Multi-Channel HVAC Marketing: Lower CAC, Higher Close Rates, Predictable Growth

We analyzed performance data from 50+ high-performing HVAC contractors, including PE-backed multi-location platforms, and the conclusion is unambiguous: Multi-channel HVAC marketing — combining direct mail, email marketing, SEO, and paid search — doesn't just generate more leads but compounds the value of every marketing dollar spent.

Over-reliance on Google Local Services Ads (LSAs), HVAC PPC, or word-of-mouth referrals creates artificial revenue plateaus. When one channel softens, growth stalls. Margins compress. CAC spikes.

Why Single-Channel HVAC Marketing Creates Revenue Plateaus

Most HVAC platforms start with a single dominant acquisition channel:

• Google LSAs
• Paid Search (PPC)
• Referrals / word-of-mouth

A lot of contractors think that this works, until it doesn't and growth starts to stall.

Single-Channel vs. Multi-Channel HVAC Growth

• Channels run in silos
• No shared attribution or sequencing
• Mail, email, and search don't reinforce each other
• Sales teams treat every lead as "cold"

For large HVAC platforms, which are focused on predictable growth and valuation multiples, this is a liability.

HVAC Lead Generation in Multi-Channel Marketing

HVAC lead generation improves when direct mail, email, SEO, and paid search work together to warm homeowners before urgency-driven searches occur.

The "73% Rule": How Homeowners Actually Choose HVAC Providers

Our data shows that 73% of homeowners interact with two or more touchpoints before booking an HVAC service call.

A typical journey looks like:

1. Getting a postcard in the neighborhood (offline)
2. Searching for "AC repair near me" on Google (search)
3. Receiving an email that reminds you of the tune-up they've been pushing out (online)

What this means for HVAC lead generation

• If you only exist on one channel, you miss most buyers
• Presence across offline, PPC, social, and email builds brand recall
• In home services, brand recognition often wins at the moment of need

Data insight: Nearly 90% of homeowners choose a known brand when urgency is high — not the cheapest option.

How Direct Mail and Email Increase HVAC Close Rates (The Halo Effect)

Our data shows that homeowners who receive:

• A direct mail piece
• Followed by email reminders
• Then encounter the brand again online

Convert at materially higher rates.

What changes in the homeowner's mind

• The brand feels familiar and established
• The technician is perceived as an authority
• Price sensitivity drops

Repeated exposure via direct mail and email reduces perceived risk at the point of sale, which is why close rates and average ticket sizes increase.

Result:

Contractors using Direct Mail + Email alongside digital channels saw:

• 15–22% higher average ticket sizes
• Higher close rates on replacements
• Less reliance on discounts and promos

What a High-Performing Multi-Channel HVAC Stack Actually Looks Like

A high-performing HVAC marketing stack does two things simultaneously:

1. Creates demand before urgency hits
2. Captures demand instantly when urgency arrives

Most stacks only do #2. That's the mistake.

The Core Channels (And Their Jobs)

Channel	Primary Role	What It Does Well	Where It Fails Alone
Direct Mail	Demand Creation	Puts your brand in the home before breakdowns	No immediate intent signal
Email	Reactivation & Nurture	Converts past customers at near-zero CAC	Needs prior trust
SEO	Credibility Layer	Validates legitimacy at moment of search	Slow, competitive
PPC / LSAs	Demand Capture	Captures high-intent, urgent jobs	Expensive, auction-driven

HVAC Marketing Customer Acquisition Costs: Why Direct Mail and Email Beat Search Long-Term

Search channels like PPC and LSAs (including Google Local Services Ads) are:

• Fast
• Competitive
• Increasingly expensive

Owned channels scale differently.

Channel Strategy	Cost Stability	Reactivation Power	Long-Term ROI
SEO + PPC Only	Medium	Low	Linear
Direct Mail + Email	High	Very High	Compounding
Multi-Channel (All)	Highest	Maximum	Exponential

Direct Mail and Email:

• Lower blended CAC
• Increase utilization during shoulder seasons
• Smooth revenue volatility across the year

This is why sophisticated operators keep doubling down on them.

How Arch Powers Multi-Channel HVAC Platforms

The hardest part of Direct Mail and Email isn't sending messages.

It's connecting those touches to real revenue outcomes.

Arch enables platforms to:

• Track responses across mail, email, and digital
• Standardize how warmed-up leads are sold in-home
• Turn reactivated customers into higher-ticket jobs

This is what allows Direct Mail and Email to function as core growth channels, not legacy tactics.

Refer to the HVAC direct mail and email case study with Pacific Heating and Cooling.

TL;DR: HVAC companies that combine direct mail and email with digital channels close more jobs, increase ticket size, and reduce reliance on paid search. This is exactly the problem we built Arch to solve.

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