About 72% of people say that they trust local businesses that have positive online reviews. And 49% of consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family members.
This clearly shows that people use online reviews to research and choose local businesses. This is why you need to intentionally manage your online reputation as an HVAC company.
In this post, we’ll talk about expert tips and strategies that you can use to effectively manage the reputation of your HVAC business.
What is HVAC Reputation Management?
HVAC reputation management is the process of managing the brand image or perception of your company. It involves strategies taken to influence what people see when they search for your company online.
One major way of doing this is by gathering positive reviews on sites like Google, Facebook, and business listings. You can also manage your HVAC online reputation by monitoring your brand mentions and using social proof like case studies, certifications, and award badges.
All these and much more go into maintaining a good reputation in the HVAC industry.
Benefits of HVAC Reputation Management
The benefits of managing your online reputation are numerous so you shouldn’t leave it to chance because it can help you to:
- Acquire More Customers: Customers tend to trust online reviews as much as word-of-mouth recommendations. They look at HVAC reviews on Google, social media, and business listings before coming to a purchase decision. So, if you have a 4+ star rating on these sites you’ll most likely get more customers and leads.
- Increase Brand Trust and Credibility: Gathering positive reviews and testimonials online will increase your brand trust and credibility factor. Potential customers will see your business as a reliable company that delivers high-quality service.
- Improve Customer Retention: Responding to positive customer reviews will help build stronger relationships and resolving negative reviews will show your commitment to customer satisfaction. Which will encourage repeat business and boost your customer retention rate.
- Enhance your Online Presence: Having a strong online reputation can improve your HVAC website SEO, especially in the coveted local three-pack on SERPs. Likewise, having multiple brand mentions and active social media pages will give your company more exposure and visibility.
- Increase Customer Referrals: Your HVAC reputation affects your company image in your immediate state or city because your satisfied customers will be happy to refer your business to their friends and family. In short, it’s a cost-effective way of attracting new customers through word-of-mouth referrals and glowing reviews.
9 Proven Strategies for Effective HVAC Online Reputation Management
Maintaining your HVAC firm’s reputation is not a one-day activity but a continuous process. These strategies will help you out.
Proactively Ask for Customer Reviews
The best time to request reviews from your customers is just after finishing a job. They will find it easier to leave a review because your wonderful service is still fresh in their minds so they will be glad to return the favor.
Online reputation management(ORM) software can help you send automated emails or SMS with a direct link to your Google Business Profile or business listing profile. You must make this process super easy for your customers.
If they don’t drop a review within a day or two, then you can send automated follow-up emails to encourage them to do so.
Another way to amass reviews is by placing a review link on your site’s home page, landing page, and social platforms. Ideally, the link should come below your customer reviews or testimonials.
Give a Good Review Response
Customer reviews are a two-way street, so your customers would be glad to hear back from you after each review. In other words, you have to leave a warm thank you note or appreciation for positive reviews. Then, take time to resolve customer complaints in the negative feedback otherwise, it can make customers leave.
When responding to negative reviews, try to sound professional and place the customer’s needs first, even if the comment is filled with hate speech. To reduce the negative impact on your brand reputation, you can communicate with the customer via email or phone call rather than exchanging words in the public domain.
However, there’s nothing much can do because occasional negative reviews will pop up. Some of them will be tackled while others will be left unresolved. You can’t please everyone. Negative reviews can give you insights into the technician or area of your business that needs improvement.
Post Customer Testimonials and Case Studies
Customer testimonials and case studies showcase your happy customers and the results you’ve gotten for other homeowners. It will serve as social proof and will boost your company’s trust and credibility.
For example, video testimonials go beyond texts and present social proof and marketing content for your business. Your testimonials and case studies can be shared on different marketing channels like your website and social pages. It can also be used to run Google and Facebook ads for your business.
Deliver 5-star HVAC Services
The best way you can improve your HVAC company’s reputation is by delivering amazing services. There’s no two ways about it.
