15 Effective HVAC Marketing Strategies to Start Today

Marketing your HVAC company effectively requires developing an online presence. While word-of-mouth endorsements and recommendations still have an essential role in helping you establish your reputation in your community, reaching a broader audience online takes a developed marketing strategy. The higher you rank in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs), the more likely the prospect will click your link.

Effective HVAC marketing strategies help you develop a plan to rank high for the qualified searchers more likely to convert to customers.

At Valve+Meter Performance Marketing, we understand how valuable developing long-term customer relationships is for your company. The internet is noisy, and we believe in cutting through the chatter to bring you the right customers. Our proven HVAC marketing strategies will help you establish yourself as a trusted expert for your customers to resource repeatedly.

Search engine optimization is a foundational building block for all other marketing strategies. It doesn’t matter how catchy your tagline or how fancy your logo is if you don’t have a website with good SEO, people will not find you.

Reduce Your Bounce Rate

A high bounce rate is one red flag alerting you a website needs improvements. When someone bounces off your site, they visit once and leave quickly.

A high bounce rate can indicate those who find your website aren’t looking for HVAC services, your website loads slowly, or people find information quickly and don’t need to search other pages.

Because bounce rate data doesn’t always indicate a negative result, evaluating this data with additional information is important.

Good Technical Website Design

A website with good SEO begins by making sure the technical aspects work. If you already have an established website, a gap analysis is a quick way to identify the areas where you need improvements.

Ask a few trusted people to look at your website and provide feedback. Ask how quickly your website loaded and if they were frustrated with the time it took. A strong site should load in less than 2 seconds. Can they evaluate how user-friendly the site is to search?

If your friends cannot find the information they seek about your company quickly, it’s unlikely someone unfamiliar with your company will. Maybe it’s time to work with a web design agency focused on ensuring your business gets the results it deserves.

On-Page SEO

“Findability” through an internet search depends on whether you provide accurate content so search bots can match your website with the correct searchers. Great SEO includes ensuring your website’s content clearly explains your business using industry keywords people commonly use when searching for HVAC services. Sometimes this means less concentration on industry shorthand or jargon.

Keyword Research

One of your HVAC marketing strategies begins with creating a list of your company’s words and phrases. Using phrases your customers are likely to type in when searching is critical, and you want to vary the number of keywords with high-ranking scores. HVAC is a keyword every HVAC company has on their website. “HVAC services my town, state” will reduce your competition in search.

Developing content, including industry terms, is the best way to ensure your business connects to the right people, but your content must be well-written. Search AI reads content within context. Keywords without context on a webpage can be flagged as spam by search bots and won’t rank high in search.

Your website needs to work well for both desktop and mobile searches. Mobile search statistics vary by industry, and there is a steady rise in overall mobile searches each year. According to marketing statistics from Hubspot, 65 percent of smartphone users agree that when searching for their smartphones, they look for the most relevant information regardless of the company providing it. 

Pull up your website on your phone and ensure you can access all the pages. A mobile searcher should be able to contact you by touching the phone number on your website. Optimizing your site’s accessibility will also benefit customers with disabilities or mildly compromised vision and hearing.

Pay Per Click (PPC) ads are tools to get local customers to incorporate promotional specials or to announce the addition of services or a service area expansion. Creating a targeted ad will reach your local area and increase the chances those who click on your ad will take advantage of your promotion.

Another way to use PPC is to create a content offer and build a landing page for your website wherein you offer free content in exchange for their email address. You can create a content promotional ad to build up your list more quickly. While you will pay for those ad clicks, with targeting, you are likely to gather email addresses from more robust customer leads.

Facebook also offers landing page PPC ad opportunities. Using this marketing tool requires additional strategy. Create an eye-catching image and incorporate precise wording, so people will stop scrolling and consider your offer.

Retargeting ads are another excellent addition to your HVAC marketing strategies. Utilize retargeting by uploading your email list to a Facebook retargeting campaign.

The Facebook campaign will identify people with the same uploaded email connected to their Facebook account and send your ad directly to them. This strategy provides the most granular opportunity for advertising when you segment your email list.

You can build a campaign or offer for a group in a specific stage of the buyer’s journey and use retargeting to advertise directly to customers at each stage with a different ad.

Google offers a free opportunity for HVAC businesses to advertise for free by establishing a Google Business Profile. Formerly known as Google My Business, this listing is often the first point of contact with prospective customers. This is one of the most accessible HVAC marketing strategies for a stronger local SEO presence. Your optimized GBP has space to add a business description, post updates, pictures, service hours, special offers, and promotions, and earn customer reviews.

