Consumer Behavior and The New Normal

Understanding what people buy, why they buy it and how they prefer to be sold is what governs the core of your business. Underestimating the public sentiment can put your business and your loved ones at disadvantage. And since people’s needs and wants fluctuate over time, what used to work in the past won’t necessarily work today.

This week’s webinar was focused on providing clients with the necessary information and tools regarding all the safety protocols surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and how those translate into your business and marketing objectives. The importance of giving your customers unparalleled peace of mind when they need it the most should not be downplayed. 

Sometimes mere words are not enough. After all they say that a picture is worth a thousand of them! If you want to set your business apart, you have to show folks that you are taking every precaution necessary to safeguard both their families and your staff. Offering viable alternatives in the form of a Virtual Sales and Service Center is invaluable. One thing you can be sure of is that the virus does not affect the weather. You are an essential service provider and your contribution to the community will be necessary throughout the summer. 

Launch a Virtual Sales and Service Center  ciwebgroup.com/vss Vss.hvacmarketingwebsites.com Schedule Your Strategy Session With One Of Our Experts Today.

Pandemic-Driven Behaviour Changes

The direction and behavior of paid ad campaigns has also varied tremendously and digital marketing strategies will have to be amended accordingly. While the old “normal” saw the majority of homeowners doing searches for home services and repairs on weekends and in the evenings after work, the new “normal” is somewhat different. People are now confined in their home 24 hours a day and have an abundance of time to find new things that need fixing.

Their spending behavior has changed too, and as a result they’ve got more disposable cash to spend on home improvements. Money that was otherwise spent on clothes, cinema tickets, or eating out. The change in behavior was explained in detail by Chris Heney, our Director of Marketing, in a manner that was easy to understand. He also divulged how hvac marketing strategies need to be changed to suit the search traffic times that have now taken a different shape and form.

Social Media, Your Go-To Lead Gen Platforms

Jennifer discussed exactly how the social media landscape has changed for home service providers over the past three months. Many heating and cooling companies outsourced their social media campaigns, but the results their vendors achieved failed to nail down the messaging.

Strategies were not really hands on and it was evident. The times have changed and social media has become one of the most important advertising channels between home services businesses and customers. If you haven’t paid attention to your social media accounts in the past, now is the time to change that.

Developing a personal relationship with your clients by leveraging industry-specific posts, graphics and AI Chatbots is the way forward in an environment where social distancing is key. Jasmin indicated that Instagram and Facebook engagement has tripled over the last couple of weeks.

This is the way to connect with your customers. Social media is for everyone. Using social media to keep your customers involved in what you do and the work you complete is paramount to ensuring a two-way relationship. People are now accustomed to using social media for all sorts of things. Making use of a chatbot which is linked to your messenger service will ensure that you keep your finger on the button of what your clients need now. 

Virtual Services

During a time when social distancing is extremely important, it is vital that your clients understand what virtual services you offer. Zoom or Google Meet walk-throughs provide you with the platform to do assessments online by collecting information that is necessary to provide quotations and decrease the time in your customers’ premises in half. You don’t have to physically go to their house in order to give them a price for their repair or installation.

The only time you physically have to visit your clients’ homes is when the actual work has to be done. Everything from assessments, to quotes, to bookings and payments can be done online. Business carries on and services continue unhindered if you have all your processes in place. If you don’t, it is time to do that now. Book an appointment with our team today so we can guide you through the entire process.

Business Pages

If you haven’t started a business page before this time, don’t expect to open a business page now and have a decent number of followers seeing your content, let alone engage with it. These things take time. You may have to make use of your personal pages to get the word out. Make use of our free tools and forms to implement onto your pages. CIHVAC is a new directory which can help increase your visibility.

CI Web Group will list your company on this site on registration. There are categories which you can select and add to your listing. You can include your company logo and pictures of your operations. You will be provided with your own login and password to update your information whenever you wish. This is particularly helpful for clients that don’t have websites or the tools to market their businesses at the moment. 

Treat Their Data With The Respect They Deserve

It is important that your website does not scare off the client. One thing to note here is when you input your website’s URL the site does not come up as “not secure”. This kind of thing will scare off customers who may be wary of viruses that may infect their computers or having their data compromised.

Make sure that your contact information and address are clearly visible and easy to find. People need to know that you are in business. Even if your name is passed along through word of mouth, consumers still need to be able to go to your website and see you are in business. The new RAD sites are websites that CI Web Group has built that can be launched within 7 days. The sites are powerful and have the basic functionality that is required to work online during this new “normal”. It is simple and effective. 

Google My Business

It is important to ensure that your business hours are correctly displayed on Google my Business. You will not receive calls outside of these hours through Google my Business. Add content, videos and reviews to solidify customer interest. Include a Whatsapp number into your profile. You need to make sure that clients know when you are open and how to contact you. 

Chatbot For 24 Hour Service

Including a chatbot on your website is the ideal way to be available for your clients even when you aren’t physically available.  As an entrepreneur you need to know what you want to sell, where you want to sell and how you want to bring it to market. This is vital to your marketing strategy. How you market your business will depend on this. Doors have been opened by businesses that have just stopped dead in their tracks through this pandemic.

Pay per click advertisements have reduced in number, opening up opportunities for you to be listed in the top rankings. Spots are opening up on the first page of Google searches and this is the time to take advantage of that. How you spend your dollars will have to be evaluated and channeled into platforms that will move your business upwards. You have to make your company an option.

Communication and the ability to have an open relationship with your clients is vital. Be where the consumers are right now, online! Make them feel safe and comfortable and ready to work with you. Dropping your marketing now is not the right route to follow. Rebuilding your position will take years. Go after what you want. Now is the time.

Schedule Your Strategy Session With One Of Our Experts Today.digital marketing