15 HVAC Advertising Ideas, Tips & Examples to Inspire You

1. Have a Professional & Credible Online Presence

A modern HVAC services contractor needs an online presence. You don’t have to pay big bucks for a feature-rich HVAC website. Many businesses employ someone who is capable of setting up a basic, professional site. Plus, we’ll share some examples and website tips in this article to help.

The website should list the services you offer, and include testimonials, contact information, service area, and certification/licensing information.

Having a Facebook page or other social media account gives customers another way to contact you. Plus, social media ads extend your reach.

“Facebook is like an upside-down pyramid,” says Tommy Mello, The Home Service Expert. “You’ve got a lot of customers at the top who really don’t know about your service or they don’t need it today, but you’re building a funnel. 

“They call it ‘top-of-mind awareness.’ You’re starting to get that online reputation of, ‘Hey, I’ve seen that company before, now I need them.’” Mello says.

Also, your website should be HTTPS—not HTTP. The former is a safety certification to stop breaches and hackers. You need to create a secure site, especially if your website asks customers to fill in personal information.

Ensure your website loads quickly. Most visitors will go to another site if yours doesn’t load in under three seconds.

Finally, your website should be easy to navigate and mobile-friendly. More than half of annual searches for HVAC services occur on a mobile phone. 

2. Create an HVAC Advertising Campaign That Targets a Local Service Area

In the commercial and home services trades, and especially for HVAC specialists, geographic location is critical for attracting clients. If a homeowner or business is looking for a repair service, they’re much more likely to call on an HVAC company within a 3-mile radius, rather than one that’s based farther away.

Part of that is based on familiarity. Another factor is whether the HVAC service is critical and needs to be taken care of quickly. Customers will take the necessary commute time into account when looking for help.

Your HVAC advertising campaign should therefore target keywords based on very specific locations—the city where your company is based, as well as the county, town, or neighborhoods that are near your business. 

Creating ads that include specific target areas goes hand in hand with targeting a local service area.

All of your competitors are also attempting to get business within a targeted area, so you have to be very clear and drill down into the location keywords you use.

Realize that even if your targeting and keyword strategy is top-notch, customers are likely to skip over your ad if they see a competitor’s ad that has the location they’re looking for and yours does not readily show that.

It’s even likely that a customer who needs heating or cooling services might pass over an ad that mentions price, but not the name of the geographic area where they’re based.

Have multiple offices in different locations? Use location-specific targeting, through ServiceTitan’s Marketing Pro, to create separate campaigns for each office.

And maximize your local service ads with ServiceTitan’s instant booking integration. With one-click booking convenience, your company will stand out in Google search results.

3. Devise & Invest In a Solid HVAC Advertising Strategy

Whether you’re a new HVAC services company or a well-established one with lots of referrals, you have to place your HVAC business advertising so potential customers can find you. Bringing in new business is an ongoing effort.

The worst thing a business owner can do is hold on too tightly to their wallet and be afraid to spend money on an HVAC advertising campaign. You have to invest in advertising to create higher profits.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should pour money into a badly structured ad campaign. It takes time to nail down the best keywords for an effective HVAC advertising campaign. When that’s accomplished, it’s time to pull open the purse strings and invest wisely. 

4. Network With Target Customers In Your Area

Know who your potential customers are and where to find them. Reach out to contractors and architects in your area. Get to know facility managers.

And ask them questions: What do they like or dislike about HVAC technicians they’ve worked with in the past? Even if facility managers don’t currently have business, make an impression so they remember you when they do have HVAC needs.

Is your company focused on home repairs and maintenance? If so, stay in touch with homeowners associations. Volunteer to make an appearance at their meetings and share free advice.

Remember to network with other HVAC business owners. Join the local chapter of a professional organization. A relationship with a competitor could lead to a referral when they have too much business on the docket.

Personal relationship-building tactics still work in today’s digital world, according to John Akhoian, owner of multiple Rooter Hero Plumbing locations in California and Arizona.

“Those tactics are still applicable,” he says. “A lot of people rely too much on digital. We need to continue to make personal connections.”

