HVAC Company Names: Better Branding in a Sea of Sameness

Whether you’ve just started a new company or you've been established in the HVAC industry for years, you're painfully aware that this is an extremely competitive business. In fact, there are thousands of HVAC companies out there. And guess what? All of those companies do the same types of service as you, and they all look and sound the same to customers as they swipe, scroll, or drive by.

So, how do you stand out? Well, first, you have to provide incredible service. That's a given. But you can also distinguish yourself through some good branding.

What is branding?

Your brand is your company’s public face. Your brand is what stands out about your company when lined up against your competition. Without efforts to build a recognizable, meaningful brand, your company will struggle to get by on word of mouth and local ads. 

The Keys to Creating a Successful HVAC Brand

As a first step, consider your company with “The Golden Circle” in mind. “The Golden Circle” is a simple concept coined by Simon Sinek. In essence, it follows this model:

1. Why?
2. How?
3. What?

“Why” did we start this business? Why is there a need for another company in this area? What will our company do to make itself a cut above the rest?

“How” will our business resolve the issues we face? How does the company approach its challenges?

“What” are we providing to a potential customer?

While you’re building your Golden Circle, keep your backgrounds simple, but make them compelling; stay focused on the “Why,” and explain “How” choosing your company will make a customer's experience better. 

Remain authentic and try not to embellish your accomplishments as a business. It’s better to be up front and truthful because any potential customer will do some research. You don’t want to drive away potential clients with inaccurate/contradictory reviews/information.

Make a compelling call to action! Create the vibe that people have nothing to lose by trying your services and everything to gain. Simple calls to action like “Sign up now!” might draw in some business, but giving the public something to feed on, such as free estimates, financing options for large expenses, or low rates for maintenance will drive up business. Free estimates are a fairly standard practice in the HVAC business, but offering these could still set you above your competitors if they don’t also offer such deals.

Remaining consistent with all aspects of your brand will help build up the trust needed to create a large network of customers. Flaky technicians, rude office staff, and sour attitudes will drive customers away. In this way, a few bad apples can do real harm to your company (even if they have good technical skills). Foster a positive outlook and attitude throughout the entire company, and people will associate friendliness and positivity with your business.

How do we stand out?

The next step, generally speaking, involves doing some research. Who are your competitors? Where do they operate from? Where do your service areas overlap with theirs the most? What brings customers back to them (or turns customers away)? What kind of reviews do they have? 

With these details in hand, you can build a plan to fill in the gaps where your competitors have failed. Improve your current marketing efforts using your “Golden Circle”.

If you’re just starting out with a new company, take the time to come up with a unique name for your business. Monikers that include “Top,” “1^st,” “Premiere,” or “Best” will make you blend in, but a catchy pop-culture reference or a pun may garner more attention from potential clients.

In addition to this, your company’s visual appeal is another item to take into account. While it may be easy to search for some basic clip art via Google Images or a stock photo site, slapping a generic wrench next to some font will hamstring your company in the long run. A nicely designed logo can go a long way towards catching a potential customer’s eye. Hire a professional designer to whip something up instead. If you don't have professional design skills available in-house, turn to a contractor on a freelancer site like UpWork.

Choose a color scheme that reflects the area you service, such as a local high school football team’s colors. Alternately, match colors with popular festivals or events in the area. Most HVAC companies choose red and blue (to evoke heat and cold), but those colors won't stand out as much when every company has them.

Keep your momentum going.

Again, try to stay consistent without becoming complacent. Just because you have a good month, that doesn’t mean the next month will be the same. Always stay on the lookout for new areas to offer service (within the means of your company, of course).

When you’ve built a solid following, branch out into other avenues of marketing, like short radio ads or television ads on local channels. Rent billboards across your service area. Get colorful wraps for your trucks and vans. Do whatever it takes to put your brand in front of potential customers.

It takes time, capital, and a good amount of effort to build a great brand. However, doing so means loyal customers will return to your company time and time again when they need service. If you create a good brand, prepare for success, and stay patient, your customers will start to bring their friends and family on board. Once that happens, you've got it made!