Smart Marketing for HVAC
How to use digital marketing to grow your HVAC business.
Digital Marketing for HVAC
You may have tried to put some marketing strategies together for your Heating and Cooling company or had an office assistant or your spouse try their hand at digital marketing, but your results may have not been effective or consistent. I understand.
HVAC Marketing Strategies That Work!
That is why I have put together this list of HVAC marketing ideas, organized so they are easy to follow and ordered by importance and difficulty level. You don’t have to do every single idea, but many are easier than you think, and some once implemented can run on their own, on autopilot.
And when you use these strategies to work together to form your SMART Marketing System, you can create a scalable system to consistently grow your HVAC business and help you rise above your competition.
I’ve also included some essential marketing tools and additional resources so you have everything you need to market your HVAC business for success and sustained growth.
Let’s get smart about your HVAC marketing!
45 HVAC Marketing Strategies
Your HVAC Website
You probably have a website, but do you have a website that generates new customers? I could go through HVAC websites in every city, in every state, and show you websites that will never generate new customers.
Most HVAC websites are failing them. And that is because the website was designed to please the business owner, and not to bring in potential customers. Here are website strategies to get more customers from your website. Here are HVAC website marketing ideas:
Use Real Photos
Use real photos of your work and your fleet. When a customer is looking for an HVAC company do you think they want to see stock photos? No, they want to see real photos of your work. Be sure to snap worksite photos and showcase them on your site.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Refresh Your website
If your website is old or out of date it may be time for a refresh or a redesign. If you are on a budget or want to DIY your site try templates from Elegant Themes.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Use A Call to action
Use a clear call to action to guide your visitors to take the next step. Make it clear for them to call or schedule an appointment. If you are not clear they are likely to take no action at all. Learn more about using a call to action.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
organize Your Website
Make your website EASY for your customers to find what they are looking for by organizing your site, using simple navigation, and easy-to-find links to important hub pages.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
mobile friendly Website
With most searches starting on mobile devices it is essential that your website is mobile responsive. You can check your site’s mobile usability in Google Search Console. Learn about Mobile Friendliness.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Benefits not features
Don’t talk about the features of your services, tell them how they will benefit from it. Explain how you can improve their life with your services. “25 Years in Business” is a feature. “A comfortable home” is a benefit.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Claim Your Business
Heating and Cooling Contractors have a plethora of FREE sites that you can claim your business on and reach more customers. Many of these will automatically create a listing for your HVAC business, that may or may not be accurate so it is impotant that you take control of each listing. You can also find directories, local sites, and review sites to list your business. Many will have a paid version, but the free version is all you need.
Here are ideas on how to claim your business:
Google Business Profile
85% of searches start on Google. Get your business on Google maps and Google searches for free by setting up your Google Business Profile.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
HOME Directories
Find all the home directories such as Angi (Angie’s List) to be listed on. Also, get listed on your suppliers directories, associations, and memberships you’re a part of.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Bing Places for Business
Claim your listing on Bing Places to reach customers looking for an HVAC company in your local area. Bing represents about 7% of local searches.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Local Websites
Be sure to get listed on local websites for your area, including your local chamber of commerce and other local groups. These can also be great for networking opportunities.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Yahoo Business Listing
About 3% of searches in the U.S. are still done through Yahoo, so you want to claim your HVAC business on Yahoo Business, as well.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Directory websites
Find other directory websites like Yelp, YP, and City Search. Check out these 50 sites to list your business for free.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
HVAC Social Media Marketing
Everyone is on social media these days and social media platforms remain one of the best places to reach more people for free. Your HVAC company can take advantage of social media marketing to reach more customers, get more referrals and build better relationships with your community. Let’s look at Facebook HVAC marketing, Google, Instagram, and more. Here are your social media marketing ideas:
Posting to Facebook every day is not necessary for most HVACs, but claiming your business, posting weekly, and utilizing reviews and ads is promising for any Heating and Cooling company .
