Why? Content is still king.

All of your sales stem from your communications. This means that your content needs to convey the right message to the right people at the right time. Whether you have emails, newsletters, brochures, social media posts, or something else, it’s essential to have an overall content marketing strategy in place.

This is important because it lets you plan all of your online posts, direct mail pieces, phone conversations, and other communications to focus on a core message. For example, you may want to communicate that you have a unique offer or contest happening, an exclusive discount available for a limited time, or a special product or service.

By planning ahead, you can share your one key message with your audience in various ways at different times, and your team members know exactly what they need to communicate (and when) without confusion.

Your content marketing strategy creates cohesive communications across your entire business. Plus, you can easily track content results with the appropriate planning. Simply have customers take a specific action when they see your message. This call-to-action can include a unique landing page on your site, phone number, coupon code, or bonus-report form. Then, you can review the responses and see the popularity of each piece of content.

You’ll know instantly whether or not a message resonates with your customers and actually boosts sales activity. If it doesn’t, you can make changes for better results right away and save time, money and resources. But more important, you learn about what your customers really want so you can exceed their needs and stay one step ahead of the competition.

Let’s not forget about another important part of your communications plan. Public relations, or PR, refers to all of the communications you have with both your internal and external customers, and it can make a significant difference on your bottom line without costing a cent. Specifically, if a media member publishes a story about your HVAC business, you get free, instant publicity and third-party credibility you can’t get any other way. A single article in a local newspaper can generate positive word-of-mouth and bring in new customers overnight.

Now, if you don’t have the funds to hire a publicist, you can take some simple steps to generate your own publicity:

• Make a list of the media members who cover your industry;
• Contact them directly and introduce yourself as the local expert in your field; and
• Send them news about your business.

Whether it’s a charity event, new hire, fun team-member activity, or beneficial service for new customers, contact the media. You never know when a single call, email or press release can generate buzz for your business. And the best part is it only costs you time and effort.

What’s your content marketing and PR plan for 2021? Now is the time to review all of your communications for the year ahead. Plan your messaging and goals for each piece of content. Let the media know about your newsworthy events and activities as they happen. Then, track the results of your efforts and make changes as needed.

This way, you can give customers exactly what they want, build positive awareness and sales cost-effectively, and enjoy a competitive advantage — now and throughout 2021.