Seasonal Marketing Strategies for Service and Repair Businesses

If you run a service business along the Gulf Coast like HVAC, plumbing, lawn care, roofing, pool maintenance, you name it, then you know the drill: summer’s a madhouse, winter’s a ghost town, and hurricane season throws everything into chaos.

One month you’re swamped with busted ACs or storm-damaged roofs and the next, you’re wondering how to keep the lights on. Sound familiar?

Here’s some good news for you from ECON Marketing: with the right seasonal marketing strategies, you can turn those peaks and valleys into steady wins - yep, that means more leads when it’s busy and more cash when it’s slow.

Here’s how Gulf Coast trades like yours can thrive year-round:

Busy Season: Cashing In on Demand

Let’s start with the chaos of those hot, humid months or post-storm scrambles when phones won’t stop ringing. For HVAC companies, July means AC breakdowns. For roofers, it’s hurricane season repairs. For plumbers, a rare freeze can bust pipes across Lafayette, the Southern Gulf Coast and Acadiana.

These are your goldmines … but only if you’re ready.

1. Target Emergency Leads with Google Ads

   • Set up a $500/month campaign for keywords like “emergency AC repair Lafayette” or “Gulf Coast roofer after a storm.” Use call extensions so customers can tap and dial.

   • As you watch the weather (and your Google Ads), make adjustments as needed

2. Push Urgency on Social

   • Post “Storm coming? Get your roof checked now” or “Beat the heat and schedule your AC tune-up today.” Add a before-and-after photo because people love proof when getting recommendations on social media.

   • Speaking of proof, showcase your 5-star reviews and testimonials on your social media to show that you provide top-notch service verified by people in your service area.

   • Creating content that features the problems you fix (hot home residents, broken pipes with water flooding out, roofs torn apart, filthy pools, etc.) to point out the pain points you solve.

   • Work your organic and paid content strategies into each other for max effect.

3. Content That Converts

   • Write a quick blog on your website: “5 Signs Your AC Won’t Survive Summer” or “What to Do When Your Roof Leaks After a Storm.” Share it on Facebook and link to your booking page.

   • Using specific marketing tactics like urgency and scarcity can help people take action (think verbiage like “Book now and lock in your protection” or “Avoid the last minute drama and book your service now”).

The goal? Be the first name they think of when disaster strikes because you’re where they are looking with the message that is music to their ears.

Slow Season: Keeping Revenue Flowing

Then there’s the flip side when winter rolls in, and suddenly your schedule’s empty. But slow seasons don’t have to mean broke seasons. Here’s how to keep the cash coming for service businesses who experience seasonal periods.

1. Sell Maintenance Plans

   • HVAC? Offer “winterizing your home” packages like filter changes and duct checks. Pool companies? Push “off-season filter maintenance” to avoid spring headaches. Price it right and bundle a discount for next summer’s big job.

   • A good idea is to offer these off-season maintenance plans with your customers on the spot during your busy season. So if you’re wrapping up a job during the Summer and can offer a ‘Winter Maintenance’ while they’re already spending money, they may just take you up on that.

2. Run Off-Season Discounts

   • Lawn care? “Prep your yard for spring with 20% off winter services.” Junk removal? “Clear out before the holidays by booking now, save $50.” Blast it via email or a Facebook ad to past customers.

3. Invest in Content Marketing

   • Slow months are your chance to shine online. Write “How to Winterize Your Gulf Coast Home” or “Why Spring Lawn Prep Starts in January.” Optimize it for SEO, like “Acadiana HVAC winter tips” for example, and watch it drive leads when the busy season hits.

   • Your content around these ‘off-season’ topics can include discounts and maintenance plans to give a little extra incentive for customers to purchase services, too.

Pro tip: Repurpose that content into a free checklist PDF, social content, direct mail, and other marketing channels then gate it with a simple email sign-up, and boom - you’ve got a lead list for spring.

Why This Works Along the Gulf Coast

Our region’s wild weather like hurricanes, freezes, and endless summer humidity means your customers’ needs shift fast - but that doesn’t mean that your marketing strategy needs to be just as chaotic. In fact, you can dominate with a simple marketing strategy.

A plumber in New Iberia might see a pipe-burst spike in January, while a pest control crew in Biloxi battles termites in June.

Tailor your marketing to those cycles, and you’ll stay ahead of the game - especially if all of your marketing channels tie together in one cohesive unit.

Take hurricane season: 2021’s Ida left thousands needing repairs fast. Businesses with ads and content ready before the storm hit won big.

Slow seasons are no different! So get proactive, and you’ll turn “quiet” into “profitable”.

Plan Your Seasonal Marketing Strategy

Busy or slow, the right marketing strategy keeps your service business successful.

Want to nail your seasonal strategy without the guesswork?

I’m a digital marketing consultant specializing in Gulf Coast trades and service work like HVAC, plumbing, construction, you name it.

Let’s chat about your next big win - click below to get started!