Running a small HVAC business usually means having a small budget too – especially for marketing. But if you don’t spend at least a part of your revenue in promoting your company, you’re going to have a really hard time bringing new customers in.
What’s more, according to some studies, half of customers naturally churn in less than five years. That means you really need to keep a constant flow of new customers in order to maintain your numbers in black. And all of this, of course, in the middle of the fierce competence you’re bound to find within the HVAC business market.
Luckily, Internet and technology can make things a little easier for you. Besides using a professional software solution, here are some actions you can take to create a steady flux of customers for your HVAC business without having to necessarily spend a fortune on it. Here’s a few of them!
Build a website
A few years ago putting up an ad in the local newspaper or in the Yellow Pages was more than enough for any HVAC business to catch the attention of potential new customers.
These methods, however, are a bit outdated today. This is the 21st century and besides printed media, you MUST have your own private space on the web – that is, your own company website.
Creating a website for your HVAC business doesn’t have to be expensive. You don’t need a fancy page with Hollywood-style special effects. Focus on simplicity instead, and you can have your very own corner on cyberspace for a reduced budget. What’s more, you can use ready-made templates like the ones offered by WordPress or Blogger: easy, customizable and more importantly, free.
Create useful content
Having a website for your HVAC business doesn’t make any sense if you don’t fill it in with helpful content. Analyze your target audience and provide them with interesting topics related to your line of work, such as tips to prepare an AC unit for summer or a tutorial on how to fix a small problem with a heating system.
Articles with free advice, tips and tricks work as great lead bait; they keep visitors on your website and encourage them to come back again, eventually turning them into company customers. Because if you offer them information and solutions for their HVAC-related issues, they’re more likely to buy from you. So if you don’t have time to create this content, look for copy editors who can help you with it – there are online platforms where you can hire them and have a regular income of new posts for a reasonable fee.
Provide all necessary information
Useful content is not the only type of information you should take care of. Other websites and online directories will probably feature your HVAC business, and you must make sure all the information they provide is accurate.
Details such as the company name, address, telephone number and working hours are vital when a potential customer is choosing a company to hire. Take the necessary time to check this information is correct and consistent across all the online directories where your HVAC business is included. You don’t want to miss a single customer!
Optimize your web for Google
Now that you already have a website for your HVAC business with useful content online, how come nobody finds it? Well, nowadays most web traffic comes via Google, so you need to have your website optimized for this powerful search engine.
In other words, your website should include relevant keywords, create linking opportunities and have other tweaks done in order to become visible to Google and other search engines, and eventually appear among results for your target audience’s searches. The best option here is probably to hire a SEO expert to analyze, revise and fine-tune your website – a one-time inversion that can return many new customers!
Build your social media identity
Last but not least, having a website may not be enough nowadays. In the era of social media, when millions of people check their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram profiles every day, you probably need to be there too.
With such big audiences, having your own HVAC business spot on social networks can do wonders for reaching more potential customers. It can also be a powerful tool to promote the content you create on your website, build your brand and of course provide customer support.
The most important thing here is not to get too enthusiastic about social media and start posting constantly on every platform. Analyze your target audience, find out what their preferred social media channel is, and focus your efforts there. Again, if you don’t have time for this, it may be a good idea to hire a social media specialist, even if it’s as a part-time job.
A small investment in marketing for your HVAC business can go a long way! And of course, don’t forget to include a professional software solution such as Synchroteam as part of it. What’s more, you can even download and try it for free to make sure it’s the right thing!
Image by Today Testing