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
get some Google Love!
Google loves to show Google assets as search results so set up and use your Google Business Profile. Post photos and updates to get a little Google love without having to spend a cent. Check out this.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Don’t discount Instagram as a place to reach more people. Have you see HVAC Hacks? With 92k followers and a ton of comments and likes, even the gram loves HVAC! Check out JeffdemHVAC too, for real there is an audience for you there.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Create a Content Strategy
Wherever you decide to post be sure to create a strategy. This includes a mix of educational, behind-the-scenes, and case study posts. Check out our TAPS method for posting content with purpose.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Measure & adjust
Social media can be a great asset or a terrible waste of time, but that can be avoided by checking your insights. Each platform has built-in insights to show growth, reach, and engagement.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Is your HVAC Marketing SMART? Take the quiz and find out.
If your marketing is more of a headache than an asset it’s time. to find out what it’s missing.
HVAC SEO
Search Engine Optimization is the process of getting your website optimized for search engines. Your HVAC website will need both onsite and offsite SEO, so that your HVAC business is shown in search results to the right customers. You can learn more about the basics of SEO with my easy-to-follow SEO for Beginners Series, which I made as a basis for every business owner to understand SEO. Here are SEO ideas:
ONSITE SEO
You need to search engine optimize your website so that it shows up on search results for your prospective customers. Use keywords and terms thoroughly but naturally. Use SEO tools to research and plan your content. Check out these SEO Tips.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
OFFSITE SEO
Offsite SEO is the process of getting quality backlinks to your website; it’s like the other websites are vouching for you. The more quality backlinks you have, the higher your site will rank in search engines. Learn more about backlinks here.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Specialty Services
If you have specialty services, like indoor air quality, be sure to create a page for each including unique content, descriptions, case studies, and images. This will make it more likely that your website will show up for these terms, than if you just listed them briefly on your services page.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Learn Search Engine Optimization
Are you thinking of hiring or doing your own SEO? Tired of only finding overly complicated, overly technical information?
Whether you hire an SEO or do your own, every website owner should learn SEO basics. This intro to SEO course is the perfect easy to understand primer made by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.
HVAC Content Marketing
Content marketing is the process of creating content to educate, attract and book new customers. Content can include articles on your HVAC blog, free downloadables like a guide or checklist, ebooks, or even your own book. Content marketing is a must in your HVAC marketing strategy! Here are your HVAC content marketing ideas:
Your HVAC Blog
Your website’s blog is the best place to showcase your expertise, authority, case studies, and services. Writing blog posts gives you more content to get picked up by search engines and home owners. Not sure what to blog about? Check out these blogging ideas.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Create a freebie
Create a freebie for download on your website and social media. It could be an ebook, a checklist or another valuable piece of content your prospects would want. This will help you grow an email list of potential home owners to market to.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Write A Book
Being an author gives you instant credibility. Would new customers rather work with: the HVAC company in town whose owner wrote a book or the one that didn’t? Self-publishing a book is easier than ever. Check out this to get started on your own book.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM/HARD
Learn To Create A High-Converting Freebie
Email marketing is one of the easiest, hands-off ways to attract new HVAC customers on autopilot.
But there are a lot of moving parts that confuse people. But how do you get people to sign up for your list? That’s where List Building Lead Magnets 101 comes in. Learn at your own pace with video content.
