Arguably the greatest advantage of partnering with a marketing firm that specializes in the niche HVACR industry is their exposure to the success stories and wins of other clients.
That’s according to Crystal Williams, founder and lead strategist at Lemon Seed Marketing, which works with HVAC contractors, plumbers, and electricians across the country.
“While an in-house marketing team is deeply immersed in your brand, operations, and achievements, a firm brings the added value of cross-industry experience and diverse insights,” she said. “Collaborating with a firm that understands your industry’s unique KPIs and can engage in meaningful discussions about relevant trends and strategies creates a powerful partnership. It’s a shared ‘language’ that drives results.”
Choosing the right firm is the first step — the second is knowing how to work with them to get those results.
The Right Time
If contractors are in a position where they are deciding on a marketing firm, it’s likely due to a few underlying reasons. Is it because business is booming, the company is growing, and they’re ready for the next level? Or because times are rough, growth is stagnant, and the company needs the phone to ring? Uncovering those reasons upfront could impact which firm to hire.
“You should look for the strategies that work for your size company and service offerings,” said Kevil Hill, master advisor with CEO Warrior. “You should ask yourself, based on your current avatar, do you want a firm that emphasizes data analytics, reporting, and performance tracking? If so, ask for an example for the reporting to confirm transparency on metrics like conversion rates, cost-per-lead, and campaign ROI. Avoid one-size-fits-all solutions, as the firm should develop a tailored strategy based on your goals and market conditions. Make sure the firm you chose aligns marketing efforts with your sales process to ensure seamless lead management.”
Agencies do bake in their fees. So it may not be in the best interest of, say, a one-truck HVACR operator to pay for marketing services just yet.
When, exactly, is that point? Eddie Childs, director of corporate marketing at Mediagistic, says when a contractor is working with a minimum of two trucks. While three trucks are ideal. That’s around the time a contractor likely is breaking into a million in revenue and is looking to scale their business. However, OEMs often have agencies managing ad club programs to help contractors use their co-op dollars.
“In that scenario, it really doesn’t matter what size of a contractor you are, you’re probably going to work with an agency as a means of using those co-op dollars productively,” Childs said.
– Kevil Hill
master advisor
CEO Warrior
Choosing a Specialist
In order to know what marketing firm will help an HVAC contractor meet their goals, those goals need to be on paper. This might require a cold, hard look in the mirror. Then, the contractor will need to communicate their goals to prospective marketing firms.
The most successful partnership will likely be one with a marketing agency that specializes in HVAC — or at least home services/construction.
“Partnering with an agency that understands the terminology, seasonality, and consumer behaviors in the home service industry, and is really a master at marketing for that industry, will always produce better results and less frustration for the contractor than partnering with a ‘jack of all trades’ marketing firm,” said Emily Fleniken, partner at Lemon Seed Marketing.
It’s the same concept as hiring an HVAC professional for a home’s heating and cooling needs, versus calling a handyman who offers a myriad of services but isn’t a specialist in HVAC.
“Check if [the marketing firms] understand your target audience, seasonal demands, and competitive landscape of the service you provide,” said Hill. “With home service being a growing industry, many companies are popping up from other industries and claiming success that may not relate to or correspond positively to your service offerings. Ask your prospective marketing firm for references in your service offering — for example, other HVAC companies in a different part of the state — to understand how they improved their marketing.”
According to Childs, it’s also important that the marketing agency understands the industry because HVAC purchases are made in a distressed state of mind. Homeowners are usually in need of HVACR service when something breaks.
“The marketing channels that you’re going to value as an HVAC business are going to be built around activating that intent right at that time of need,” Childs said. “A firm that doesn’t specialize in home services is going to have a hard time creating a high-performing marketing campaign because they don’t understand how the channels behave in that consumer mindset.”
Additionally, contractors should ensure that the firm’s values and mission statement coincide with their own.
“Ask the potential partner what they know specifically about your product offerings,” said Williams, at Lemon Seed Marketing. “Also, ask their opinions on things that matter to you. You want to make sure your philosophy around marketing is aligned with theirs.”
Before signing a contract, contractors should also inquire about what the partnership will look like and what they can expect.
Communication around expectations is key. It’s as “key” as it is in any relationship. How often are customers expecting things that contractors just can’t provide? The same goes for the marketing firm a contractor chooses to partner with. Contractors have to communicate their expectations, and find the firms that communicate whether or not they can meet them. And then, follow through, or exceed.