Local SEO

Local SEO importance increases as more people utilize the “near me” search feature. Your Google Business Profile will rank businesses pages first with the search near me feature. Connecting with local review websites will also help customers in your service area find your company quicker.

Voice Search

As voice search usage increases, search rankings become more critical. Statista research shows that 43 percent of smartphone users engage in voice search as it is quicker than going to an actual website or mobile app. 

Developing a well-rounded buyer persona is the best way to ensure you have a personalized brand identity to target ideal customers. Your brand identity explains how you will fix your customer’s pain point. Create a clear message truthfully presenting your knowledge and services.

A Facebook Business Page provides another opportunity for customers to find you. Many people use Facebook as a search engine for local businesses. It’s unlikely you are the only HVAC company in your area, so social media is a helpful tool to reach new customers and remind current ones of you. Instagram and Twitter business profiles also help you promote your company for free.

Leverage social media marketing to expand your company’s online presence a few different ways:

• Promote upcoming sales
• Provide an option for customers to rate and review you
• Use industry keywords in posts and images
• Add hashtags to posts and
• Respond quickly to customer questions wherever you are.

Your social media HVAC marketing strategies may be simple, and it’s important to monitor your pages and engage with comments regularly. Use your social pages to provide helpful information like your blog posts or company updates. They’re also free recruiting tools.

Using a social scheduler lets you plan your posts as well as link articles promoting the HVAC industry or offer educational content. Help searchers find you by using common industry hashtags on relevant posts such as #HVAC, #HVACrepair, #heatpump only when and if they are relevant. Search through Twitter and see what hashtags other businesses use. Is there a popular local hashtag like #Indylovessmallbusiness? If so incorporate it occasionally in your posts.

Your HVAC marketing strategies should include developing strategic blog content for your website. A blog increases your online presence because every blog post you add gives search engines an additional chance to find you for prospects.

Develop content relevant to your buyers and incorporate keyword research with each post to help your ideal customers find you in search while continuing to build connections with current customers.

By addressing your content to the pain points of your buyer persona, you will begin to develop a trusting relationship with them. Each piece of content should answer a question. The more you help your customers the more they will trust your expertise and view you as an industry expert. When they need HVAC services, customers will call you if they already trust you.

Evergreen blog posts, which can be used at any time, are best so when new customers find you the content is still relevant. Content educating and answering “why” questions informs readers how valuable HVAC services are and when they are needed.

Address questions such as:

• Why do I need my HVAC system serviced annually?
• How do I reduce my energy costs?
• Should I install a heat pump?

If you find you don’t have the time to create quality blog content, you can outsource writing to a freelancer and tailor it to your services or employ an agency.

Optimize blog posts just like other web pages for SEO. Optimization includes adding both internal and external links to each blog post. Internal links direct your reader to pages on your website. External links connect your site page to other websites, such as references and established industry sources. You must connect all internal and external links to relevant content on reputable websites.

An external link or backlink tells the search bots you are endorsing the website and believe it has valuable content. An important part of link building is establishing backlinks. There are several ways to actively work on acquiring backlinks versus waiting for people to link to your website.

Your HVAC marketing strategies to acquire backlinks can vary from offering to guest post on an HVAC website to answering questions on Quora. When you add a blog post link to help explain an answer, you establish a backlink. Reciprocal linking creates a backlink for two websites. Offer an asset such as a printable checklist for spring cleaning your HVAC system to other reputable websites and trade promotions.

Every time you list your HVAC company on an industry reference website or a directory site you establish a backlink. Angie’s List, BBB and your local Chamber of Commerce provide reputable linking opportunities. Some directory sites require a yearly membership fee.

Pay Per Lead (PPL) services take a percentage of any qualified lead they send you. These services are not equal so do your research before using one. Additionally, it’s important to remember follow-up on leads and closing deals are still your responsibility.

Consider a PPL service for larger jobs such as commercial building HVAC system installations or new home builder partnerships.

Content development is not limited to written posts. Another HVAC marketing strategy is to create a YouTube or Facebook Live web series. Establishing yourself as an industry expert who provides trustworthy information can include showing your customers how to perform DIY care on their HVAC system such as walking through changing an air filter.

YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google, and you can also leverage your YouTube videos to rank on Google as well by adding the keywords in the video summary. Google pulls links, images, and video and separates them for searches so while you may not rank on the first page for the most common HVAC keywords the right video can rise to the top of the video query.

