The Best Ways to Get HVAC Leads in 2020

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about HVAC marketing, it’s this: You people do not appreciate wasting money. You’re absolutely willing to invest in marketing for your home services business, but you are not interested in “trying some things” that “might” help. You expect measurable results that bring loads of HVAC leads and get you some serious cha-ching. 

As well you should. And honestly, I’m glad to hear you have those expectations. From time to time, I’ll ask a home services company what marketing strategies have, and have not, worked for them… and they can’t answer that question. That’s actually not their fault; it’s the fault of whoever’s getting paid to “help” them, and it’s infuriating. But I digress.

OK, so today I’m going to talk about the best ways to get HVAC leads in 2020:

1. Have a customer-friendly website.
2. Play nice with Google.
3. Pay Google to be your BFF.
4. Nurture prospects via email marketing.
5. Engage with prospects on social media.
6. Build trust and credibility via video marketing.

Now, listen up, because this is important: There’s a cumulative effect to these lead sources. In other words, having a kickass website on its own is good. But when you pair that website with organic search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search engine marketing (SEM) to get people to that kickass website, you’ll see better results. Capeesh? Great.

I’ve written a ton about websites for home services companies (see links below), and here’s what I’ve come to understand: Developing an effective web presence requires, first and foremost, a shift in mindset. You should invest in your website like it's a full-time member of your sales team. Because that’s exactly what it is. If your website doesn’t treat prospective customers the way you’d expect a human salesperson to treat them, you have some work to do. 

Here’s what I mean:

• Your HVAC website should be able to provide answers to customers quickly and accurately.
• Your HVAC website should explain your services clearly and confidently. 
• Your HVAC website should be an accurate representation of your company’s character and expertise. 
• Your HVAC website should ask for the sale. 

Your website’s not primarily a marketing tool; it’s a sales tool. In other words, just because someone happened on your website doesn’t mean they’re a “lead.” Your website has to sell them on becoming a lead. You feel me?

Check out these posts for more on websites for home services companies:

• Website Basics for Plumbers (these apply to HVAC shops, too)
• Plumbing and HVAC Website Trends for 2020
• 9 HVAC Web Design Essentials

Getting more people to your website is going to require that Google knows your website exists to begin with. Ninety-seven of every 100 people turn to the internet when they need something, and 93 of those people ask Google to help them find it. 

Obviously, when someone needs HVAC work, you want Google to tell people about your shop. One of the ways you increase the chances of that happening is with search engine optimization (SEO).

This is not a new or revolutionary concept. Marketers have been SEOing since 1997. But if you’re thinking, “Oh, we’ve got this one covered,” think again, friend. Google is stupid finicky and SEO changes all the time, so there simply is no such thing as having SEO “covered.” It’s an ongoing process that requires constant attention and frequent tweaks. (And we loooooooove it. If you just threw up in your mouth a little, schedule a call with us. We can definitely help.)

I simply can’t overemphasize the importance of SEO to getting more HVAC leads. If you’re not in the top handful of organic (unpaid) results on Google, you’re losing leads. Period.

Also if you’ve not yet claimed your Google My Business Profile, you should do that right this minute. It’s the only way you’ll show up in the “map pack” on the search engine results page (SERP), and your potential customers pay attention to that.

Check out these posts for specific SEO goodness:

• Plumber (or HVAC) SEO 101
• Is Your HVAC Website Ready for Google’s New Algorithm Update?
• 4 SEO Tips for HVAC Companies

No, email is not dead. It’s not even sick. Email is a crazy-effective way to build trust and stay top-of-mind with prospects. Compared to social media, email is a far superior use of your time.

• More people have email accounts than have social media accounts.
• More people prefer to receive promotions through email than through social media.
• Email conversion rates are higher than social media conversion rates. (Ridiculously higher!)
• Open rates and click-through rates from emails are higher than social media engagement rates.
• Email ROI is estimated at 4400%. That means for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you get $44 back. 

So, what does email marketing for HVAC companies actually look like? Check out this post.

Yeah, yeah: I just threw social media under the email bus, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do social at all. Why? Because your customers live on social channels. While social media isn’t the “best” place to get brand new HVAC leads, it’s the perfect place for leads you’ve gotten elsewhere to decide if they’re actually going to call you. 

Leads will come to Facebook, for example, to find out:

• If you have an active account. (It’s better to not have a Facebook account than to have an inactive one!)
• If you seem like nice people.
• If you have good reviews.

That review thing? That’s huge. In fact, it’s such a big deal that I dedicated an entire chapter to reputation management in my book.

If you have a Facebook Page and you’re stumped about how to use it, steal these 25 timeless content ideas for HVAC social media posts.

Videos account for one-third of online activity, and 64% of people make a purchase after viewing a company’s video. Plus, when you add videos to your website, your conversion rate will skyrocket. In other words, if you haven’t made the leap into videos for your HVAC company, 2020 is the year to do it. 

Don’t fret: You don’t need to hire a production crew and spend a ton of money. You can create effective videos with your cell phone in decent light and with good audio. What kind of videos? Think educational, DIY videos and behind-the-scenes clips. Post your videos to YouTube, and share them on your social channel(s). 

By the way, YouTube ads are relatively affordable (less than $1 per view, typically)—but even if you decide not to invest in advertising, having posts on YouTube can boost your backlink strategy. (What’s a backlink? Here’s Backlink 101.)

I mentioned one pay-per-lead opportunity: Google Local Services. I didn’t talk about the others—Angie’s List and Home Advisor, for example—because I just haven’t seen a great ROI for the shops that have tried them. 

In almost all cases cases, one lead is sent to multiple companies, which means you just bought a lead that you have to sprint to win- either a race to be first, or a race to be cheapest. In other cases, we've seen evidence that companies have been charged for fake leads, too. That sucks. (Note: Google Ads does not play this way. One lead goes to one company. It’s yours to lose.)

In other cases, the quality of the “leads” is, quite frankly, terrible, and/or the way the company gets their leads is questionable.

I’m not saying you should never, ever invest in a pay-per-lead campaign, but you have to know if it’s worth it. In the vast majority of cases, it’s better to spend your money elsewhere. 

It’s way too easy to waste a ton of money trying to get more HVAC leads. I’ve developed a proven marketing process that’s gotten hundreds of companies the leads, jobs, and revenue they deserve. I’d be honored to help you, too. Schedule your free consultation today.