“Often when a company changes a firm, they have expectations of huge improvements immediately. Most marketing firms will tell you they need 3-6 months to show ROI,” Hill said. “While no firm can guarantee results, they should commit to key performance indicators (KPIs) and explain how they’ll measure success. Sometimes it takes a little time to get in alignment for brand values, messaging, etc. These are typically already known or translated when doing marketing in-house.”
Fleniken said to ask potential vendors questions such as what success looks like to them, how they’ll measure it, or what they need from the contractor to make the partnership successful.
“They should always think of the big picture, with the contractor’s goals as the guiding light, and have a plan for building the brand, as well as quick call-to-action blitzes. … The majority of marketing agencies are not terrible companies just looking to waste your money, despite the horror stories you’ve all heard,” Fleniken said. “Transparency is key to creating a partnership that will make your marketing efforts successful.”
Getting Started
The right firm will likely, right off the bat, take a consultative approach with a contractor in order to realize goals and ensure the two mesh.
“We always start with trying to get a good sense of what their business growth goals actually are … and where their pain points are,” Childs said.
For it to really be the right fit, contractors also have to understand what it means to partner with a marketing firm, and what services they provide.
“Most contractors assume that their website provider is their marketing firm,” said Williams. “This is such a broad term that asking for service clarification is imperative when selecting the right partners. A ‘marketing firm’ should be the team that creatively curates a strategy explicitly customized to your brand and around your budget. Consider communication styles, marketing philosophies, and experience in your field specifically.”
Then, contractors have to define who their customers are and what they want from partnering with a marketing agency.
“First, you must define your avatar — who is your average customer and how do they typically like to be marketed to? By defining your avatar or average customer, you’re able to understand what type of media is best suited for the best ROI on your marketing spend,” said Hill. “Secondly, define goals and needs — are you looking to generate more leads with time-sensitive offers, build brand awareness by going deeper in your current service area, increase your service area (go wider), improve your online reputation, or launch a new service offering?”
What’s Next
After a contractor chooses the right marketing firm, then comes the integration of the firm and the contracting business.
“Set up a meeting where you will define a point of contact on both your team and an account manager that will look after your campaign and set improvements or relay concerns well before they become problems,” Hill said. “You should agree on regular meetings to assess the marketing firm’s ability to drive marketing as discussed in the introduction and proposal phase. Discuss the budget with the chosen firm, set reasonable expectations, and ask, ‘How can I hold you accountable to what you said you can do for my business?’”
Contractors also have to trust the process.
“Do what the agency is asking you and trust their expertise,” Fleniken said. “Provide them the access and credentials they need, show up to your meetings with them, and be responsive to their emails, reports, and questions. Do not hire a firm and then not participate in the success and growth of your marketing, or then tell them what and how to do marketing.”
Childs said what’s next depends on the company a contractor is working with. He tends to advocate for multi-channel marketing strategies. Why is that important? Because if a contractor is just investing in lead generation and not the brand, they’re going to hit a ceiling pretty quickly.
“I recommend that you invest in these areas so that you’re not only just generating leads, you’re building your brand,” Childs said. “You’re building awareness of your brand, you’re engaging consumers, you’re creating a relationship with consumers — and they go beyond just the transactional — and you’re driving total lifetime value from that customer. Because if you can create a customer for life, they’re going to buy from you not once, they’re going to buy from you possibly a half dozen times throughout their lifetime.”
Benefits, Challenges of Hiring a Firm
One of the biggest hallmarks of a successful marketing partnership is communication.
“Establish a clear meeting cadence to ensure consistent, real-time communication. It’s also important to recognize the flexibility of a firm — they work with multiple clients and may not always be able to move at the pace you’d prefer,” Williams said. “In-house marketers can dedicate their full attention to your brand and objectives, while a firm requires focused, scheduled time for your account. Take the time to understand the dynamics of your team within the firm to ensure alignment and effective collaboration.”
In that comes the relinquishing of some control, which can be tough for some contractors.
“Particularly if you have been running this business since it opened, learning to work with an agency can be challenging — it’s kind of your baby at that point,” Childs said. “And if you’ve been doing your own marketing, learning how to trust that external partner, and get them involved, and use them in a way that’s going to maximize their expertise, because that’s what they’re there for.”
But the benefits could far outweigh the challenges.
“A benefit to hiring a firm that is trade/industry-specific is they have the exposure to different home service companies, different markets, and industry-standard KPIs,” Fleniken said. “An agency is probably more likely to suggest that the contractor has operational inefficiencies they need to improve (we drove leads to your company, but nobody answered the phone, or we drove leads, but you only have a 50% booking rate and a 20% closing rate, so that’s why your revenue isn’t increasing). … So, contractors need to be able to accept feedback and accountability from the marketing firm when needed.”