Did you know the first air conditioning system wasn’t designed for homes? American engineer Willis Carrier invented the first AC unit in 1902 to protect his papers from humidity in his publishing house.
Today, the need for smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems is growing worldwide.
If you’re an owner of an HVAC business, proper lead generation strategies can help you move your business to the next level by driving more sales and leads. Specifically, HVAC marketing is about understanding HVAC industry trends, creating, communicating, and delivering messages about heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems. As a result, it helps you capture the attention of your target audience and get more HVAC leads.
According to IBISWorld, as of September 2022, the HVAC market size makes up $123 billion. So, let’s see what HVAC lead generation ideas you can use to grow your business.
If you’re looking to consistently acquire more HVAC leads, these lead generation tactics are a must:
According to Top Design Firms (2021), 42% of people will leave a website with poor functionality. To improve your HVAC business website functionality:
SWEOR reports website visitors’ first impressions are 94% design-based. Virtual Window has revealed 48% of people consider web design the number one way to determine the credibility of a business.
Web design is more than a pretty website. It’s about websites that are easy to use and navigate. That’s why it’s important to avoid boring design, poor choice of colors, excessive pop-up advertisements, inadequate introductory content, small print, and too much text.
Additionally, make your HVAC website engaging by asking visitors to do something. Have a clear CTA button taking your visitors to your product page to make a purchase, book an appointment, or sign up for your HVAC company’s newsletter.
Since your HVAC website is the digital face of your company, it should convey credibility and professionalism to invite visitors to take action. Specifically, it should include reliable and up-to-date information.
Additionally, it should be developed and personalized in every detail to meet your customers’ and your needs. As a result, you can turn them into loyal customers.
According to Webfx, 83% of consumers expect a website to load in less than three seconds. If your HVAC website loads slowly, move it to a better host. Consider using website speed testing tools, such as Sematext and Google PageSpeed Insights.
In addition, use a content delivery network or content distribution network (CDN). The latter is a geographically distributed network of proxy servers and their data centers. CDNs increase website speed by caching content in multiple locations worldwide.
A mobile-friendly website can boost your HVAC company’s rankings on Google. As a result, you can attract more consumers to your website and increase your sales.
Specifically, to make your website mobile friendly, develop a responsive layout, and make your website easy to navigate. A responsive website has dynamic content that changes, optimized images that are small, allowing for fast loading over mobile connections, and features correct spacing.
Use relevant images. For example, photos of air conditioners, heating systems, fireplaces, or workers installing an HVAC system are relevant to your audience. Make sure your images are original, as they add authenticity to your website.
Additionally, use icons to cut the text on your website. Since icons are small, they help website pages look cleaner and more organized. For example, the shopping cart is the most popular icon for e-commerce companies.
Implement SEO (search engine optimization) for your HVAC website. Specifically, by using keywords such as “HVAC companies near me” or “best HVAC companies near me,” you can show up when customers are searching for HVAC companies on Google.
SEO will help your HVAC company appear below the paid ads on Google. As a result, the visibility of your company’s website will increase, and you can attract more qualified leads to your business.
Here are ways to optimize your HVAC company’s website for search engines:
SEO implementation isn’t the only strategy to attract customers. By incorporating Finturf’s free POS solution into your business, you increase your customer base by offering financing options to your customers.
A good online reputation management (ORM) tool will differentiate your HVAC company from its competitors, thus making your customers choose you.
To maintain an impressive online reputation, be transparent and respond to every review, including negative ones.
Let your unhappy customers know their concerns are heard. Follow up with your customers. Ideally, reply privately and limit public back-and-forth conversations.
At Finturf, we offer 24/7 customer service to the merchant and the lender. Whenever merchants need help, they can reach out at any time of the day through phone or email.
Referral marketing enables you to promote your HVAC services or products to new customers through referrals. For example, you can credit a certain amount in your customer’s wallet for referring a friend who signs up for your HVAC services.
Moreover, you can provide an HVAC service discount code or special offer for your current customers so they can share them with their friends.
As a result, you can boost your HVAC brand and service awareness and bring in high-quality customers. In addition, you can enjoy a cost-effective marketing strategy and help your heating and air conditioning business stand out from the competition.
According to Statista, the global HVAC market is forecast to make up around $367.5 billion by 2030. Hosting a product contest on social media is a helpful strategy to generate buzz.
Specifically, start by choosing your prize, promoting your contest in advance, and collaborating with an influencer if you’d like. After picking the winner, track and optimize the contest information.
For example, you can hold a contest for a thermally driven air conditioning system, which is among the latest HVAC technology solutions on the market. Specifically, it provides energy-efficient cooling, and consumers can use it as an alternative to traditional air conditioners.
A contest, as a marketing tool, can help you engage customers. And engaged customers are more valuable to businesses in terms of profitability, revenue, and relationship growth than average customers. In addition, it allows you to interact with your customers and collect the names and contact information of those who have signed up for the contest.
In the 1940s, a window air conditioner cost roughly $350, which is about $3,500 in today’s dollars. With rising costs, some of your customers may lack the necessary financial resources to buy an HVAC system.
Thankfully, you can offer them the increasingly popular buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment method, using it as one of your HVAC lead generation strategies.
