As a residential HVAC contractor in NJ, you have a vast market of 2 million attached and detached single-family homes. But you also have a pool of thousands of competitors, making your job of marketing your HVAC business a significant challenge.
Here are five stealth marketing tips for your HVAC business to use in a competitive market. Before we get to them, we’ll mention the standard marketing 101 advice every website offering marketing services to HVAC services pitch:
- Build an attractive, fast-loading helpful website.
- Claim your business on Google My Business.
- Create SEO content for your website designed to rank high for valuable keywords, such as “HVAC contractor New Jersey” (or your local town).
- Get as many top reviews on Yelp as possible.
- Hire a PPC (Per-per-click) ad agency to run ads on Google and Bing for you.
While all are useful suggestions, many big-spending competitors make it financially uncomfortable to get new business using them. You can do some of these options fast, like hiring a PPC agency—be careful and perform due diligence before hiring—which might also help you claim your local Google My Business spot. Other options are long-term plays that will take months or longer to achieve results.
Climbing to a top-five ranking for organic keyword search results takes time, commitment, and expertise. And in your highly competitive marketing landscape, there is no guarantee that success will come even with a determined and costly effort.
Still, it is advisable to chip away at the items listed above because the payoff for winning at each of them is well worth the effort. But unless you have a huge marketing budget to splash around for paid results on Google and local television advertising, it’s wise and practical to go beyond the basics and think creatively to market your HVAC business.
What Is Your Business Model?
Think about your HVAC business model. Do you have a 24/7 always on-call model, or do you prefer to work more regular hours? If you are the former, you have heavy competition for advertising. When it’s 95 degrees with high humidity, and someone has a broken air conditioner, they need help immediately, and they will rely on the internet. You know that’s where all the high-volume ad plans go to dominate that part of the market. If you are the latter and enjoy not always being on call, flying under the radar to reach a targeted audience is a fitting alternative.
You have opportunities to compete in stealth mode. That is, you can start to build a relationship with future customers, so they know, like, and trust you before emergencies arise. Doing this keeps them from researching the internet for a resource when they already have you in mind for their HVAC needs.
Stealth Marketing Tips for HVAC Contractors
Here are five tips for gaining new clients in stealth mode.
- Direct mail marketing. Pick your zip code or one adjacent to where you live. Then hire a direct marketing firm. It will acquire the list of homeowners in the zip code. The service can design, print, and mail postcards or flyers for you. Ask them about Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), a very low-cost direct mail marketing option available through the United States Postal Service. The program saves on postage, has no purchase cost for mailing lists, and you can target the mail delivery routes you want. You want to do it in your area because you will have things in common with the homeowner: local high school sports, current local events, or new developments going up, for example.
- With the direct mail, offer a Peace of Mind Program. For a flat fee, say $99, you’ll come by twice a year to inspect the HVAC system in spring for the AC and fall for the heating unit. Give them a link to buy a carton of air filters on Amazon and let them know you will replace air filters as part of your service. Explain how buying plain or low MERV-rated filters is cheaper and better because it lessens the HVAC unit load. Doing this shows them that you are genuine and looking out to help them save money and wear and tear on their HVAC equipment. It may be a loss leader, but how much is it worth to be in a potential client’s home twice a year?
- Build relationships. If you own the relationship, they will call you without thinking when the heating unit breaks or the AC goes on the fritz. Teach your techs to be friendly, courteous, respectful, and helpful. People like doing business with people they like and trust. We call this H2H (Human-to-human) marketing. It is so effective that no amount of internet or TV advertising can compete with it—couple this with inexpensive support for such things as local school teams and yearbooks. Emphasize the local aspect of doing business with neighbors. All these low-cost efforts overlap and work together to build a strongly favorable opinion of your HVAC service.
- Ask for referrals from your customers but make it easy for them. Here’s one way you do it. When a service call is complete, explain that you plan to drop a postcard in the mail to say you did work for a neighbor at 1234 Pleasant Lane, using the post office’s EDDM service. They don’t have to do anything, but if they are willing to talk with any neighbor who got the postcard and recommend your service, you will give the neighbor $50 off the first year of Peace of Mind service and $50 off the next year for the customer. Just have the neighbor use your name when they call to schedule. If they offer to help, provide them with extra copies of the postcard to hand out to neighbors.
- Set up an online schedule for your bi-annual service calls. Give the option to let homeowners book their appointment online. Use an email marketing program that will tag those who book and send automatic reminders to those who don’t respond within a week or ten days. Always give the option for homeowners to call for an appointment. The more comfortable you make it, the higher the response and the greater the appreciation for your overall customer service.
These suggestions are each a starting point to get you thinking of how to do more H2H marketing with inexpensive but highly efficient ways to build meaningful long-term relationships with your top prospects and boost your HVAC business. At the Dickstein Associates Agency, we believe the best way to earn your trust is through our actions, including providing useful marketing help as with this post. We offer high-efficiency, full-load coverage for NJ HVAC contractors and are eager to show we’re your best choice for your NJ HVAC insurance needs.
About Dickstein Associates Agency
Dickstein Associates Agency has distinguished itself as a leading provider of personal and business insurance in the tri-state area for over 55 years. We pride ourselves on being advocates for our clients and providing them with quality and affordable coverages. As an independent insurance agency, we partner with various carriers, allowing for flexible and unbiased coverage for each client’s unique circumstances. For more information on how you can leverage all of your insurance to work best for you, and how we can secure the best insurance in the marketplace based on your specific needs, contact us today at (800) 862-6662.
