Demand for HVAC services and systems is on the rise. According to Grand View Research, the HVAC industry is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.9% from 2021 to 2028. Increases in need for comfort, global warming, and disposable income are some of the factors contributing to this growth.
This growth rate means a lot for you and the industry in general. For the industry, it means competition will become stiffer as companies strive for dominance. On the other hand, you need to keep innovating and improving processes to stay afloat. While it’s hard to control competition, it’s relatively easy to keep up with it.
HVAC contractors who know this are generating tons of leads for their businesses. And surprisingly, these companies are doing nothing special. In contrast, they have figured out effective lead generation techniques, and it’s working for them. This article highlights what they are doing, but you are not, to keep up with the competition.
1. Your content is not appearing in search results
Google and other search engines show results to web users according to their relevance in relation to the search query. Suppose your content is not relevant to the search, according to Google. In that case, your content will hardly be displayed, especially on the first page of search results. Over 90% of web users never check results past the first page of Google.
Most of the content you publish online needs to be optimized for search engines using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. These are techniques that let search engines know that your content is relevant. As a result, Google ranks the content higher in results pages.
One of the easiest ways to ensure your content is optimized is by using keywords in the content you create. If you have a blog, optimize content using keywords with high search volumes to maximize reach. This is just one of the several SEO techniques you need to be using.
2. Your content is mainly about you
Trust and reliability are some of the main reasons people want to be associated with your business. But how do you gain their trust? Simple — be a reliable and truthful resource. If you publish content that is not addressing customers’ concerns, they won’t bother to read it.
Given that HVAC is a relatively technical industry, you are in a position to educate your audience in many ways. You need to publish troubleshooting guides for AC units, product reviews, and tips to help your audience make the most out of their HVAC systems. After all, these are some of the topics homeowners are looking up the most on the internet.
There is nothing wrong with sharing company news periodically. However, if you are constantly telling customers about your new investors and series funding rounds, you are doing it wrong. Review your content strategy to reduce bounce rates because it’s costing you potential customers.
3. You have neglected Google Business Profile (GBP) and local SEO
If you want more visibility in local search results, and you do, Google Business Profile (GBP) is no longer an option for your HVAC business. GB Profiles are shown to affect local SEO to a greater extent. This means that if your business has a GBP, Google will most likely display your business as part of the search results. But there is a catch.
Creating a GB profile is not enough. The profile needs to be up to date with your open hours, location, contact information, optimized media (photos and videos), and the correct category. Essentially, you need to have a complete profile to rank well in local searches.
Local SEO is relevant for businesses that offer local services. For instance, let’s assume your ideal target audience is made up of homeowners and commercial real estate within your city. When these people search for services online, they are quite specific with queries. They use phrases like “near me” or “in location X” in their search terms. So, you have to optimize your content if you want to rank for these terms.
4. You’ve not taken advantage of GBP listing categories
GBP listing categories impact your business in many ways. For one, if you choose the wrong category, your profile will not be displayed to the right audience. Secondly, failure to include multiple categories limits your visibility in local search results. But then again, Google recommends you choose as few categories as possible, provided that they are relevant to your business.
As an HVAC company, your business is the construction industry. As such, your primary category should be set to HVAC contractors. You can add home improvement, air conditioning contractors, and heating contractors. Google makes it easy to add these categories.
5. You are not getting HVAC customers reviews for your services
Potential customers use reviews to evaluate the quality of your HVAC services. These reviews show the prospect that you have experience in your field, that you relate well with customers, and that you can be trusted. These are some of the comments customers leave in a review.
If you are not getting reviews, it could be for several reasons. One of the most common reasons is that you are simply not asking for reviews. Most of the time, customers are willing to share their thoughts about your services publicly. Hence, make it a point to ask customers for reviews after ending a contract.
Conclusion
If you noticed, these strategies are geared more towards attracting customers online with content. This is because content marketing is such an effective marketing strategy. More and more people are flocking online to look for HVAC services. Thus, if your business is not appearing in search results, you need to put more effort into fixing that. Ultimately, working on the five tips above is a great place to start.
SwingPointMedia
SwingPointMedia is a marketing company focused on using content marketing, such as written articles, videos and podcasts, to attract their customers’ ideal audiences. This approach has proven to attract higher-quality customers while simultaneously reducing the sales cycle by as much as 70%.
SwingPointMedia serves local businesses in Southern California and can be reached by calling 760-422-5176.
You are invited to also attend a free weekly presentation, providing you the tools and strategy to roll out your own content marketing program for your company or see exactly what SwingPointMedia does for its clients to achieve success. It can be viewed live on SwingPointMedia’s YouTube channel Wednesdays at 11 am pst.