The Consequences of Being Inconsequential
By this point in the tech-revolution, every growing HVAC Company Marketing group understands that a Yellow Pages citation no longer constitutes a sound advertising strategy. You get it. You started your HVAC business with nothing more than tool box in a pick-up truck and grew it into what it is today. You drove around town removing those hand-painted plywood signs from the twenty or so telephone poles, purchased a domain, built a website, and dove headlong into the adrenaline-filled world of web advertising.
What Happened?
Somewhere along the way your HVAC Company Marketing Strategy experienced stagnation likely caused by the implementation of extinct marketing strategies such as:
1. Time Devouring Web Directories
- Bulk Link Building
- Outmoded Keyword Research
- Propagating Bland Content
- Hard-selling via Social Media
- The Tangled Web
Ah, web directories; those never ending catalogs of human collected, niche sorted websites that allowed Yahoo! to become Yahoo! Once upon a time, listing your small business in as many directories as possible was a surefire way to increase traffic. Now, these lists have become so irrelevant that, by the end of 2014, Yahoo! closed its directories, never to be reopened.
There is also the added danger that engaging in the practice risks violating one of Google’s Quality Guidelines, which could result in reduced search engine rankings. These days, webmasters now tend to avoid web directories altogether.
2. The Mis-Adventures of Link!
There is also bulk link building; a practice further fossilized with each new Google update. Ordinarily, this was accomplished by publishing a single piece of content in as many places as possible. As you can imagine, the practice was enjoyable to absolutely no one.
The historical method of link building is now classified as a link scheme by Google guidelines. The smart move now: post severely compelling, keyword optimized content that entices visitors/followers to link to your website/social media of their volition.
3. This is not Your Grandpa’s Keyword
Speaking of keywords, it is no longer necessary or useful to produce content built around extensive lists of words or phrases, as this too risks violating Google guidelines. Another downfall to the practice is that it is also a throwback to those Pay-Per-Click days that reduced advertising to SPAM. To avoid this association while maximizing effectiveness for your HVAC Company Marketing strategy, you should analyze user intent.
Are visitors looking for parts and service? Technical supplements? Reviews? How-to-Guides? Provide what they need. Don’t let keyword optimization blind you to the long-term opportunities created through the trust you’ve established through publishing enhanced content.
4. The Contents of Your Content
Merely regurgitating generic content to drive up traffic and accumulate links is not a sound strategy. We are a nation of shrinking attention spans.
Fact checkers can refer themselves to Adderall sales figures, or the rising diagnosis for Adult ADHD. With literally millions of new content pieces published each day, recycling blogs or bland articles will no longer cut the mustard.
You have to capture your audience. You have to provide stories they want to hear. You have to engage them on a personal level. Ask for their feedback. Encourage participation. Use social media to your advantage.
5. The Hard Sell
Social media is an incredible marketing tool. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr: these avenues exist to extend your brand, not to berate followers with unsolicited sales pitches.
Instead, think of these platforms as opportunities to help neighbors by providing the information they need. This way, your social media marketing will foster relationships founded on trust- a rare commodity in today’s world.
Trust bolsters brand and can eventually lead to increased revenue. Have a special offer? Great! Float it out there. Just don’t forget to post community news, or share links and content that fit your customers’ profiles.
Times, They Are a’Changin
By shifting away from the five failed strategies mentioned here, focusing on growth design development, using factual research to your advantage, and creating content based on your target audience, you should be able to keep your HVAC Company Marketing Plan relevant as well as practical.