5. Retain Your Existing HVAC Service Customers

It’s common knowledge that it costs less to retain a customer than it does to acquire a new one. It’s easy enough to do an HVAC job, collect payment, and take the attitude of “call us when you need us.” But that’s not the smart approach. It’s better to have customers keep you in mind.

After you complete an HVAC repair, maintenance, or installation job, check in with your customers. Send them a heating/cooling email marketing communication or text. Ask them if everything is running smoothly, or if they have any questions. 

Another way to create a customer for life is to offer a free, yearly checkup to repeat customers. It’s a sign of goodwill. And it allows you to screen for other maintenance work the customer might need but not yet know about.

Around the holidays, send customers postcards or reminders that you’re thankful for their business. If you have the budget, send out branded promotional materials (pens, key chains, bottle openers, etc.) as gifts.

ServiceTitan Marketing Pro allows HVAC companies to create and send targeted postcard campaigns in minutes. Professional templates enable you to quickly design a high-quality postcard with minimal effort, targeting your message to the right customer. And design, printing, mailing, and tracking all remain in one place.

6. Track & Quantify Your HVAC Marketing Performance

Whatever HVAC marketing strategy you adopt, remember to track and quantify your success.

Chris Yano, CEO of Ryno Strategic Solutions and co-host of “To the Point” podcast, says you should insist that your marketing consultant, if you have one, do this for you. And if that agency isn’t helping you track data, it’s doing you a disservice, Yano says, because decisions on how your business spends marketing money depend on lead tracking and reporting. 

That includes defining HVAC leads in a fair way, classifying every call correctly, accurately reporting your cost per lead, and charging you for only those that are “real.”

“I get sick of hearing, ‘My cost per lead is $28,’” Yano says. “Is it like a contact form that is submitted or a call that’s submitted, regardless of whether it was a new customer or a repeat customer? That’s not how we determine a lead.” 

If you don’t have time to separate new HVAC customers from repeat business in the reporting, your agency should be doing it for you, he adds.

ServiceTitan’s Marketing Scorecard allows HVAC business owners to track campaign ROI across multiple channels. The built-in data analytics allow you to monitor email, direct mail, and ad campaign performance, adjust as needed, and create new campaigns—all within one dashboard. 

For better attribution, you can easily create new, trackable phone numbers to assign to campaigns. Then, when the phone rings, ServiceTitan connects the customer to that specific campaign.

7. Encourage Reviews

How important are business reviews to your HVAC services company? Nearly nine out of 10 customers say they look at review sites to find the best HVAC company in their area. That’s important: If somebody is looking at review sites, they’re a customer ready to spend money on a service.

Know that most sites discourage businesses from incentivizing reviews from customers. Don’t get in the habit of offering discounts in exchange for reviews. It also can be awkward to ask for a review. But you can be creative in your dialogue with customers. Let them know reviews are important to your business. 

ServiceTitan Marketing Pro - Reputation helps you drive more 5-star reviews by giving field technicians the ability to send an automatic review request via email or text as soon as they close out a job. You can then manage and respond to reviews from multiple websites, all in one easy-to-use dashboard.

Nova Basement Systems, of Indiana and Michigan, invested in Reputation in the spring of 2021. At the time, Nova had 19 Google reviews and averaged 3.4 stars. As of August 2022, and after just more than one year with Marketing Pro, the business had 122 reviews and a 4.7-star average.

Nova’s Communications Director Mark Strauss says these reviews turn into more business for his company.

“Honest and real communication helps bridge gaps and avoid potential issues,” Strauss says. “Communication builds relationships, and Nova provides that. Marketing Pro - Reputation turns the successes in communication into a viewable review that spreads good news and generates more business.”

Feel free to promote your presence on review sites in your own ads. Everyone knows about Yelp.com. Realize that there are almost always local review sites in your area. A great way to find these is to do a Google search with the terms “HVAC in (your city)” and see what sites pop up. 

