The HVAC Marketing Plan

HVAC contractors deal with heavy competition, especially when it comes to service-related keyword ranking. That’s why so many businesses turn to paid ads, which offer the benefits of pinpoint targeting and bypassed competitors. In our latest podcast, Nolen and Jason talk about creating a successful, cost-effective marketing plan to maximize the return on your ad investment. If you’ve considered experimenting with paid ads, or if you’ve only claimed mediocre returns in the past, be sure to listen in!

Look for These Key Topics

* How to Prepare for Paid Ad Campaigns* Understanding the Average Lead Journey* Smart Paid Ads Strategy for Beginners * Getting Cost-Effective Results from Your Ads

Preparing for Paid Ads

As with any part of your online marketing strategy, your paid ads require a firm starting position to launch off of. That foundation is your HVAC SEO (search engine optimization). If you haven’t taken care of these organic search elements yet, you’ll need to do so before attempting paid ad campaigns.

Essential Organic Search Elements

* Website Creation* Codebase Development* Design – Graphics and Navigation* Content Writing* Google My Business – Registration* Citation Listings* Reviews Integration

Once you have a professional website for leads to pour into, then you can kick off your paid ads! Before we dive into practical starting points for your advertising, we need to re-examine the lead development process.

You’ll Need a High-Performance Website for Your Paid Ads to Direct To.

Understanding the Course of Lead Development

In their discussion, Jason and Nolen discuss how even the buying process for a bottle of shampoo may last as long as 3 months. If something so menial requires such a long decision process, it’s only natural that HVAC leads might take even longer to transform into actual business. After all, this is a significant investment we’re talking about!

Here’s how a typical non-emergency lead might progress. First, the consumer encounters an element from your company’s marketing program. That might be the product of your SEO for HVAC keywords, social media advertisements, or even word of mouth marketing. When they begin their search for their heating and cooling service, they recall your marketing and visit your site. The initial visit may only last for a few minutes.

Fast forward to later in the week or even months in the future, and the consumer returns to your website once more. This time they take longer, visit a couple of service pages, then leave. At this point, they may turn to your social media page and citation sources to examine your company’s reviews. Finally, they revisit your website one more time and make the call to your office!

Google Analytics Provides Valuable Insight on User Behavior.

HVAC contractors deal with heavy competition, especially when it comes to service-related keyword ranking. That’s why so many businesses turn to paid ads, which offer the benefits of pinpoint targeting to bypass competitors. Nolen and Jason talk about creating a successful, cost-effective marketing plan to maximize the return on your ad investment in our latest podcast. […]

There are thousands of keyword variations in the service industry, but HVAC contractors generally only pursue a tiny fraction of them. It’s easy to think that the key to success is ranking high for “AC repair” and “compressor leak repair”, but there’s are other paths[Read the Full Article]

There are thousands of keyword variations in the service industry, but HVAC contractors generally only pursue a tiny fraction of them. It’s easy to think that the key to success is ranking high for “AC repair” and “compressor leak repair”, but there’s are other paths to ranking #1 on Google! Listen in as Nolen and Jason discuss how new entries and older companies alike can upgrade their keyword strategy.

Key Points to Listen For:

* SEO results may not take as long as you think!* Secondary keywords make a big difference for new HVAC contractors. * Google considers user intent with brand-optimized keywords.

Keyword Strategy & Optimization

With all the HVAC contractors that we’ve talked with over the years, it’s clear that most professionals have at least some familiarity with keywords. “I need keywords in my website. Popular keywords.” High volume keywords do earn a higher amount of exposure, but there’s a crucial caveat that people forget.

High volume keywords can be extremely tough to rank for!

New entries into HVAC SEO almost never rank highly for keywords like “AC repair” or “furnace replacement”. Why? Because there are hundreds of other businesses already attempting it. That doesn’t mean that your business can’t develop a keyword strategy to eventually capture those phrases!

Primary Vs Secondary Keywords

In HVAC SEO, keywords fall under two categories: primary keywords and secondary keywords. The first category are those that your business eagerly wants to rank for. These might include:

* “HVAC contractor”* “AC replacement”* “Furnace tuneup”* “Emergency air conditioning”

Secondary keywords, on the other hand, include terms and phrases related to the primaries. What is their purpose?

* One: They prevent content writers from stuffing primary keywords dozens of times throughout a page. * Two: They draw Google’s attention to the article and produce stronger recognition for the primary keywords. * Three: Secondaries allow your business to rank for a high quantity of low-volume keywords.

This Branded Search Yielded Local Search Results!

Where Do HVAC Brands Fit In?

HVAC brands, especially high-quality ones, make fantastic secondary keywords! When potential customers lose the functionality of their Trane AC Unit (for instance), most perform a generic search for “AC repair” or a similar primary keyword. However, people who want a professional with related brand experience might search “Trane AC repair”. Fewer HVAC professionals optimize for these brand-specific keywords.

But won’t Google direct them towards Trane’s website? Actually, Google recognizes that the user intent behind these searches is to find a local repair company. Your business can rank extremely high for the secondary keyword, and maybe even score a position in a local pack!

Some heating and cooling companies understand this idea, but they get the execution wrong. Have you ever seen an HVAC website that showcases dozens of popular industry brands?

There are thousands of keyword variations in the service industry, but HVAC contractors generally only pursue a tiny fraction of them. It’s easy to think that the key to success is ranking high for “AC repair” and “compressor leak repair,” but there’s are other paths to ranking #1 on Google. Listen in as Nolen and […]

Most HVAC contractors have a love/hate relationship with their lead services. In this podcast, Jason and Nolen explore the potential perks of buying leads, along with the sometimes disastrous pitfalls. Whether you’ve purchased leads in the past or are considering a service in the near future, you’ll gain some essential insights into the pros and cons of lead gen companies.

