keyboard with button that says OTT

What Is OTT Marketing and How to Use It to Grow Your Business

Did you know: more people pay for video streaming services than they do for traditional television channels? Thanks to industry leaders like Netflix and HBO Max, streaming subscriptions are increasingly providing better value to consumers.

The growth of this market has led to an exciting opportunity for businesses around the world, including the home services industry. That's where we come to OTT marketing.

So what is it and how could your HVAC business benefit from this advertising stream?

Keep reading to find out how OTT marketing can give you the edge over your competitors.

What Is OTT Marketing?

Let's start with a definition and explanation of OTT marketing. Short for "over the top", OTT most commonly refers to streaming services including Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+. But it's not just video streaming.

OTT also incorporates audio, messaging, and voice services, including Spotify, WhatsApp, and Skype.

Thus, OTT marketing refers to paid adverts appearing on these platforms. Ads can appear in the form of video interruptions, banners, sponsored content, and audio.

OTT marketing is allowing businesses to increase revenue because they can target specific demographics more easily than traditional network television advertising. With OTT services, there are no geographic limits or constricting broadcast schedules. People can watch what they want, when they want.

What Are the Benefits?

Now let's turn to the advantages of investing in OTT marketing. Here we'll explore why so many companies are choosing to advertise via streaming services.

Personalized Ads

Unlike network television advertising, OTT allows businesses to personalize their ads. Adapt your ad content to make a genuine connection with your potential customers. This could be the time of the week, weather, location, behavior signals, and more.

We'd highlight the weather and location as two particularly valuable factors for HVAC companies.

Targeted Audience

Next, OTT marketing means you can target a far more specific audience than other digital advertising platforms. It's important to have a clear idea of your target audience personas, which you can use to funnel your ad spend towards the most lucrative audiences.

Similar to Facebook advertising, OTT will allow you to reach homeowners in a more sustained campaign thanks to retargeting.

Increased Engagement

The result of personalized advertisements and targeting a specific audience is increased engagement. This is also made possible by dynamic ads that allow the audience to "choose their content" from different options.

It's a great feature that also allows brands to showcase a variety of their products.

Less Ad Spend Waste

OTT marketing is a more efficient use of businesses' time and budget. It's possible to target precisely the users most likely to be interested in your services. 

This makes it vastly different from television advertising, as you're unlikely to spend money targeting people who would never choose your business.

It's Still New

One of the best things about OTT marketing is its novelty. Many businesses are yet to realize its potential, meaning ad costs are relatively low, and your competition probably hasn't entered the market.

Our expert marketing team can create a strategy to help your HVAC company profit from this exciting new advertising stream.

How Can It Be Utilized by HVAC Companies?

One of the biggest advantages of OTT marketing for a home services business is the potential to retarget customers. This means that after someone has browsed your website, you can follow up with them via OTT ads.

This means your ad spend is going towards people who have already shown an interest in your services and brand. 

Another reason to choose OTT marketing is that it makes it even easier for your potential customers to take action. Consider when you're watching a commercial break on tv. You're probably on your phone, and even if you are persuaded by an ad, you're unlikely to look up their website.

Meanwhile, from an OTT ad, your website is a mere click away. Many people watching Netflix or Hulu on their laptops will be able to easily follow your CTA, resulting in more conversions.

OTT Marketing Best Practices

We'll now take you through some OTT marketing best practices to give you the best chance to increase profits. The first thing to remember is the shorter the better. People are more likely to tune out or switch to their phones if they can see it's a long advert.

It's also crucial to make sure your ad looks good across a variety of screen sizes. Your video should be compelling both with and without audio, as many people will mute adverts.

Finally, bear in mind where your brand is in the marketing funnel. Are you using adverts to introduce your business to customers for the first time? Or are you familiar enough to jump to the bottom line?

Analyzing OTT Performance

The last point to mention about OTT marketing is measurement. This is where collaborating with a marketing agency such as Optic Marketing Group is a huge bonus.

Unlike Facebook or Google advertising, it's more challenging to track the concrete results of your OTT campaign. However, our team can help your business find attribution trends in terms of website visits and new customers.

It also has a leg up on television adverts in that you can count ad clicks and immediate conversions.

Do You Need Assistance With Your HVAC Marketing?

It's clear that as an emerging advertising stream, OTT has the potential to introduce brands to a wide, in-market audience. If you're interested in this fantastic opportunity but you're looking for some strategic support from an experienced marketing agency, Optic Marketing Group is here for you.

