HVAC Email Marketing: Templates & Examples

Email is one of the most effective marketing channels for small businesses – especially HVAC companies. 

It’s fast, efficient, and helps you retain clients over time. Your brand stays relevant by triggering email campaigns throughout the year as customers need to schedule your services. It’s also a great way to inform people about your business, share timely updates, and advertise limited-time deals.

In this post, I’ll explain everything you need to know about email marketing for HVAC companies. I’ll teach you how to create a new campaign, pick the right software, and provide templates you can use to market your business. 

Email Marketing for HVAC Companies

Let’s start with the basics. Here are seven steps for creating an effective email marketing campaign.

1. Choose your email marketing tools.

I wouldn’t recommend using Gmail or Outlook alone to create an email marketing campaign. While possible, it’s much easier to use software with specific tools for designing marketing emails. 

Here are some of the features you should look for in email marketing software: 

• Automated Scheduling
• Email Lists
• Personalized Messaging
• AI Assistant
• Pre-Made Templates
• Reporting Tools

You will also need a CRM. Most email tools use it to create lists and personalize your emails. The more personalized your messages are, the more likely customers will open them.

2. Create an email list.

To run an efficient campaign, you need to create a list of email addresses. Most email marketing tools have features to help you do this, but the goal is to create a list of all customers you want to communicate with. For some campaigns, that might be your entire customer base. For others, you might only engage a small group with a unique offer or deal. This is called customer segmentation, and it’s effective for any marketing campaign.

The key to email is personalizing the customer experience. People are more likely to open your message if it feels designed specifically for them. That’s why it’s better to create multiple campaigns targeting different customer groups. You’ll get a higher response rate and better engagement.

3. Set goals for your campaign. 

It’s important to set SMART goals that measure your performance. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These goals outline a clear objective for your campaign, making it easier to prioritize specific email elements. 

For example, if your goal is to “increase email open rates by 5%,” then you might spend more time on your subject line since that’s the first thing people see before opening your message. If you want more clicks to a landing page on your website, you might direct the reader’s attention to one specific area of your email with a link to your site. Having a clear goal makes crafting content that helps you achieve it easier.

4. Write interesting copy, compelling content, and catchy subject lines.

Email is all about capturing your reader’s attention. Your copy should be interesting, spark curiosity, and motivate customers to take action. If it’s dull, confusing, and generic, that won’t only affect one email’s performance but future emails as well. 

Try to make each email sound like it’s coming from a trusted friend. Speak directly to your customers and use personalization features, including the customer’s name, company, and more. With regular email tools, you would have to write these details out for each customer. But email marketing software does this for you, so you don’t have to copy, paste, and edit each message.

You should also include interactive elements like buttons, images, polls, and quizzes. Offer readers something more than just written text. Again, the idea is to create an enjoyable experience that makes people want to return for more.

5. Plan a series of emails. 

While one-off emails are great, creating a series of messages that can be sent over time is much more effective. This is called a “nurture campaign” because it promotes your brand through multiple messages and guides the customer to a specific area of your website. 

For example, if you want customers to request an A/C quote, email them during the summer about the advantages of adding an A/C system to their home. Then, send them another email telling them you provide free quotes and a link to your website. And if that doesn’t work, send them a third message with a coupon or discount on your seasonal services.

Notice how this campaign has a specific goal that I’m working toward. Each email is different, but they all direct the reader to the same location. 

6. Test different email elements. 

It’s rare for a marketing campaign to be flawless from the start. Most take time to perfect, so you should test different elements over time. 

Email is perfect for A/B testing because marketers use it to compare versions of the same email. They change one or two elements (images, links, subject lines, etc.) and see which performs best. A true A/B test sends both versions to small sections of your email list and then compares the performance of each group. Whichever email performs best gets sent to the rest of the email list. 

7. Monitor your performance. 

How do you know what you should test? Most email marketing software has reporting tools that tell you how many people opened your emails, what they clicked on, and other information that helps you monitor performance. This data is a great launching point for improving your campaigns. 

