HVAC funnels are a big topic in 2024. The truth is that funnels have been around for decades. Businesses have used funnels to acquire customers over the past decade, using SEO, PPC, and social media. Still, modern marketers promote the funneling process as a new-age tactic.
Another way to think about funneling is through the lens of your sales process. A sales funnel is one of the most critical tools to the success of your HVAC business. While you might not define your process as a sales funnel, a sequence of events moves your prospects from a lead to a customer.
If you have not considered the specifics of your HVAC funnel, it’s not too late. The following guide outlines essential tips for cultivating a sales funnel and the best practices for HVAC companies.
Understanding HVAC Sales Funnels
A sales funnel moves leads through the process of becoming a paying customer. The journey includes:
- Brand Awareness (when the lead first becomes aware of your company or services)
- Consideration (when the lead is considering hiring you for your services)
- Conversion (when the lead becomes a paying customer)
- Post-Consumer Actions (when the customer becomes a repeat customer or refers your business to friends and family)
Specific information and marketing tactics should be utilized at each stage, which we will cover in the following section.
Funnel Stages for HVAC Companies
HVAC funnels consist of four primary stages. When leads move through each step, they will likely become a quality customer. However, how well your funnel works depends on your specific tactics within each stage. Below, HVAC Webmasters outlines the keys to each phase.
Stage I: Brand Awareness
The first stage (brand awareness) is often the most challenging – especially for small businesses trying to gain a foothold in their local market.
Here is what your marketing efforts will look like in the first stage of the sales funnel:
- SEO: Implementing HVAC SEO helps your website appear to people who search for services online.
- PPC Ads: PPC ads will be displayed to people who perform relevant searches or go on certain websites related to your HVAC field.
- External Links: External links are important because they will direct more people to your website, increasing brand awareness.
Phase II: Consideration Stage
Again, the top of the funnel is about making as many people as aware of your business/services as possible. The next is the consideration stage, which may involve things like:
- Content Marketing: Blog posts that inform the lead on a specific issue or convince them to use a particular service.
- Social Media Posts: Once the consumer is aware of your services, it helps to engage them on social media and remind them that you are a viable option.
- White Papers: White papers are educational documents that can help a consumer who is considering paying for an HVAC service but may not know enough about it yet to make a sound decision. 4
Phase III: Conversion Stage
The consideration phase is comparable to a cell phone store. You have already entered the store to enter the top of the funnel (brand awareness). Once you are in the store, salespeople may come up and talk to you or ask if you have any questions, thereby nurturing your consideration.
Your content marketing, social media posts, and resources you offer your customers play the role of salespeople in a cell phone store but in digital form.
Next up is conversion. The lead is already warmed up at the conversion stage but may need one final burst of motivation to close the sale. The conversion stage of the funnel could be helped by:
- Landing Pages: Persuasive landing pages attached to PPC ads will encourage users to click through to your site and complete the sale.
- Calls to Action: A strong, written call to action will clarify to the consumer how to move on to the next stage and complete the sale.
- Customer Testimonials: Using positive testimonials from past customers at the conversion stage can be beneficial. These can be displayed on your site’s appointment scheduling pages or check-out pages to provide an extra push.
Phase IV: Post-Consumer Stage
Next is the post-consumer stage, where it can be constructive to continue to engage customers. Tools you can use at this stage include:
- Email Marketing: Once a sale is closed, you will likely have the customers’ email contact info. Be sure to contact them about relevant promotions and deals based on their past purchasing activity with your business.
- Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM software): can make managing and nurturing relationships with existing customers much more manageable.
- Loyalty Rewards Programs: include special discounts for yourself or anyone the customer refers to in your HVAC business (and completes a sale).
Final Thoughts on HVAC Funnels
The critical question is: Are you getting the most out of your HVAC funnels, or are you just letting them do their thing? If your answer is more akin to the latter situation, now is the time to take action.
A cultivated sales funnel can increase your business’s growth rate. It can convert customers who visit your site and leave into paying customers. It can help you turn more leads into conversions. It can optimize your marketing efforts and so much more.
From the moment the customer becomes aware of your business/service to the time that they pay for your services, all the way to the time that they refer you to their friends and family or come back to you for their own HVAC needs, they have moved through your sales funnel.
