In upcoming blog posts, Tower Marketing will be focusing on interviewing local businesses practicing internet marketing in the Lancaster County area. We want to understand how different businesses are using digital marketing services to promote their business, grow leads, capture sales, and develop brand awareness. Today we have the opportunity to chat with Nate Minnich the Office manager at Rohrer’s One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning.
What type of work does Rohrer’s One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning do?
We are actually (3) companies under one roof:
- One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning,
- Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and
- Mister Sparky Electric
On a day to day basis, we are in and out of approximately 80 homes collectively, providing residential services for heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical needs. These needs vary from season to season but could be as simple as fixing a leaking faucet or as complex as installing a brand new heating and air conditioning system. Our interaction is predominantly with homeowners who are looking for an experience that goes beyond “just fixing the problem.” Our technicians are both skilled in their respective trades as well as in the art of communication. The technicians help homeowners understand the problem at hand and the different solutions that can be applied.
Where are you located and what area(s) do you serve?
Our office is located at 516 Running Pump Rd. Lancaster, PA 17601. We service the south-eastern part of the state stretching from York County down to the Blue Route just outside of Philly, and from Lebanon County down to the Maryland state line.
What is your position at Rohrer’s One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning and what do you do?
I am the office manager at One Hour with direct oversight over the marketing, social media, and technology portions of our business. On a day to day basis, I can be found adjusting the schedule for service calls to our customers, reviewing a marketing proposal, updating our social media pages, or assisting our technicians with iPad training.
What different types of internet marketing services does Rohrer’s One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning use?
We use an array of different marketing services at One Hour, including but PPC, SEO, social, direct mail, Yellowpages, internet lead sites (I.e. Home advisor, ELOCAL, etc.), Angie’s List, billboards, TV, radio, etc.
Do you work with a local digital marketing company in Lancaster County or a large agency outside the area?
We had previously been using an out-of-state marketing firm to oversee our PPC efforts and piecemeal together other marketing solutions from other companies. We have recently moved to a local marketing firm that allows us to have all of these boxes checked provides a comprehensive solution and accountability.
Which internet marketing service have you found to be most successful and why?
The successes of marketing are rarely turn-key and almost never fool-proof. We have found success for one campaign using a certain medium and then little success for a different campaign using the same medium. PPC is probably our largest revenue driver outside of word of mouth. Our largest budget-spend is certainly TV which is difficult to track. Home Advisor and other lead gen sources come and go with demand (weather, season, etc.) but do not always provide the best quality leads. Yellowbook seems to be a lot of price checks, and direct mail really depends on the offer and the mailing list. Billboards have not been particularly successful for us but again that is hard to measure.
How has internet marketing helped you to connect better with prospective clients?
If someone comes to our site, they have a need. In our business, the prospective cycle is different for each person. It’s not like we can guarantee that the customer will return in 2 years as may be possible in the cell phone business. We could see a client today and then not again for 5 years; not because they used someone else but simply because they have not had need of our services. Our services are rarely “feel good” purchases but usually born out of necessity at the moment. That being the case, when someone comes to our site, they most likely have a problem and are more likely to convert. Internet marketing combines branding with need. We do some display ads but not as many as we used to because we didn’t see a high ROI. Our search ads are the biggest producer.
How do you measure the results of your SEO services or know that it is being successful?
We have recently switched to a more transparent model for SEO but at this time have yet to identify our “success.”
What advice would you give to smaller businesses that are looking to invest in SEO?
There are two types of people who use the Internet:
- Person one wants results now and will click on whatever link they feel will provide the best answer.
- Person two refuses to use the paid ads out of principle and will automatically drop to the organic results below the paid ads.
This is one simple, and yet very important reason why ranking high organically is important. Additionally, if your business is map-centric, showing up on the maps section would be critical for your customer search.
In 2016, are you investing more in internet marketing services or less?
Last year we ran a very open budget for PPC and got into trouble when we had more demand than supply. This year, we will monitor more closely during the “weather events” that cause high demand so that we can most effectively handle our leads. We may end up spending less than last year but hopefully, by spending it wisely we will not notice a difference in sales.