There’s never been a shortage of work or a lack of demand for tradies of all kinds. Instead, what changes is the competition that surrounds you and what you need to do to stand out from the pack.
HVAC is a growing sector as technology changes and demand for effective heating and cooling systems grows. The work is out there, so how does your business get it?
We call this type of customer acquisition ‘lead generation’, and it’s a critical part of any trade business owner’s success, even if you’ve never thought about it directly.
Lead Generation and What It Means for Your Business
Leads are how your business finds the customers that need your expertise. They come in many forms but are ultimately all the same: because they are how your business makes money.
To grow your HVAC business, you need HVAC leads that become paying customers, establish your reputation and build a solid foundation for your business’s success and its place in the community.
So, where to start and how to make the most out of your lead generation budget? We’ll cover a range of strategies, short-term, long-term, paid, and free, so that you can find the best fit for your business
Strategies to Generate HVAC Leads
Nowadays, there are many options for generating leads for your business. Of course, this means your competition will also have access to these strategies, but each business is unique, and yours is no different. Being aware of a diverse range of strategies and making use of them will give you more exposure and build your reputation.
Are you just starting up your HVAC business? These leads can be the most important, as they’re how you establish yourself and get those first few jobs through the door. It’s a lot of pressure, but the good news is that the work you put in and the reputation you grow will lead to a positive feedback loop: the more jobs you complete, the more satisfied customers and the more effective your lead generation.
It will be difficult at first to get your footing, and the market will change, but the work is out there, and your effort will grow your business.
And as your business grows, there are exterior parts of your lead generation system that you’ll also need to manage. Marketing and lead generation are just one aspect of operating your business. Streamlining admin and other aspects of your HVAC business can save you time and money, allowing you to invest more into growth and make the most of the leads you generate. If you’re unsure about the link between leads and finding success, AroFlo’s guide on Job Management can take you through the needs of your business as it continues to grow and critical areas to improve success. HVAC businesses, in particular, need a focus on job management, given the need for cooperation with other contractors and trade professionals, especially if you’re working on larger jobs.
Not every HVAC lead will result in a paying customer, and each strategy has its own pros and cons. We’ll take you through the options and recommendations and how each can help generate leads for your HVAC business.
Build a Business Network
Now, we’re not telling you to go shake hands with your direct competition, but when it comes to HVAC businesses, you’ll be working with different kinds of tradies and other businesses often. Customers that need different tradies might look to you for your recommendations, and the same can go for other businesses and you.
Building professional relationships with other businesses can generate HVAC leads and grow your reputation. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship as businesses can recommend each other, get more work and leave a lasting, positive impression on customers.
A larger professional network can start yet another positive feedback loop (if you can’t tell already, you want as many of these running as possible): the more you recommend and are recommended, the stronger networks you can build and the more potential leads you can create.
Building a network doesn’t cost you money and can have excellent returns, as customers asking tradies for recommendations are already interested in work and are likely to be valuable leads. Your reputation can be passively boosted, just by having professional relationships. It’s a win-win for everyone!
Put Your Website to Work
As soon as you’ve decided on your business name, offerings, and service area, you need to set up a website. The Yellow Pages still exist, but now they’ve migrated online!
That’s why your website is important, it’s similar to a Yellow Pages listing but your business owns it entirely, and you get to decide how you want others to see it. It’s a place where customers can get the best idea of what your business offers, the area you service, how they can get in touch, and more.
Easy Scheduling and Contacts
Your website doesn’t have to just be a funnel that pushes customers towards scheduling link, it can also be a source of information for customers as well. Having info pages about the services you offer, and different aspects of HVAC can draw in traffic from people looking for answers to their questions.
If your website has an answer to that question, it can inspire customer confidence and turn a click into a job. Show people that you know your stuff and that your business is the right pick!
Having part of your website dedicated to info and tips can also boost your rank in Google’s search: we’ll cover how this works later in this article.
Offer Resources
Your website doesn’t have to just be a funnel that pushes customers towards scheduling link, it can also be a source of information for customers as well. Having info pages about the services you offer, and different aspects of HVAC can draw in traffic from people looking for answers to their questions.
