Whether you’re a small local dealer or a more established contractor, building and maintaining a successful HVAC business requires more than just technical expertise. It also requires intelligent and strategic marketing that attracts new leads and turns customers into repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals. 

Of course, that’s all easier said than done—especially if you don’t have a dedicated marketing team. However, you can follow simple strategies to expand your business profile and enhance customer relationships. 

Beef up your customer relationship management 

Turning one customer into many more, or one service call into several, should be the goal of any HVAC business. Being in the practice of building strong customer relationships is how you can get there. 

There are a few ways to establish this. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool is one of the best strategies. CRMs make it possible to personalize your marketing efforts to specific customers and tailor your communications to their needs. CRM tools can also help you automate service reminders and targeted promotions based on a customer’s history. For example, you can automatically send emails to customers letting them know it’s almost time for their annual HVAC servicing—based on their installation date—and offer a 10% loyalty discount.

If a CRM tool isn’t a cost-effective option for your business, you can get a lot of the same automated emailing functionality from tools like MailChimp for a fraction of the price. 

Increase your local marketing and community engagement 

With so many businesses—even small ones—focused on building their social media presence and website SEO, it can be easy to overlook time-tested local marketing strategies. This is a big misstep for HVAC businesses, as your local community is your primary market. 

Don’t overlook the power of local advertising channels like community newspapers, local radio stations, and outdoor billboards. These efforts help keep your business top-of-mind for potential customers and tie your brand more directly to the local community. 

Similarly, establishing partnerships with local businesses, such as home improvement stores, real estate agencies, or home builders, can provide steady referrals and open new avenues for business growth.

Leverage customer reviews and testimonials

Building trust with existing customers (and conveying trust to potential customers) is a crucial way to strengthen your HVAC business, and one of the most effective ways to do that is by letting others do the talking. 

Encourage your customers to share their experiences online. This could be through platforms like Google, Yelp, or your business’s website. When potential customers see these real-life endorsements, it adds invaluable trust to your brand.

Additionally, managing your online reputation is crucial. Regularly monitor and respond to customer reviews, addressing concerns and thanking customers for feedback. This engagement demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction and enhances your reputation as a responsive and caring service provider.

Finally, incorporating these testimonials into your marketing materials can be highly effective. Use positive customer stories in your brochures, website, and social media posts. This showcases your success in meeting customer needs and provides relatable and compelling content for your marketing campaigns. 

How ECCO can help 

Instead of building your marketing strategies and assets from scratch, consider joining the ECCO Residential Dealer Program. With it, you get a range of low-cost turnkey marketing support and consultation services to grow your business, including social media content creation, website building, call tracking, lead generation, and more.

Partnerships like this are a smart way for smaller businesses that lack in-house marketing resources or expertise to get the most out of their marketing budget. Contact your nearest ECCO branch to learn more about the benefits of becoming an ECCO dealer. 

Putting it all together 

Marketing your HVAC business effectively means following several different tactics at once. While they’re each valuable individually, combining them gives you a more cohesive marketing strategy that supports your business in multiple ways. 

By following these tactics—beefing up your customer relationship management, increasing your local marketing, and leveraging customer reviews—you can help your HVAC business develop a solid and recognizable local brand. 

This approach ensures that every aspect of your marketing plan works together, leading to more sustainable growth and a more stable client base.