HVAC Email Marketing
Email marketing for HVACs is highly effective. In fact, email marketing has the best ROI of any form of digital marketing at 4200% ROI – that means you can get $42 for every $1 you spend on email marketing. Email is a direct way to reach out to and build relationships with your customers beyond just the simple appointment reminder. Here are HVAC email marketing ideas:
Build Your Email list
You can start with your current customers on your email list, but then begin to build a list of prospective home owners as well. Email is a great way to stay top-of-mind, build relationships and book more appointments and get referrals.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
HVAC newsletter
Emailing out a monthly newsletter is a great way to stay in contact with your existing customers, let them know of new services or products you have available and an effective way to ask for reviews, testimonials and referrals.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
ASK & You Shall Receive
Email is more effective than social media to reach out to your customers and offers an great way to ask for referrals and online reviews. If you want more referrals and reviews you’ve got to ask for more referrals and reviews. Best thing is you can automate your review and referral program.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Learn Email Marketing for HVAC
Stop hustling for potential customers and put your growth on autopilot! Get the easy-to-follow, step-by-step process for attracting your ideal new customers 24/7.
This video course will get you started on growing your email list of potential customers. For more advanced methods pair with Lead Magnet Mastery, Content Upgrades, and Marketing Message 101.
HVAC Video Marketing
If you want to gain more trust and build a personal connection quicker, video is the way to go. And today, video advertising is accessible to anyone with a smartphone, with no need for fancy editing software and video equipment. Simple video marketing tools make it easy to create a professional video for your HVAC business that your customers will love. Here are your HVAC video marketing ideas:
YOUR WORK
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Edutainment videos
Create entertaining educational videos for your customers. Answer common questions, share products, explain services, and be an HVAC resource to your community. Not sure what to make videos about? Start here.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Your youtube channel
Creating a YouTube channel is easy and free, and since YouTube is a search engine, and owned my Google, your videos could show up high on search. Take all the videos we discussed and add them here.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
HVAC Event Marketing
Events, you say, ugh…I don’t have the time to put on local events. But this is different and easier than you think, I promise. Digital events happen online: on your social media, through email, or on your website. No setting up tables, no clean up afterward. Oh yeah. And the best part…you get to pretty much make up whatever you want. Here are some unique digital event ideas:
Contests and Giveaways
We’ve worked with many business owners to set up contests for their customers, with the prize being free filters or check up service. Entries can be reviews, referrals, likes, follows or ???
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
of the week
Create your own weekly event that keeps you top of mind and your customers educated, entertained, and wanting more. Question of the week. Tip of the week. You make it up; stick to it and be consistent.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
HVAC Social Proof
Social Proof is showing your prospects that your current customers vouch for you, and their word is more valuable than you just tooting your own horn. Social proof builds your online reputation. That is why it’s so important to not only collect different forms of social proof but also get really good at using it to your advantage in your HVAC marketing. Here are some social proof ideas:
5 star reviews
Potential customers are likely to try out the HCAV with the most online reviews, so make getting as many 5-star reviews a top priority. Bake review requests right into your follow-up process so getting customer reviews is on autopilot.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
testimonial videos
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Case Studies
Everyone loves a before and after, and case studies do just that. Collect your best stories, projects, and results to share on your website, social media and beyond. Many homeowners will be happy to share their success with you.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Learn Social Proof Secrets for HVAC
Learn how to harness the power of social influence and free social tools to increase your sales and conversions.
In Social Proof Secrets will we dive into the psychologically proven strategies of social proof and how to move beyond just a testimonial on your website or positive reviews here and there. It’s time to supercharge your social proof!
HVAC PPC Marketing
Most of the ideas for HVAC marketing above have been organic and free, however if you want to turn the firehose on, you can go with some paid digital ads. There are several options for your HVAC advertising. You can do any on your own or find a media buyer or agency to help you. Here are PPC marketing ideas:
Facebook Ads
I have run hundreds of thousands of dollars in Facebook Ads for my clients and know that Facebook Ads work! They are highly targeted to your location, interests, and demographics so you can spend money reaching the exact audience you want.
🚦 Difficulty level: MEDIUM
Google Ads
Google Adwords and YouTube Ads are other solid HVAC advertising options for HVAC companies. A little more complex than Facebook ads, you can reach people right on Google, at the top of search results in a bid auction for the top spot. I recommend getting assistance on these if you want great results.
