Typically, these service agreements cover your customers’ regular maintenance needs, repair needs and sometimes replacement needs, offering your clientele peace of mind — and making their annual costs more predictable. Many contractors offer a range of plans at a variety of price points.

Most plans include two annual system tune-ups — one in the fall, for heating equipment, and one in the spring, for cooling equipment. Many contractors also offer discounts on repairs as well as other perks for customers with maintenance agreements.

HVAC preventive maintenance agreements can accelerate your cash flow as customers pay the plan fees. They also boost profits by opening the door for opportunities, for example, to replace worn-out parts or systems.

You can increase your visibility dramatically by incorporating a blog and other social media into your HVAC preventive maintenance sales strategy. But no matter the medium, you should be conveying your maintenance plans’ key advantages to customers.

Not sure how? Consider these approaches as you develop your sales and marketing strategy:

• HVAC preventive maintenance plans ensure customers’ heating, cooling and ventilation equipment remains in good repair. By inspecting their systems regularly, your technicians will catch minor problems before they grow into major ones.

• Maintenance plans save customers money by improving the energy efficiency of their equipment. You know that leaky old equipment wastes money. Make sure your customers know that, too.

• They eliminate surprises. A customer with a maintenance plan rarely gets hit with a sudden midwinter heating system replacement. If their equipment is failing, your technicians will be able to repair it during a tune-up — or at least warn them of what lies ahead and help them explore their options.

• They are convenient. HVAC preventive maintenance agreements eliminate hassle for customers. You contact them when it’s time for a checkup. And when your customers do need repairs or immediate service, they know whom to call.

• They are cost-effective for customers. Do the math with your prospects, illustrating the differences in energy use — and costs — between a cared-for system and a neglected one.

Social media should be a prominent vehicle for delivering your message. You should be using social media to offer existing — and potential — customers a real benefit.

So, when you are covering preventive maintenance plans on your blog, on Facebook or on Twitter, do more than make a sales pitch. Share your expertise. Explain the “why” and some of the “how,” but do it in understandable language without using unfamiliar jargon. The less “salesy” your tone and the more informative, the more likely you are to keep your customers reading. Tell your audience what you do, and why you’re the one they should call.

Some ways to use social media to sell your HVAC preventive maintenance plans include:

Using your blog or Facebook posts to offer maintenance tips for tasks that homeowners or building maintenance crews can do themselves, like changing air filters and covering outside equipment to protect it from ice and snow. But emphasize that more complicated maintenance should be left to the professionals. Give some examples of tasks your technicians will do during a tune-up (and why they’re important), and provide a link to your comfort club web page. Don’t be afraid to give away that secret sauce. If you can communicate your expertise in, say, a blog post, most consumers will realize that they need professional help and choose you, the information expert, to get the job done for them.

Using social media to listen to your customers — and to improve your product. Create a Facebook poll about what customers want most from a preventive maintenance agreement. Each customer who participates makes a connection with you, and you gain information about your customers’ priorities. When a customer posts a maintenance question on your company’s Facebook wall, respond promptly and thoughtfully. Then turn that question and answer into a blog post — and provide that link to your website.

Using social media to extend bonus benefits to your customers. Facing a slow week? Send out a tweet offering a deal on programmable thermostats for members of your maintenance club — and a link. Post Today Only! discounts for club members on Facebook.

These bonus benefits don’t always have to be monetary. Offer “first-in-line” repair status to club members. Offer them emergency repair service — with no overtime charges — on holidays and weekends. Then write a blog entry titled, Join Our Maintenance Plan And Enjoy These 10 Perks.

NOTE: All these things are possible, but the biggest issue is that most contractors don’t have fans on Facebook or followers on Twitter or blog subscribers to get any attention. Doing that is a long-term strategy. Invest the time by creating high-quality content to make this happen. This is the new yellow pages folks…it’s important to starting thinking about this for 2012.

Your goal is to position yourself as your community’s go-to contractor when it comes to preventive maintenance. That means understanding your customers’ needs and sharing your expertise. It means staying in touch with your existing customers and reaching out to new ones. You know your customers are online — social media should be a key tool for reaching them.

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The advantages and disadvantages, outlined below, of Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages will help you choose the right vehicle for brand marketing.

Facebook

• Options rule here. Facebook’s apps, contests and promotional capabilities make it easy for you to meet your needs, and it’s a versatile choice.
• A Facebook business page is easy to build and use.
• The focus is on the customer, restricting options for business-to-business industries.
• To maximize its potential, you’ll need to monitor your Facebook page daily.

