Social media is all the buzz in this nowadays and if you don’t already have a presence, it’s time create one. While it may seem like a huge challenge – it is rather simple once you know the steps to take. As an HVAC business you already have a community of customers, active employees and friends and family that want to see your business succeed. Creating a page and getting the people you know to become ‘Likes’ is all you need. Simply follow the 5 steps below to get started.

1. Set up a Facebook Business Page

This is key, many new Facebook users will set up a profile for their business, where users can ‘friend’ the profile. This is NOT what you want for your business. You will want to set up a specific branded Facebook Business Page in which users can post to your page, write reviews and ultimately become ‘fans’ of your business by ‘liking’ your page. Click here for a step by step guide to setting up a business page. Note:  You must have a personal Facebook account to begin.

2. Start Getting ‘Likes’

If you have had your own personal Facebook for a good amount of time, this will help. Begin to gain followers by asking your friends to ‘Like’ your business page. You’d be surprised how many friends and family members will rally to support your page. Encourage all your employees to do the same. Almost everyone has a Facebook page, and asking the people you already know to invite their friends and family is a fantastic place to start.

3. Generate Content

This is the scary part to most HVAC business owners, but if you think about it – ideas for content are everywhere at your business. Your technicians see picture worthy HVAC problems everyday which could be leveraged on Facebook to promote how they helped out a customer. A simple picture with a one or two line caption is all you need for a post. Highlighting a different service each day and linking to your website is also an easy way to generate content and create interest on your page. Posting once a day is recommended but even once or twice a week shows you have a presence, are still in business, and have a rapport with your followers. Tip: ‘share’ your business’ Facebook posts on your personal page to increase views. Encourage your employees to do the same.

4. Gain Reviews

In the same way you were able to gain likes, you can get at least 10 reviews by asking people you know. Again, encourage your employees to participate, there is power in numbers. Business owners and employees themselves can post reviews and even mention ‘it’s a great place to work’. Even though they aren’t customers, they know your business and services more than anyone else, and from a potential customer’s perspective – it is nice to see your technicians enjoy working for your company. This also builds credibility for your page. It isn’t just a stale Facebook page, it is an active, reliable representation of your business.

5. Increase Likes

The more likes your Facebook page has the more credibility your company gets. Increase these by adding a like button on your website. Showing you have a Facebook page dedicated to your business is a trust element and a necessity to include on your site. Additionally, AND it will allow potential and repeat customers the chance to view your Facebook page, get to know how great your business and services are – and ultimately choose you for HVAC services. As mentioned above, you can also increase likes by sharing your business’ posts on your personal page. That way, people who aren’t already fans of your business page can see the post, encouraging them to like your page to see more updates from it in the future.

Follow these 5 steps to get your HVAC business started on Facebook. From there, continue working towards gaining followers, reviews, and posting great content. If you hit a wall with content, don’t get discouraged. There are a ton of resources online to help. Also taking advantage of things like ‘Motivational Monday’ and ‘Throwback Thursday’ are simple ways to create a daily post on your Facebook Page.

About the Author: Melanie Shoemaker is the Internet Marketing Manager at Aptora, a software development company that specializes in developing field service management software for the service industry. Their flag-ship software, Total Office Manager is award-winning Field Service Management Software that has been helping HVAC companies become more profitable since 2004.