June 2009 By Gary Walker

Why You Must Understand the Difference in Buying Leads and Buying or Capturing Online Traffic

When talking to HVAC service company owners (and other home services, such as window replacement), we hear frequent complaints about the business model that sells leads to three competing companies at the same time.  Although a timely response to your prospective customer is always in order, the idea of having to race to the phone to beat your competitor to a lead you have purchased seems to create a good bit of frustration. 

Overall, there are two ways to get customers from online, either through traffic and the leads that result, or through purchased leads or set appointments.  The latter category, purchased leads, goes by several names and gradations, such as “qualified leads”.  Done correctly, using traffic generates leads at a lower cost, and you do have to share them with your competition.  However, you do have to have someone to receive the incoming calls or online inquires and convert them to appointments.  This can be a challenge for operations where all employees are in service trucks or not by a telephone some hours of the day.

To take advantage of web traffic, you must have either a website, web page or online listing. These vary from links with a tracking phone number, to one-page online business profiles with your telephone number and basic facts, to full websites with multiple pages to upkeep.  Unless you intentionally only want to operate your business with leads from outside lead providers, you should have at least a one page profile online.  Business profile pages are inexpensive and work well in the HVAC category. 

If you buy leads and also have a website or page, you should not allow the lead gen company to use your company name correctly spelled in its marketing efforts. If you do, you are buying back your company’s history of goodwill in a very expensive way.  Search engine ads have settings that will filter out certain keywords.  As an example, you can request an exact match negative keyword for your correctly spelled company name.  Or, for that matter, any search similar to your company by name.  This assumes that you have your company on Google maps (which is free) and search ads to pick up incorrect spellings on your company name, which are both parts of a minimum recommended online presence.
A newer type of lead that is quickly gaining popularity is cost-per-call. In this model, the call is only routed to you and is measured and paid for by the call. Next month’s issue will focus on this topic.

April 2009 By Gary Walker

Your Website And Your Employees Must Convert HVAC Searchers Into Customers

In marketing on the web, much of the attention focuses on how to get more traffic to your website or the cost of getting it there. Far too little attention and effort go into what your potential customers do once they get on your website, landing page, or telephone line. (A landing page is simply the place where a searcher goes when he or she clicks on a link.)  In natural search, the website owner does not control where the searcher lands. With sponsored link ads, we actively choose where the user “lands” when they click on your sponsored link ad.

In general, more than half the visitors that land on websites “bounce off”, which means they stay less than 30 seconds or only view one page without taking deeper action.  Therefore, the main goals of a website are to (1) quickly engage the reader and (2) by making it easy to find what they are looking for, encourage initial conversion. Conversion for HVAC contractors is filling out a form for an appointment or calling for one. If you sold air filter elements from your website, a conversion could also be an online purchase.

There are several ways to measure initial conversions: conversion tracking from ad programs such as Google AdWords; tracking phone numbers, which separate calls by source of traffic; through website analytics, such as Google Analytics (which happens to be free).

We use the term initial, because contacting you is the first step of conversion to becoming a paying customer. Rather than focusing only on getting more traffic to your website, you should first make sure of three things (1) that the site does the best job of getting potential customers to call or fill out a contact form; (2) that your representatives convert a high percentage of calls and emails to appointments; and (3) that once with the customer in person, your field representatives do the best job of filling the customer’s need for repairs, a new system, or a maintenance agreement.  Why? If a customer “bounces off” at any of these points, your company has missed that opportunity.

Next Month: Why You Must Understand the Difference in Buying Leads and Buying or Capturing Online Traffic

March 2009 By Gary Walker

Web Marketing 101: Essentials for the HVAC Contractor
Especially since broadband connections have become more widespread and affordable, more and more of your potential customers rely on Internet search to find local services such as HVAC and plumbing. This is especially true for first time homeowners or those who are new to an area. Computer users tend to be more affluent and do more research, and are more likely to be seeking the benefits of high efficiency HVAC or a whole house air or water filtration system.

