The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) contractors industry in the United Kingdom is seen to pick up as the demand for housing and commercial building construction has increased this year. According to the latest data from the industry research firm IBISWorld, the U.K.’s heating and air conditioning installation industry is now worth £14 billion and employs over 130,073 professionals.
The heating and air conditioning installation industry accounts for approximately 15% of Britain’s specialised construction trade activities. The industry’s contractors are tasked with installing and repairing boilers, central heating systems, and air conditioning systems, amongst others. Due to the U.K.’s unpredictable weather, most of the industry’s revenue is now derived from the installation and maintenance of heating systems in new homes and buildings.
Whilst it’s true that many HVAC companies succeed the old fashioned way (by providing quality services to their clients, and getting referrals and word-of-mouth promotions as a result), many HVAC companies add more leads and prospects to their networks—and get more work as a result—because they have a great marketing strategy in place.
Many HVAC companies prefer to market their services the traditional way—they make a minimum number of sales calls per week, hand out an X number of business cards each day, and knock on doors to introduce themselves to prospective clients. Many also ask existing clients for referrals and go back to them periodically with new offerings.
Whilst these marketing tactics are obviously important, this “hands-on” approach won’t suffice.
It’s because the vast majority of your prospective clients are turning to the Internet when they’re looking for a reputable HVAC company in their area. Gone are the days when prospective clients used the physical yellow pages or asked the neighbours next door for the number of a reputable HVAC company.
In fact, 81% of consumers conduct online research before purchasing a product or service, and an overwhelming 89% of consumers use search engines to acquire services. Furthermore, your prospective clients aren’t just conducting online research on their desktop computers, as many are also using their mobile devices, tablets, and other gadgets to conduct online research.
You need to establish a well-designed and well-optimised website for your business. This website should contain accurate and up-to-date information about you and your business, as well as relevant and informative content. As for technical requirements, your website should be navigable and mobile-friendly, and should make proper use of keywords and links.
It’s vital because a growing number of consumers perform searches on their mobile devices. According to comScore, 56% of digital consumers in the U.K. use their mobile devices and tablets to consume digital media.
Meanwhile, according to a recent report from eMarketer, 50.3% of the U.K. population will use a tablet at least once a month in 2015—a figure that is expected to rise to almost 60% (or 40.2 million tablet users) by 2019.
Unless you possess a mobile-friendly website that adjusts and displays seamlessly across an array of devices, you won’t be able to target prospective clients who are looking for reputable HVAC contractors in their area using multiple devices.
Your website and other web properties should show up prominently in the search engine results pages (SERPs) when your prospective clients perform local searches. Aside from organic traffic, you also need to ensure that your HVAC business website is getting quality traffic from referral, paid, direct, and social sources.
Seventy percent of online searchers say they look at online reviews before purchasing products and services, and 70% of global consumers say they trust online consumer reviews, making it the second most trusted form of advertising behind earned media.
As HVAC services target a specific geographical area, you need to maximise the full potential of online local searches. According to recent studies, consumers who conducted local searches increased from 70% in 2010 to 80% in 2014. In addition, 54% of searchers include a local modifier (such as a city or postal code) in their searches.
Aside from search results, does your HVAC business have a strong presence in local listings, maps, and directories? If your answer is no, then you could be losing out on a significant number of leads and prospects, as well as conversions and sales.
Our Brand Optimisation Service can build and expand your brand’s presence online together with other Online Marketing Services:
Whether you’re offering your clients residential, commercial, or industrial HVAC services, our online marketing services will help you attract and nurture more leads, convert them into clients, build a positive online reputation for your brand, and gain a real edge over your competitors.
Send us an email now or contact us at 020 8834 4795 so we can schedule a free consultation with you today.