A Better Method of Lead Generation for HVAC Companies
Some companies sell HVAC Leads, and though they might provide value from time to time, it’s more cost-effective and better branding to get your own HVAC leads.
The method of generating leads for HVAC businesses has never been more clear, yet many companies rely solely on SEO and other primitive tactics. These tactics work, however, it’s only one of the effective marketing strategies to use online.
Every HVAC business needs a lead generation funnel in 2023, and a way to promote that funnel. Simply put: a lead generation marketing funnel is a series of actions that takes a prospect through the journey of becoming a warm lead to a customer, and eventually a loyal client. This article will go through what that process looks like.
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HVAC Lead Generation: How to Get HVAC Customers
Don’t buy HVAC leads. A better approach is to generate your own prospects with Direct Response marketing.
What we specialize in are HVAC marketing funnels, and that means we specialize in generating leads for HVAC businesses using a simple three-step approach, and this approach is very complimentary to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and PPC campaigns you might be running on search. But without a doubt, a proper marketing funnel dedicated to lead generation for your HVAC company is essential in 2023.
- A/C installations
- Water heater replacements
- Heat pump installs
We recommend ONE master funnel that allows customers to enter where they want and then drip through the rest of your services. They might need a new A/C and click on an ad to request more information. Shortly thereafter, they receive an email to prep them for the call, a text with suggestions, a week later they are retargeted with ads for WiFi thermostats and new a water heater. That is only an example, but the idea is they enter the funnel many different places but everyone goes through the same process. This is how to generate leads with the least spend possible.
How to Get HVAC Leads with Marketing Funnels
Here’s how to get HVAC leads: get in front of customers before your competition steals them away. How do you do that? By not waiting around until they need something. If you wait until a customer is actively searching for you, they might stumble on your SEO-optimized pages…
They may find your business on Google Maps or see one of your costly PPC ads…
But then you have tire-kickers clicking on every ad (running your bill up an average of $42 per click) and then asking a few questions before hanging up.
There’s a better way. Our three-step process to get HVAC leads in the door for your business is as follows:
- Build a marketing funnel for each profitable service you want more of
- Create Direct Response advertising campaigns online driving traffic to each marketing funnel
- Lead each prospect back into your Master Funnel to introduce them to your entire ecosystem of products and services
Looks confusing (I know) but it makes sense…
What is the Average HVAC Cost Per Lead?
The cost of HVAC Leads depends on: where your service area is, the population of that area, the services you offer, and how enticing your ads and funnels are. Our specialty is creating the most mouth-watering marketing funnels to attract new customers to your HVAC business and creating offers that are simply too good to turn down.
That is the key to success.
Here are the only things you need to beat your competition and get more HVAC leads than any of your rivals:
- Juicy HVAC offers – Are you competing on price? On Speed? Quality? Everything? What will make me (a homeowner) want to consider adding that mini-split upstairs that I’ve put off for the last year? Is there something special going on right now that might make me pull the trigger on that? This would be a great offer. Coming up with that answer: Why now? is the work to get done.
- Quality HVAC marketing funnels – A funnel should be so seamless that the customer doesn’t feel any friction at all. If it was me, I would want the experience to be so smooth that it’d be a no-brainer not to consider moving forward with your HVAC company. This is the unique offering we come to you with.
- Better HVAC ads driving traffic to those funnels – Often times marketers think they need to do the flashiest trick that’s currently trending, but in our experience that is not the case. The best ads today are the same as the best ads of the past. They clearly state an attractive offer to the right people at the right time.
Nurturing Your HVAC Leads
Generating leads is not the answer. It’s just the start…
When you get a lead for your HVAC company, someone in town raises their hand and says “ME!” And you do your best to close that deal.
For bigger jobs like installs and replacements, take your time. They aren’t ready to pull the trigger yet. That’s why it’s important your marketing funnel checks in with them religiously. All it takes is that one morning when they wake up and say, “Screw it. Let’s call that company back.”
I am a homeowner and I have this experience all the time with contractors. I say something about perhaps insulating my house. An hour later, I see an ad for that precise service and fill out a form to be contacted. Someone gives me a ring (most of the time) and asks if I’d like a quote.
Then I schedule an appointment and the quote comes in higher than anticipated. So I sit on it. This is the life of a homeowner. Maybe I decline and a month later see a retargeting ad followed by an email asking if I’m ready. Finally, I call my wife and say… “Okay. We’re gonna do this.” And this isn’t just me; this is everyone. Nurture your leads till they call you back and get that new water heater they’ve been needing for quite some time.
Don't Use Google to Generate HVAC Leads For Big Jobs
Google (SEO and PPC) is for emergencies. My faucet breaks and I need a plumber ASAP. I search “plumber near me” and may the first company that can get to my house win. There’s no changing that. That is simply the nature of the beast and for people who need a technician IMMEDIATELY, no advertising will change who they call and who they hire.
BUT…
If you get to them for non-emergency offers, such as improving the efficiency of their heating or cooling system, switching to a heat pump, or adding a mini-split upstairs, all these jobs are NOT going to come from Google. They are going to come from a GREAT ad that reminds them they need this. There are many platforms to use for generating leads for your HVAC company, but Google is not one of them.
Intent Advertising vs. Disruption Advertising
Intent Advertising
Intent means someone is actively looking for a solution to their problem and they see an ad during that process. This happens when Googling for “HVAC or plumber near me” or on YouTube when people try to DIY their problem before they screw up bad enough that they need a professional to come to fix whatever they just ruined even more.
Google = Intent Advertising
SEO = Intent Advertising
YouTube = Intent Advertising
You cannot scale these campaigns because the only time an ad is shown is when someone types into the search bar on either Youtube “How to make my water hotter” or Google “water heater replacement near me.” Intent advertising is similar to what the Yellow Pages used to be.
Disruption Advertising
On the other hand, disruption advertising is when a consumer sees an ad during the act of doing something else. Think of TV commercials. You’re watching a game, and then a commercial that you didn’t ask for tries to sell you something. This is disruption advertising.
Facebook = Disruption Advertising
Instagram = Disruption Advertising
TikTok = Disruption Advertising
Connected TV (Hulu, etc.) = Disruption Advertising
What’s great about this form of advertising is if you can generate one lead from a campaign, you can generate hundreds more. The only requirement is scaling the budget, which is not an option with Google or YouTube (unless you start showing ads to the wrong people and bidding on keywords that make no sense).
For this reason, the fastest and most effective way to get more leads for your HVAC business is by creating a marketing funnel for your top-tier jobs and then promoting those funnels with disruption advertising campaigns.
