[crestairandheat]

Hello there. I was wondering if any of you could offer some insight on TV advertising? What works? What doesn't? What channels have you advertised on and what were the results?

 

[HVACMan]

We have not had any experience with TV advertising. WE have met with representatives from the local TV networks, and i know it is expensive. I know some of the big franchises around Indianapolis do some TV, but no one else really does TV advertising. Sorry, this really doesn't help with your question, just some insight into TV and our market

 

[xair20874]

TV advertising is good for building a brand - especially if you have a memorable catch phrase or jingle. As for getting customers quickly, it's not as useful as something like online advertising, which potentials can find right when they need it as opposed to seeing randomly.

 

[bluecorona]

TV advertising is good for building a brand

Totally agree with this statement, but the key is to have 2-3 profitable lead generation strategies BEFORE you invest in advertising strategies where "branding" is an acceptable goal. If you don't work on the 2-3 lead-gen strategies, you risk having a brand just about the time you've run out of cash! A brand with no business isn't a very compelling concept!

Ben

 

[EnergyLoadCalc]

Television advertising is getting better. They can really target in certain locations and customer types. It is much less than people would think. I think the value is moreso in brand recognition. I don't think television advertising provides the best ROI.

 

[KomfortHeating]

I agree that TV advertising can be a waste of your advertising dollar. Try using google ad words or social media marketing. You will get more bang for your buck. With both google ad words and social media advertising you can control your demographics and your budget which you can adjust at any point during your campaign. The great thing is you can track everything where with TV it is much harder to track the success.

Komfort Heating & Cooling / Air Conditoning, Furnace Repair & Maintenance Elkhorn WI

 

[segcost]

You can get cheap radio advertising as well - especially if you advertise on the internet radio.

 

[Spyke45]

In Chicago, only one company does TV ads and they seem to have an endless advertising budget.

 

[ItsJon]

In Chicago, only one company does TV ads and they seem to have an endless advertising budget.

Either that or it's working.

I am all for advertising on tv.
As long as you do educational advertising and not institutional advertising.

Institutional: Name, rank, serial number
Here's who were are, and what we offer
This is traditional brand marketing, which is great is you have a large budget like Pespi, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, etc.

Educational:
Why should someone do business with you?
What's in it for them?
What should they avoid?
How can you help solve their problem?
Who, what, when, where, why, and how.....
Now, this will also add a dash of brand building... but that's secondary.

Where to advertise? Rates?
You can get non-peak hours. Different stations have different hours.
Where you advertise will depend on what you offer and who your target market is.

Hope this helps some....

 

[ControlledComfort]

I think it really just depends on the size of your company. TV advertising has a high barrier to entry and might not provide the ROI something like digital advertising can bring. Who really watches local TV these days anyways?

 

[Masbro]

Right On

I think it really just depends on the size of your company. TV advertising has a high barrier to entry and might not provide the ROI something like digital advertising can bring. Who really watches local TV these days anyways?

Most of my HVAC clients are mom and pop shops with less than five crews working. For them I usually do not recommend TV or radio spots. There are just more efficient ways to spend your advertising budget.

That being said, we have had some experience with this and it does build brand awareness and we've always gotten a spike in sales. Keep in mind that it can be an effective tool during the slow months, in between hot and cold seasons. It helps to make sales a little more consistent when temperatures aren't quite so extreme.

@Energyloadcalc, your observation is right on. Losing advertising dollars to the Internet has forced TV and radio ads to become more targeted. This makes advertising much more attractive because it's less wasteful than it used to be.

 

[hvacnashvilletn]

TV is a clean up strategy in my opinion.

When you're first starting out, you need to be very cost conscious and spend pennies wisely. Internet marketing is best for this. Once you've covered all your bases on internet marketing, you'll probably have quite the revenue stream and can afford to do TV, radio, etc. to really reinforce your brand.

 

[HoustonTrade]

Either that or it's working.

I am all for advertising on tv.
As long as you do educational advertising and not institutional advertising.

Institutional: Name, rank, serial number
Here's who were are, and what we offer
This is traditional brand marketing, which is great is you have a large budget like Pespi, Starbucks, Pizza Hut, etc.

Educational:
Why should someone do business with you?
What's in it for them?
What should they avoid?
How can you help solve their problem?
Who, what, when, where, why, and how.....
Now, this will also add a dash of brand building... but that's secondary.

Where to advertise? Rates?
You can get non-peak hours. Different stations have different hours.
Where you advertise will depend on what you offer and who your target market is.

Hope this helps some....

It does..
We've been looking into doing a commercial for our HVAC school. But it is really expensive and I just want to make sure it's worth it before spending that much.

 

[hvacnashvilletn]

It does..
We've been looking into doing a commercial for our HVAC school. But it is really expensive and I just want to make sure it's worth it before spending that much.

If you don't mind me asking, how much did they quote you?