Look Out for These Key Points

* Does buying leads create long-term or short-term opportunities?* Do lead services contribute towards your brand development?* What expenses come out of buying leads?* How good is the lead quality?

What Does Buying Leads Mean?

Developing a client base takes time, money, and lots of effort. It may take years to develop a comfortable directory of loyal customers. For businesses longing for that initial stimulus of growth, buylings leads presents a very attractive, fast solution. Here’s how it works…

How Lead Buying Works

* Step #1: An HVAC contractor hires on a lead generation company.* Step #2: The lead gen company connects them with potential customers by phone or email.* Step #3: The contractor accepts or rejects the client, who may or may not decide to do business with the contractor. * Step #4: The contractor renders payment to the lead generating company.

What is the Most Popular Pay-Per-Lead Company?

Pay-Per-Lead (PPL) companies range from household names to somewhat sketchy businesses. While there are numerous PPL companies out in the market, you’d have a hard time finding a more recognizable name than HomeAdvisor. The business employs untold numbers of sales force personnel and boasts a vast array of contractors.

How Much Do Companies Pay for Leads?

That depends on the particular service you utilize for your leads. We’ll use HomeAdvisor as an example. According to the HomeAdvisor Pro How It Works page, HVAC contractors pay a mix of annual, monthly, and variable fees in exchange for leads. Keep in mind, the company does not guarantee any of these leads will convert into customers. To quote from their website, “You will be charged for each lead you receive, whether or not you ultimately win the job…”

What Costs Can I Expect?

* Annual Subscription Fees* General Industry Leads Costs (“Market Match”)* Brand Specific Leads Costs (“Exact Match”)* Supporting Service Costs

When people request your company specifically through HomeAdvisor, your company may pay an even higher lead cost rate. You can set monthly target budgets, but lead costs may exceed that number.

Questions to Ask When Buying Leads

There are two primary concerns your HVAC business should consider when buying leads. First, you’ll need to consider the pricing structure of the service. Some companies quote a relatively low per lead cost, but quietly zing you with additional fees. Others charge higher rates, but do a much better job of outlining what that money buys.

The even more essential question you need to ask is: “How does your company qualify these leads?” Is your money actually going towards connecting with ready-to-buy consumers,

Most contractors have a love/hate relationship with their lead services. In this podcast, Jason and Nolen explore the potential perks of buying leads for HVAC contractors, along with the sometimes disastrous pitfalls. Whether you’ve purchased leads in the past or are considering a service soon, you’ll gain some essential insights into the pros and cons of […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PaiX2ak4IQ

Heating & cooling contractors often wonder why their website doesn’t bring in as many leads as they hope for. Most of the time it is the result of low click volume which is a product of poor web design, codebase, and search engine optimization. But what about advertising? For contractors running PPC campaigns, the low click volume could originate from a poorly managed advertising strategy on Google, Facebook, or elsewhere. Despite these common occurrences there are instances in which traffic is coming in but leads are not. In cases like this, the problem is with conversion rate optimization. If your website is frequently visited but is not converting those visitors into leads then there is work do be done. Here are some of the reasons websites don’t convert:

Call To Action

Every high conversion website has a clear and convincing call to action. There are too many websites that simply don’t have their basic information listed on the header and footer of their homepage. Every visitor should know who you are, where you are, and what you do. Those three things are non-negotiable. It is not enough however to simply list a phone number. The text must be sized correctly so that users can easily see it. You want the phone number to be big and in the face of the prospective customer. You also want the phone number to be clickable on mobile devices by integrating click-to-call functionality. This way, mobile users can become leads with a simple click making it more convenient than ever to generate new clients online.

Personalization

An underrated factor in website conversion rates is personalization. What do we mean by that? Have you ever been to an HVAC website that has stock photos or low quality photos? These kinds of images may currently be on your website. What you may not have considered is how a lack of personalization can impact conversions. Visitors who see personable contractors are more likely to call than those who see stock photos or images of angry-looking HVAC employees. This concept is more rooted in traditional marketing than digital marketing but the two merge in this instance. Consumers who have a level of comfort with the business are going to be more likely to engage with them which manifests itself in the form online leads for HVAC.

Site Speed Optimization

Visitors who bounce off your page immediately will not convert. One of the most typical reasons for an especially high bounce rate is site speed. When sites fail to load within 3 seconds most visitors will bounce. This is particularly true of visitors who access the site through mobile which accounts for more than half as of 2019. Speeding up your website can really help conversions but achieving higher speeds takes some technical sensibilities. For one, your site can’t have too many large files on it, including images that may slow down loading speed. Furthermore, your HVAC site must have clean codebase which means no obtrusive JavaScript or excess WordPress plugins from 3rd parties. Clean designs tend to load fast, increasing conversions.

How SEO & Website Conversions are Related

We mentioned earlier in this post that most failing websites don’t have a conversion problem as much as an SEO problem. But the reality is that these two things are inherently connected. Google ranks websites at least partially based on how users behave on them. To put it more simply, if your website is poorly designed and lacks clear calls to action, it is unlikely to rank well in the first place.

Heating & cooling contractors often wonder why their HVAC website doesn’t bring in enough leads. Most of the time, it is the result of low click volume, a product of poor web design, codebase, and search engine optimization. But what about advertising? For contractors running PPC campaigns, the low click volume could originate from a poorly […]