The fall shoulder season is commonly slow for HVAC companies and contractors. Autumn temperatures lead consumers to shut off their air conditioning and wait for cold weather to start up their furnace. Hot summer and cold winter months typically require a greater need for service than spring and fall. This may leave you thinking about "how" and "what" to market this season.
BlueWing HVAC, a Darwill company, helps contractors market smart to keep sales and service appointments coming in every season.
What HVAC Services to Push
HVAC service providers can combat the slow fall season by marketing the right services and offers that will continue to bring business in the door. While many consumers try to delay repairs or upgrades, you can use campaigns to encourage them to get ahead of necessary maintenance and service before the severe cold weather.
Some suggestions you can use for your fall campaigns include preventative maintenance, upgrade systems, and home performance services.
Preventative Maintenance
Many times, consumers don't know there is a problem until they start their furnace. Instead of waiting for the cold winter weather, consumers can use fall for preventative maintenance. In fall, HVAC companies and contractors should use maintenance campaigns to remind consumers to make repairs before problems occur in the cold winter months. Ensure that your customers will have a warm winter by staying proactive. When you upsell preventative maintenance in the fall, you will find that you can bring in more business in the shoulder season. This maintenance can also be good for building relationships with your customers. You can use this time to learn what HVAC services are essential to them, provide them with valuable information, and gain their confidence in your ability and business. Taking care of maintenance calls during a slower season will also benefit your business by giving you more time for urgent calls in the winter.
Offer System Upgrades
Another campaign idea for the slow season is to offer system upgrades. Not only will preventative maintenance be important to do before winter, but upgrades can be imperative for homeowners with units nearing their end. Why risk going into winter with a furnace susceptible to breaking down? Replacing a furnace in the fall is much easier and less stressful than having it break down on a freezing cold night before holiday parties, and out-of-town guests arrive. Persuade your customers to upgrade their system in the fall with limited times offers such as dollar-off or financing incentives.
Offer Home Performance Services
Lastly, you can offer a few home performance services, no matter the season. These services include indoor air quality (IAQ) tests and cleaning of furnaces and ducts. Routine cleaning is great to market because it can be done anytime. So, why not target customers with messaging for these services when you need more business?
What Marketing to Use
Now that you have an idea of services and offers to focus your fall campaign on, it's time to think about how you're getting your message across. BlueWing recommends an omnichannel approach to get your brand and offers seen by customers on every channel. Pairing direct mail and digital delivers impressive results. For example, using three or more channels in any one campaign earns a 287% higher purchase rate than a single-channel campaign. Additionally, customer retention rates are 90% higher for omnichannel vs. single-channel campaigns.
A few options to consider for your omnichannel strategy this fall are direct mail, pay-per-click (PPC) ads, and social media ads.
Direct Mail
Sending personalized direct mail is a great way to increase your response rate. We recommend including service offers or coupons to capture your customer's attention. According to a study conducted by USPS, 65% of millennials say they love getting coupons from businesses. You can send a direct mail postcard with three offers on preventative maintenance, upgrades, and other home services.
PPC Ads
When consumers require service, they often turn online to find a local HVAC contractor. PPC ads live at the top of the search engine results page and redirect the consumer to your website. For example, when a customer searches "local HVAC service," your PPC ad will rank high in the search results. This shows the consumer that your website serves as an answer to the problem they need solving. Investing in PPC ads will help you during the slow season, as 93% of Americans use the web to find local businesses, and 65% of customers click on PPC ads. It is important to remember that you can adjust PPC ads for the season. You can use seasonal terminology and focus on specific services with higher demand according to the season.
Social Media Ads
Social media ads can be used in tandem with your direct mail campaign. Using the same messaging and imagery across channels will increase your visibility and stay top of mind with your customer. You can mirror your direct mail piece in a Facebook ad to reiterate the available service offers for fall. Local Facebook ads can attract your customer's attention as they scroll through their feed.
Build a Seasonal Fall HVAC Campaign with BlueWing
The fall shoulder season is typically a quiet time for HVAC businesses. By marketing the right services and offers in the fall, your team will keep busy and continue to bring in revenue. Let BlueWing HVAC build your optimal fall campaign to keep business booming all year round. Craft an innovative campaign with us!