BNPL, as customer financing, allows buyers to purchase an HVAC system without paying the entire amount upfront. Instead, they can pay for it in smaller installments. So, what should you do to offer your customers HVAC Financing?
Google can help you implement your AC advertising ideas. Specifically, build targeted HVAC ads using Google Ads to generate more leads from qualified and local customers. Google Ads and Local Service Ads are highly effective steps to market your HVAC business. Specifically:
So, it bridges the gap between you and people searching on Google for the services you offer. After typing a keyword, your HVAC ad will appear at the top of Google’s search results. You’ll pay money only if the customer clicks on the ad.
Partnering with local businesses is another marketing strategy to capture more HVAC leads. Unfortunately, many business owners often overlook the importance of joining associations and organizations in the field.
For example, consider joining local groups and attending conferences. In addition, HVAC associations often organize regular meetings where members can network. As a result, you can meet other professionals, find new ideas for growth, and reach possible clients.
Specifically, the Air Conditioning Trade Association (ACTA) and Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) are associations to consider.
SEO blogging is one of the most effective lead-generation strategies for HVAC companies. Specifically, search engine optimization (SEO) blogging is about writing content to rank on Google’s first page. For this, you need to research relevant keywords, write high-quality content, and optimize your content for SEO purposes.
Optimization is about writing content in a way that it reaches as many target customers as possible. Namely, optimization is based on using relevant keywords and links.
Specifically, write about HVAC-related topics that matter to consumers. As a result, you can build your brand voice, credibility, and authority in your local market.
For example, build your content around the following top keywords “what is HVAC?” “HVAC cost,” “HVAC design,” “heating and cooling services,” “air conditioning services,” or “air conditioners near me.”
To grow your customer base and successfully reach your target customers, you can also offer Finturf’s financing options to your customers. These include personal loans, lines of credit, installment loans, and split payments.
According to Energy.gov, three million heating and cooling systems are replaced in the U.S. every year. Such demand for new HVAC systems means maintenance and repair activities will also increase.
So, what other marketing tactics can you use to stand out in the HVAC systems market? Writing op-eds can be an answer. An op-ed stands for “opposite the editorial page.” It’s an article providing information regarding a specific industry or area of expertise.
For example, a malfunctioning thermostat may be one of your customers’ top problems. Consider writing an op-ed to share tips on how to solve the problem.
When writing, make sure your article is less than 700 words long. In addition, publish the op-ed where readers can easily access the educational content, such as on your website.
Online video viewership is on the rise. That’s why 99% of marketers already using video marketing are planning to use it more. Specifically, video marketing helps you promote and market your HVAC products and services, boost engagement on your online and social media channels, educate your customers, and increase your customer base.
Video marketing is quite helpful for HVAC companies because it allows you to visually describe and explain how your customers can keep their home systems running smoothly. Delivering valuable information can also help you increase your brand’s trustworthiness and show you’re attentive to your customers’ needs.
Consider making quick how-to videos for easy maintenance projects. Then, post this content on the social media platforms your customers prefer. Finally, choose relevant hashtags to expand your reach.
Importantly, when posting your videos, upload a video to a platform directly. For instance, avoid posting a YouTube video on Facebook. Otherwise, you can’t optimize your content and engage your customers effectively.
To build a stronger bridge between your customers and your business, Finturf offers an easy, free, and straightforward onboarding process. You can add Finturf’s financing platform to your existing software by speaking to a support team member.
Reaching new customers isn’t enough: you need to work on retaining your existing customers. Though it’s common for businesses to lose customers, you can take specific steps to decrease the likelihood of this occurrence. Specifically, the average American company loses 23% to 30% of its customers each year because of a lack of customer loyalty, according to SEMrush.
Namely, you should allocate a significant part of your HVAC marketing budget to keeping your existing clients happy. For example, focus on solving their problems. For instance, help them get rid of water leaks, which is a common HVAC problem.
In addition, offer seasonal specials like discounts or free service upgrades. Moreover, you can schedule maintenance checks or filter replacements. And remember that quality products make 77% of customers stay loyal to a brand, according to SEMrush.
Lastly, deliver excellent customer service. Poor customer service is one of the main reasons consumers will go to your competitors. Specifically, train your sales staff to identify and professionally address your customers’ needs. Also, conduct surveys to get direct feedback and improve customer service.
According to SEMrush, 89% of companies consider excellent customer service a significant factor in customer retention.
Personalization is vital for customer retention, and Finturf customizes its services to your needs so you can enjoy a financing solution tailored to your unique requirements.
HVAC industry-related classes, seminars, and workshops are another helpful marketing strategy. By delivering educational seminars and workshops, you can spread the word about your business, obtain new customers, and become an expert in the field.
For example, you can talk about “How to Reduce Energy Usage,” which is a widespread problem. But how do you prepare for a workshop or seminar?
Importantly, get the word out about your event. Specifically, you can promote it on your social media channels.
Proper HVAC lead generation strategies can help you differentiate your business from competitors. Specifically, deploy helpful HVAC marketing tactics such as creating educational content and showcasing your product value to consumers through video marketing. As a result, you’ll significantly boost your chances of success.