8. Invest In PPC

The top part of a search results page includes the Pay Per Click (PPC) Google Local Services Ads. If you qualify for the Google Guarantee, you’re eligible to buy these digital marketing ads, which can be the first thing consumers see when they conduct a search.

These are different from Google AdWords—because you select categories or work you do rather than keywords that prompt your ads.

Google has an algorithm for how this works. Some factors that will affect how a local business ad ranks include: your company’s proximity to a searcher, your company’s Google My Business rating and number of reviews, your responsiveness, and even your hours of business.

“Just understand Google is God when it comes to home service,” Mello says, explaining how consumers find 70% of all services online through Google searches. 

“Half of your marketing dollars should be spent on search engine optimization (SEO), PPC, Google My Business, getting reviews, and Google Local Services.”

A new partnership between ServiceTitan and Google makes jump-starting your HVAC digital advertising success easier with Google’s Local Services Ads.

The effectiveness of online advertising can be hard to quantify. Capture full performance of your online ads with ServiceTitan Marketing Pro - Ads, which connects your Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts to ServiceTitan.

“Being able to tie your marketing data with your operations or business data is very important to prevent wasted spend,” says Johnny Wenzel, Senior Manager of Marketing Operations for ServiceTitan Marketing Pro - Ads.

The Marketing Pro - Ads performance table displays key metrics on qualified leads, booking rates, average job value, ad spend return on investment (ROI), and total revenue. This visibility means ads managers can see which campaigns (and even keywords and ad groups) generate the most revenue, and can pause campaigns or reallocate budgets in real time.

9. Leverage Yelp Ads

Once you receive several 5-star online reviews, make sure potential customers see them by advertising on Yelp. Yelp ads show your company information and snippets of positive reviews when a customer searches for HVAC services in your area. These ads appear at the top of the search results, giving your company premium real estate and brand awareness. 

Yelp ads use a PPC model, so you only pay for users showing true intent. You can even set a per-day budget. Overall, Yelp ads are simple to set up and manage, and there’s no cancellation fee. Simply turn them on when you hit the slow months, and turn them off when your books fill up.  

10. Don’t Forget Seasonal Advertising

HVAC is a very seasonal business— air conditioner tune-ups in the spring and furnace inspections in the fall. And of course, repair heats up in the dog days of summer and cold winter months.

Advertise seasonal services to capture more customers and make the most of the industry’s seasonality. With Marketing Pro, remind customers to book seasonal services by sending automated, targeted emails with professional templates. Track ROI for all marketing campaigns, then adjust accordingly.

11. Use Best Practices For HVAC Advertisement Design

To get a potential consumer to hire you for HVAC services—be it for direct mail, print or online—you have to design an ad that catches the customer’s eye. Your visuals need to catch your target audience’s attention, and your copy has to hold their attention.

The primary means of catching the eye with an ad is with pictures and images. Visual storytelling is the best way for people to easily grasp concepts and data. Use too many images and the story gets confusing. The best ads feature one strong, easy-to-understand image.

While you’re designing an ad that contains a primary image, use the same approach with the copy that goes with your image. Some HVAC marketers think there are more benefits to including all your services offered in ads. Nope. A jumbled message doesn’t attract attention; it repels it.

12. Pay Attention To Your HVAC Business Logo

An HVAC service company’s logo can make or break a business. The best logos establish a rapport with customers. A poorly designed logo can turn off potential clients.

Logos vary widely. Know the personality of your HVAC brand, and make sure it meshes with your company culture. Your company culture and services help inform your logo design. There’s a science behind every color used in a logo. For example, red sends the message of a brand being aggressive and energetic. Blue evokes feelings of intelligence. Bright colors grab people’s attention. 

Fonts also send subliminal messages. Some can be playful; others are bold and forceful. When putting words into your logo, make sure they match the message your logo image is sending. 

Above all, keep the logo simple. Use one or two colors. Limit the number of fonts. A simple logo is much more memorable than one that tries to send a multitude of messages. 

