Skip to content
HVAC Dealers Can’t Afford To Be Anti-Social
Social media is now a must-have in HVAC marketing
Maybe you’ve been dragging your feet. Maybe you think you don’t have the time. But here’s the thing, HVAC brothers and sisters, you have to be on social media. I know, I know. You’ve been in business a thousand years. You have a stellar company. Your customers LOVE you. You’ve never needed social media before.
But it’s time to rethink all that. Because social media is a powerful – and necessary – tool in HVAC marketing. There are currently 2.3 billion Facebook users, and some of them are local, potential customers of yours.
Social media gives you an opportunity to show who you are as a company.
It’s all about endearing yourself to the community and earning the trust of people who visit your page. It’s where you post content that positions your company as a valuable community resource. A resource for information about their home and their comfort, as well as a resource for the best service and equipment.
You’ll get some leads from it, sure, but social media is more about supporting your company brand. Not to mention that it improves your website’s organic search.
So you NEED to stop being anti-social and pay attention to your company’s online profile.
And here’s another important reason to get social: your competition is already kicking your butt. Right now. They’ve been busy collecting “likes” and reviews and building a positive online profile for a few years now. Here’s why you need to start today: We’re seeing examples of young technicians starting up their own, new HVAC companies and grabbing leads away from successful, established, 3rd generation dealerships. All because they are adept at social media.
I recently spoke to a highly successful dealer in his 60s who proudly told me that he had thousands of positive reviews. Problem was, they were all in his desk drawer. They were using paper customer surveys. These surveys are nice to have but they weren’t doing a darn thing for him. Meanwhile his competitors had hundreds of 5-star online reviews. When a homeowner searches the internet for an HVAC contractor, who do you think they’re going to call? The contractor with the 400 Google reviews, or the one with a drawer full of surveys?
Adapt or perish.
The reality is that it won’t matter that you run your business with integrity and your techs are top-notch, if you’re nowhere to be found on social media when a homeowner picks up her phone and searches for HVAC service. That’s the world we operate our businesses in now, folks. What’s that old saying? Adapt or perish.
There’s no doubt that social media is a time suck.
And it requires some knowledge. If you don’t have someone in your office who can dedicate themselves to learning how to properly manage your company’s Facebook (not to mention Instagram and LinkedIn profiles), then it’s best to align yourself with a company who can do it for you. Preferably a marketing company with HVAC experience. It’s super important to note here that just because someone spends a lot of time on social media, does not mean they are qualified to promote your company online. (To be perfectly clear on that, I’ll say it a different way: NO, you should not have your teenaged son handle the social media for your professional HVAC company!)
If you want to try to do it yourself, here are a few dos and don’ts:
- Don’t post about politics or religion on your company Facebook (save that for your personal one)
- Don’t post too much (2 to 3 times a week is good)
- Don’t post too little! (again, 2 to 3 times a week is good)
- Don’t share every post from your equipment manufacturer
- Don’t use a cheap online service
What to post:
- Original content – it’s ok to share some posts from your manufacturers now and then, but most of your posts must be original
- Tips on energy savings
- Candid photos of meetings, or your techs working
- Fun stuff, like techs having a laugh together
- Staff participation in community projects or events
- Photos from home shows
- Articles on HVAC topics that are interesting to homeowners
What to Like, Share and Join
- Join pages and share posts from local community services – think ASPCA and your town’s rescue squad
- Your employee’s life events – think marriages, and babies (ask their permission first, of course!)
- Local events in your service area – think county fairs and free art classes
- Promotions for unrelated but local services or products – think the donut shop, which is having a free donut giveaway
- Join local shopping pages in your service area
Now get out there and be social!
Questions about social media? Need help? The friendly folks at EB&L Marketing are HVAC social media experts. Give them a call at 315-685-9500.