If your heating and cooling services are top-notch, then your customers will be happy to write positive reviews and refer your company to their close circle of friends.
Hence, you have to train your tech staff to be professional and competent to deliver 5-star services consistently. Your HVAC services are your best form of marketing. It can drive repeat business and promote your company in your work location(s).
Invest in HVAC SEO
How easily can your prospects find your business online? If your website is optimized with relevant local HVAC keywords, then your site can appear on SERPs when they enter phrases like “AC repair services in “city name” or “furnace tune up near me.”
You can optimize your business site for search engines by doing the following:
- Publish engaging blog content based on your customer needs
- Create service pages with local keywords
- Build your site’s backlink profile
- Target keywords with low to medium competition
- Improve your site user experience by reducing the page loading speed and fixing broken links
Working on your site’s HVAC SEO will help your company’s contractor business reach your target audience from search results in real time. According to Google, 76% of consumers who search for “near me” visit a business within a day. This stat shows the importance of search engine optimization in the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning industry.
Setup your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile(GBP) provides a platform for local service-based businesses to rank on Google’s first page. When service-based local keywords are entered on Google, the algorithm displays three business profiles above the organic search results.
The businesses in this section are called the local three-pack. Setting up and updating your Google Business Profile with new positive reviews will help you rank in the local three-pack. Google displays HVAC businesses based on their location, star ratings, and the services they entered in their profile.
Maintain Consistent NAPs in HVAC Review Sites
First off, you have to create profiles in several business listings and review sites that suit HVAC companies. Some examples are Yelp, Angi(formerly Angie’s List), Yellow Pages, Home Advisor, and so on.
Next, gather customer feedback or reviews on these platforms by sending requests to your customers via email. Ensure that you have consistent NAPs(name, address, and phone number) in all your business listings so you won’t mislead prospects.
Having profiles on local directories will improve your brand awareness and reputation if you have good star ratings and customer reviews. Because some homeowners use directories when they are looking for an HVAC company.
Leverage an Online Review Management Tool
Tracking and responding to your business reviews on different platforms can be very stressful. An online reputation management software can help you track your reviews and brand mentions and notify you whenever a new review is published.
This will help you to respond promptly to customer reviews and resolve their complaints. The data and analytics obtained from your reviews and brand mentions will help you to identify your customer needs and experiences. This will aid in delivering a better service and collating data for your HVAC marketing campaigns.
Share Engaging Content on Social Media
Your customers also post reviews on social media sites like Facebook and Quora. So you would need to respond to them and share engaging HVAC content on social media to boost your brand presence and aid in reputation marketing.
Being active on social media platforms will help you to establish your company as an authority in your area. It will aid in getting new customers and leads, especially when you post about your customer testimonials, reviews, and case studies.
Closing Words: Tips to Boost your Online Presence as an HVAC Business
Reputation management is a crucial part of your business. Your brand image can influence your pricing and the number of people who know, like, and trust your company in your work area.
These tips should help you to improve your HVAC brand reputation even if you’ve been having poor reviews or zero visibility online.
However, putting all these reputation management strategies into practice can be time-consuming and tasking, but we can take the work off your plate with our stellar HVAC reputation management services. Schedule an appointment today so we can help you grow your brand reputation.
FAQs
- As an HVAC contractor, what do you do when you get bad reviews?
When you get bad reviews, you have to respond to them politely and professionally and try to rectify the issue. If it proves difficult then you can move the conversation to emails or phone calls.
However, we advise hiring a reputable HVAC digital marketing agency to manage your reputation online. It’s imperative that your HVAC company’s online reputation is great when your ideal customer visits your site or Google business profile because 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- Do you recommend reputation management for HVAC companies?
Yes, I recommend reputation management for HVAC companies because people consider online reviews and personal recommendations before choosing an HVAC business.
- What are some benefits of HVAC company reviews?
Positive HVAC reviews can give you more customers and prospects, repeat business, and improve your brand reputation online.