In addition to OTT marketing, Optic Marketing Group can assist you with all your marketing needs. From SEO and social media to web design and media buying, we've got your back. Contact us here for more information about how we can help you develop and manage a successful marketing campaign.


money puzzle

Get a Head Start on Planning Your Marketing Investment for 2022

Did you know the average marketing spend for a small business is between 2% to 5% of their annual revenue? Even then, without the guidance of marketing experts, many businesses use this in ways that do not provide a sound return on investment. So do you know how to get the best from your budget?

There are lots of considerations and possible outcomes. Read on as we discuss how to maximize your marketing investment. 

Goals of a Marketing Budget

If you want to increase profits, then marketing is essential. Without it, no one will know about your business. However, it is not as simple as creating a budget and spending what you have set aside. 

Marketing has many facets and in the digital economy, methods change quickly. Therefore, you need to plan a marketing budget meticulously for a number of reasons. 

Long Term View

Planning in advance lets you get a much better overview of your plumbing and HVAC marketing. You can tie it into other areas better, so you are not scrambling to take budgets from one area and relocate them. Some marketing methods, such as social media, also benefit from a longer-term strategy. 

It Keeps Finances on Track

Not having a plan to go along with your budget will often result in overspending. This is often a cyclical process, in which once you have spent money over budget, you carry on doing so. 

By knowing how much you have overall, you can allocate funds to the right places. Split budgets between digital and traditional marketing and see what works best for you. 

Goal Setting

The first step in your marketing budget is to set goals. Without them, you will not know if you have made an impact, or what the return on investment has been for your chosen campaign.

Goals can be set for a wide array of different lead generation methods. You may aim to increase website traffic, boost your contact list or improve sales in a particular area. 

Break them down into two categories. Numeric goals are ones that aim to increase numbers and statistics. Revenue, units sold, and footfall are all examples. 

Strategic goals are the second type and can be harder to measure. These are ones that require a larger campaign, often built around the direction the company is taking. Expanding into new markets or getting awareness of new products are examples. 

Looking at Trends

Just because your company operates in the home services industry, does not mean it will not be impacted by trends. One of the most recent changes is the impact of renewable energy sources such as solar, and the drive to reduce carbon footprints by making the home more efficient. SMART technology is one way in which the industry is changing. 

By understanding current and upcoming trends in your industry, you can set better goals and create better campaigns. Perhaps you may want to target SMART homeowners or those who want to save money on utility bills. 

Outline Your Campaigns

Now you have the goals you want your HVAC or plumbing marketing to achieve, you need to concentrate on a few campaigns per year. It can be tempting to want everything to happen at once. However, even the biggest firms should not have more than two to three campaigns running at any given time. 

It is also worth bearing in mind that many of these campaigns will also positively impact others. For example, you may aim to increase website visitors and find it results in a natural increase in sales. 

Break these selected marketing campaigns down even further. Decide if they will be run digitally, using traditional marketing, or a combination of both. Note down what methods they will use in these subcategories, such as print media, email, PPC, and others. 

Finally, write down any tools you may need and their costs. Work out the return on investment you expect. 

Consider the Stage of Your Company Operations

When outlining campaigns, you may want to consider the stage your company is at. Generally, these can be broken down into the growth stage or the planning stage. 

Companies in the growth stage are established organizations. People already know who they are and they may have a dedicated customer base bringing in a profit. The goal of marketing in these stages is to increase that profit.

This could be done through campaigns that provide small term spikes in revenue. They could include campaigns for sales, new products, or new markets. 

Companies in the planning stage are still gaining a foothold. Campaigns are therefore designed to build a long-term customer base, through brand awareness and building contact lists. Long-term strategies are more important than quickly increasing the revenue of the company. 

Examples of this could be gaining social media followers for your home services business. You may decide to boost your email lists using a website. 

Align It With Your Sales Plan

Many people make the mistake of assuming that marketing exists in its own sphere. It brings people in, and then sales do the rest of the job. However, to get the best return on investment the two should be aligned. 

Before you start the marketing budget, make sure you have a solid sales plan. How many members of staff will you need and what are their targets? Will you need to develop new bonus schemes or commission structures and what will that cost?

Once you know this, you can choose marketing goals that will assist your staff. For example, what would be the benefit of concentrating your marketing on launching a new product, when your company needs a boost for old ones?

