Looking for new customers is routine for HVAC contractors across the board. They imagine getting a flood of new HVAC clients who want to purchase their products or hire them for their HVAC services. This dream isn’t impossible when you have the right HVAC marketing ideas at your fingertips. You want to keep your team busy and revenue flowing, and that’s where a well-planned HVAC advertising and marketing strategy comes into play.

1: Use PPC (Pay-per-click) Marketing to Get Your HVAC Business on the 1st Page of Google

The good news about PPC ads (pay-per-click) is that it’s relatively easy to manage. However, if you’re trying to manage multiple campaigns, that’s where things can get complicated. While it’s appealing to put all of your eggs into one basket and then let your campaigns run themselves, that isn’t an ideal online marketing plan.

As convenient as that might sound, you’ll yield more results with a diversified PPC strategy. When you use a paid search platform, like Google Ads, two factors determine the cost of each keyword:

1. How well your HVAC company matches the terms
2. How valuable or popular the keywords are within a search

That means, when people search a lot for a term, it’ll be more expensive. During a busy winter season, the search term, “Furnace repair in Boston,” could cost thousands of dollars. When you shake up your keyword strategy by using secondary keywords, you can translate that strategy to your PPC campaigns, too. That way, you’re generating quality leads without the high price tag.

2: Create an Attractive and High-Quality HVAC Website Design

High-quality website design helps attract new customers and generate leads to your HVAC business. Designing a high-quality website is an excellent online marketing solution for creating unique landing pages and high-value content throughout the site.

Every HVAC website must include critical components to ensure its success. For example, your company’s phone number must have precise placement on every page. You must then ensure that every description, caption, and other content pieces are error-free and concise.

Beyond that of the contact information and when the office is open to receive phone calls, small business owners must also ensure their website contains snippets from Google reviews and a list of the local services they offer.

Elements of a High-Quality HVAC Website

• Easy navigation
• Internal links
• Plenty of white space
• Strategically-placed calls to action

3: Share 5-Star Testimonials and Customer Reviews

Each time you keep your Google My Business page up-to-date, that improves your SEO and increase your chances of ranking #1 on Google’s local services pages. These updates should include sharing 5-star reviews and testimonials from your customers. That way, you’re showing appreciation to those leaving customers reviews and building trust with new customers.

Pro tip:

Create high-quality images featuring customer reviews to round out your company’s branding and add visual elements to your Google My Business page, social media platforms, and website. Use a free photo editing platform, like Canva.com, to create a template that you can easily duplicate.

4: Embrace the Power of LinkedIn

One of the most significant misconceptions about LinkedIn is that it’s primarily for corporate leaders. The truth is that it’s essentially a mecca for professional social networking. And, it’s probably an untapped space for promoting your HVAC company. Joining LinkedIn groups is an invaluable step for connecting with other industry professionals and discovering new digital marketing strategies.

Post ideas for maximizing your HVAC company presence on LinkedIn:

• How, when, and why you launched your company
• How your HVAC company involves itself in the local community
• Ways you’ve solved issues for businesses or homeowners
• ·The story behind your brand’s colors, logo, and tagline
• Snippets detailing your team members and the roles they play within your company

5: Use Google Follow-Up Ads to Boost Conversions

There are many ways to encourage your website visitors to come more than just once. One of the best ways of doing this is with Google Follow-Up Ads. You might also hear others reference them as remarketing or retargeting ads. This form of HVAC advertising installs cookies onto a user’s browser that show them advertising based on their searches or previous online actions.

For example, when users search for HVAC services, they could see ads display for companies offering these services for a discount or other deals. You can use remarketing as part of your PPC, social media advertising, and email marketing campaigns.

6: Revisit Your HVAC Website Keyword Strategy

The lifeblood of your company’s online search strategy is keywords. The main reason is that they’re permeating just about every facet of your HVAC marketing strategy. Our company’s citations, PPC campaigns, SEO, social media, and other HVAC lead sources depend on keyword phrases and terms.

Tips for enhancing your HVAC marketing keyword strategy:

• Make sure you’re optimizing your primary keyword for your local service area—for example, when users search for local businesses, they might use the term “AC repair in Albuquerque.”
• Don’t forget to sprinkle secondary keywords throughout every page of your site.
• Use keywords in every page title and a few of your page’s header tags.
• Be sure to add keywords to image titles and captions.
• Avoid using the same primary keyword as the focus for multiple pages.

7: Test Your HVAC Site’s Call-to-Action

Placing a call-to-action strategically on every page directs users to perform a specific action. That could be filling out a form, calling a phone number, subscribing to a newsletter, and more. The CTA’s formatting, location, and wording play a vital part in its effectiveness.

Tips for creating and placing a call-to-action:

• Make sure they’re visibly distinct from other elements on the page.
• If possible, keep all CTA forms down to a maximum of five fields.
• Encourage calls, clicks, and submissions using enticing words, like “free.”
• Describe the benefits of clicking the CTA, like the user saving money or time, for example.

8: Attract New Customers Using Referral Programs

In the HVAC marketing and advertising world, referral programs are gold. When a potential customer reads online reviews and makes a purchasing decision based on someone else’s satisfaction, they’re more likely to refer that product or service to a friend or family member. The same is true if someone refers another person to a company, product, or service.

Think about it this way – when a new customer tells three of their friends about a positive experience they had with your HVAC company, and then those friends tell others, then you can expect your HVAC company to grow. You can encourage referrals by offering discounts and other rewards to someone who brings in a lead that converts into a sale.

The benefits of an HVAC referral program:

• HVAC companies can reduce their budgets because they’re focusing on satisfied customers
• The sales cycle increases because the company is generating leads within the scope of its circle of influence, which is a far better strategy than making cold calls.
• Referral programs generate additional satisfied customers, which ensures a cycle of repeat customers and other referrals.
• Companies see an increase in their sales revenue, which offers a higher conversion rate compared to unqualified leads
• Referral programs generate a higher overall return on investment (ROI)

9: Use Social Media Marketing to Strengthen Your HVAC Business

There are so many opportunities to get a company name out there using social media marketing. Many users turn to social media to find local services. That’s where internet marketing on social media is beneficial to your company.

HVAC marketing services across the board tell their customers that social media content marketing is significantly beneficial to their company. Look at the statistics for users worldwide:

• Facebook: 2.7 billion monthly active users
• Instagram: 1 billion monthly active users
• Twitter: 330 million monthly active users
• YouTube: 2 billion active monthly users

Because developing a social media presence is critical for a company’s marketing strategy, Google notices. That means Google analyzes a company’s social activity and uses it when ranking websites.

10: Lead Generation Using Video Marketing

Using YouTube is another way HVAC professionals are tackling lead generation for their marketing strategies. When you use a keyword tool like Ahrefs or Ubersuggest, you can pick out the top HVAC industry keywords that generate the most searches on YouTube monthly. Examples of those keywords might be:

• HVAC
• HVAC near me
• HVAC supply near me
• HVAC system
• HVAC repair
• HVAC contractors
• HVAC companies near me

Using keyword research tools allows you to uncover invaluable data when creating videos for YouTube. Start by creating a tutorial about how to troubleshoot something your customer base typically struggles with, and then add high ranking keywords to its description.

11: Use Email Marketing to Retain and Attract New Customers

One of the best ways to attract and retain new customers is by reaching out to your existing customer base with emails. If you do not see the results you’d like, now is an excellent time to reevaluate your approach. Typically, those receiving your emails don’t have time to read long newsletters containing updates about your company.

Instead, consider testing these email marketing ideas for your HVAC business:

• Generate referrals and reviews with offers your email subscribers can’t refuse
• Reward your loyal customers by hosting contests and giveaways
• Save money and time by automating your email marketing campaigns
• Feature email-only, limited-time discounts for your company’s maintenance services

12: Invest in Local SEO

As of 2020, organic search accounts for 53% of website traffic. That’s an important statistic when you look at the low percentage of paid searches create. Local SEO creates opportunities for driving traffic to your site. Because more than half of website traffic is from an organic search, it makes sense to invest in local SEO for your HVAC website. That investment goes a long way when optimizing your website, getting listings within prominent citation sources, and content development.

13: Include Content Into Your Digital Marketing Strategy

When users type a term into Google, those search results often include a gigantic text box containing the answer. Google refers to that content as a Featured Snippet, and it’s a prevailing staple in digital marketing strategies. With the right content, your company’s information could be in that snippet.

Think about your customer’s most significant pain point, and then write a how-to guide about that topic. Start by building a list of frequently asked questions, and then drive down those into articles and guide ideas. Writing lengthy how-to articles and guides means incorporating bullet points, images, keywords, key phrases, and a step-by-step list.

14: Include Pre-Seasonal Campaigns in Your HVAC Marketing Strategy

Getting ahead in your HVAC marketing includes looking at your current HVAC services and determining what your customers might need in the future. For example, in the winter, you can think about AC repair. Or, toward the end of summer or early fall, you can think about furnace repair and maintenance needs.

Start your HVAC advertising strategies early by:

• Sending your email subscribers your seasonal tuneup promotions
• Writing an article or blog post describing the importance of furnace maintenance before cold weather hits
• Creating Google for social media ads featuring enticing seasonal offers
• Using direct mail to send out postcards to existing customers
• Using social media to post limited-time offers

15: Make Sure Your Website is Optimized for Search Engines

New customers find your business through a search. Approximately 93% of online experiences start when users search Bing, Google, Yahoo, and the like. The deciding factor between an HVAC business that’s thriving and struggling is its position within Google’s rankings. Search engines are the judges determining which answers consumers receive when searching for questions in today’s information age. That’s why your HVAC company must have a substantial search engine presence.

Because Google ranks as the most popular search engine, leveraging it is in your company’s best interest. You can rank higher in Google search engine listings by using search engine optimization. Think about if your company ranks #1 in Google for “Best AC repair,” or “New air conditioner.” Your HVAC business would skyrocket!

16: Research the Competition to Improve Your Company’s Search Engine Rankings

If you ignore what your competition is doing, then you’re missing out on potential leads. Ideally, it’s a good idea to research what your competition is doing well and identify where they’re struggling. You can break this analysis down into the following questions:

What is their social presence, if any?

Social media marketing is playing a critical role in SEO and, without it, you can expect your HVAC business to struggle. For example, most of the HVAC companies you’re competing with that perform well in a search most likely have a well-established social media presence. It’s easy to establish a social media presence, but here’s where you need to dig a little deeper. Are they using the platforms to build relationships and actively engage with the community?

How does their company perform in a search?

Google is your HVAC company’s most profitable lead source. Therefore, it’s in your company’s best interest to increase its visibility on Google and the other prominent search engines. Because this visibility is critical to your HVAC business’s success, you must analyze how well your competition performs in search engines.

Start by conducting a Google search for the keyword phrase, “air conditioning repair.” Look at the top three businesses that rank within that search result. Look at their website, the company’s tagline, the meta description, and how they construct their homepage. You can use this information to get a basic idea of how they’re driving more HVAC leads through their HVAC website.

Does their blog feature high-value content that helps move new customers to a decision?

An expression you’ll repeatedly hear when reading HVAC marketing ideas is that content is king. When you create high-value content, that poises your prospective customers closer to a buying decision. Content creation is also one of the most cost-effective ways of driving more traffic to your HVAC website.

Start by analyzing the content on your competition’s site and blog. Ask yourself if your competition is consistently creating valuable content for its target audience? If so, how can you do better? If not, how can your HVAC company fill that gap?

17: Embrace Mobile HVAC Advertising Strategies

Forecasts indicate that, by the end of 2021, we’ll see 3.8 billion smartphone users worldwide. Why is this statistic important for your HVAC business? Think about it this way—most of your customer base uses their phone all the time. With that in mind, it’s an excellent opportunity for you to advertise to them.

How can you do that?

Make sure your website has mobile device optimization. This strategy is no longer an option—it’s a must. Your customer base is looking for businesses, products, and services using their phone more often than their desktop computer. For example, up to 70% of all mobile searches result in action within at least one hour. Chances are, your target audience is among those who are searching

18: Keep Your Target Audience Educated

When you build authority, that helps attract new business. You might already know this, but are you doing anything to achieve this goal? Building authority is also an excellent way of keeping your current customers satisfied. When they’re happy, that increases the chances of referring your HVAC company to friends or family. There are several ways of educating your customers as part of your marketing strategy.

Here are several examples of how you can use this in your HVAC marketing strategy:

• Create a blog for your website that includes helpful information, tips, and other pertinent resources. Make sure you share each of these blogs on your social media platforms.
• Share articles and other content that others create with your customer base. When you link out to other reputable resources that are helpful to your site’s visitors, that enhances their experiences on your blog and social media channels.
• Using Facebook Live or other broadcasting channels, conduct a live Q&A to help new and existing customers with questions they might have. When you’re the one answering these questions, that helps build trust.

19: Make Sure Your Google My Business Page is Optimized

You’re going to quickly learn how essential it is for your HVAC company to have a Google My Business page. When your page is optimized effectively, it makes it easier for new customers to find your business.

Use the following steps to optimize your page:

1. Choose specific categories that suit your business the best, but don’t overdo this. Ideally, you’re choosing two or three that best describe what your company does.
2. Round out your profile by uploading images of the products and services you offer, including finished projects.
3. Add a profile picture, company logo, and cover photo that represents your HVAC company the best.
4. Link to your HVAC company website.
5. Establish the service area for your company according to the address you registered with Google. Start with a 20-30 mile radius to prevent diminishing returns if you make the area too large.
6. Add other relevant details, including your company’s hours of operation, wherever appropriate.

20: Offer the Best Customer Service

It might seem like a subtle marketing tactic, but it’s powerful for HVAC companies to deescalate problems and improve their customer service. That means managing your customer’s expectations and providing the best customer service.

Some companies excel in this area, where other HVAC companies fail miserably. For example, we’ve all experienced situations with cable companies where they didn’t meet our expectations. On the other hand, airlines are experts at offering unique benefits and tactfully explaining delays. That’s where your HVAC company can become an industry leader – by examining and managing your customer’s expectations.

The Bottom Line

These HVAC marketing ideas are among the best to help market your HVAC company online. While some small business owners find HVAC advertising and marketing strategies overwhelming or intimidating, that doesn’t have to be the case. Internet marketing is changing the face of advertising and marketing plans with incredible impacts on businesses of all sizes. With excellent planning and execution, you can take your HVAC business to the next level using HVAC marketing strategies.