Timing Is Key for Your Seasonal Lead Generation Campaign

Byplusroi

August 2013 Issue

Timing Is Key for Your Seasonal Lead Generation Campaign

Staying busy during the slow months can be a challenge in any business, and it takes a little creativity to keep business coming through the door. For some HVAC contractors, spring and fall present this challenge.

During these times of year, customers aren’t really thinking about the need to cool down or warm up their homes. As a savvy businessperson, you need to make sure you’re there to keep HVAC — and your company name — in front of existing customers and new prospects. If you haven’t started a lead generation campaign for the coming season, here are some effective ways to do just that:

  • Promotions, sales and discounts: Now’s the time of year to pull out all the stops and run your sales. Announce as far ahead of time as possible, keeping in regular contact with clients and prospects to remind them about special pricing.
  • HVAC system replacement or upgrades: Brainstorm the biggest reasons to upgrade or replace HVAC systems now. Remind clients whose heating system (or A/C) is getting older that it might not make it through the coming winter — and that they can save by buying and installing now. Federal tax credits that expire at the end of 2013 may help with the sales push.
  • Tap into green energy publicity and concerns: Many people are interested in saving the environment, but they just need a gentle push to remind them of the benefits of green energy like solar or getting a new, conventional but more-efficient system.
  • Maintenance agreements: Reactivate clients with a reminder that preventive maintenance saves them money in the long run. Inform new prospects how taking preventive care and cleaning of their HVAC system will ensure that their holidays aren’t disturbed with heating problems.
  • Tout your duct cleaning and sealing services, if applicable: Talk about all the benefits (allergy relief, longer system life, etc.) and tie in with a free duct inspection during maintenance calls.
  • Focus on lowering operational costs: Do a separate customer contact with this theme. Remind clients of all the ways to decrease high winter energy bills. (All of the above-mentioned services will do the trick.)
  • Provide expert energy-saving advice for the upcoming season: Being helpful keeps your relationship with customers on great footing. Fall is a great time for reminders about carbon monoxide detectors, insulation and sealing the home’s envelope.

Ultimate Success Tip for HVAC Lead Generation

Keep in contact with customers so that “selling” all these services seems more natural — it’s part of your overall customer relationship. Effective lead generation strategies involve contacting customers through a variety of means to make your message more interesting and dynamic. This also ensures that you’ll hit on the means of communication that each customer or prospect is most responsive to.

  • Send a monthly newsletter with tips. Also direct clients to your blog in addition to other types of contact.
  • Vary your communication methods. Some prospects and existing repeat customers love social media, while others respond to targeted search engine advertising and many prefer email.
  • Include “real” mail. Often the best way to grab prospects’ attention is through good old postal mail that’s addressed to the customer personally so your message stands out from restaurant flyers and other mass mailings.
  • Use a turnkey lead generation system to make customer contact easy. An experienced HVAC marketing firm can efficiently handle your lead generation and customer retention communications.
  • Select a provider who offers customizable programs to reflect your business personality and reinforce your brand when communicating with clients. Don’t go generic.
  • Make sure your mailers are professionally designed and brilliantly colorful.
  • Choose a provider who includes customer response cards to pull in those leads, making it easy for prospects to schedule services with you.

Contact Halo Programs for professional marketing communications including our economical, turnkey HVAC Spring and Fall Lead Generating Program. We can help you clean up your database, segment it based on various factors, and recommend a marketing campaign based on a thorough database analysis performed by our experts.