Two basic sources of online leads
We will divide sources of leads into two categories: 1 - From your website traffic.  2 - A listing for you on a website belonging to someone else. 

Your ad on another website can:

• Link back to your website
• List a phone number for you on it (can be a separate, forwarding/tracking phone number that rings to your phone or one you designate)
• Be a message, online form or appointment that is forwarded to you after some degree of screening (answering service, lead generator, appointment setters)

On every website (yours or one belonging to someone else with your ad on it) there are basically two sources of traffic: natural search traffic (acquired through SEO) and paid search traffic (also known as: pay-per-click, PPC, Google AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, MSN AdCenter, etc).  Even among frequent Internet users, the differences in natural and paid search traffic are a common source of confusion.  We’ll drill into those in our ongoing series of articles.

Next Month: Your Website And Your Employees Must Convert HVAC Searchers Into Customers

Why You Must Track Incoming Phone Call Numbers - July 2008

by Gary Walker, TopSide Media

If you’ve ever run the numbers on the cost of producing an incoming telephone lead, you know how high it can go. This article explains how and why you should record and track incoming phone calls for your HVAC or similar business for three purposes: source of business, lead quality, and your company’s effectiveness of handling the lead.

How to Track Incoming Phone Calls
Asking a caller how they learned about your company is rarely reliable. First, hardly any phone reps remember to do it consistently, especially when other callers are waiting. Second, for internet leads, many customers do not know the difference in a natural search result (center part of a search results page) and your text ad on the top of the page or the right side column. The solution: tracking telephone numbers that forward to your main telephone. These were created for marketing and offer many useful reports and features. They are available in toll-free or local numbers that look like your current phone number. In the process of forwarding, tracking numbers capture the source of the call and other important statistics. Recording the conversation is optional, and has benefits along with some privacy and HR responsibilities.

Tracking phone numbers have long been used for print ads. They can also be coded into your website to tell you the call came from the website. The latest improvement: dynamic substitution on your website to identify and track multiple sources of incoming calls. When both features are combined, you can see your calls from multiple sources in the same online dashboard: calls from natural traffic plus your marketing efforts by source.

Clients often ask us who owns a tracking number, and this is a legitimate concern. The better tracking number providers allow clients to “port over” a number at no cost. This means you can move the tracking number to a new service provider.

Why Tracking Call Numbers Puts More Profit In Your Pocket
Tracking phone calls provides three critical pieces of information: a-the source of the call (truck sign, website, etc.), b-the quality and potential value of the lead, and c- how well your phone rep handled the call. The first two parts are straightforward and monitored by some of the more effective HVAC companies. The third part gives you insights into how your phone reps can handle calls more efficiently or effectively, and often gets overlooked, especially during the busy season. Having listened to thousands of minutes of recorded conversations, I can assure you that listening to them is worth the time it takes or cost to pay a service to do it for you.

Your goal is more business and profits, not more phone leads, right? Then you must understand the source and quality of incoming calls and how effectively your company is handling them. It’s that simple. Tracking calls combined with improved internal handling allows you to spend less to get new customers leads you need at the time you need them.

About the Author
Gary Walker has a BS in Environmental Science and more than 25 years experience in marketing, sales management, customer service and search marketing. He is certified as a Google AdWords professional and with Yahoo! Search Marketing. His company, TopSide Media, uses online search technology and internet publishing to connect the best local HVAC companies with consumers to achieve more indoor comfort while saving energy. Visit his HVAC marketing blog at http://www.hvacmarketingonline.com or email gary.walker@topsidemedia.com. Toll Free 1-866-516-2301.

How Web Site Search Engine Ads Can Increase Your Sales NOW
September 2008
By Gary Weber

For most of the country the summer heat and humidity was not as much of a business-generator as you could have wished for. On top of that more homeowner’s’ household budgets are being stretched thin from increased costs of gasoline, utilities, food and more. Below are three search engine advertising actions your company can use in the slower seasons to keep your phones ringing with new customers.