🚦 Difficulty level: HARD
HVAC marketing Tools
Ten or so years ago, marketing was difficult. It was difficult to make graphics, videos, websites, and social media was not as intuitive, but these days that has changed. There are so many tools out there that put the power into YOUR hands to market your business, look professional, attract potential customers, and analyze how your HVAC marketing efforts are going. Here are some marketing tools you can use!
This is truly the time of smart marketing and these tools are can make your HVAC business shines.
Canva
Sure, I could tell you all the great ways you can make graphics, but I am going to skip them all but one. Canva is your go-to for making any graphics or materials for your HVAC business. We are talking social graphics, post cards, flyers, ebooks, checklists – really you name it. Their templates make you look like a pro designer with no design skills required.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY/Free Versions
SEO Tools
Even if you hire out your SEO to an SEO company (we suggest NP Digital), it’s good to have some SEO tools to track your website ranking. We suggest SEM Rush, Ahrefs and Ubersuggest – all with free versions.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY/Free Versions
Video Marketing tools
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY/Free Versions
Analytics tools
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY/Free
Email Marketing tools
Email is an essential marketing tool for your customer relationships – beyond appointment reminders! There are great email software services for small to large businesses at any budget to automate your email marketing efforts. Here are some of my favorite email marketing services.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY/Free Versions
social scheduling tools
Ever wonder how the heck some of these businesses post so much all over the web? Social media schedulers are an amazing shortcut to at least get a base of content out on the web. Check out our favorite schedulers here.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY/Free Versions
HVAC Marketing Templates
If you’ve been around my site or seen any of my weekly videos you know I am all about being smart with your time, money, and effort. And using templates is one of those great ways to work smarter. Here are some templates you can use to save time and money in your online HVAC marketing.
Graphic Templates
If you are looking for HVAC industry graphic templates a quick search in Canva will give you a huge array to choose from. Other graphic templates can be found at Envato Elements or Creative Market.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Sales funnel Templates
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
Video Templates
Many of the video creation tools have templates already set up for you so you only have to add your video clips or photos and get amazing professional looking videos. Check out my favorite video marketing tools.
🚦 Difficulty level: EASY
I want to help you with your HVAC Marketing
I’ve spent years figuring out digital marketing myself, spending thousands on courses, conferences, training, and books. I’ve wasted time, money, and resources.
BUT you don’t have to.
Smart Marketing Courses, Tools, and Resources
My smart marketing courses make it easy for you to find the information you need, a variety of skill-level materials, and you get step-by-step, start-to-finish instructions, templates, and resources that take less of your time and give you more of the results you want.
Since starting my 7-figure marketing agency in 2007 I’ve spoken with so many small business owners with a desire to learn how to market their business, to learn social media and digital marketing strategy – good people just like you – who were getting stuck and needed more help in their pursuit of growing a business they love without wasting any more time, money or sanity.
Let’s get SMART with you digital HVAC marketing!
Want to see what SMART Marketing looks like for HVACs?
4 Steps to Get SMART
1. Where you at?
Let's take a serious look at where you are and where you want to go. Only then do you know what you need to work on.
2. Fill the Gap
It's time to fill in the gaps in order to get results. What skills do you need? What systems do you need to create?
3. Cheat the System
Use tools, templates, and done-for-you resources to work smarter. No need to reinvent anything - it's already been done.
4.The Dream team
Entrepreneurship is lonely. Get the support you need. Coaching and community are essential to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Is Your Marketing Taking You Away From The Things You Love?
What if you could get amazing results from your marketing without spending more time, more money, AND it was easy and predictable? Sean and I have suffered through it too, and we found the answer...
Hi! I'm Torie!
I help entrepreneurs (like you) use digital marketing to get more clients + make more money. And I make it easy!
You don’t need crazy tech skills, buckets of cash, or dedicated staff to market your business. You don’t even need a lot of time.
What you need is to be SMART.
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