The hardest part of marketing for business owners is figuring out what works and provides the best return on investment. When your HVAC marketing plan for heating and cooling systems and services are working well, life is good!
Things have changed over the years, though. Billboards, TV and radio ads, and the Yellow Pages just don’t work anymore. To reach consumers today, you need a digital approach that promotes your air conditioning and heating solutions. This includes an HVAC marketing plan incorporating search, social, inbound marketing, and targeted email.
One of the best things you can do to get a strong ROI is to make sure email marketing is an important part of your HVAC marketing plan. Here are 8 reasons you should consider using email marketing for your HVAC business.
Email is considered one of the most effective marketing options available. Studies show that email can generate as much as $42 for every $1 invested. That’s an incredible 4,200% ROI. Where else can you get that kind of return?
Segmentation of your email list can produce your strongest results. By dividing up your email list into smaller segments based on specific criteria, you can personalize your approach. Here are just a few examples of how you can segment, target, and personalize your messaging at scale:
According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), segmented and targeted emails are responsible for 58% of all revenue generation.
While we all get a lot of emails every day, email gets viewed and read. This gives you an opportunity to put your brand in front of consumers every time they get your email messaging whether they open them up or not. But, emails in the home services category have some of the highest open rates of any industry.
An analysis of more than 200 million emails from businesses shows that home services emails have an open rate of 19.2% and a clickthrough rate of 6%.
While social media should play a role in your HVAC marketing plan, targeted email is more effective. According to business consulting firm McKinsey, email is as much as 40 times more effective than social media marketing campaigns.
When you use email marketing for lead generation, you are continually putting your brand’s products and services in front of prospective customers.
Rather than go to Google and search for “HVAC companies near me,”they’ll already know your know your name, they’ll go right to your website rather than your competitors.
Since 84% of consumers searching for HVAC repair don’t have a company in mind when they start searching online, if you can plan your name in their minds, your odds of getting a call goes up significantly when customers already know your name.
Many HVAC businesses with great product lines and superior customer service still have a high failure rate because of a lack of brand awareness. If they don’t know your name, you’re at the mercy of the Google algorithm for lead generation.
Email marketing not only helps build awareness with new customers, but also keeps you connected with your current customers. Seasonal campaigns, special promotions, and informational emails help you maintain brand awareness and provide upsell opportunities.
By nurturing your existing customer base with relevant information that provides value, you are helping build and maintain trust. So, when their A/C or heat goes out, they’ll get in touch with you rather than anyone else.
Email is a great way to gather customer feedback. When you complete a job, you should also ask for customer feedback. This ensures you’ve left customers happy with the services they got and it’s also a great way to prompt for referrals, testimonials, and reviews.
Check out these three stats about how important reviews are to your HVAC business:
If people are satisfied with your service, get them to post positive reviews. If they’re not happy with something, you want to know ASAP so you can fix it — before they post a bad review or talk to their neighbors.
Unlike some other forms of media, you get data that lets you know what’s working. By monitoring open rates, clickthrough rates, and conversions, you can continually optimize performance. If you are using an email marketing platform, you can A/B test multiple variations of copy points to see which gets the best results automatically.
In 2021, there are a record number of contractors in the HVAC industry. According to IBIS World Research, there are more than 119,000 HVAC companies doing business in the US with a market size exceeding $119 billion. Analysts expect continued growth moving forward with as many as six new competitors launching every single day.
Still, HVAC contractors have some of the highest failure rates of any industry. Every year, 20% of HVAC businesses fail, according to a study by Energy. Most fail because of a lack of cash flow.
You know how competitive it is out there. You need every advantage you can get when you’re generating leads, managing your cash flow, and driving revenue growth.
You need a proven system for your business planning and your HVAC marketing plan. At the same time, you also need to avoid making costly mistakes with your marketing.
Have you found yourself wondering how to grow your home services business? You’re not alone. Many companies are feeling the need for more customers, but may not know where to start. Thankfully, there is help available!
Check out this free video that will teach you all about proven ways to grow your company and increase customer acquisition today. It doesn't matter if you're just starting up or have been in the industry for years - these tips can be applied by anyone looking to improve their sales numbers now!
So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and watch the video so we can get started on finding solutions together.