For instance, if you want people to visit your website, look at your click-through rate. The click-through rate is the percentage of people who click on a link in your email. If that number is low, you might want to A/B test the links to your website. You could change their copy or put them higher in your email. 

The best email campaigns are data-driven, meaning marketers use data to inform every decision they make. That slowly improves the campaign over time because every change is supported by customer feedback. 

HVAC Email Marketing Templates

Now, let’s start creating an HVAC email marketing campaign. Here are some templates you can use for your business. We’ve also included examples of HVAC businesses using these templates. 

1. “Get a Quote” Email Campaign

This email template encourages existing customers to request a quote from your business. It works great with seasonal marketing campaigns when you want to remind customers about your brand.

Template: 

Example: Billy’s HVAC Services

Here’s an example of this type of HVAC email marketing campaign. I like how they personalize this message by including the last time the filter was replaced. 

2. “Request a Quote” Follow-Up Email

When researching this post, I found that most HVAC companies do not send a follow-up email when you fill out a “request a quote” form on their website. Here’s a great opportunity to use email automation to connect with your customers. When someone fills out this form, send them this email to let them know you are crunching the numbers and will get back to them soon. 

Template: 

Example: Harry’s HVAC Services

Here’s an example of this type of HVAC email marketing campaign. 

3. “Schedule Your Next Appointment” Email Campaign

Sometimes, customers will routinely schedule your services. Re-engage these customers by reminding them they are due for an upcoming appointment. Be sure to provide reasons why they need this service and a direct link to your website where they can schedule an appointment.

Template: 

Example: 

Here’s an example of this type of email marketing campaign. I like how they explain why I need this service and how to contact them. The big button in the middle of the email makes it clear what the company wants me to do. 

4. Customer Referral Email Campaign

One of the most common types of email marketing campaigns is a referral campaign. These are promotions where you incentivize customers to refer people to your business. The referring customer gets a discount or reward, while you connect with someone interested in your services. 

Template:

Example: Advanced Heating & Cooling

5. Customer Review Request Email Campaign

Small businesses rely on customer reviews to improve their online reputation. The more good reviews you have, the more likely people will find you on Google and want to work with your business. You can increase the number of reviews by sending customers this email template.

Template: 

Tip: Use this Google Review Link Generator to request Google Reviews for your business. 

Example: 

Here’s an example of this type of HVAC email marketing campaign. 

6. Limited-Time Deal Email Campaign

Email is also a reliable channel to promote seasonal deals. Spruce up this template with festive images, holiday-themed copy, and other elements to make it stand out to your readers. 

Template: 

Example: Blue’s Heating & Electric

Here’s an example of this type of HVAC email marketing campaign. 

Email Marketing Software for HVAC Companies

At the start of this post, we discussed the importance of selecting the right email marketing tools for your business. With that in mind, here are the three best email marketing tools for HVAC companies. 

Thryv

Thryv is a small business platform designed for service-based industries like HVAC. Its email marketing tools promote deals and offers while automating scheduling for your business. Rather than sending follow-up emails manually, it schedules them for you and personalizes your templates using information from your CRM. Details like customer names and invoice numbers are inserted automatically, creating a smooth, personalized experience for your customers.

Learn more about Thryv’s email marketing tools. 

MailChimp

MailChimp is a popular email marketing tool used by businesses of all sizes. It’s easy to use, and with a free subscription, you can send up to a thousand emails each month. Free accounts are limited when it comes to reporting and A/B testing, but overall, this is a solid platform for getting started with email marketing. 

Moosend 

Moosend is an email marketing tool that also helps you design website pages. These pages have forms to collect customer information and store it in your CRM. You can then use this data to personalize future email campaigns and segment your audience for better engagement. 

Email Marketing for HVAC Contractors

If you’re not using email marketing for your HVAC business, you’re missing out on a huge marketing opportunity for your brand. Not only is email efficient, but it provides a direct way to communicate with your customers. You can share deals, offer support, and constantly contact your customers so they always think of your brand for their heating and cooling needs. Use these tips to get started and save some of the templates above to create your own email campaign.