If your website has an answer to that question, it can inspire customer confidence and turn a click into a job. Show people that you know your stuff and that your business is the right pick!
Having part of your website dedicated to info and tips can also boost your rank in Google’s search: we’ll cover how this works later in this article.
Connect to Customers
Your website is a great place for your business to connect with potential customers and convert HVAC leads into jobs. Small businesses have a lot to deal with, but an advantage they have is that people love small businesses. Customers don’t want to just support a business; they want to support the people behind it. It just feels better to go to the mum-and-pop shop where you know where your money is going.
It's the same with your HVAC business. It’s yours, so why not feature you and your team? This page can have photos of you/your employees, bios about you and your experience, why you chose HVAC as a career; whatever you like.
Using Google Search
You might be asking: What am I meant to do about Google? How do I ‘use’ Google search?
At first, it might seem like all you can do is throw your business to the mercy of Google’s results, with no control over how your business is seen, but there are ways to push your business higher in the results, build a strong online reputation and influence how your business is seen online.
Google searches are a staple HVAC lead generator, so why not take advantage of that?
Business Profile
To start generating leads for your HVAC business, you need people to find you in the first place. Anyone can set up a profile for their business and get listed on Google: if you haven’t already done so, we recommend you get on that right away with our detailed guide!
From the Google Business portal, you can control the details on your business profile, such as contact numbers, fax, email address and business address. This will make it easier for local customers to find your business, so make sure your address is in your service area for the best results.
This also means your business profile will be able to receive Google online reviews.
Google Reviews
Google reviews are connected to your business profile and will show up when anyone searches for your business name. They are one of the most common forms of review potential customers look at when considering a business and can be a very valuable source of lead generation for an HVAC business.
Our guide on asking for Google reviews can help you get more reviews for your business, boost your online visibility and grow your reputation.
Using SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s what runs behind every page that shows up on Google Search. SEO decides what pops up on Google and in what order for each search. It uses an algorithm that’s always changing and hard to pin down.
While that does seem annoying and in the too-hard basket to keep up with, there are ways to boost your business visibility in the search and push you higher on the list.
As mentioned above, your website is important, and this is a big reason why. Whatever pages you have on your website are what Google uses to determine where you pop on search results.
If you’re a business in Albury, a potential HVAC lead might find you when they Google ‘Albury HVAC Service’. Google will find the websites that are relevant to the search and then use the algorithm to order them.
Google wants to offer people better results and websites it is confident match what they are searching for. By ensuring your website includes relevant words such as ‘HVAC Service’, your location, and your specific expertise, it will be more appealing to Google and more likely to appear higher in search results.
A tip is to include only relevant info on your first run of a web or landing page. The algorithm does change, but featuring only core info about your business never goes out of style, so it’s best to keep things simple until you’re more confident with building your website.
Social Media
A strong social media presence can lend your business greater visibility, especially in your local area. This is valuable as setting up social media accounts is free and can generate lots of organic leads as viewers become searchers. Social media accounts are also an avenue for customers to get in contact or ask questions about your business and what service you provide.
Different accounts also allow customers to leave more reviews for your business online. This will give potential customers a better sense of your business and reputation: even negative reviews can help as they will show that your company is legit and the reviews are real. You can also use these reviews to get in touch with customers and show your appreciation for their effort.
Having a variety of accounts gives your business a stronger local presence and can give customers confidence.
A Facebook page for your HVAC business can reach potential leads in your service area, as the location of your business and other Facebook profiles will help in Facebook search.
It’s also a good way to answer any customer questions or concerns, keep people updated on news and have another spot to advertise your services.
Instagram accounts allow you to post about your business online, and using tags and location details can appeal to users in your service area. You can use an Instagram account to keep potential customers updated on news in the HVAC world, special offers and discounts, or introduce team members and services.
Accounts like this make your business more approachable and can generate HVAC leads without a large time investment.