Once you have collected email addresses, email marketing is an additional marketing tactic to deploy. Send informational emails promoting blog posts, upcoming specials, and reminders of how to maintain your HVAC system with each changing season.

Increase open rates by personalizing emails. Add first names or specific locations to the subject line. This marketing strategy can help develop a more personal connection with your customers. It’s important every email sent provides value by offering information or educating the recipient.

Ensure you send the right emails to your customers with segmented lists. Using your buyer persona, create an email list for new customers, people who have signed up for specific services, or groups who you have not yet serviced but have signed up via a landing page to receive more information about your company.

Make sure you are optimizing your website or a marketing campaign the best you can with conversion rate optimization (CRO). This usually requires a software program to allow you to perform A/B testing.

A/B testing involves creating two similar web pages, marketing emails, or images and measuring the responses with two test groups of similar sizes. By running the tests simultaneously, you will see which version receives a better response.

Use A/B tests to explore why you may have low conversion rates on your Call-To-Action or website’s click-through rates.

Direct mail is still a great HVAC marketing strategy when used correctly. There are various ways to implement a direct mail marketing strategy, and just like marketing emails, the most effective content will provide value to your customers.

Use direct mail communications to remind customers of upcoming annual service appointments or to schedule service. After completing your work, a thank you note extends the customer relationship. Request feedback from your customers and provide a self-addressed return envelope for increased response chances.

Use direct mail to show customers you care about them by sending a card for individual events. A birthday card is great personalized touch. If a customer updates their address, send them a note letting them know your records have been updated and include a few tips for energy savings in their new home.

When you run a special or offer a coupon, direct mail marketing layered with email marketing and a targeted ad will increase a customer’s chances to see your offer and know when it will expire. You must also pay attention to the number of direct mail sends you put in place for your leads, prospects and customers. 

Gain a competitive marketing advantage by knowing what your competition is doing. Your competition includes other local HVAC companies as well as companies of comparable sizes in other parts of the country.

Begin a competition analysis by reviewing HVAC company websites. Note what others are blogging about and the type of offers they develop. Check out their social media and see the interaction with followers. Are your local competitors on YouTube or active in community sponsorships? Consider adopting some of these practices as well.

When you understand your competition’s strategies, you will better understand what is working and isn’t working for other HVAC companies. By identifying gaps in your competitor’s marketing strategy, you will know where to start setting yourself apart.

Conducting a SERP audit is another aspect of competition analysis. A SERP analysis can identify which keywords or content a competitor is ranking higher than you for and where you are ranking higher than other companies. A SERP analysis will allow you to mine a lot of data, and knowing how to interpret the information is equally important. This strategy is one in which a marketing expert can be especially helpful conducting for you.

Word of mouth referrals from satisfied customers is still one of the best HVAC marketing plans available. When your HVAC company provides excellent customer service, expert workmanship, and competitive prices your customers will happily tell their friends and family about your company.

Community involvement can inspire customer advocacy by giving back to your community. Become involved with local charities, support the school, or join service organizations such as Rotary or Kiwanis. Your customers are home and business owners in your neighborhood too. Choose causes reflecting your business values. Networking with other business owners and supporting mutual passions builds relationships more personal than any on the internet.

The HVAC marketing strategies listed aren’t quick fixes. They will take an investment of your time and sometimes your finances. You do not need to implement all these strategies, nor do they need to be completed at the same time.

To help you determine which marketing strategies to employ as well as the amount time to invest, identify your Key Performance Indicators. Knowing your KPI’s will help you establish measurable goals and outcomes as well as understand which aspects of your data to track and analyze.

Data Analysis is the most accurate way to measure your efforts and will give you a clear picture of whether your marketing strategy implementation is paying off. Data will help you make factual decisions rather than emotional ones.

When done well, however incrementally, these marketing practices will help you build your HVAC business and provide a steady stream of new clients. Your value-added content, both written and video, will help establish you as an industry authority and expand your brand’s reach organically. By marketing to your buyer persona, you will attract stronger qualified leads. Nurturing qualified leads converts website readers into customers.

Not sure where to get started? At Valve+Meter Performance Marketing, we partner with you to develop a strategic plan to acquire new customers. By helping you align your business and marketing strategies, you will find leads who are ready to become buyers. We know as your business grows you may not have as much time to focus on your HVAC marketing strategies. Our team will help you prioritize your initial marketing strategy and test along the way to manage the rate of business growth. Contact us today to learn how we will help you develop your HVAC marketing strategy.