Michelle La France Shares The Secret To Ductless Marketing

The Ductless Guy, based in Saint Paul, MN, is recommending that HVAC contractors listen to a recent episode of the Smart HVAC Marketing podcast which features Michelle LaFrance of The Ductless Directory. In this episode, LaFrance explains how a contractor can adjust their marketing strategies to increase their ductless sales, and her insight can prove invaluable to businesses at virtually every stage of growth.

LaFrance is the founder and CEO of The Ductless Directory, an online platform that simplifies the relationship between customers and contractors in their area. The platform is meant to serve both customers and contractors, helping the former find the best contractors in their area while giving the latter better tools and opportunities to win over prospective customers. As such, she and her team have been at the forefront of ductless marketing since the platform was first launched.

The Ductless Directory was created based on the parameters that Google uses for increased search engine optimization (SEO) visibility. LaFrance's step-by-step process allows contractors to increase their market positioning by increasing the number of times their brand can make an appearance on the first page of search results. In this episode of the Smart HVAC Marketing podcast, aptly titled ‘A Step-By-Step Guide To Increase Your Ductless Sales,’ LaFrance explains why it can be a mistake to rely on digital marketing agencies that are likely to be employing the same strategies as their competitors.

She notes, “Most contractors are overly focused on their website and make the mistake of building a bigger website in hopes of more visibility. Bigger is not always better. Just like a bigger furnace is not better for a consumer, a bigger website doesn't necessarily do a better job. You can build the biggest website you can afford, but it's still just one position on the first page of search.” The actual goal, she explains, should instead be to increase the number of times a contractor is represented in that first page of search results when a customer goes hunting for help online.

“The key to growing your ductless business is to increase your exposure off your website,” she says. “Google wonders who else thinks you're relevant to the ductless search? This is the key, and most contractors miss it. I elevate and multiply the number of times our contractors get found on the first page of search — it's a true game changer.”

A contractor’s path to this goal can take many forms, she says, because each strategy has to be built on the existing strengths of their website (with an eye on future updates and changes). However, to influence search results, this strategy also has to pay attention to what Google is looking for. The better a website conforms to Google’s expected standards, the more likely it will be to show up in search results (and the more likely it will be to appear at the top).

There is a reason contractors are typically advised to focus on what Google wants, despite the presence of other search engines. While it is true that Bing, Yahoo and so on see some use online, it is an undeniable fact that Google boasts the largest fraction of search engine traffic, by a wide margin. While marketing efforts that take advantage of other search engines may bear fruit in certain cases, a customer is most likely to use Google search to find their nearest ductless expert. As such, it is wise to focus primarily on Google.

Many SEO experts will also aim exclusively to place a company as close to the top of search results as possible. The first and second results, for instance, are often considered the only positions worth having because these see the most interaction from users. However, LaFrance states that a company would have a much bigger impression on potential customers if their website appears several times in addition to being at the top of search results.

She explains, “It's all about a market position. It's about presenting yourself in your marketplace. Consumers are searching and when they see one contractor dominate the search, it builds credibility with them.”

The full podcast episode can be found online, and it is available for free. Viewers are also welcome to check out the Ductless Directory's YouTube channel.