1. Use sponsored link ads to attract customers looking for Indoor Air Quality solutions
While maybe not as motivating to every human as extreme heat or cold, the online search volume for IAQ products tends to be less seasonal than A/C or heating searches. Someone suffering from pollen allergies or humidity levels that are too high or low can be very motivated to get relief. The topics of whole house air filters, humidity control, ventilation, or carbon monoxide prevention are good demographic matches for Internet users, who tend to have higher average household income and education.

2. Reach customers while they are searching online for a related topic or benefit and direct them to your website
An example of this “side door approach” would be a sponsored link text ad campaign using keywords such as “pollen relief”. Your potential customer may be searching with medication or medical treatments in mind, but might buy a whole house air filter system for their home or office. In cost-per-click advertising, there is no incremental cost for an ad that does not get clicked. Another example would be someone searching online for information on lower utility bills. Serve them up an ad with a rebate or off-season special offer for a new high-efficiency heating and A/C system.

3. Use the contextual mode of advertising offered by engines such as Google AdWords.
Instead of reaching customers while they are actively searching (like the two above examples), with content (also call contextual) ads you reach them with sponsored link text ads while they are reading related content. The content can be a consumer information site, a blog, Gmail, etc. In the past few months, there have been improvements in this mode of online advertising that make it worth a look, once you have maxed out the search option in the geographic area your company services.

About the Author
Gary Walker has a BS in Environmental Science and more than 25 years experience in marketing, sales management, customer service and search marketing. He is certified as a Google AdWords professional and with Yahoo! Search Marketing. His company, TopSide Media, uses online search technology and internet publishing to connect the best local HVAC companies with consumers to achieve more indoor comfort while saving energy. Visit his HVAC marketing blog at http://www.hvacmarketingonline.com
or email gary.walker@topsidemedia.com . Toll Free 1-866-516-2301.

Marketing on the Web
December 2008
By Gary Weber

Five Reasons You Must Have an Overall Web Marketing Strategy

As in most business ventures, having a well thought out plan and executing it effectively is more likely to lead you to success than trial and error. In particular, marketing our business on the web can be confusing, time consuming, frustrating and costly.

To avoid expensive mistakes, you must have a clear strategy and dedicated budget for search engine marketing (SEM). Search engine marketing includes search advertising on a pay-per-click basis (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO). Creating this strategy should be low in cost and high in returns.

Just as you would advise your HVAC customers, talk to a professional who has a clear understanding of internet marketing and make a plan for your company before taking action. An effective plan will include objectives and appropriate tactics done in the correct order.

Five examples of money-wasting web marketing blunders that often result from lack of planning:

1. Having a website built without including features needed for internet marketing or advertising. The structure of the site can cause it to not be found by the search engines or suitable for receiving prospective customers from search engine ads. A website can look good and/or provide lots of content, but still not get traffic or convert traffic into customers.
2. Paying for SEO before using PPC to learn about your website effectiveness at conversions and what works in your geographic area. You should have PPC done first, and then consider SEO.
3. Signing contracts for marketing or advertising that is not measurable.
4. Allocating the wrong % of your marketing budget to online efforts.
5. Buying online advertising bundled with other advertising that may not be needed.

Next Month:

Why You Must Have an Online Budget as Part of Your Marketing Plan

About the Author
Gary Walker has a BS in Environmental Science and more than 25 years experience in marketing, sales management, customer service and search marketing. He is certified as a Google AdWords professional and with Yahoo! Search Marketing. His company, TopSide Media, uses online search technology and internet publishing to connect the best local HVAC companies with consumers to achieve more indoor comfort while saving energy. Visit his HVAC marketing blog at http://www.hvacmarketingonline.com
or email gary.walker@topsidemedia.com. Toll Free 1-866-516-2301.

