Five Ways HVAC Contractors Should Leverage Twitter Today

Social media sites have always been a way for the businesses to leverage huge branding and related profits. Adding to the list, TWITTER too has become a great platform for people to showcase their business and earn huge. Let’s see, how the HVAC contractors can reap extreme benefits from Twitter. Stick around!!!

There’s no surprise to the fact that Twitter - the micro blogging tool, has nearly 200 million users now, which records over 65 million Tweets per day and handles over 800,000 search queries. But, you might get surprised to know that approximately 60% of Twitter users make at least $60k in household income, according to the Quantcast. 

Probably, thousands of ideas might have popped in your head. Which is quite obvious? Twitter has become a mandatory part of every business owner’s online marketing strategy. But, the reality is, most contractors don’t give it the required attention.

So, if you are one of those “non-believers”, here are five simple Twitter tactics that you can leverage instantly to take your online marketing to the next level.      

1. May be the most powerful for search - Real-time search is crucial these days. Google, for instance, has initiated integrated real-time results, which include a special search trick that pulls results from Twitter and Facebook. This means that as more people use real-time search, they could find you ONLY if you distribute your relevant content over Twitter (and Facebook), or if customers share your blog posts, reviews, articles, and videos over Twitter.

To make Twitter work at its best, the contractor should share lots of educational information. Hence, adding an HVAC-focused blog to your website strategy may be your best step.

2. Follow what people are saying about your competitors – Competition can always lead you to heights and profits, if taken in a right way. For this, you need to learn about your competitors. Here, Twitter can help you! You can learn about what your competitions are doing on Twitter – both what people talk about them and how are they responding. For instance, just go to Twitter search and type your competitor in the “to” field to know about them.

3. Track your target keywords - Twitter search has an advanced search option allowing you to follow a specific search phrase within an X mile radius. Once you set your search (for instance, “furnace repair” with a 15 mile radius of zip code 44114 Cleveland), you can click on the RSS button to subscribe to receive updates every time someone from that location uses those exact keywords.

4. Follow your customers – If you follow your customers, they’ll surely follow you back. Whether you’re commercial, residential or both, you should follow them regularly. By following you back, they are opting in to receiving your tweets. You should find ways to connect your social media strategy with your customers in many ways (Twitter, Facebook, Community Sites, etc.). There is a service called ‘Flowtown’ that can tell you about your customer’s social media accounts they have.

 5. Use a Twitter Management Tool - Staying updated on Twitter search using only Twitter can be difficult.  Try using a free Twitter management tool like Tweetdeck, Tweetgrid, or HootSuite. Setting up Twitter searches is easy with these management “dashboards” and you can easily monitor your twitter with a bit of training.

Generator Safety Tips to Prevent Winter Outrages

If seasonal power outrages are hindering your business continuity, standby generators are an inevitable requirement or you!  While these generators are convenient, you still need to follow some standard precautions in their installation and maintenance. So, have a look and learn more about it.

Winter is already here in major parts of North America. The snow has already started falling in some zones and is right around the corner for others. Among those experiencing the most severe winters, regions in mid-west, north and east are included. These regions can suffer power outages making even everyday life tough for many.

Winter storms, in addition to causing deaths generally end up creating variety of issues with the electrical power supply. These can even result in black out for days or weeks. This causes the local economy and organizations to suffer without power. Daily routines get affected on the residential side since most routine activities are dependent on a reliable power source. On the business front, it can be distressing, both physically and monetarily for a company.

To avoid devastations or loses, we have come up with a few useful tips you should follow. Check them out.

• Pre Winter Weather Planning:

Inspections - Standby Generators must be examined before each winter season. You can use a check sheet to mark each individual item, including battery cells, battery specific gravity, coolant levels, etc. to be inspected so that a record of the inspection can be maintained.

Maintenance – You should have a maintenance schedule, which should be completed before the occurrence of any Winter Weather Event. The most important parts of generators are keeping the coolant heaters/block heaters running, making sure the batteries are still good, and the oil heaters maintained. To ensure optimal performance, cleaning, polishing and treating the fuel tank is a must.

Supplies – Ensure the availability of inventories like lubricants, batteries, fuels, coolant and spare parts. A battery warmer and coolant heater can also be great in extreme climates. For outdoor installations, a snow hood can be a choice. 

Backup Plan – What will you do if your Standby Generator fails to start?

• During Winter Weather Events:

Accessibility - Make sure to keep a pathway open for an outdoor installation to your generator. 

Inspections - Keep a check on your Backup Generator. Also, increase the rate of the Standby Generator equipment examination.

Repairs - Keep a track of the start and run durations of your generators. Preparing a document to record any issue or repairs can be useful. 

Using the Generator – For your generator to work well, it is important to keep it warm. For this: 

 
• Block the radiator temporarily to assist in warm-up. Blocking the radiator will limit air from the fan. 
• Running the engine idle will keep the engine compartment warm.

• Post Winter Weather Preparation:

Proper maintenance of the generator is also important after the winter season gets over. This ensures longevity of your generator. 

Review Documentation – It’s now time to collect information and check what worked and what didn’t work according to your Winter Weather maintenance plan and update it accordingly for future. 

Maintenance – Here you’re required to execute the scheduled maintenance, which includes oil change, filter replacements, coolant change, and so on. This will help you in preparing for the summer season challenges before it arrives.

With these safety and maintenance tips, you can ensure that your generators run well and can withstand any weather…without creating any issue.