A Crash Course in Year-End Marketing Prep for 2020
Let out a big sigh—the election is over. And no matter where your election hopes landed this year, we all win when we don’t have to watch political commercials for another four years, right? As we look to the end of the year, there are a lot of changes to reflect on, like rapid changes in digital marketing, how the solar, home performance, and HVAC industries are able to operate, and the meteoric rise of interest in indoor air quality and ventilation awareness.
Fortunately, we have been keeping track of all of it, and want to help your HVAC, solar, or home performance business prepare your marketing for the end of the year. Here are five blogs from the past year that you can use to take advantage of free advertising dollars, prepare your website, and ready your operations for the end of the year, before the global pandemic rolls on from one year to another.
1. Take Advantage of Co-op Dollars Before Years End… Seriously!
“Manufacturers, as well as state and dealer run programs, are still offering up free money in the form of co-op dollars that can help with your end-of-year push.”
Yes, there is free money out there to help move the products you may already install. If you haven’t already found and applied for marketing co-ops, you are running out of time! This blog covers how these programs work, how you can best take advantage of them, as well as a list of solar and HVAC manufacturers that are offering co-ops.
2. How Contractors Are Adapting to a Low Touch World
“The low touch world may be here to stay.”
The New York Times recently reported, “After case numbers fell steadily in April and May, cases in the United States are growing again at about the same rapid pace as when infections were exploding in New York City in late March”. Impossible as it may seem, this global pandemic isn’t going anywhere yet. And with a shift in White House administration already in the works, social distancing, masks, low-touch, and sanitization procedures will be a part of doing business for the foreseeable future. Read about what other contractors we work with are doing to adapt in this article.
3. What Should I Tell My Customers About Coronavirus?: Communication Ideas for COVID-19
“A clear, transparent communications approach that describes how your company is responding to the virus is probably your best antidote.”
If you have been able to get by this far without addressing the elephant in the room across all of your digital marketing channels, you won’t be able to for much longer. Stay ahead of it, take it seriously, and communicate clearly and transparently with your customers!
4. The Ever-Evolving Changes of Google and Apple
“Google has its own ecosystem, and can source and cite on its own the most trusted and verified information about a company.”
Winning the local SEO battle often comes down to a game of inches. But staying on top of the changes in resources for local search is a must if you’re going to stay competitive. There have been some big updates this year in both Google and Apple Maps—learn how these changes might affect how you can market your contracting business in your service area.
5. Stay Up to Date with the EnCircled Podcast
“An Energy Circle podcast, where we discuss the latest in current events and digital marketing, for the HVAC, solar, and home performance industries.”
If you want to keep up with these changes, so you aren’t scrambling to piece together a comprehensive marketing plan for the end of 2021, the team at Energy Circle is staying atop all of these digital marketing topics—and more—in our shiny new podcast. So far in Season 1, we have covered everything from seasonal changes in your PPC strategy and trends in the solar industry to the many benefits of call tracking, and we’ve maybe cracked a few puns in the process.