Comfortech 2015 was in the books, and the team from Blue Corona was feeling good. Exhausted, but good.
The team —Taylor Topper, digital marketing specialist; Lexie Bond, content marketing manager; Mike Gibeault, videographer; and Bailey Stoner, account manager — had just spent two non-stop days producing videos for about 30 HVAC contractors who attended the HVAC industry’s best-loved trade show, which was held at the St. Louis America’s Center September 15-17.
Blue Corona, experts in digital marketing, had offered attending HVAC contractors free 10-minute videos during the show, and it was clearly an offer many couldn’t refuse.
The value of a professionally produced video message is indisputable, as it gives prospective customers an opportunity to learn more about the service company they might want to invite into their homes.
Blue Corona was founded in 2008, as a marketing and advertising tracking service. It added video production in 2015, to compliment its many other digital offerings, which has grown to now include search engine optimization (SEO), website design, tracking and analytics, email marketing, social media marketing, and branding.
“We added video production because we want to be the one-stop destination for our clients’ marketing needs, said Topper, during an interview in the busy lounge area of the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel, the host hotel for Comfortech 2015. As show attendees cooled down with a drink or hustled out the door to catch a flight home, the team looked back on the Comfortech experience with satisfaction.
“We had observed other marketing companies producing videos at trade shows, and we knew we could do it better,” Topper continued. “For example, the other companies had dinky cameras set up in show booths, which picks up a lot of outside noise. We wanted to rent out a room, build out a mini-production studio, and produce high-quality videos that would add a lot of value to heating and cooling companies’ websites,” she said.
That idea worked. The video room was located near the Comfortech show floor, and provided the privacy and quiet needed to produce a quality video message.
Many service companies have added video messaging as essential elements to their websites. The value of a professionally produced video message is indisputable, as it gives prospective customers an opportunity to learn more about the service company they might want to invite into their homes.
“Anyone can build a website, and anyone can pretend to be someone online, and claim to have many testimonials,” Bond explained, “but unless you can see the person and get to know them, it’s hard to trust what you see online. Videos add a lot of credibility to these companies, and they let prospective customers get to know them before they call.”
And then, there’s the element of quality. Homemade is not where it’s at.
Blue Corona managers believe its new video service gives it an advantage over SEO-only service providers.
“A lower quality video can come across as unprofessional,” said Gibeault. “If you try to make a video an iphone, a customer will recognize it as an iphone video.
“Another mistake can be when people talk more about themselves than the company. We always use an interview style, so that their answers are less ego-centric. If you can have the HVAC owner speak honestly about their business in a plain fashion, without bragging, it comes across better,” Gibeault said.
Blue Corona managers believe its new video service gives it an advantage over SEO-only service providers.
“Everybody does SEO, for the most part. That makes it very competitive. But not everyone does video, because it’s expensive and time consuming,” Bond said. “And, because it’s not as competitive, those who are providing videos are ahead of the game.”
Presently, the HVAC industry is Blue Corona’s largest video market, at 30 percent. However, it has begun to make inroads among home building, remodeling, and architectural customers. Following their appearance at Comfortech, the team was off to the Chicago Remodeling and Deck Expo.
Value of the Testimonial
Since the beginning of time, contractors have cherished good referrals from satisfied customers. Blue Corona is taking it one step further, with customer video testimonials.
“It’s one thing to have someone say something in print on a website, but it’s another thing to have them actually sitting in their home saying why they enjoyed working with a contractor, and why they would refer them to other people,” Bond said.
The people who are doing video well are thinking of how it can be used in different channels. They have a wide variety of video styles, such as frequently asked questions, client testimonials, and 'company culture' videos,” Bond explained.
"For some of our clients we’ve been putting together videos that show what to expect from a contractor. The contractor walks the viewer through the process and tells the viewer what they can expect from the service or installation contractor,” added Account Manager Bailey Stoner. “It helps to build comfort among those who are inviting a contractor into their home.”
All-in-One Convenience
Bond stressed the value for contractors of having one provider for multiple digital marketing service needs.
"Some contractors have multiple vendors for SEO, social media, videos, and 'pay-for-click,' and it can be difficult to manage all of those vendors," she said. "What’s inconvenient with that is, all of those channels should be working off of, and enhancing each other. If someone is happy with a video we produce for them, they’ll probably be more inclined to believe we’re good with websites, too. It’s the all-in-one convenience, and not having to manage multiple vendors.”
Another weakness in many video offerings is the absence of any tracking capability. Bond said Blue Corona has that covered. It includes "track lines," so customers can see that the incoming leads are a direct response to the video presentation.
“Some people put videos on YouTube and expect it to work its magic on its own," Bond said. "But there is an SEO component to YouTube. Many people don’t realize that YouTube is the second–largest search engine, next to Google. You have to include keyword consideration and optimization with a YouTube video.
“The people who are doing video well are thinking of how it can be used in different channels. They have a wide variety of video styles, such as frequently asked questions, client testimonials, and “company culture” videos,” Bond explained.
Another new Blue Corona product is Blue Corona “Smart Selling,” which tracks marketing effectiveness from the initial sales phone call, to the ultimate sale.
“More online rankings don’t help until it becomes leads, booked appointments, and new customers,” Bond explains.
“If you have customer service representatives who aren’t well-trained, you probably are losing leads. Smart Selling helps contractors improve their ‘leads to sales’ conversion rates. We listen to phone sales calls and train customers service reps how to book more jobs.”
In an industry where all-inclusive services are becoming the key to growth, Blue Corona is counting on its all-inclusive digital marketing services to play a part in that growth.
Blue Corona can be found online at bluecorona.com.
