By Kevin Stirtz 

There are many ways to promote your hvacr business. Some work like magic and the customers seem to ring your phone off the hook. Others appear to have no effect at all. And, sometimes, a promotion can do more harm than good. No matter how you promote your business, or how much money you spend, your results are never guaranteed. 

One thing for certain, you must avoid certain marketing practices to avoid potential marketing emergencies. For example: 

Sex Does Not Sell 

Sex in advertising only works well when the product or service being promoted is erotic or sexual. Otherwise it’s just a lazy way to get attention. 

Additionally, it’s not the kind of attention you want because it’s not motivated by the product or service you’re selling. It’s like having a 40-foot-gorilla balloon tied to the top of your hvacr shop. The gorilla gets people’s attention. But so what? What does it have to do with installing air conditioners? Nothing! So, the attention or exposure delivered by the balloon is almost worthless. 

If you use an irrelevant disruptor (like a bikini-clad model or a 40-foot-gorilla balloon) then you are not necessarily going to deliver your message to the right people. You’re failing a major part of the marketing equation. Spending money on ads that attract the wrong people wastes your time and money. 

Over-Promise and Under-Deliver 

If you’re proud of what you do you may get a little over the top in how you tell your story to the world. You know you’re great and you want everyone else to know it too. 

The problem is when you go too far, you can get your business in trouble. And as you promote your business, the last thing you want is for customers to think of you as a company that over-promises and under-delivers. 

For marketing to be most effective, you need to reach the right people with the right message. If you stray too far and try to be something you’re not, your message will be wrong and your market likely will be too. Sending the wrong message to the wrong market is a cardinal sin in the world of marketing. 

So, as you plan and implement your marketing, take some time to make sure you’re telling the right story. Make sure your message is based on who you are and what your business can do for your customers. Keep it grounded in reality. 

Spam: It’s Not Just for E-mail 

In the age of the Internet, there is a lot of talk about spam (the technology kind, not the food product), but usually it’s in the context of e-mail. You don’t typically think of spam (unwanted solicitations) in terms of other marketing. However, you should. No matter how it’s being used, spam is dangerous and damaging to businesses that use it. 

Be careful of how often you send mailers or call on people as a part of your marketing. It's easy for them to get annoyed by getting too much from you. When that happens you're shooting yourself in the foot. 

To make sure you're not overwhelming your customers with spam, get several opinions about how often you should contact or mail people. Look at it from the customer’s perspective. Ask yourself if you'd be irritated by that much marketing. 

Making Marketing Magic 

So how do you avoid marketing missteps? While marketing can be intimidating, you can improve the odds so you win more than you lose. All you have to do is use the five “Ms” of marketing. 

1. Mission: Your mission means your goals. Marketing goals are usually expressed in terms of time and quantity. Are you promoting a single event – like spring or fall tune-ups? Or are you looking for more general awareness to spread the word evenly throughout the year?  

Do you want a lot of new customers all at once? Or are you looking for a steady flow to sustain you through the downtimes? And finally, what are your measurable objectives? (Revenue, net profit, growth?) 

Generally, your marketing should deliver awareness or action. Awareness helps build your brand – and your brand is your company. Action helps get customer calling (time for tune-ups). Both can be valuable, but they require different types of marketing.

Decide what you want to accomplish first. 

2. Market: Your best market is people who want what you do and whom you can serve better than anyone else. It’s not enough to know who wants what you do. You need to focus on those you can serve best based on the resources and competitive advantages of your business. That enables you to serve them so well they come back and they tell others. 

Who do you want to reach? You might define your target audience in terms of location. Or maybe you cater to the light commercial market. Of course, you would define your market as people who need the specific kind of work you do. But go beyond that and think about how you help them. Is it convenience? Is it assurance they're getting the best? Is it timeliness? 

Write down every way you can think of that helps you clarify who wants what you do and whom you can serve better than anyone else. This is your best market. 

3. Message: How do you tell your market what you do for them? What can you say that they will want to listen to? Make it about them not you. Without a good clear message it will be much harder to attract enough customers to have a sustainable business. 

What do you want to tell them? What do you want them to think or feel after being exposed to your message? How do you want them to respond? 

Make sure your message is something they want to hear. It’s not about you and your business – it’s about them. Everything you say needs to be in terms that will interest, excite, motivate and compel them to listen, remember and respond. 

Think about what you really do for you customers? Do you make their jobs easier because your work is so good and your people are so reliable? Do you add value to their home with your quality work and products? If so, make sure your marketing communicates that. 

4. Money: This is your budget. The amount of time, money and energy you’re willing to invest in this marketing effort. Think of this as your marketing "fuel.” The more fuel you have, the more you can accomplish. 

Understand this amount might change, but it's critical you commit to a specific amount. Some business owners use the “leftover” method of budgeting for their marketing. Whatever they have “leftover” after they pay their bills is what they'll spend on marketing. Don't take this approach!  

If you want to grow your business, make your marketing as important as your other expense items. Include it in your monthly bills just like rent, electricity, payroll and everything else you need to make your business healthy. 

5. Media: This is where your plan turns into action. Where the "rubber hits the road." Your media are all the ways you will deliver your message to your market. It’s limited by your money, so you need to be careful what media and how much you buy. As you select media, keep in mind these principles to help make your media decisions most effective: 

·       Frequency — The more frequently someone is exposed to your message, the more they will remember it. 

·       Repetition — The greater number of times a person is exposed to your message, the more they will remember it. 

·       Consistency — The more consistent your message is, the more they will understand and remember it. 

·       Clarity — The clearer your message is, the more they will understand and remember it. 

·       Simplicity — The simpler your message is, the more they will understand and remember it. 

·       Concentration & Focus -- The more you concentrate and focus your message delivery, the greater impact it will have. 

·       Intensity & Impact -- Some media and schedules are effective in delivering a message to a lot of people in a short time period. But they might not remember the message very well in the long term. 

Other media choices can deliver a message to a smaller, more focused group of people, but over a longer time, so they have greater repetition and frequency of exposure to your message. 

They’re more likely to remember your message and act on it in some way that helps you accomplish your goals. 

Here are some typical media you might use to deliver your message: 

·       Local print advertising  

·       Networking (chambers of commerce, associations) 

·       Community marketing (partnering with community groups to help them achieve their goals) 

·       Publicity (articles in relevant magazines or newspapers)

·       Internet  

·       Buzz (word of mouth, referrals) 

·       Direct mail  

·       Salespeople 

·       Signage 

·       Newsletters 

Above all, make sure your marketing is focused on what your customers want and need. Make sure your message helps them accomplish what they want. If you tell them the right story they'll be happy to hear from you. And they'll be much more likely to call you instead of the competition.