Twitter

• You can include more company information on landing pages in Twitter’s new version, allowing you to easily promote through inclusion of your company’s logo, graphics and slogan.
• You are allowed to select a tweet to promote at the forefront of your timeline.
• You can auto-expand visuals and text.
• These new features are in the pilot stages, with no word on when they’ll go live.
• You will probably get optimal results just from interacting with your Twitter users, rather than taking the time to develop a Twitter profile page.

Google+

• Company pages were designed with companies in mind, and not as an afterthought, optimizing the needs of companies in general.
• The buzz on Google+ is in its potential.
• The new kid on the block, its user base doesn’t compare to Facebook’s but it is growing quickly as they hit 100 million users.
• There is evidence that a Google+ page will increase your SEO rankings.
• User options are added daily.  Hangouts are already becoming very popular and may be a strong competitor to chats on Twitter.

Think you can boost your brand marketing by using company pages on Facebook, Twitter or Google+? Choosing the right avenue will help drive traffic to your services and products, increasing overall sales revenues. And that’s the end goal, isn’t it — regardless of how you get there?

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Therefore, it’s important to know how to choose keywords from beginning to end: From building your website to each and every blog post that you write to developing landing pages.

What are the steps you should follow?

• The term “keyword” is actually a misnomer, as experts now agree that keyword phrases actually optimize a search engine results page (SERP). So make sure you use more than one word, if at all possible. Within the industry, this is called a long-tail keyword. For example, if you sold cell phones, content that includes “cell” and “phones” won’t get you the results you’re after.
• Along those same lines, avoid using obvious keywords. For instance, a real estate company using that same phrase as a keyword would not rank high, unless its website name included that term — because Google ranks you higher if these match. Keyword selections need to be more specific. More effective choices include examples such as: “real estate company reviews,” “real estate company New York” or “apartment rentals Atlanta.” In general, a broad and large selection of specific keywords gets better search engine optimization (SEO) results than focusing on one or two highest-ranked terms.
• Use keyword phrases sparingly. Less is actually better, because Google will give your pages a lower score if you incorporate a lot of keywords — a signal to Google that your page is spam. What’s ideal? Three to five times in a page is effective.
• When selecting keywords, think like a consumer, not a business owner. What terms will your customers likely search for?
• Include the keyword in the introduction and conclusion, along with any captions for graphics.

Use your keywords to drive web activity, boost search engine results and attract attention that will energize your marketing efforts.

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Whether your topic is programmable thermostats or radiant heating, your title — the equivalent of a newspaper headline — will make or break your blog (or any of your online content for that matter).

That little string of words has to perform some big jobs. It must:

• Grab your readers’ attention

• Tell customers and potential customers how they stand to benefit by reading your content

• Provide information to search engines so that they can guide customers in your direction (so you can be found).

Well-written blog post titles serve your marketing strategy and your customers better — and they will live on longer, and in more places online, than you might imagine. That can translate into steady business for you, as your blog content works harder and better to build your standing among homeowners in your community.

Like newspaper article headlines, blog post titles tell readers precisely what’s contained in each entry, helping them decide quickly whether your post is worth their time. Titles also provide key information to Google and other search engines, which use that information to decide whether — and where — to list your blog among a reader’s search results.

Your titles will also appear on Twitter feeds, Facebook and LinkedIn (and other networking sites), and in your blog’s archive. So talk to a broad audience directly. Tell them what you’re going to tell them in your titles and give them a reason to read on.

Yes, it’s a tall order, but think of how much competition you have out there in the universe of HVAC contractors. They’re using social media, too. You have about three seconds to convince your potential customers that they should read your blog.

How? Here are some tips:

• Effective blog post titles convey content that’s valuable to your potential readers and customers. Offer a real benefit. As a local HVAC contractor, you are in a position to offer equipment and maintenance advice. Consider the problems that your customers present you with consistently. What information can you provide to help them take better care of their equipment or make more informed purchasing decisions?

• Use your blog post title to convey that benefit. That means using concise, specific language, cutting meaningless verbiage. A post titled, “Your Furnace’s Air Filter: Replacing It In Five Simple Steps” will work better than “Keeping Your Filter Clean Keeps Your Furnace Running Great.” Anticipate your potential readers’ search terms, called keywords, and include them in your title. It’s important to use — and not overuse – keywords in the post itself, too, but it’s essential to include them in titles so the search engines can find your posts. Homeowners seeking information about furnace filters are more likely to type, “replacing furnace filters” into their search engine than any string of words containing “keeping,” “running” or “great.”

• Frontload your keywords. Place them toward the beginning of your titles. Google weighs early words more heavily when returning search results — as do potential readers scanning their options.

• Play it straight. Avoid the temptation to be clever or tell a joke in your blog post titles. Google doesn’t “get” heating and air conditioning puns, even if they have your receptionist laughing; Google may skip your title when returning search results.

