A lot of things go into running a successful HVAC business. However, because HVAC work is almost entirely service-related, nothing is more important than generating leads and gaining customers. Unlike other industries where you can make money through online sales and products, manual labor is the only way to succeed as an HVAC business.
There are many ways to generate leads and book more jobs in the HVAC industry. While personal reviews, advertisements, and word of mouth are great, most HVAC companies generate more leads by increasing their online presence. To that end, SEO optimization, social media accounts, and an effective website are crucial for booking more jobs.
Whether you’re new to the HVAC world or are a seasoned business owner, booking more jobs is always the best way to expand your business. If you’re struggling to do that, you’ve come to the right place. This article will look at how to quickly and successfully generate leads and gain customers in the HVAC industry.
How Many Leads Should I Aim For?
HVAC leads refer to people interested in hiring someone for their services in the HVAC industry. Leads can come via word of mouth, through advertisements, or when someone performs a Google search. Generally, you can never have too many leads. The more leads you have, the more likely you are to add at least a few of them as your customers.
Is Response Time Important When Pursuing Leads?
Anytime you can generate a lead, and a customer inquires about your services, response time is crucial. Most people who are looking for HVAC services need immediate or semi-immediate assistance. Therefore, if you don’t respond to them quickly enough, they’ll move on to the next company and enlist their services instead. Research shows you want to reach customers within one hour of being contacted.
How to Increase Leads in the HVAC Industry
Now that you know what leads are and why they’re crucial to gaining customers, let’s look at how to generate them.
Learn More About HVAC Business Management Software
Build an Online Presence Through a Company Website
The best way to generate leads in the HVAC industry is by utilizing the internet to your advantage. According to recent data, 90% of potential customers browse the internet when searching for local businesses, including HVAC services. On top of that, more than 76% of customers will wait to hire someone until they see if they have an online presence.
You can reach infinitely more customers with a solid website than you can via word of mouth or by going door to door. A working and functional website will allow customers to browse your services and let them know what you offer.
Optimize Your Website Using SEO
While having a website is a great start, it will only benefit you if it appears on Google. For instance, four or five other HVAC companies near you might have optimized their websites using SEO and keyword strategy. Employing these website optimization strategies means that when someone does a Google search for “HVAC contractors near me” or “heating and cooling repairs,” your competitor’s optimized website will show up in the search results before yours.
While you might not think SEO is essential, more than 60% of people use the internet when they’re searching specifically for HVAC repairs and services. So, having the first Google HVAC result means you could increase your customer base by more than 50%.
Open Social Media Accounts
Aside from having an SEO-friendly website, another great way to boost your online presence and generate leads is with social media accounts. By connecting your HVAC website to Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, you’ll be able to create hundreds more leads, resulting in more customers.
Make It Easy to Book Your Services Online
In addition to building and optimizing your website, you should make booking your services online easy. Most people find online booking much easier and more convenient than scheduling your services over the phone or in person. A recent survey found that 60% of customers prefer to book services online, including in the HVAC industry. It will also be easier to track and monitor your jobs when they’re booked online.
Use Email to Target Customers
Finding new customers is hard enough that when you finally build a client list, you should do everything possible to hang on to it. Booking jobs through existing customers is much easier than generating fresh leads. Because of the competition in the HVAC field, keeping customers is easier if you stay in frequent contact with them.
Rather than calling or visiting your customers in person, starting an email list or newsletter is easier and more effective. By sending monthly or bi-weekly emails to your existing customers with special offers and promotions, they’re far less likely to search for a new HVAC company.
Try Free HVAC All-In-One Business Software
Generate Leads Through Online Reviews
Another great way to generate leads online is with your Google reviews. A staggering 94% of potential customers say they’re more likely to hire a company with positive reviews, and 92% are less likely to hire them if they have negative ones. In addition, reviews on Google are open to the general public, meaning anyone can leave a review of your business, and everyone can see it.
Therefore, doing everything possible to keep your customers happy so they leave positive reviews is essential. However, nobody’s perfect, which means you’ll likely have a negative review now and again. When that happens, responding to the review, addressing the complaint, and turning the negative review into a positive one is crucial.
Increase Your Customer Base With FieldBin
Once you’ve started to generate leads and add more jobs using the methods above, you’ll have to streamline and keep track of all your extra work. Rather than trying to keep track of everything on paper, you should seek professional assistance from FieldBin.
FieldBin develops state-of-the-art HVAC business management software specifically designed to help HVAC companies. Our software can help you keep track of your ever-growing client list and assist with invoicing, job scheduling, building job estimates, and bidding on jobs. Using FieldBin’s software, you can increase cash and profit flows and keep your customers happy so they return to you the next time they need an HVAC technician.