Hashtags should be in every business’s marketing arsenal. They are essential to your brand’s social media and marketing strategy and provide a means for creating greater brand awareness. Today, we will offer some helpful ideas for finding the top hashtags for HVAC businesses.
First, let’s take a moment to talk about what a hashtag is precisely and why top hashtags for your HVAC business can be beneficial.
A hashtag is a word or phrase prefaced with the # (pound) symbol. Hashtags are used all over social media, like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, etc., to connect one with the hive mind of people interested in a particular topic. For example, when posting on your HVAC company’s social media platforms, you can hashtag #HVAC or #heatingandcooling.
Types of Hashtags
Hashtags tend to fit into three general categories: branded, trending, and content. Let’s talk a bit more about what each kind is.
- Branded Hashtags. These hashtags are specific to your HVAC brand, such as your business name, tagline or slogan, or the name of a product/service. Branded hashtags encourage customer interactions or raise awareness.
- Trending Hashtags. These hashtags are for trending topics, which tend to be generated by current events or viral content. They can be an excellent way to gain visibility, but only if you post high-quality, relevant content. For example, you don’t want to use a hashtag about a trending topic about something that happened in the news unless it somehow ties into your content.
- Content Hashtags. These hashtags add information to the post (e.g., “Prepare for #Chicagowinter by getting your #HVAC system checked out.) or revisit other parts of the post.
In addition to these types of hashtags, you’ll need to consider how you use hashtags on different social networks.
- Facebook. Facebook supports hashtags, but they aren’t widely used or as effective as on other platforms like Instagram.
- Instagram. Hashtags are an essential feature for marketing on Instagram. While Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags on each post, that doesn’t mean you should use all 30. Instagram recommends 3-5 hashtags per post and more if you comment with the hashtags.
- X (or Twitter). Twitter is the network where hashtags first took off. But Twitter recommends using only one or two hashtags per post, partially due to the character limit.
Think Like a Customer
Chances are a potential customer isn’t following HVAC-related hashtags unless they love duct systems and find furnace filters intriguing. So, it’s up to you to determine what the average customer you wish to attract follows online and somehow tie that into your content. It could be something like #newhomeowner or #hvactips.
Think Local
Combining HVAC, general business, and small business hashtags is an excellent way to fortify and narrow your marketing efforts.
Every city has a lot of popular hashtags that are used by residents in their social media posts. Consider where your best customers live and other neighborhoods with similar demographics.
For example, if you live in Chicago and serve the areas around Wrigley Field, you might choose hashtags like #Chicago, #Windycity, #Wrigleyfield, #Chitown, and #ChicagoHVAC.
Ideas for local hashtags can include:
- The City
- City abbreviation
- City nickname
- Neighborhoods located in the city
- Local parks or landmarks
It’s helpful to study the competitor’s posts in your area and see what hashtags they use to be seen on social media platforms. You may end up discovering hashtags that you haven’t considered.
The hashtags you use will also be contingent on what platform you’re posting to. Ensure you’re getting the most for your hashtag mileage; research what hashtags draw people in on various platforms like Facebook, IG, etc. Tools like Sprout Social and Later offer tools for generating hashtags and discovering which ones gain traction.
Think Like a Homeowner
Homeowners are following hashtags related to #decorating, #landscaping, and #interior design. They could also be following more general hashtags like #homeimprovement, #dreamhome, or #energyefficient; any of these are relevant hashtags for your HVAC business. If a particular house style is prevalent in your area, try that too—for example, #ranch, #colonial, or #craftsman.
Google It
When in doubt. Google is an excellent tool for finding hashtags to attract customers. The trick is in knowing what to put in the search engine. Something like “What hashtags are HVAC homeowners following?” or “What hashtags are (insert your city here) homeowners following?” should help you get started.
Now that you understand how to find the top hashtags for HVAC businesses like yours, why not check out ServiceWorks for their 14-day risk-free trial? ServiceWorks offers many valuable time and money-saving features for HVAC businesses, such as route optimization, convenient online customer scheduling, instant invoicing, automatic customer satisfaction surveys once a job is complete, and so much more. Try it out today, you’ll be glad you did!
