Before the widespread introduction of digital technology, most Plumbing + HVAC marketing efforts consisted of adding listings to the yellow pages, placing ads in newspapers, and buying spots on local radio stations. But of course, times have changed. Nowadays, plumbing + HVAC need to stay connected to the Internet and harness the power of online marketing to reach more prospects.
The Mobile Internet and the Changing Consumer Behavior
Even the most successful Plumbing + HVAC can no longer rely simply on word-of-mouth recommendations from their clients to reach new prospects. Business owners, especially Plumbing + HVAC service professionals like you, need to understand the enormous power of the Internet for search and discovery. Whether people are looking for specific products, procedures, or local Plumbing + HVAC services, many will go online to find what they’re looking for.
According to the latest data from Internet World Stats, there are over 3 billion Internet users worldwide today. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of these Internet users utilize search engines frequently to look for information.
Finding information through social media is on the rise, with 74% of online adults using social media sites, according to recent data from Pew Research Center. Facebook proves to be the most popular social network, dominating the social media arena with 71% of online adult users.
Meanwhile, mobile device ownership and usage continues to soar along with the rise of various online technologies. Consumer ownership of smartphones has gone beyond 143 million, and tablets are now owned by over 71 million people. People don’t just own these devices for nothing; they are using their smartphones and tablets to consume online content. Many have become multi-platform users, and use their smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers to perform searches and complete various transactions.
Nowadays, clients are savvy when it comes to searching for information. They no longer turn to traditional means of locating a Plumbing + HVAC service company. Why should they when they can find everything they need online. And if you cannot provide them with the information they’re looking for, then they will go to another plumbing + HVAC.
Here are some tips to help your Plumbing + HVAC business take advantage of online marketing:
Build a responsive website.
As plumbing + HVAC, you need to think of your website as a representation of your Plumbing + HVAC company. It needs to have the feeling that you want your clients to experience once they contact you. Your website must be clean; it must convey beauty, comfort, and trustworthiness.
Of course, your website should also provide them with the information they’re looking for and should be highly navigable.
- Contact information, as well as directions to your clinic
- An easy-to-access list of your services
- Quick links to your blog and social media pages
- A corner where clients can post and read reviews about your services
- A mobile-responsive design to cater to clients using their smartphones and tablets
Have SEO done for you.
Sixty percent (60%) of clients get information about Plumbing + HVAC using search engines. Additionally, 8 out of 10 potential clients begin at search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo when searching for plumbing + HVAC.
To ensure that your website gains better rankings on search engines, here are some important SEO practices:
- Optimize keywords, URLs, titles, descriptions, and alt texts
- Publish relevant and fresh content such as articles, blogs, videos, and infographics
- Improve your website’s loading time
Improve your local online presence.
Search engines—particularly Google, Bing, and Yahoo—offer local listings for businesses so that they can increase their visibility within a specific area. By having your clinic listed on these search engines, you increase your chances of getting found by people searching online for plumbing + HVAC within their geographical location.
Aside from these listings, you can also make use of other local directories and Internet yellow pages such as Yelp, City Search, and SuperPages. You may also integrate your SEO and social media optimization into your local online marketing initiatives to turbocharge your campaign.
Be active on social media.
Forty-seven percent (47%) of clients getting information about Plumbing + HVAC to use social media. Simply put, your business needs to utilize the power of social media to cater to potential clients who, at the same time, are active social media users. To market your services in this area, you need to:
- Be active on popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn
- Have a regular discussion about Plumbing + HVAC tips and guides
- Include a link back to your main site and blog
- Post photos that can attract the interest of potential clients
- Post announcements of promos and special offers
Invest in PPC (Pay per Click) Advertising.
If you’re aiming for immediate positive results with your campaign, you may consider investing in PPC advertising. Using PPC, you can place ads alongside organic search results, which can increase the possibility of potential clients visiting your website. Aside from running ads on search engine results pages, you can also place ads through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.
Manage your online reputation.
Negative online reviews pose a great threat to your Plumbing + HVAC business. In contrast, positive reviews have the power to boost your clientele. More than half (54%) of the total people looking for Plumbing + HVAC information online are engaged by reviews and referrals from friends, while 30% are engaged through online forums.
To keep a positive online reputation, here are a few reminders:
- Publish genuine consumer reviews in relevant websites
- Optimize your social media accounts
- Set up a blog and post compelling content to push down negative reviews about your services
Maintain a traffic and analytics system.
So you have a great website and you publish fresh informative content. But do you know how much traffic you are getting? Or if you’re getting any traffic at all? To track your website’s performance, you need to have a traffic and analytics system that can:
- Inform you about your website’s total traffic, with a breakdown of data from organic, referral, direct, paid and social sources
- Alert you of any crawl issues on your website
- Let you know which of your campaigns are working or not
- Discover keywords that you may optimize
- Inform you of your website’s average ranking on search engines
For busy professionals like you, this is a lot of work. And, of course, you need to stay focused on more important matters about running your Plumbing + HVAC business.
That is why we’re here.
As technology advances and consumer behaviors continue to evolve, so you must adapt to the changes. Your online marketing strategies need to be efficient so you can ensure that your Plumbing + HVAC business doesn’t end up left behind.
We can provide everything you need to boost your online marketing campaign and eventually grow your business. Here is a list of our services: