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Every contractors we talk to knows they need a presence on Facebook, but don't know much about why they need it or how to get the most from it.
Facebook is primary place on the Internet for customers to learn about local products and services so if your business is fortunate enough to get somebody's attention there, you need to be sure you are putting your best foot forward.
In this article we want to let you know:
Did you know that 68% of Americans are on Facebook? And it's not a bunch of little kids posting pictures of their cats. The average age of Facebook users is rising, which is perfect for the HVAC industry.
You don't want to talk to a bunch of people who aren't in your target demographic, but with the way Facebook is trending, this is a perfect platform to reach people in your area.
Facebook allows you to create a page for your business where you can:
Creating a Facebook page for your business is COMPLETELY FREE. If you don't have a Facebook page for your business, you're simply losing out on a HUGE channel that can bring you more leads, and foster loyalty in current customers by staying in front of their faces.
One example I always think about is 2 competing contractors who are extremely similar. A potential customer gets an estimate from both contractors. The estimates are identical! They both have beautiful websites, and their Google reviews are both impeccable. This decision is getting tougher.
The potential customer decides to look at each of their Facebook pages to see a few pics of their work, and what other people have to say about them. After all google reviews are great, but there is something a little more personal about a Facebook review that shows actual people commenting on how they felt about a company.
The first company's Facebook looked great! There were many 5 star reviews, pictures of previous installations, and even some articles about different useful information when it comes to home comfort.
Then when they typed the name of the second company into the Facebook search bar, nothing came up. After a little more digging, they realized this other company doesn't even have a Facebook. And the decision was made.
This is a perfect example of a company doing almost EVERYTHING right, giving a great competitive quote, and even having amazing reviews. If this company DID have a Facebook page, they would likely have awesome reviews on there as well. But because they didn't take the time to make one, they lost out when the customer had to decide between proposals.
Now that you know you need a Facebook page for your business, how do you go about getting one. First off, you need a personal Facebook account. Once you have that, go to the top blue bar and click "Create".
The first option will be to create a page. Click that!
Then you'll see the options to create a Business or Brand page, vs a Community or Public Figure page. You want the Business Page.
From there you are going to enter your company information. You will want a company profile picture, as well as a banner picture to put across the top of your Facebook Page. Some people prefer a team photo. Some prefer a logo. Some have their trucks.
The most important thing is that you use pictures that represent you. Stock images can get lost in the sauce. Use images that show your people, your business, and your community.
Once you enter your company info and some profile pictures, you should be good to go!
If you want to read what Facebook has to say, click here!
One you have your page set up, it's time to start putting it to work!
Post pictures of the work you've done, images that feature your business and employees, as well as fun things around your community. You want to pictures to represent your company, as well as resonating with the people in your area who see them.
Some great examples would be pictures of landmarks around your neighborhood, community events and activities, and even a picture of a street in your neighborhood on a beautiful day. Don't use too many stock images, even if you have to use some over time.
Get in the habit of taking pictures of jobs you have done well, maybe some before and after photos, pictures of your team and trucks, etc. The more you have to choose from you can set up a strategy of posting them over time, giving your community interesting things to look at all year.
Post useful articles and other information. This could mean articles that your company is writing (ideally), while also sharing useful things you may come across. A weather report, or maybe a government article about new laws that may effect how we purchase energy.
Posting interesting, educational information is a great way to bring people back to your website, as well as gaining trust and authority within your community.
Videos are one of the main forms of content that is EVERYWHERE on the internet. If you go on Facebook, it should only take you a few clicks to get to a video created by some company.
The truth is, videos are one of the most effective forms of marketing you can use, and putting them on Facebook is one of the MOST effective ways of getting it in front of the right people in your community. Video drives up conversions, and is only becoming more and more important.
Just like sharing articles, you can share pages on your site, specials, and push the things that people should know about during different times of the year. During allergy season, share your page about air cleaners. If there is about to be a huge storm, share some information about generators.
You can plan to share the right info about your products and services through a little planning, and staying aware of what your customer base is looking for at different times of the year.
Sharing educational information, as opposed to constantly selling is also crucial. For example, don't share a post that says, "A storm is coming, you better buy a generator before it's too late". Instead, post something along the lines of, "A storm is coming. Here are the 3 ways a generator can help your home during a power outage"
This has a much more helpful and educational tone, while still getting people to come back to your site. And if they are looking to become a customer, don't you think they'll buy that generator from whoever is educating them? Of course they will!
Let people know about you! Share facts about your company, maybe some pics of company outings, and let people know who you are. Some companies share employee pics and fun facts. Some prefer not to.
The point is letting the community know that you are real people, who care about their customer base. It's much easier and reassuring for customers to feel familiar with a company, rather than just another logo they pay money to to fix their HVAC system
Give People A Place To Share Reviews & Talk About Your Company
Facebook is a great place for people to look at companies and see what others have to say. Sites like Yelp, Google, and now Facebook give visitors an opportunity to leave a 1-5 star review, as well as a comment. Facebook is becoming more and more important when it comes to reviews, and it also allows people to have a little more dialog about your company.
People can recommend you to a friend, and even talk to each other in the comments about your business. This is great for businesses that have good reputations. It allows for the community to provide a little more social proof of how well you work. Without a Facebook page, there really isn't anywhere people can have this kind of dialog about your company!
Facebook allows visitors to message you directly, comment on your posting, and allows you to answer both! We work with contractors who have booked MANY jobs by simply talking with a visitor on Facebook who sends them a message,
When someone comments on a post you shared, you can also comment back! This can be helpful when it comes to answering questions, and making your community feel like they have a contractor they can talk with any time.
Facebook is one of the best places for companies to ask questions to their customer base, and get in touch with the people they are actually trying to reach.
Facebook allows you to advertise for your business, and you can use some VERY precise targeting. You can choose by age, gender, location, education, and the list goes on. This is great for HVAC companies who have a very specific location they want to work in, and a very specific target demographic.
Posting on your Facebook and creating a community is important, but creating some targeted ads can help you move the needle right away,
This is a very dense topic, and becoming a great Facebook ads marketer can take some work, but it's 100% an avenue your competition is taking, and you will eventually need to know how to make this happen.
Now that you know WHY you need a Facebook page for your HVAC business, what's the next step? Well that's easy. CREATE YOUR PAGE!
Once your page is created, start poking around. Post some pics. Have fun with it! Once you get the hang of Facebook and build a community, it's just one more way to generate business, and create a presence for your business in the community.
If you need some help with your Social Media Strategy, or ANY aspect of your digital marketing, let us know! We can help you create and execute the right strategy for you HVAC business!
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Comfort Media Group is the digital marketing company for growing HVAC contractors.
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