The HVAC industry is highly competitive. Consumers and businesses have lots of options. The key is to ensure your business is visible when customers need your services. To amp up your customer acquisition efforts, check out these hot lead generation ideas for 2021.
Your Digital Footprint Matters
When buyers need a local service, they are likely to start with a Google search. In fact, 33% of them do it every day. Additionally, 46% of Google searches are for local businesses. That means you must have a strong online presence. If you’re going to capture the attention and business of your local customers, there’s no way around optimizing for local SEO. Additionally, you need a website that uses SEO best practices, is optimized for mobile, and has a user-friendly design.
Your digital footprint extends outside of your website. There are social media to consider, as well as profiles and reviews on sites like Yelp, Angie’s List, Home Advisor, and others. Ideally, you want to integrate all your marketing efforts across channels to create more leads for your HVAC business.
What’s Different in HVAC Lead Generation in 2021?
In 2021, everything is a state of change. The disruptions from the pandemic impacted every business and person. That applies to sales and marketing in general, and it includes the HVAC industry.
Digital acceleration leaped ahead by years in a short time, putting more emphasis on these channels to research options and make buying decisions. Consumers, in many areas, are more price-conscious about services. Then there’s the state of home, where most HVAC services occur. People continue to spend more time at home, so they are using their systems more. A real estate boon is happening in almost every state, as well. New owners are coming in to find problems that need to be fixed while new construction is soaring.
There is a strong demand for your services, but how will you get the traffic and conversions you desire? These tips could be the tipping point.
Refresh Your Website
If it’s been a while, it’s time to redesign your website, ensuring it provides a great mobile user experience and makes it easy for customers to get in touch.
Improve or Launch an SEO Strategy
Is your website content SEO optimized? If not, then you aren’t going to appear in the organic results of a search. Since your business is location-centric, you’ll need a keyword plan that marries your services with your location. You don’t want to just rank for HVAC repair but rather for HVAC repair in the city.
Optimize Your Google My Business Profile
The side panel on the left of the search displays Google My Business profiles. It consists of your business name, address, contact information, website links, images, hours of operation, and reviews.
It’s similar to a social media profile, but its primary goal is to support local SEO. You’ll want to claim your profile if you haven’t already and then complete it with all the necessary information. Keep the information accurate and up to date.
When you appear in results this way, it’s a credibility boost to users, immediately legitimizing your business. A searcher can view your contact information and images, so they know you’re a real business. You also can respond to reviews, which you should do if they are positive or negative. Further, you can answer questions in real time from consumers and drive traffic to your site with posts about specials, scheduling services, and more.
Get More Local Reviews
Getting local reviews from your customers can boost your conversions online. A study found that 93% of customers read reviews of local businesses. As noted earlier, reviews can live in many places online, from Google My Business to third-party sites to social media profiles. You have to manage them all and request new ones. Check out ways to get more local reviews.
So, what’s the secret to great reviews? It’s the experience. That includes doing the job adeptly and communicating. For example, using SMS messaging to alert customers a tech is on the way reduces frustration.
Maintain a CRM for Email Marketing
Are you currently using a field service CRM? If not, how do you manage your customers and prospects? Excel sheets won’t provide the functionality you need to target your lists.
First, you need to make sure you have a CRM to store contact information and notes. Then based on your contacts, create email marketing campaigns that are the most relevant for their needs. Email marketing is very effective, generating $42 for every $1 spent!
Win Organic Rankings with Content Marketing
While Google search ads put you at the top of the page when users are looking for your service, not all will want to click these. Instead, they’ll look to see what’s ranking first. Much of the time, Google returns map-related entries, powered by Google My Business profiles. Just as prominent are the top organic results on the page. You can gain this spot with content marketing. Regularly posting blogs to your website will help you get there. Just make sure you’re following SEO parameters and using the best keywords. Top rankings are an excellent way to boost HVAC lead-generation efforts.
Stay Active on Social Media
Consumers are also eager to look for services or ask for recommendations on social media. Thus, you should create profiles and post to them regularly. At a minimum, you should be on Facebook and LinkedIn. Depending on where your company is and your demographic, you might also find success on other profiles.
The more active you are on social media, the greater your company’s visibility. It’s also a channel to distribute your content from your website, referring traffic back to your website.
Spend Wisely on Paid Search
Paid search in a competitive industry and location isn’t going to be cheap. The more your competitors are willing to spend, the higher bidding goes. You don’t want to blow your budget in one week, so plan strategically by:
- Choosing keywords that are high value (they have enough search volume but aren’t the most expensive).
- Segmenting when you bid (time of day and day of the week based on data).
- Increasing your quality scores on your ad copy by being descriptive and clear.
- Adding extensions to your ads, such as click to call.
Paid search can start slow and then pick up rapidly. Keep an eye on your numbers, track your conversion, and keep optimizing.
HVAC Lead Generation: Get More Business!
By following these HVAC lead generation ideas, you can attract and convert more prospects. The foundation is your digital footprint, specifically your website, local SEO optimization, and good reviews. With these tactics, you could see significant revenue jumps that allow you to grow and expand your business.
