It’s just part of running an HVAC business. Chances are, the phone’s going to ring when it’s hot or cold. But in between? Not so much.
Even though you’re booking fewer appointments during the fall and spring, that doesn’t mean you should take a vacation until business picks back up. Instead of falling into the off-season slump, you’re going to take a proactive approach—and that means tapping into the potential that the off-season brings to the table.
After all, good marketing never sleeps. A calculated off-season marketing strategy not only helps you book more appointments during the fall and spring, but it can also put you miles ahead of the competition during the peak season.
This year, instead of letting the shoulder months go to waste, you’re going to turn up the heat on your marketing strategy. Here’s how to take a proactive approach to HVAC marketing so you can book appointments and keep the revenue flowing year-round.
We hear it from clients all the time: “Why should I spend my marketing dollars when my customers aren’t going to book appointments?” Sometimes, we even see clients who want to stop their advertising during slow seasons altogether. We’re here to tell you that marketing during the shoulder season is the secret to year-round success.
That’s right—strategic off-season marketing can get you ahead. It’s the perfect time to focus on your marketing efforts, finetune your strategy, and prepare for the peak season. Here’s why.
Just because you sell a seasonal product or service doesn’t mean you have to be quiet during the off-season. Remember: There’s no such thing as “seasonal” when it comes to marketing.
Here’s how to keep phone calls pouring in during shoulder season with powerful off-season marketing techniques.
If you’re not selling home maintenance plans, now is the time to start. Even during the peak season, your HVAC techs should be offering home maintenance plans to every single customer. Why? Because they provide guaranteed, recurring revenue.
Here’s how they work: HVAC customers pay an annual fee for preventive HVAC check-ups during the spring and fall. Basically, service agreements do the heavy lifting for you so you can generate year-round revenue and build a loyal customer base. Depending on the terms of your agreement, you might offer some of the following services:
What is the best way to market your service plan? Make sure your customers don’t forget about it. For most homeowners, a service agreement is a “set it and forget it” safeguard against HVAC issues. They don’t think of it unless something goes wrong. So, right off the bat, you want to show your customers the value your plan can add to their lives.
Use the off-season as an opportunity to train your techs to sell service plans to your customers. Different customers will have unique concerns or requirements, but most homeowners will find value in these benefits:
A new heating or cooling system can be a major financial investment, and regular maintenance keeps your hard work running longer. Be open, communicative, and take the time to set a concrete plan with your customer. At the end of the day, an effective maintenance plan will sell itself.
Even if your customers don’t bite at your service agreement right away, stay in contact and make yourself available. If you think someone is overdue for an inspection, give them a call and offer to schedule a yearly inspection. Even better, send them a text reminder that prompts them to schedule a maintenance appointment.
Most people don’t check their email, listen to their voicemails, or pick up calls from unknown numbers like they used to. Instead, they’re using their smartphones to schedule appointments and reach out to local businesses. SMS open rates are as high as 98 percent compared to just 20 percent for emails. Especially during shoulder season, SMS marketing gives you a valuable opportunity to meet your HVAC customers where they already are.
After getting their permission to receive SMS texts, you can remind customers to book early-bird tune-ups. To encourage more business during the off-season, offer a seasonal discount or a credit for future services if they book their appointment in advance.
To turn up the heat, add some urgency to your message. Let your customers know that your appointments fill up quickly during the spring. If they book now, not only will they get a discount, but they’ll avoid missing out on an appointment later on.
Peak season is over, so you can log off Facebook until summer, right? Wrong. Even during HVAC shoulder season, social media can be a powerful tool to keep your business top-of-mind.
By providing engaging, valuable content, you can build trust and credibility during the off-season. Shoulder season is the perfect time to grow your social media accounts and experiment with your brand messaging. You want to create engaging content and grow your following throughout the slow season so you have a larger audience when peak season hits.
Even though it might seem like you have nothing to post about, you should always keep your content useful. That might mean creating a series of posts that show your product/services in action (and how to get the most out of them). For example, if you sell a smart thermostat, why not post a Facebook video showing your followers how to find the right temperature for their home?
Don’t forget to use social media to market your routine maintenance plan. Post regular reminders about services your maintenance plan covers. For example, in April, you might post, “Summer is right around the corner! Your maintenance plan covers seasonal system changeovers. Schedule yours today!”
To make life easier for your prospects, include links for appointment booking and keep information about your service plan available on your website. This way, existing customers and new leads can learn more about your maintenance plan at their own convenience.
Pro tip: Use your extra time during the off-season to strengthen your customer service operation. By connecting with customers and answering questions on social media, you’ll position your HVAC business as the one that cares about its customers. The shoulder season is also the perfect time to cross-train phone-based customer service staff to answer online inquiries so you can ensure effective customer service year-round.
We get it—life gets chaotic when peak season hits. When it’s time to unravel your bold new marketing efforts, you can’t sacrifice time away from the field. And if you’re lucky enough to identify a new potential customer segment during peak season, you probably won’t have enough time to take advantage of it. Between picking up the phone, answering emails, and training new techs, who has the time to dig deep into marketing research?
That’s where off-season marketing will be your MVP. Start working with your marketing partner to identify potential customer segments you might be missing out on. Then, develop your target personas or refine your existing strategy based on insights from peak season.
During the off-season, you’ll also have more time to nurture leads. While business is booming during the peak season, focus on growing your customer database. Set aside some time to create a list of past and potential customers who have expressed interest during the peak season. If you can’t afford to spend hours behind a desk sorting through data, enlist your marketing partner to do the hard work for you.
Then, when the peak season ends, use this list to engage and connect with customers and stay top-of-mind. Meanwhile, use email marketing to reach out to potential customers. When done right, email marketing can prime those leads for conversion by the time the next peak season hits.
You’ve already created a comprehensive list of your past customers. Now, it’s time to reach out and ask for referrals. Just like your routine maintenance plan, stepping up your off-season referral game can help you unlock some hidden sales potential before the peak season starts back up again.
Of course, you don’t want to come right out and ask past customers for referrals. Most business owners go about getting referrals the wrong way—and an in-your-face referral strategy can make or break your relationship with past customers.
So, what’s the right way to get referrals? Make a friendly phone call, send an email, or get the conversation started with a text message. Ask about their family, remind them how much you appreciate their business, and let them know about your referral bonus. It’s that simple.
Your referral bonus might be as simple as a credit toward future services or an Amazon gift card—anything is fair game. Think about what a new sales lead is really worth during the slow season, especially if it’s a well-qualified lead referred by a loyal customer, and use that to calculate your referral incentive.
With the right referral strategy at your disposal, you’ll get big results without draining your money on marketing or advertising. According to Social Media Today, 60 percent of marketers say that referral programs generate a high volume of leads. And if that’s not convincing enough, marketers rate referrals as the second-highest source of quality leads.
At the end of the day, referrals can turn into long-term business. Instead of just waiting around for referrals to roll in, take the leap with a proactive approach.
Don’t let another shoulder season go to waste. Strategic off-season marketing can help you build brand awareness, nurture new leads, and strengthen your relationships with existing customers. When done right, off-season marketing can generate a surge in sales during your next peak season.
Ready to take advantage of shoulder season? We’re here to help. Reach out to our marketing team to build an effective marketing strategy and grow your HVAC business during the slow season.
