How YouTube Can Grow an HVAC Business and its Reputation
I remember the first video I ever made for Fox Family Heating & Air’s YouTube channel — it was a complete disaster. The audio was terrible, the video was a grainy desktop computer camera, and I had only the slightest bit of knowledge of what I was doing. But I posted it anyway, and to my surprise, a few people actually watched it! Encouraged by this, I kept making videos and got a little better with each one. I learned how to use editing software to improve the quality of my videos and I became more comfortable in front of the camera. As my skills improved, so did my popularity. Today, my channel has thousands of subscribers.
With YouTube, I have:
- Tapped into the billions of people watching monthly;
- Gotten found on Google more organically;
- Created content that will never disappear from the internet;
- Earned trust from people without having gone into their homes yet; and
- BONUS: Made monthly pocket change from Google.
I can honestly say that making these videos has been the single most cost-effective thing I have done for our marketing and branding presence. Not only are a ton of people in our immediate service area watching and learning from our videos, but they are also learning who we are and our business ethics. We have developed a lot of trust from people all over the country, too. Ask my admin team and they'll tell you the funniest part of their day is when people call from the other side of the country, and even Canada, asking if we service their area. People are watching overseas, too. It's amazing. Just 6-8 hours per video has made us an industry name.
In my service area, I have optimized them to stand out when people search for what may seem like mundane things, like "Why is my air conditioner so loud?" I am also creating a buzz amongst technicians in my area looking for a better workplace. I can stand at the food truck at Home Depot in the mornings, and a tech will come up to me and express how much our videos have helped him in the field. That's powerful!
I have found that the more transparent we are while making my videos, the better response we get from them. Showing someone how to replace a compressor isn't going to lose you business. It is actually going to demonstrate your expertise and what is involved in the process. I remember one comment from that compressor video: "Nope! When I saw the torches come out, I knew I was in over my head."
I just continued making a video once or twice a week and uploaded them to the second most popular search engine in the world: YouTube. I have oodles of topics to talk about. Every little facet of the HVAC world, from how a pressure switch works to starting a business from the ground up, may seem trivial to you, but to others trying to learn something, it isn't.
Early adopters of content creation on the niche of HVAC were "grayfurnaceman," "Dr. Zarklov," "Zack Psioda," "Lex Vance," and "NorCal Refrigeration & H.V.A.C." These guys were simply sticking a camera in front of their faces and chatting about what they were doing that day. They would hit the record button and say, "Hey guys, how are you doing? Today I wanted to bring you along as I troubleshoot a gas furnace." And then, they would take their camera along, sit it down, and point it at the furnace with them in front of it. Now, these types of videos are still being produced by HVAC business owners and service techs all over the country.
What started out as a few guys putzing around making videos showcasing their personal lives and the life of an HVAC technician out in the field ended up being thousands upon thousands of views a month. Content creation is about repetition. Even if one video flops and you realize no one cares about that topic, you keep pressing on. More videos mean more views. I found myself making a video about something I thought was vague: "The Facts About Condensate Drain Lines." Three years later, that video has over 72,000 views! Are they all from my service area? Not likely. In fact, I can see from my YouTube analytics that not only people from Sacramento have watched it, but Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Melbourne, Australia, and Long Beach are the most popular cities the video has been watched in.
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I had one lady from Phoenix, Arizona, call us in Sacramento and ask if she could fly me down there and put me in a hotel for the night; would I fix her system? In her search for a good company, she only trusted Fox Family, and it was from watching our videos. That was surprising, but I knew a company in her area and referred her to them. The problem got fixed, and at the same time, I bolstered my HVAC network by referring that company — which I know now, will refer me likewise.
HVAC is a niche that we are already passionate about. Why not demonstrate that passion and start building trust and familiarity for your company, too? YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, and it is easy to see why. YouTube's search algorithm is very effective, allowing users to find the exact content they are looking for. It's also a great platform for businesses and creators. By uploading engaging content, businesses can reach a large audience of potential customers. There is no doubt that the unrivaled power of YouTube has helped grow my business.
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