• Three keys to success: numbers, numbers and numbers. Use your title to promise a list of easy-to-digest tips, and you will get your customers’ attention. For example, in an October post, Conditioned Air of Naples, Florida, offered “Three Common Threats To Indoor Air Quality And How to Address Them.”

• Convey your authority on the subject. “Ventilation Is Important In Your Home, And Here’s Why,” reads a title from AC Pro, a network of HVAC contractors in California and Nevada. It’s definitive. And it lets the readers know they will be getting advice from someone qualified to give it.

• At a loss? “How to” HVAC blog post titles are reliable winners, especially if your readers will be able to take specific action after reading them. South Jersey’s Campbell Comfort Systems laid out for readers,“How To Solve The ‘Too Hot — Too Cold’ Problem.”

• Be accurate. Never use a misleading title to entice your readers to click through, only to provide content that falls short or takes another direction entirely. You will sink your own credibility, and fast. In the HVAC contracting business, as you know, your good word is among your greatest assets.

Finally, mix it up, in terms of content as well as presentation. Originality is key to content marketing. Go by a formula, and your customers — and the search engines — will learn quickly to steer clear of your blog.

Your blog is part of your public face. It helps people learn who you are and why they should pick up the phone and call you. Give them a good reason to read it with compelling, carefully-crafted blog post titles.

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However, hundreds of other sites may be using the same keywords, so how does Google know which ones best meet the needs of the user? The more times keywords are used naturally, the higher your ranking. And the more times those keywords are used in links, both to and from your website, the higher the rankings. Optimizing SEO keywords requires taking both of these factors into account.

Use SEO keywords in quality content
Most likely, you are already convinced that blogging for business is essential to the online success of your company. As always, a key component of a business blog is regular, quality content. Search engines are smarter than you may think. They can tell when content is copied from another site, poorly rewritten by spinning software or simply gibberish stuffed with keywords.

Perhaps more important than search engine behavior is the fact that your readers won’t come back if you don’t provide well-written content that both engages them and provides value. This is why companies like SocialTract work only with highly qualified writers who have experience with optimizing SEO keywords.

Use SEO keywords in natural links
In addition to quality content, search engines love links; the more you have, the higher you rank. Again, quality matters. Linking relevant keywords will have much more impact than linking words like “click here,” which mean nothing without the context of the page. Link keywords between pages on your site, to your blog and to other quality sites.

Optimizing SEO keywords is just one of the tools SocialTract uses to drive traffic to your website. Combined with quality content and social media tools, we help you create a professional online presence to both increase your client base and build credibility for your company. To learn more about how SocialTract can help your business grow, check out our website or subscribe to our blog.Share and Enjoy:

Here are some useful guidelines that will help to position your business at the forefront of your industry, and boost your online presence well beyond your immediate local demographics.

Promote across social media tools
Once you establish your business in each social media market, the next step is to cross-promote your business within each available tool—and this doesn’t require significant monetary or personnel resources.

One of the main ways that social media works is to raise awareness—of your business and your products. So it’s important to think creatively about connecting your Facebook presence to your Twitter profile, your LinkedIn account, YouTube videos and so on. Some consumers might only use Twitter or LinkedIn, for instance. By connecting these accounts and promoting your online presence, you will further your potential target demographic.

An easy way to cross-promote is to establish a marketing campaign that targets an unreached but related demographic. For instance, an “Earth Day” campaign—beginning a few weeks before the official date—that focuses on a “green” aspect of your business will create meaningful conversations and a buzz—and build your business’ visibility. Or engage Twitter users with a special offer available only to them through Facebook by leaving a comment, for example.

Promote through creative partnerships
You can also cross-promote in partnership with other businesses. Use creativity and partner with companies that make sense for your product and business goals. Effective partnerships can include a safety regulation organization within your industry or a charity—and will increase awareness for your business to a previously unreached market group.

Find ways to cross-promote your business using social media tools, and partner with other businesses and organizations to create synergy within your marketing strategy, which will ultimately translate into increased conversions.Share and Enjoy:

You can keep consumers (and the potential for conversions) within the realm of your online presence, if you avoid these common mistakes:

