No matter the time of year, there is always a need for HVAC, which means competition in this space can be fierce year-round.
Not only do you have direct competitors to compete against (such as other HVAC suppliers and installers), but also the array of self-serve products such as portable air conditioners, evaporative coolers, heaters, and more.
So, the question becomes what can you do to make your HVAC company stand out through marketing and advertising?
In this article, I’ll be focusing on a number of marketing and advertising ideas, which is a common point of struggle for many of our HVAC clients. But first, let’s briefly touch on the delivery of your services.
Importance of Customer Service
I’m sure that you know all the top-tier advertising and marketing in the world isn’t going to be worth the effort if the delivery of your services themselves is underwhelming.
Customer service, from the moment a customer contacts you to the point of completing a contracted job, needs to be exceptional.
For example, if an employee of yours is fantastic at the practical aspects of the job (installs, repairs, etc.) but isn’t the most personable, then it may be better that they work more behind-the-scenes (a crew member helping with a job) and avoid handling the quoting and face-to-face customer relations.
This shouldn’t be seen as a disparaging move or an expression of distrust in your employee’s ability to deal with customers, but simply recognizing that some are better at dealing with people while others are better at handling the practical work. In fact, this is key to delivering on your services: you embrace each employee’s respective strengths and provide exceptional services along the way.
Marketing & Advertising
All right, let’s get down to the nitty gritty of marketing and advertising and how the right approach genuinely helps in increasing exposure, boosting interest, and securing more contracts. In the end, marketing and advertising is how you’re going to get your business noticed. Even when people talk about your company with others, this is a form of marketing – and one of the few forms of free advertisement.
99% of the time, advertising is going to cost money. Whether you’re posting an ad on social media or delivering brochures to people’s mail boxes, there is an associated cost. The entire spectrum of marketing, however, does not always require you to spend money.
Posting and responding to people on social media, publishing blogs, utilizing SEO and website optimization, etc. – these are all forms of digital marketing, and the only associated costs will either be a) the time you spend crafting these pieces of marketing, or b) the amount you pay an employee to handle these tasks as part of their role.
It’s important to remember that much of modern-day marketing, with its digital-heavy focus, is slow-burn. This means that you’re not necessarily going to see an immediate impact, but every effort you make is going to benefit you in the long-run.
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Putting genuine effort into search engine optimization is going to help your website get found by more relevant people; engaging on social media may not lead to an immediate rush of new customers, but it will help you build your audience while also painting a better image of your company to prospects; and posting multiple blogs per month won’t equate to thousands of new visitors on the offset, but over time you’ll see an uptick in readers and site visitors – all of whom you can encourage to get in touch through calls-to-action and contact forms.
Consistency is key. Marketing and advertising should work hand-in-hand, not as separate pieces. Ads provide timely boosts to get more eyes on your business and current offers, and your other marketing builds your authority, trustworthiness, and relevance in the HVAC space.
HVAC Advertising Ideas
When it comes to crafting marketing and advertising ideas in the HVAC space, you need to consider your target customers, your competition, and the voice you want your company to have online.
Simple factors, including the kind of weather in your area, are valuable to remember. You’re going to have a much easier time selling furnaces if you get cold, snowy winters than if your winter temperatures never fall below zero.
Seasonal changes alone are a big opportunity for both advertising and marketing efforts. For example, in the lead-up to winter you could advertise furnaces with “Let it Snow” themed sales. On the marketing front, you could write a blog that offers tips on how people can stay warm and comfortable or list the benefits that heating tech such as furnaces offer.
On the other end of the scale, hot summers are naturally going to be a boon if you offer air conditioner installations. Consistently aligning your business with the idea of comfort, no matter the time of year, is a great way to keep it front-of-mind for customers.
Check out this ad by Carrier, which is a cleverly designed transparent page with a frost effect that can be overlaid on any other page. So, when coupled with scenes such as the tropical climate of Tahiti or the expanse of the Dubai desert, it reinforces the idea that their products will keep you nice and cool – no matter the hot climate you live in.
Image source: Ads of the World
Don’t forget to keep your customers’ needs and pain points in mind at all times – this is key to marketing and advertising success. For example, do you have energy or environmentally-conscious customers? Why not promote energy efficient furnaces and air conditioners or provide tips on natural ways to heat and cool places without the need of certain products?
While that may seem counter-intuitive, encouraging people to stay warm/cool without the need of your products, such articles or social posts ultimately contain the type of information that the average person is going to appreciate. You want to be an authoritative source of information and advice, not just a company that constantly pushes its products and services relentlessly.
Upping the Game with Incentives
When it comes to the pure focus of advertising, ideally you want every ad you put out to the world to be a smash hit. Now, this won’t always be the case, as advertising requires trial and error, but ads that carry a genuine sense of value with them will be the most effective.
It’s this area where incentive rewards can really boost your ad efforts. Whether you’re advertising a seasonal special (air con for summer, furnaces for winter, etc.) or want to see an uptick in sales during a historically slow period, incentives can bring more customers over the line.
Remember the example of a “Let it Snow” promotion I mentioned earlier? Well, along with tying it into a push for furnace installation in the winter, you could include a relevant incentive that would pique more people’s interests.
Think: “Secure a Furnace Installation Through [company name] this Winter, and You’ll Receive a Tropical 5-day Cruise for 2.”
One of our own clients, Carleton Refrigeration, ran a similar campaign during the onset of winter at the backend of 2017. You can see how they promoted the special on Facebook below:
In the depths of winter, a tropical cruise will appeal to many of your customers – there’s an intrinsic additional value there that will speak to them. Of course, you could offer resort getaways, a trip to Vegas, or how about a sunny theme park getaway? No matter the incentive type, you can strategically align them with your advertising, marketing, and sales efforts.
In the end, travel incentives and experiential rewards add a significant amount of value to any offer are the perfect complementary component to your advertising efforts.
Let’s Get Started
If you’re interested in finding out how experiential and travel incentives can enable your business to boost sales during slow seasons and year-round, we can help.
Be sure to contact us via the form at the bottom of this page or via our contact page to get started.
