referral program
Another effective way to market your HVAC business is with a referral program. Leave a few extra business cards with your clients to give to their friends and family, and offer a discount to anyone they refer to your business.
As your company grows, you can enhance your referral program by offering current customers a discount on their next service if they offer a referral that leads to an appointment. Companies will also often offer the same discount to the new customer so that both people get a good deal. It’s a great way to spread the word about your company without doing a ton of legwork.
6. Expand your content marketing efforts
It’s great if you’re able to regularly post useful content on your website. But if no one is seeing it, then it’s not benefiting your business. By working with other publications that allow guest submissions, you can get your content in front of a lot more people.
This could be anything from a home improvement website to an industry news site dedicated to HVAC-related topics. Your content should be informative and interesting, and you should mention your HVAC business, how to contact you for an appointment, and any relatable services you offer.
Related: How to start guest posting for your business
Do you need professional help?
It takes time, consistency and dedication to successfully market your HVAC business. If you find that handling it all on your own is too stressful or isn’t leading to sales, consider putting some or all of your marketing tasks in the hands of professionals. You’ll find that your customer base will increase, and you’ll have more time to focus on other aspects of the business.
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