However, as business owners, you shouldn’t have to worry about how to get HVAC leads. Work is hard enough without you having to come up with new marketing strategies now and then. Thankfully, several proven methods are easy to implement and should save you time that you can use to land more jobs and make more money.
The fact that these strategies are easy to implement doesn’t necessarily mean that results should be immediate. Some may show results even within 24 hours, while from others, you won’t see a significant payoff until months down the line (but are worth the wait).
In this article, we will show you marketing activities that suppose to generate high-quality leads. You know, the ones that will create loyal customers who pay top dollar for you to install an air conditioner or ventilation system. Plus, you’ll find out the average cost of each strategy to determine which method fits your current budget and timeline to get new customers ASAP.
5 HVAC lead generation ideas to get customers within a week
1. Go all out with an eye-catching vinyl wrap on your car
Want to know how to get HVAC leads each month easily? Transform your plain jane work van into a mobile billboard with a vinyl wrap.
If a company van has ever caught your eye while you were sitting in traffic, it’s probably because they have a fantastic advertisement on the side. An excellent mobile ad will grab a prospect’s attention, help them to memorize your company’s name and offerings, and move them to look you up when they get home. If you want this for your business, let’s go over what a car vinyl wrap is and how to do it properly.
What is a car vinyl wrap?
A car vinyl wrap is a large decal that’s glued onto your car. It can be customized in design, color, and finish. You can add your company name, logo, slogan, and contact information directly onto your truck or van. The benefit of branding your ride is that your customers and prospects can find out who you are, what you offer, and how to schedule an appointment without the need to pay extra costs past the one-time price of the wrap. Also, when you’re driving through cities or parked outside a commercial or residential building, it boosts your HVAC lead generation. Think about it: when you’re driving around, how many people pass you by? Probably hundreds each day. If you add it up, you are putting your business in front of thousands of potential customers each month just by driving through the right areas!
Pros: You can have your first vinyl wrap completed within 2-3 days to quickly advertise your business.
Cons: If any business information changes, like your company’s name, logo, or phone number, you’ll have to remove the vinyl and get it re-done.
How to get started:
Look at your competitors’ vans and search for HVAC vehicles online to get design inspiration. Think about how to get HVAC customers’ attention quickly with a memorable slogan and offers.
Research and make a list of auto repair shops that specialize in wrapping vinyl. Look at reviews, and make sure they have a good application process so the final wrap doesn’t have any air bubbles, lifting, or wrinkles.
Ask for feedback from the technicians on how to take care of your vinyl wrap to maximize its lifespan.
Cost: $1,500 – $5,000
2. Advertise locally on Craigslist, Groupon, and Facebook Marketplace
When you’re first thinking of HVAC lead generation ideas, advertising on a classifieds site like Craigslist may come to mind. We know what you’re thinking: why should I post my business there when it’s known for scammers? Craigslist and other classifieds sites and marketplaces will always have people who want to take advantage of you—that’s life. Instead, you can learn how to use these sites, avoid scammers, identify bad leads, and minimize your wasted time. If you’re just starting to get your feet wet with heating and air conditioning projects and getting reviews, it’s worth a shot.
How do classified sites work?
Classified advertisements websites are an online form of advertising that took the place of traditional newspapers, where people can post products, services, and events they want to sell. The most common and popular local classified sites are Craigslist, Groupon, and Facebook Marketplace.
HVAC lead generation becomes incredibly easy on these sites since you already have locals using the platform to search for services like yours. The benefit of using online classifieds is that you can find and advertise to people in your backyard quickly, even if you don’t have your website up yet.
Pros: There’s no upfront cost to posting a listing on Craigslist, Groupon, or Facebook Marketplace.
Cons: These sites are not tailor-made for service pros or HVAC technicians and may not have all the features and support you need.
How to get started:
- Create an account and place your ad in the right industry section with the proper tags.
- Have at least five photos of your completed work with testimonials from customers. Also, don’t be afraid to show your face to build trust with prospects.
