Reaching out to new leads immediately is essential, but not every campaign performs equally. So, what makes a successful one? We analyzed 132K+ HVAC Speed to Lead campaigns launched using Hatch to bring you this answer.
And in case you missed it, we did the same study for HVAC estimate follow-up campaigns too. You can view it here.
Let’s dive in.
The TLDR summary:
- Speed is critical: Responding within 5 minutes boosts conversion rates; Hatch AI CSRs reply in 5 seconds, outperforming most human users.
- Best practices win: Top campaigns send 7 messages (5 texts, 2 emails) over 5 days, with concise, text-first outreach and clear calls-to-action.
- Multi-touch strategy works: It takes 8+ touches to engage decision-makers; campaigns with one message perform poorly (8% response rate).
- Higher response rates = more appointments: Improving response rates from 20% to 80% can quadruple appointments with the same lead volume.
- The template of the top performing campaign is in this Speed to Lead Playbook
What is a speed to lead campaign?
A Speed to Lead campaign is a campaign in Hatch for reaching out to inbound leads. Each lead source has its own campaign, such as for Angi Leads, Google LSA, your website, and more. Each campaign has a series of texts, emails, and sometimes ringless voicemails that send out over the course of several days, until the contact responds.
And once the contact responds, your AI CSR will handle that initial interaction, asking the rinse-and-repeat questions and qualifying the lead so that once it reaches a human, the bulk of the work is done.
This is one of our most popular campaign types in Hatch, since
- 78% of consumers go with the business that reached out to them first
- It takes an average of 8 touches to get a decision maker to respond.
- Consumers expect immediate responses, not just in the initial outreach but in the subsequent conversation.
Doing this type of outreach, follow-up, and rapid response for every new lead that comes in across every lead source is impossible to do manually, so this type of automation is key.
Hear it in 46 seconds from Jon Ryan of Genz-Ryan:
<div class="player-unavailable"><h1 class="message">An error occurred.</h1><div class="submessage"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqfWrOATJgI" target="_blank">Try watching this video on www.youtube.com</a>, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.</div></div>Genz-Ryan Testimonial | Hatch is a must for any size businessHatch Hatch539 subscribers Hatch AI to work around the clock for you - Apple AireHatch Hatch539 subscribers Speed is everything - Strittmatter HVAC & PlumbingHatch Hatch539 subscribers Watch on
FAQs
What lead sources were used in this study?
The lead sources for these campaigns included Angi Ads, Angi Leads, Blue Corona, Costco, Facebook, Google Ads, HomeYou, Home Depot, Lowes, Modernize, PPC Scorpion, Thumbtack, Website leads, Yelp, WinGen, and more.
How was this data collected?
These performance metrics were collected by analyzing 132,188 Speed to Lead campaigns launched for HVAC businesses using Hatch over the last 6 months. Campaigns had to have a minimum of 100 campaign launches and a minimum of 100 campaign responses.
What is an HVAC speed to lead campaign in Hatch?
An HVAC speed to lead campaign in Hatch is one where new leads get instantly outreached by companies via direct lead source integration. Automating these campaigns enables businesses to adhere to best practices for getting a response, which includes reaching out immediately, across multiple channels, and following up until they get a response.
Once your customer responds, you can jump in to engage, or you can train an AI bot to do it for you.
I use that same template and I'm not getting a high response rate. What can I do?
The factors above—number of messages, channels used, message verbiage and length, and campaign length—are not the only ones that impact response rates. Other factors include:
- The source and quality of the lead
- Your business's reputation and level of brand awareness
- The location and season
- How much competition you have
- The type of service you offer
If you're a Hatch customer and want to improve your response rates, reach out to your Account manager here and we'll help you. If you're not a Hatch customer and are interested in learning about improving your response rates, you can book a demo here.
Do you have templates for other industries?
None of our templates are industry-specific. Our customers use them across HVAC, remodeling, windows and doors, roofing, electrical, and more. We also have several customers in other verticals such as healthcare and finance. We help you adapt the templates to your business model, and/or to come up with custom templates that work for you, based on best practices.
Have more questions?
Hatch customers, reach out to your Account manager here.
Non-Hatch customers, book a demo here!