Revisiting Your Marketing Investment

Your marketing investment needs to be revised periodically. By tracking the ROI you can make tweaks, or halt campaigns that are not working. This gives you a much better chance of maximizing your profit. 

If you need marketing assistance, then Optic Marketing Group should be your first stop. Our aim is to tell your story through a unique focus. Contact us here to discuss your needs and let us help you thrive in the digital economy. We can review your revenue goals to help you to determine the best marketing budget and customized plan to help you to achieve your goals. 


hvac tech working on a unit

How to Market Your HVAC Company the Right Way

If you're running an HVAC company, you're probably looking for new ways to market your business. The marketing world is changing every day, and it's hard to keep up. It's recommended that small businesses spend around 7 to 8% of their revenue on marketing, so what can you do without breaking the bank?

Luckily, there's a lot you can do to grow your business with a limited amount of funds! Let's talk about some simple marketing tips for your HVAC company!

Market Your HVAC Company On Social Media

Social media is every small business' best friend. You can run promotions here, connect with your local community, and share success stories.

Post relevant content on your social media platforms. Find a family of squirrels in some vents? Take a video of you and your crew rescuing them and go viral. Did you find something crazy in an air conditioner? Show the world.

You can also post helpful tips to the public on here that will make people want to follow you for useful information. Post pictures with captions like: "This is why you don't do this to your heater" or "This is why you need to run your AC more often". 

Make sure you register for a business account, put your company logo for the profile picture so that your brand is easily recognized on all of your posts and ads and make sure your profile is fully optimized with all company contact details and service information.

However, social media has new trends and modifications all the time, and it's important to work with an agency that is aware of these changes!

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a popular tool in marketing, and it's easily one of the most important. If your business isn't using these tools, you're not even competing.

Companies compete for the top 3 spots on Google searches, as it's known to dramatically increase traffic. The majority of all traffic in a Google search goes to the top 3 spots, but the top spot gets the most traffic.

Luckily for your business, HVAC companies tend to be pretty local or at least regional. Why is this good news? Well, it limits your competition for ranking highly on Google.

See, when somebody searches "best online store", there are thousands upon thousands of online stores that will all be competing for the top 3 spots on Google, and only 3 of them will get there. However, when somebody searches for "best HVAC company", they will undoubtedly add something like "near me" at the end. This means that if your company is in Boston, you won't be competing with HVAC companies in LA.

Because of this, it's a lot easier to show up in the top 3. Depending on the population of your area, there may not even be more than 3 HVAC companies around! This means you have a clear path to number one. How do you get there and what factors does Google use to rank you?

 

Website

Your website is where you're trying to get people, whether it's through social media or SEO, so make sure it's presentable. There are two important factors on your website for SEO that really matter; your user-friendliness and your blog.

Google wants your page to be fast, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly. If you can make that happen, you'll be ahead of your competitors.

However, if you don't have a blog, you're not even competing. If your competition doesn't have a blog, you have a straight ticket to the top spot. If your website only has 5 pages, that's 5 chances for Google to pick you up. If you have 5 pages and 100 blog posts, that's 105 chances.

On your blog, you should have articles that will draw in your target audience. Things like "How to repair an air conditioner" or "Why does my heater smell" are things that the average consumer would search on Google. Have a quality article followed by a prompt to use your services for the best outcomes.

Keywords

Keywords are important for Google to recognize you on a search. You need to use the words and phrases throughout your website and blog posts that people would be searching. For example, generic keywords for an HVAC company would be "HVAC near me", "broken air conditioner", or "ventilation odor". This will give Google the best idea of how to pair your site and posts with specific searches.

Old Fashioned Marketing

You can run ads all day and you'll probably get some more business. It's true. An effective ad campaign will help your business. There are still other ways to market your company.

Believe it or not, with all the technology available today, 64% of marketing executives still believe word-of-mouth is the most effective form of marketing. Handing out business cards, asking customers to refer your company to others, and offering good service is still worth it.

You still need an online presence and you need to use all of the tools at your disposal, but diversifying your marketing strategy is never a bad idea.

Giving phone calls, knocking on doors, there are plenty of other forms of marketing available to you and your business, but is traditional marketing enough anymore?

Make Some Repairs On Your Marketing Strategy

Every HVAC company could use some work on their marketing, and that's okay. If you get a headstart on your competition, your wallet will see the results! Keep growing your business, stay up to date with our latest marketing news, and reach out for help with your marketing needs!