Customer Referrals
Word-of-mouth remains a powerful tool for generating HVAC leads. There are few things more effective than the recommendation of friends and family, and sometimes these recommendations could use a little push.
There will always be organic leads from word-of-mouth, but you can encourage customers to refer others to your business with reminders and special offers for each referral.
It’s always good to send follow-up emails after a job, to keep communication open between your business and previous customers and allow customers to give their feedback.
In these follow-ups, you can send along incentives for customers to give referrals to friends and family, such as future service discounts or gift cards. These kinds of HVAC leads can result in repeat customers and future loyal clients. Who doesn’t love a good deal for great service?
Lead Generation Websites
Lead generation websites link tradies with potential customers through digital marketing. There are many lead generators there for all sorts of labour hire services, but some are more suited for trade work and contracting than others.
Some popular options for tradies are Thumbtack, Angi and Facebook Business. Each has its own costs; some charge a flat fee to join, and most charge per lead/click even if they don’t result in a job. These HVAC lead generators can be expensive but particularly useful when a business is getting started and needs more exposure.
The classic Yellow Pages listing can work as an HVAC lead generation website, too, with many still using it as a directory. While the days of naming a business AAA HVAC Services might be gone, the Pages offer a range of plans for small and growing businesses.
Making the Most of your HVAC Leads
HVAC lead generation requires both time and money and seeing as most of us agree time is money, you don’t want to be wasting any effort spent on getting HVAC leads for your business. The leads that convert into paid jobs are the most worthwhile, of course, but every lead can be valuable.
Analyse Your Leads
Making the most of leads for your HVAC business means reviewing how your different generation strategies are working. This means strategies that both convert into customers/jobs and the leads that didn’t result in work.
Take a look at what worked and what didn’t. Which areas created the most jobs? What strategies generated the most traffic? Even HVAC leads that don’t go anywhere can give you handy info about the kind of exposure your business is getting. Check why one strategy might be more effective than another.
For example, if your HVAC business website is getting plenty of clicks but few actual jobs, maybe it’s time for a website redesign. Maybe there’s a broken link on your website or no clear way to schedule a job.
Return on Investment
This is especially important for HVAC leads that cost money to generate. You don’t want to keep throwing money at something if it’s not working or not the right fit for your business.
Your ROI for your HVAC lead generation is an important factor to consider. It takes how much something costs or the time invested vs. the strategy’s result. The best strategies aren’t simply low cost, high return, but the strategies that produce the best click-to-customer rates and show consistent returns or high visibility are the way to go.
A strategy might work short term while your business is getting off the ground but later offer fewer returns or stagnate completely. A common comparison is lead generation websites vs reviews. Lead generation websites will link you directly to customers and possible jobs as soon as you sign up, whereas reviews take time to build and, at first, won’t result in many leads. But over time, robust and consistent reviews will be a vital part of your business’s rep, while the need for lead generation might diminish as you grow your customer base.
It's always good to assess what costs you can cut and where the money can be better spent.
CRMs
Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is software that can streamline all the steps from getting customers to retaining customers. It handles digital marketing, sales, and customer data of all kinds.
Like it says on the tin, a CRM can help manage and improve relationships with customers by tracking how customers found your business, their job history, contact details and more. Having CRM tech for your business can put all this data in one place and save you time and money.
It might not be something a small business would consider, but as your business grows and needs to keep/organise more data, a CRM can be useful in organising all that important info.
Grow your HVAC Business with AroFlo
As your business gets off the ground, your first concern will be generating enough HVAC leads to keep the lights on and work towards making a profit.
All businesses making a profit will go through growing pains. You may want to expand your business or hire an employee. The amount of admin may be starting to pile up. The more jobs, the more paperwork, after all. Maybe you’ve got more competition, or your want to expand your service area.
All of these things, from HVAC job pricing to getting a handle on customer data, can start to chew into your time and affect your bottom line.
It’s a normal part of growth. The more efficient you can get with every step of the process, the more time and money you can save, and the more you can invest in yourself and your business.
Signup to AroFlo by June 30 2022, and save 70% off our start-up costs.
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