• Visual appeal: The design of your landing pages should follow conventional guidelines for a strong visual appeal, which should promote a color contrast that draws consumers to your page — instead of away. Color choices should enhance the user’s ability to read the text, not obscure it. Font size matters, too, so choose one that appeals to a broad consumer base, especially those with poor eyesight.
• Navigation: Effective landing pages should be easy to navigate. If you try to accomplish too much (translation: clutter), you’ll confuse users. The main goal should be to direct users to the purpose of that page, the call to action (C2A).
• Page view: Research has shown that most users don’t take time to scroll down a page, so if your C2A is below the screen view, you’re likely to lose their attention. Put your sales pitch within the space that a user first sees when “landing” on that page to get your message across.
• Headline: This one-liner is your best chance to score some action on your landing page. With consumers subjected to information overload, they’ve become accustomed to performing a two-second scan. If your headline doesn’t grab their attention, chances are they’ll abandon the page.
• Content: Simply put, your content should clearly and succinctly lead readers to a single C2A. Keeping in mind the scanning factor, your content should easily lead users through the information with headings, blocks of text, bullet points and white space.
• Ads: These words sum up an effective landing page strategy: Use ads sparingly. Users are generally turned off by ads; use too many,  and it’s akin to asking them to leave your page.

Avoid these five mistakes, and create effective landing pages that will support your marketing goals. After all, you’ve created landing pages for results.Share and Enjoy:

The key to content marketing 
Search engines love good content. If you can strike the right balance of both quality and quantity, you are likely to see your organic search rankings start to climb. Note that a key phrase here is quality content. If you stuff your website full of keywords in a meaningless way, it won’t help, and could possibly damage your rankings.

Optimizing some or all of the following content vehicles can go a long way toward getting your business noticed by both search engines and potential customers.

• Website content. This is the online face of your company. Page content needs to be professional, informative and easy to read.
• Blogs. A good blog that is regularly updated can draw a significant amount of traffic to your site. Provide information that your readers find valuable and they will keep coming back, and more importantly, share your content with their social networks.
• Forums. Although you have less control over the quality of the content in a forum, you can create a community of dedicated customers.
• FAQs. Most websites have a page for frequently asked questions, but not every business uses this content space at its maximum keyword potential.

Social media tools spread the message
Even with high-quality content and regular updates, if people don’t receive your message, you are not getting the most from your efforts. This is why content marketing and social media tools go hand in hand. Provide your readers with the ability to share your web pages, blog posts, articles and other content with their Facebook friends, Twitter followers and other social networks.

Using both content marketing and social media tools is an excellent way to grow your online presence. Although one can work without the other, they’re best together.Share and Enjoy:

Offering free or low-cost webinars is an excellent way to boost your online authority. Rather than a quick blog post or social media comment, webinars provide the opportunity to delve deeper into a topic, so you can demonstrate your expertise and build credibility in your field.

Use podcasts to build a digital reference library
In contrast to webinars, podcasts are traditionally used as a one-way tool to provide information to an audience. You can create either audio or video podcasts that can be downloaded by users as needed.

Many people choose to create a series of podcasts that are either episodic or serial. This entices your audience to come back for more and keeps them interested in your content in an ongoing manner. It also allows you to generate a library of content that provides a useful resource to your customer base.

The topics you select are completely up to you, but incorporating the following criteria can help you best take advantage of these social media tools:

• Choose topics that are informative and interesting to your audience.
• Create agendas for webinars so participants know what to expect.
• Have the next webinar or podcast planned so you can promote it in the current one.
• Keep topics more narrow than broad.
• Create multiple events for broader topics if necessary.

Most importantly, speak only about topics that you know. Stay within your expertise to provide the most value to your audience.Share and Enjoy:

Advertising can be effective for getting you on page one, but it can also be very expensive. Search engine optimization, on the other hand, is relatively low-cost and has a much more lasting effect.

Improve your organic search engine rankings by incorporating the following five factors:

1. Meaningful meta titles—Every web page has meta data; much of it is targeted to search engines, but some of it is visible in search engine results, so it is important to make your meta data user-friendly. Meta titles are visible both at the top of your web browser when the web page is open, and more importantly, as the title of the web page in a search result. Creating titles that are meaningful and well-written can draw a reader to your website.
2. Meta descriptions—Although they are not visible anywhere on your website, meta descriptions appear as the snippets under the title in search results. Again, creating content that will entice the reader to go to your web page can increase your site visits.
3. Quality content—One of the best ways to improve search engine rankings is by writing quality content. Regular updates to a blog will also make your site more appealing to search engines.
4. Keyword frequency—Incorporating keywords into your content will help search engines find your site when those keywords are searched. It is important to use keywords and key phrases naturally while avoiding overuse that may impact quality.
5. Linking—Search engines love links. The more links you have to your site, from your site and within your site, the higher your search engine rankings will be. Remember, quality counts. Link only to credible sites that would not be considered spam.

Dynamic websites tend to be more successful than static ones, which is why blogging is such an effective tool for increasing search engine rankings. The experts at SocialTract know what works best to get your site noticed. Contact us today to learn more about business blogging.Share and Enjoy: