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McKaylah Wilson Christina Hale 2024FA-ENG112- Oct 27, 2024

Context John R. Hall discusses the impact of social media on The HVAC Industry in his article “Business Owners Speak Out On Impact Of Social Media.” This post is from Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration News which can be accessed at the MCC Library and in many ways it may relate to those who have gone into careers within HVAC by showing how social media has taken over a traditional face-to-face network. Recently, Hall asked the contractors in LinkedIn poll: "Has social media had ANY impact on your business?" Representing the views of contractors from Jacksonville, FL; New Orleans, LA; Kettering, OH and Daytona Beach. And still other contractors, when quizzed about social media claimed to be unaware of what it even was — actually saying things like "What is a 'social media? …most reported that social media had actually been beneficial to their business and some were optimistic about its future use (Hall). This is a major trend that the article reinforces; some contractors say social media marketing as their primary way to reach customers. Moving from word-of-mouth and traditional ads, the HVAC field is entering an unchartered territory by using some of these digital platforms. Hall paints a picture of how social media can expand the footprint and customer base for an HVAC business, while keeping companies relevant in an ever-changing landscape. In the end Hall's article is a snapshot of an important time in history for HVAC contractors and they are finding social media to be a successful way of not only engaging with their customers, but utilizing it as tool that can drive business growth. Despite the supposedly social media-averse target audience, their enthusiasm would appear to offer good news for HVAC businesses willing to embrace a rapidly evolving digital landscape in which these platforms are likely only going to become more important.

contractor that markets their services solely via social media to demonstrate that these platforms are capable off themselves not only in historically word-of-mouth looking niche like contracting. When Hall gives similar but real-world stories he helps the message feel relatable to you, sometimes in a "if it worked for them maybe I can do something like that" kind of way. With his simple words and quotes from polls, social media appears in a hopeful light once Hall is finished. Hall has written a nice intro for those who don't know much or anything about social media marketing, and an encouragement to try it out. A fascinating introduction for anyone who is a novice to the concept of digital marketing leaving them pondering by the end on how this same thing could serve their business well too! Argument And in his article, "Business Owners Speak Out on Impact of Social Media" John R. Hall shows how the trend toward social media continues to ratchet up as a replacement for some traditional marketing efforts -- perhaps none more so than among business owners and operators still trying their legs at using it within HVAC circles. Social media marketing is an established social networking powerhouse, Hall argues «it represents a business success for small firm brand visibility and reach,(…) as well creating deeper relationships with their customers (Hall). Although print and local advertising were used for years, Hall argues that they are being replaced by social media as a more reliable alternative. In order to understand the effect of social media on HVAC businesses, Hall took a different approach and asked companies in an informal poll whether social media has had ANY impact on their business. The answers to this question were interesting. A lot of companies said social media was not so hard on their budget but worked wonders for them when it came to promoting the name of their brand and connecting with customers in ways that are impossible through tried methods in marketing. Hall provides

examples of responses to these formats from companies globally, revealing how enterprises utilize platforms such as Facebook and its traction assets (Instagram; WhatsApp) along with LinkedIn's capabilities -- for extending reach in a more digital-crowded customer space. However, the poll also revealed a difference in social media knowledge among HVAC contractors. Others confessed that they did not realize the magic of social media marketing and even went as far to propose a childish question such as “what is a Social Media” (Hall). This reflects the diverse level of knowledge surrounding social media practices involving some business owners being well and truly on board with their engagement, whilst others still dither or know nothing about it. One of the points they make is that this unfamiliarity can be a hurdle but also an area to break into, as businesses continue realizing the importance of online marketing. Hall is very clear to highlight where social media works wonders but isn't a silver bullet. Why do some companies stick to it in the world of digital marketing today knowing that traditional works just as well if not better when they suit their business or even live closer what you want? Its the same as with regular marketing but it takes time, patience and planning along with a good handle on how people network in general compared to traditional networking ways. According to Hall, the study suggests that social media is a relatively low-cost way for small businesses — those without hefty advertising budgets or person-hours — to reach out and nudge business growth. In conclusion to the article, there was a balanced view: While social media is admittedly becoming a game-changer for some businesses; this transformation takes time. In essence, Hall determined from his research and polling that even though social media is good for small business —better all the time according to poll data— owners simply have had better things in which they could invest their own “scarce resources (Hall). Social media provides an avenue for those ready to

directly from the platforms, so this is a really reliable source that is backed up by third-party digital analytics services. “Combined with 24 people who responded that social media had somewhat affected their business, a total of 69 percent of all respondents said that social media had some impact on their business. Greg McAfee of McAfee Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. (Kettering, Ohio) said, "We've had a handful of service calls and a few estimates from our Facebook. We are looking to improve on this in 2011 (Hall) ". At 69%, well more than half of respondents confess social media has affected some part or parts to their business so in light of another comment above from Greg McAfee about the Facebook driven business he was getting I think this data is timely and relevant when considering how a factor as new (in relative terms) as social media now affects things that are very much old, like staying open during snow storms (Hall). As McAfee stated goals to boost social media engagement for companies in 2011, it places the data as current and at a point where enterprise adoption of social media was rapidly growing. This is particularly relevant for small and medium businesses in service industries like HVAC, since it strongly suggests that social media can aid customer engagement & requests very well. The evidence, complete with a qualitative statement (McAfee knew he was gaining service calls from Facebook) and quantitative statistics (69 percent noted that there exposure to social media did have some influence). Moreover, normal human comments from experienced professionals having a stake in social media marketing. So, that makes my source reliable is because of the people — legitimate business owners’ feedbacks and survey data. This convergence of empirical data and anecdotal provides ample evidence for the hypothesis that social media is a key growth component.

“Using social media to market a business is not something that will just happen overnight. It takes a plan, a working knowledge of social networking, and time to devote to this new media.” The evidence that is provided — social media marketing needs planning, a grasp of networking and time commitment — makes sense to the point where it appears more feasible given how much work goes into making those floods meaningful using social (Hall). This information is still target, as social networks marketing has actually ended up being a growing field and brand-new tactics are frequently changing it. The point is very powerful, and it completely reinforces the idea that businesses should not be expecting to see instant results by using social media; they need to come into knowing this will take a long time if you want little return on investment. Everything is well and good; a lot of marketing studies and industry experts will make you believe that setting up an engaging social media following actually requires meticulous planning, knowing platform-specific quirks & long-term consistent effort. It means the info is based on common sense and expert consensus in digital marketing: things experts do everyday; best practices. It reminds all of us that successful social media is slow, and it takes effort to be great at; a jolt for those hoping the silver bullet will fall from heaven in social. Works Cited