To survive in today’s marketing landscape, HVAC contractors fully understand that an online presence is required. Resistance to digital marketing techniques was rampant in the heating and cooling industry, until failure to implement such techniques started to directly impact the livelihoods of contractors and their families. What was once considered a forward-thinking outlook, is now one that is non-negotiable. Any small to medium sized business owner can relate to the concept of adapt or die. So yes, internet marketing can be time consuming, frustrating, and downright painful, but it is also a path to earning revenue, and supporting your employees and their families. Here are 15 digital marketing tips to get you started on the right track:
1) Follow The Data
There’s lots of old habits in the internet marketing industry, and many of them are no longer effective. Just because something worked 10 years ago, doesn’t mean it will today. So how can contractors determine what will work? Follow the data. Using tools like Google Analytics, the performance of websites, pages, and advertisements can be tracked and analyzed. Here’s what data might lead an HVAC contractor to:
- Audience: Who your audience is and what they value
- Engagement: Which types of content engage consumers mores effectively
- Process: The consumer’s journey proceeds through several checkpoints, all of which must be optimized
2) Track Everything
It’s not possible to follow data that doesn’t exist, which brings us to our next tip: track everything. The aforementioned Google Analytics is a great tracking tool, and it’s free. Other paid options like Moz and SEMRush allow companies to track their online campaigns, and services like SpyFu even empower companies to track the campaigns of their main competitors. Here’s what to look for:
- Clicks: How many users are clicking on your site after seeing it on search results
- Links: What kinds of links are coming to your website
- Rankings: How are your Google rankings fluctuating over time
3) Be Social
You don’t have have to go to fundraisers to connect with other businesses in 2018. All of it can be done online through social media. Whether its B2B networks like LinkedIn or more customer-centric platforms like Facebook and Instagram, there’s no shortage of options for HVAC companies looking to expand their brand awareness. Some of the best content to publish on social media includes:
- Blog Posts: Written posts from your website’s blog
- Curation: Endorsements of 3rd party content that your audience might find helpful
- Promotions: Discounts or other promotional materials
4) Content Quality Over Quantity
Flooding the net with 300 word blog posts won’t draw any meaningful attention to your brand. Instead focus on crafting higher quality, longer-form blog posts of 800 words or higher. These pots have a greater chance of being shared via social media, as well as linked to from 3rd party websites. There’s no shortcuts to creating great content, it takes time and consistent efforts to reach its full potential. Quality content is:
- Engaging: Holds the average reader’s attention
- Unique: Cannot be found elsewhere on the web
- Valuable: Offers important or noteworthy info to the reader
5) Brand Your Company
To establish a favorable online presence, consumers should associate each instance of your company with its overall ethos. To do so, a web-ready logo must be included with every representation of your company. That means business listings, social media, and perhaps most importantly, your company website. An effective digital brand is:
- Appealing: Provides distinguishable value to the consumer
- Consistent: Remains uniform in image and description
- Visible: Is regularly apparent on all corners of the web
6) Stay Flexible
In a realm as uncertain as internet marketing, it is important for HVAC companies to refrain from becoming attached to a single idea or methodology. Because Google regularly evaluates its algorithm, change is the only constant. Contractors should be ready to adapt to new information, and to implement processes that might not align with initial theories. To be a digital success in 2018, the status quo must be relinquished. Changes come in the form of:
- Behavioral Tendencies: Changes in the behavior of your target consumer (i.e. increased use of voice search)
- Data Shifts: Prompt and considerable changes in tracking data
- New Information: Recently released info regarding algorithms or new technology
7) Out With The Old
Manipulative tactics used to rule the SEO industry, but Google has gotten much better at detecting and penalizing such behavior. Tactics that fall under this category are known as black-hat SEO tactics. Link schemes, sneaky redirects, and the aforementioned keyword stuffing. Just because these methods worked 15 years ago, doesn’t make them worthwhile today. In fact, the opposite is true. Steer clear from:
- Auto-Generated Content: Low quality content written by AI for SEO purposes only
- Keyword Stuffing: User intent matters more than verbatim keywords in today’s market
- Link Schemes: Posting URL’s in blog comments and forums to drive up inbound links
8) Link With a Purpose
Earning quality links from 3rd party sources can be a slow but rewarding process. The best way to earn links is by writing objectively great content, that provides value to your target consumer. While inbound links are rightfully appealing because of their potential influence on SEO, they aren’t the only type of link worth pursuing. Internal links from one website page to another is helpful for navigation, as are external links leading to relevant content. Every link should be:
- Helpful: Provides value to the user through assistance of some kind
- Relevant: Relates to the topic of both the linked and destination page
- Sensible: Applied with anchor text that makes sense to the reader
9) Monitor Business Listings
Some heating and cooling companies wonder how listing directories gather their contact information, if they have never manually submitted it to a given website. The answer is data aggregation. Services like Neustar and Acxiom collect contact info from public records, and disseminate it to directories throughout the web. Because businesses often change some aspect of their contact information during the company’s tenure, misinformation can spread quickly. Make sure listings are:
- Accurate: Possess accurate name, address, phone number, and website info
- Branded: Display your company logo and about-us description
- Claimed: Are controlled by your company, usually through business verification
10) Map Your Location
Modern searches utilize location information to match users with nearby business. To be matched to appropriate consumers, you must map your business location using geo-coordinates. Once your business is marked on Google Maps and other GPS devices, customers will find your information more easily and therefore be more likely to contact you. You’re HVAC company is also more likely to appear on:
- Google 3 Pack: The map portion of Google search results
- Knowledge Graph: The boxed profile on the right hand side of search results
- Mobile Search: Results for nearby mobile users
11) Target Mobile Users
Most website visitors in 2018 access your site via mobile device, most commonly their smartphones. While desktops have not been removed from society completely, their usage rate has lowered significantly, and it is time for businesses to adapt. Design a website with the mobile user in mind, first and foremost, and make it as simple as possible for smartphone users to locate and contact your HVAC company. Aspects of mobile usage includes:
- Display: How your site presents on a smartphone or tablet
- Location: The presence of geo-coordinates for mobile matching
- Navigation: How simple it is to navigate your site on smartphone or tablet
12) Define Your Audience
With more information available than ever before, defining your target audience is critical. To properly market to consumers, you must know their respective needs and preferences, and trends that manifest in the aggregate. This way, you can narrow your focus and appeal to a defined group, with the hope that many convert into leads. For example, your market might be especially interested in energy efficiency tips. Here are some ways to define your audience:
- Age: The age range
- Location: The general location
- Needs: Which services they need most frequently
13) Hire a Professional
As prideful as they are, many heating and cooling professionals believe they can handle every aspect of their business without outside influence. Of course anything is possible, but the question for contractors should always be, what is best for business? In this case, what is best for business is investing in an HVAC internet marketing service to handle your online promotion. Marketing pros help with:
- Content Quality: With more resources at bay, pros can produce higher quality content
- Scheduling: A professional doesn’t forget to post on social media because they’re busy, it is their job
- Time Management: Outsourcing digital marketing services gives contractors the time necessary to devote on their everyday operations
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About The Author
HVAC Webmasters is a digital marketing company for heating and cooling technicians across the country
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HVACWebmasters
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