- Be clear about prices, late fees, and your refund policy upfront.
Cost: Free
3. Home services marketplaces
How to get HVAC customers that are high-quality? Use digital marketplaces tailored for home improvement and handyman services. There’s plenty on the market, like HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List, Thumbtack, and more.
How do home services sites work?
Home services platforms are the best HVAC lead service providers. Usually, you set up a profile, and the site will screen your business for credibility. They’re looking for companies with business licenses, required education and training, insurance, and more. Once you have the approval, you’ll be able to create an account, and potential customers can find you through search results. You can choose to pay for ads to get more exposure, then the site will send leads to you, and you can bid on projects. The benefit of these platforms is that all shoppers are homeowners who are looking for HVAC or handyman services, and the platforms cater to all the features a home service pro needs for HVAC lead generation and campaign management.
Pros: The site filters through leads and only sends you qualified ones.
Cons: For more exposure, you’ll have to invest more money to advertise.
How to get started:
- There are over 50 home service websites for HVAC lead generation. Research and make a list of your top three to get started from.
- Fill out your profile completely, then ensure to audit and make improvements to it every month.
- Create templates for messages so that when you see a big project, you can bid quickly.
Cost: $200 – $800+ for paid ads
4. Join a business referrals network and gather leads from friends and family
HVAC lead generation requires a lot of networking for your business. The best way to generate leads from the people around you is to create or join a business referral network. A referral network is a group of businesses in similar industries but have non-competing companies that share leads to grow their sales as a group.
Should you create or join a referral network?
If you’re just getting started in the industry, building a network from scratch may be unrealistic, which is why finding an existing referral network is your best choice at first. How can you find a network to join? You check online in HVAC Facebook groups or LinkedIn groups and ask if they know of any current ones you can join.
If you’d prefer to run the show, create a network yourself. Search online for businesses that have similar customers to yours, like locksmiths, carpet cleaners, junk removal, and other local handyman services. Then ask them if they’d like to trade a certain amount of leads monthly.
Alternatively, a lot of your early HVAC lead generation will come from close friends and family members. Now, there are right and wrong ways to ask for a referral from friends and family. It’s essential to establish that you’re running a business as early as possible, as well as to be clear about your services and pricing, and never budge or give them a discount. If not, they’ll constantly expect a lower rate and may also send leads who are bargain shoppers.
Pros: Referral leads have a higher chance of converting into customers.
Cons: Referrals are challenging to get until you’ve already established trusting relationships.
How to get started:
- Whether you’re in a business referral group or are asking friends and family, have a plan to ask for referrals every month.
- Give out business cards and contact information to make it easier for your customers to spread the word.
- When in a referral group, send high-quality leads to prove that you are a valuable member and get others to trust you. That’s how you get HVAC customers!
Cost: Free
Long-term strategies that generate HVAC lead
5. Website optimization
Website optimization is the process of experimenting with strategies and tools to drive better traffic, qualified leads, customer experience, and conversion rates. Your HVAC company website isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it thing. Each year, it’s better to make changes to your website to improve each page and generate better HVAC service leads.
How do you optimize your company website?
You can optimize your HVAC business website by making sure you have created and customized every page your business needs: about page, services page, professional photo gallery highlighting your work, testimonial page, landing page, and contact us page. Next, make sure each page has all the information a lead needs to make a purchasing decision. Lastly, your website should include all the targeted keywords and phrases so that prospects can find you through search engines.
Pros: An optimized website can improve click-through rates and convert leads into customers faster.
Cons: Yearly website updates are necessary to keep up with keyword trends and new website tools.
How to get started:
- Hire a website optimization specialist to help you strategize what pages you need for better HVAC lead generation.
- Decide which tools or widgets you’ll need on your websites, like a lead capture form or chatbot, to help with customer service.
- Use Google Speed Insights to see if your website is running slow. A slow webpage turns visitors away and will hurt potential sales.
Cost: $500-$3,000+
6. Search engine optimization
There is no HVAC lead generation without proper search engine optimization. Moz, an SEO software, defines it as “the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results.” We mentioned this briefly as part of website optimization above, but SEO deserves its strategy since it is so important.
How does SEO work?
If you want to transform your website into the best HVAC lead service, you need to optimize each page for keywords, phrases, and search intent. That way, Google and other search engines can pick it up and will rank higher in their algorithms. The higher your web page ranks, the more traffic and leads you’ll receive.
Pros: SEO improves website credibility and trust when you rank high on search engines.
Cons: It takes 4-6 months to start getting organic traffic from SEO and see results.
How to get started:
- Hire an SEO specialist or agency to save time – don’t take a chance on doing it yourself and potentially decrease your chances of HVAC lead generation.
- Focus on getting backlinks to your website. Backlinks are when a credible website links to your business website, helping boost your ranking on search engines.
- Build page authority by producing expert content in your industry to increase your rankings.
Cost: $500 – $3,000+
7. Content marketing
HVAC lead generation usually includes content marketing, which also plays a significant role in search engine optimization. Content marketing means creating content like blog posts, video tutorials, and social media posts to educate customers. Content marketing is one of the premier ways HVAC businesses are generating leads today.
How does content marketing work?
Content marketing works by creating a variety of helpful content that your audience wants and needs to see, mostly because they are already searching for it on Google. For example, if you notice “how often should you check your thermostat?” is trending, you should write a blog post that answers that question thoroughly for readers and persuades them to book an appointment with you. The purpose of content is to educate and entertain potential customers and help them make purchasing decisions quickly. If you need ideas, check out what content your competitors are creating.
Pros: Content marketing has one of the best ROI in HVAC lead generation strategies.
Cons: It takes more time, money, and resources to implement a content strategy.
How to get started
- Ask your customers about what kind of content they prefer: blog posts, videos, etc.
- Use various content platforms, like your website’s blog, Instagram, and Facebook, to reach a larger audience.
- Consistently post content each week to keep your audience engaged.
Costs: $500 – $2,500+ per month
8. Paid advertisement
How to get HVAC customers over the long run? Put your wallet up and buy some ads. Paid advertisements are some of the best ways to generate high-quality leads. Ads are the complete opposite of organic traffic because, instead of waiting for customers to come to you through search engines, you go straight to wherever they are on social media.
How do paid ads work?
Here’s how it works: First, discover different sites worth your advertisements. You can create ads for YouTube, Google AdWords, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Think about where your customers are online and get right in front of them. Then, plan out your demographics, which geographic locations your ad will run, and how much you have to spend per day on an advertisement.
Pros: With paid ads, you can target your ideal customer and use hyper-specific targeting.
Con: Running ads can cost a substantial amount of money upfront.
How to get started
- Advertise across several search engines, like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Also, advertise across several social media channels, like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, to maximize reach.
- Experiment with different ad formats, like a carousel, image ads, video ads, etc.
- Hire an ad manager to run your campaign. Testing and experimenting with different ads or parameters to see the best conversion rate you can get for your buck.
Cost: Recommended 7-8% of your yearly revenue
Win more leads with the Workiz HVAC management system
Lastly, upgrade your management software if you want to know how to get HVAC leads without doing any marketing (who doesn’t!). HVAC businesses may use several different software products, one for inventory management, one for booking and scheduling, one for sending invoices, etc. Workiz’s HVAC management software was designed to be an all-in-one tool to get everything done and simplify the process. Its features include job management, scheduling, invoicing, a CRM system, inventory management, a phone system, and most importantly – lead management and tracking!
When you set up an advertising campaign, leads that call in from it are automatically entered into your Workiz CRM with their name and contact information. This feature allows business owners to see which HVAC lead generation campaign is the most successful and where to pour their money.
It’s an invaluable tool that helps speed up the process of running your campaigns and generating more, higher-quality leads. Test out a 7-day free trial of Workiz.
