Developing a Fall Marketing Campaign That Gets Results
GARY HEATH
BDR Head Coach
It may seem odd to think about planning for fall in the middle of summer. After all, it’s hot outside, and calls are aplenty. But consider how large retailers position themselves. To a tee, they are guaranteed to have merchandise out a season ahead. That doesn’t happen at the last minute. Someone has been planning that for weeks in advance.
Yet, in our trade, we can go through the chaos of summer and often wait until the first cool fall day before even starting to think about what we’re going to do for the fall campaign. Spring and fall are great opportunities to acquire new customers.
Think about it; in the changeover season, it doesn’t matter who installed it, how old the system is, or whether they have worked with us in the past. Every home’s comfort system in a well-selected neighborhood of your choosing could benefit from a professional cleaning and safety check.
The challenge is being positioned at the right time, with the right message, to deliver a persuasive and value-packed offer. Successful marketers always plan ahead, well in advance of the actual season date.
Do not wait until September or October to determine your strategy. Consider the following:
- Who is your target audience?
- What is your compelling offer?
- How will you effectively deliver this message?
- When will you deliver this message?
What you do today will impact your service and install schedules 90 days out and have a residual effect six to seven months from now. Key strategies to consider include:
- Set goals for your call capacity in the shoulder season.
- Determine the number of calls per tech per day X the number of days per month = the total number of calls per month.
- Research the number of maintenances to be performed.
- Select the number of maintenances you will schedule each day and subtract it from your call capacity. The excess number of calls is your opportunity.
- Stretch out your maintenance season. Don’t cram your maintenances in two months; techs need time to develop client relationships.
- Utilize outbound calling and an email and/or social media campaign to reach your existing customers who are not current maintenance/membership clients.
- Invite them to join your club/membership program or educate them on the accessory of the month.
- Work with your coach to create talking points and have team members practice before calling.
- Be sure to meet with your techs; educate and inform them about what is being offered so you will have a consistent message throughout the department.
- Neighborhood Marketing
- Direct mail to neighbors of clients where you have installed a new system or performed service.
- Include door hangers and yard signs.
- Update the company website message and/or look. Add new features, such as Live Chat.
- Review internet campaign effectiveness of search engine optimization, geofencing, and target geography.
- Update all social media with new messages.
- Update all company collateral.
- Create a training outline for late summer/early fall.
Meet with your BDR coach, your team, and all vendors to get as much “trigger-ready” planning in place. This will allow you to continue acquiring new customers while strengthening the relationships with your existing clients.
Wahoo!
About the Author
Gary Heath has worked in the industry for over 45 years, with experience in Residential and Commercial HVAC/R. His expertise covers territory management, sales and service management, dealer development, and retail sales skills training. Gary has been a head coach with BDR since 2007.