Why is Embracing Technology Crucial for Distributors Today?
Changing Strategies and the Focus on Organic First Air Conditioning Marketing
Posted on: Oct 23, 2023 by Allied Air EnterprisesIn 2018, a Midwestern Armstrong Air dealer made an impactful shift in strategy, they teamed up with our company, Red Barn Media Group and fully embraced a cost effective, local marketing plan. As so many home service air conditioning contractors struggle with websites, advertising, lead generation and stable sales growth, our model aims to simplify the equation for our clients. We focus on the market that matters - the local service area and channel business through a multitude of affordable lead funnels. Focusing on the core identity of a business (website, business profiles and social media) our team aims to create a concrete base from which we can springboard marketing efforts from. When deployed properly a website and connected toolset from Red Barn Media Group targets a service provider's full market, not just their hometown. This means more visibility, leads and sales from the area’s most crucial to success.
Our spotlight client began 2018 with an established but fairly flat marketing presence. They were a small-medium sized business looking to grow. They adopted a new plan, forward thinking local Search Engine Optimization (SEO), targeted service areas, excellent content and focused calls to action. Their aim was targeting air conditioning customers in a specific service region encompassing about 15 towns/cities, promoting a multi-tier maintenance agreement and pushing system installation/ replacement.
Prior to this adoption they had very little visibility and search presence outside their home market where their business was located. Even though they served a sizable radius their footprint was almost invisible outside their hometown. This is an all-too-common problem for today’s HVAC professionals. Often, companies lean on expensive paid advertising campaigns, radio or TV ads, billboards and blanket promises from vendors to “make their website better”. While we provide paid advertising and PPC services this client used exclusively organic methods, keeping marketing costs low. This is the organic first, local marketing model.
We began with a complete website overhaul, all new content, landing pages, SEO and keyword strategy. Our team used software and manual optimization to create 10 times the content of their old website. Much of this content was geography based. Our approach brought their services into the air conditioning markets they wanted visibility in, for the products and services that mattered most. The goal was simple: increase leads and sales for products and services that were most valuable to the bottom line. The strategy worked, total visits have increased steadily since 2018, traffic quality is up and most importantly, revenue has sharply risen.
A look at the numbers
Between 2018 and 2021 website traffic increased an impressive 156% without the use of paid campaigns. Over the same period their gross sales rose by 65% and their net income increased by an average of 64% per year.
By opening new channels and markets our client’s online presence was able to flourish, creating extremely low cost leads and quality sales. This company was motivated and determined, and all the growth cannot be attributed to our marketing strategy alone, but what our services provide is the backbone to grow steadily and sustainably. Representing a business in their entire service radius and creating the tools to convert visitors into leads and sales is essential to sustained growth. Having created such a great foundation this company is now opening new channels to create additional lead funnels. They are adding paid advertising, email marketing and SMS based communication to their approach over the next 12 months to further improve market visibility and lead acquisition in the markets they proudly serve. The key to online growth is change, evolving strategies are essential to maintain a digital presence and stay ahead of local competition.
If you have questions or would like to know more about our strategy visit redbarnmg.com.