Marketing on the Web
Why You Must Have an Online Budget as Part of Your Marketing Plan
January 2009
By Gary Weber

About the Author
Gary Walker has a BS in Environmental Science and more than 25 years experience in marketing, sales management, customer service and search marketing. He is certified as a Google AdWords professional and with Yahoo! Search Marketing. His company, TopSide Media, uses online search technology and internet publishing to connect the best local HVAC companies with consumers to achieve more indoor comfort while saving energy.  Contact him at gary.walker@topsidemedia.com  or 1-866-516-2301.
You may visit his HVAC marketing blog at http://www.hvacmarketingonline.com  or his company’s full website at http://www.TopSideMedia.com.  They also publish the HVAC consumer buyer’s guide at http://www.AirConditioning-and-Heating.com.

Why You  Must Have an Online  Budget as Part of Your Marketing Plan
In December, we wrote about the fact that an overall plan for web marketing must be in place before budgeting or spending money. If you do not have a plan, make one now before going further. 
In your overall annual budget you should have a dedicated percentage for online efforts.  Does your budget percentage take into account the customer shift from using printed directories and ads when searching online to buy?  If not, you will likely give up market share to your competition. Have you compared the ROI (Return on Investment) of buying leads to that of generating your own traffic?
Your overall marketing budget could be as much as 8-10% of your total sales.  Of that budget, you should dedicate 20-25% to online marketing. This, of course, can vary by region or your company’s history and position in the market, but would be a good place to start otherwise.  Next, you will look at buying leads vs. buying traffic to generate your own leads. For traffic, the next question becomes what percentage of that amount should be dedicated to your web page or website, and then how much should be to get traffic to the website. 
This is where the plan will guide you. If you do not have a web page or website, rely on a web marketing professional (not someone who only builds websites) to help you decide which of the options fits your situation best.  This should include short term needs and longer term also.  You should work with a professional who has a proven history in the HVAC industry. 
If you already have a website, you may need to budget for changes to the site. Changes may be needed to make the site more effective at converting traffic to calls and online leads, or to gain the ability to track online marketing.  Otherwise, traffic driven to the website will to some degree be less effective or even wasted at converting it to new customers. 
A few of the blunders we see every day in websites: 

• too many pages
• too much or too little text on pages
• too much focus on process and not enough on customer benefits
• built with too many images
•  telephone numbers imbedded in images
• no contact form
• e-mail links not in contact forms
• no thank you page.
• the list goes on and on. Don’t throw your money away!

After the website is ready to receive traffic you can decide how much of the remaining budget will be used for each of the tactics that will drive traffic to your site.

Why You Must Measure Results of Your Online Marketing
By Gary Walker

In the early days of the internet, the focus was on traffic to your website . Now the focus is on deeper actions called conversions.  Conversions can be online, such as inquiries sent by email or offline, such as incoming telephone calls or redeeming a coupon at a retail location. 

Overall, the formula for % return on investment for marketing or advertising is simple. In general, you take the metric you want to measure minus the cost of that source, divide by the cost of that source, and multiply by 100 to get the ROI of that metric. 

Example: sales-cost divided by cost x 100 = %ROI sales. Gross profit ñ cost divided by cost = %ROI profits. Net profit ñ cost divided by cost = $ROI net profit. 

Unless you plan to do the work in house, which most businesses do not have the resources for,  you should focus on the ROI when comparing different marketing and advertising options .  Many business owners get bogged down in the details of the process when they should first learn how to evaluate the returns marketing and advertising provide. 

If measuring the results from your web traffic budget, at the end of each month, you should be able to divide your total leads into the budget for that month and easily arrive at a cost per lead.  Since leads must convert to paying customer to matter, you can handle this two ways.  You can compare your paying customer list for each month to the names, addresses, or phone number of leads generated. If that is beyond your capabilities, you can assume that the leads are as good or better at converting to sales as the rest of your leads and use that figure as a relative comparison.