13. Plan For The Slow Season

The HVAC industry sees dips in calls during the spring and fall. That’s why year-round service plans are a great idea to keep business running at a steady level all year. Service plans are an excellent feature to include as an HVAC advertising message.

And realize that selling service plans and seasonal check-ups isn’t just for techs to handle. EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) postcards are effective for letting potential customers know it’s time to prepare for warmer weather.  

An automated email marketing campaign to existing customers with a tool like ServiceTitan Marketing Pro is also an excellent way to remind them to schedule appointments before summer arrives.

Megan Bedford, owner of Mugyver Consulting, offers marketing services for trade companies. She estimates the cost per lead for email marketing to be about $12, and recommends that trade businesses invest in email. 

“I don't know about you guys,” Bedford said in a webinar about email marketing, “but I don't know too many other types of advertising right now that you can do in home services that have a cost per lead under 12 bucks.”

When your HVAC marketing plan is successful, think ahead for when the busy season comes. Hire seasonal help so you can seamlessly handle the new business and the calls from repeat customers.

14.  Establish a Referral Program

When potential customers search for a new HVAC provider, they often turn to trusted friends and family for referrals to avoid getting burned. Creating a robust referral program incentivizes your customers to sing your praises (and share your business card).

Setting up a referral program can be as easy as giving your customers business cards with a blank for their name. Let them know for every new customer who presents their card, they’ll receive a percentage off their home maintenance plan (or another incentive).

Up the ante by making it a competition within your business. Whichever technician garners the most referrals wins a prize at the end of the month.

15. Leverage Postcards

There’s a reason we’ve mentioned direct mail and postcards a few times in this guide: It works. According to the Direct Mail Advertising Market Report 2022, the average response rate for direct mail is between 2.7% to 4.4%, compared to email’s 0.6%.

The best direct mail campaigns coincide with seasonality to offer targeted offers, like furnace tuneups in the fall. But direct mail can also be used for customer acquisition, a tactic that’s proved fruitful for Griffin Brothers Companies, a parent company to several home service businesses. 

“Direct mail can sometimes be thought of as an old-school marketing tactic,” says Griffin Brothers Marketing Director Ann Collias. “And what has been really cool that ServiceTitan has been able to provide us is kind of the tech aspect of it. So we've been able to automate it on the backend of ServiceTitan. We can upload our own designs and add QR codes.

They also use property data to target the right homeowners. 

“We're not just doing a blanket over an entire neighborhood,” Collias says. “We can say we want houses that are between $300 and $500K to receive this direct mail. Or we want houses that are 30 years old and might need a new HVAC system. It allows us to be a little bit more strategic in that sense of who we're sending it to.”

HVAC Ad Examples To Inspire You

Gain inspiration for your next HVAC marketing campaign with these HVAC ad examples. 

Example #1: HVAC contractors Google Search Ad

With a limited word count, every word matters. This ad from Reyna Heating & AC uses powerful words like “licensed technicians,” “award-winning,” “satisfaction guaranteed,” and “warranties” to create trust with the searcher. In addition, it mentions a free quote and discounts, which incentivizes the user to click to learn more. 

The title case helps the words in the ad stand out and grabs attention. Mentioning financing makes their services accessible to a larger group of people. 

Example #2: Air conditioner repair service Google Search Ad

Someone searching for air conditioner repair likely experienced a system failure and needs help fast. By mentioning same-day service in the ad, as well as being open seven days a week, the ad encourages customers to call the business for help. 

In addition, this ad also uses powerful language to build trust by mentioning they’re “fully licensed and insured with over 50 years of experience.” Lastly, they tell consumers they offer financing right in the ad. 

Now Over to You

By implementing an effective marketing strategy, HVAC companies boost revenue and growth with strong ROI. Use the tips above to advertise to your existing customer base and attract new customers.

HVAC contractors benefit from an all-in-one HVAC software solution like ServiceTitan, which streamlines marketing efforts, like reputation management, email marketing, and direct mail. Robust dashboards and reporting give HVAC businesses a real-time look into ROI to optimize campaigns. See what ServiceTitan can do for your HVAC company with a personalized demo.