Market one season ahead
The weather decides when customers call. A heat wave fills the phones with no-cool calls whether you advertise or not. Seasonal marketing does two jobs: it pulls some of that work forward into calmer weeks (tune-ups, inspections, planned replacements), and it fills the dead weeks between peaks.
The rule is simple: promote a season's work four to eight weeks before it starts. By the time the first hot week arrives, it's too late to sell a spring tune-up. You're just answering emergencies.
A 12-month calendar
This is a starting template. Shift it for your climate; a shop in Phoenix and a shop in Minneapolis have very different years.
| Months | HVAC | Plumbing | Roofing | Electrical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan - Feb | Heating repairs; plan renewals | Frozen and burst pipe calls; water heater replacements | Inspections and planned spring re-roofs | Panel upgrades; indoor projects |
| Mar - Apr | Spring cooling checks | Sump pump and outdoor spigot checks | Storm damage inspections; booking the season | Generator and surge protection |
| May - Jun | AC replacements before peak | Irrigation and outdoor plumbing | Peak re-roof season | EV chargers; outdoor lighting |
| Jul - Aug | No-cool calls; keep marketing light | Remodel plumbing; drain cleaning | Peak; storm response where relevant | AC circuits; ceiling fans |
| Sep - Oct | Fall heating checks | Water heater flushes; pipe insulation before freeze | Pre-winter inspections and gutters | Holiday lighting circuits; safety inspections |
| Nov - Dec | Heating repairs; gift and plan promotions | Holiday-guest drain and toilet calls | Last jobs before weather; year-end reviews | Holiday load issues; year-end projects |
The HVAC spring and fall checks follow ENERGY STAR's maintenance checklist, which says it's best to check the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. That's the backbone of most maintenance plans, and member visits are the easiest way to fill shoulder months.
Start with the customers you already have
Past customers already know you. A seasonal email to them costs almost nothing and usually books faster than any ad. Sort your list by what you did for them:
- AC installed three or more years ago: spring check reminder.
- Water heater over ten years old: replacement option before winter.
- Roof inspected last fall: post-storm inspection offer.
- Panel work done: whole-home surge protection.
Use email for promotions unless the customer opted in to marketing texts. The CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices say promotional texts need the customer's written agreement first, and every text should honor STOP.
Fill the slow months on purpose
Shoulder months are where seasonal marketing earns its keep. Example offers:
- A planned replacement with flexible scheduling, before peak season pricing pressure and wait times.
- Off-season scheduling for remodel rough-ins.
- A free second opinion on a quote, so homeowners compare before they're desperate.
- Maintenance plan sign-ups that book a visit in the slow weeks.
Keep offers honest and specific. "Book your fall heating check in September and get a 2-hour arrival window" is better than "Huge savings!"
Don't market work you can't staff
Marketing that brings in more calls than your crew can handle just makes customers wait, and waiting customers call someone else. Before each campaign, check how many tech hours you really have. The tech capacity calculator helps, and so does capacity planning for the busiest weeks. In peak season, pull back on ads and lean on your phone answering instead; see how to stop losing after-hours calls.
Storm season: be the shop people trust
For roofers and restoration-minded plumbers, storms bring a rush of work and a rush of bad actors. In the Atlantic, NOAA's tropical cyclone climatology gives the official hurricane season as June 1 through November 30. The FTC's advice to homeowners on avoiding scams after weather emergencies says to be skeptical of anyone promising immediate repairs, to confirm a contractor's license and insurance, to get a written contract, and to walk away from anyone who wants cash up front.
Turn that into your marketing. Put your license number on every estimate, offer written scopes, take a reasonable deposit by card or check rather than cash, and say so. Homeowners who have read the FTC advice will pick the shop that already does all of it. Our roofing page shows how job walks and staged invoicing fit storm work.
Worked example: one shoulder-season campaign
Example numbers only. Harbor Line Plumbing has 1,200 past customers with email addresses. In late September, Jordan Lee sends a water heater check email to the 300 whose heaters are over ten years old.
| Step | Example result |
|---|---|
| Emails sent | 300 |
| Customers who book a check | 18 (6%) |
| Checks that turn into replacements | 5 |
| Revenue at an example $2,200 per replacement | $11,000 |
Every one of those jobs landed in October, before the first cold snap, on days the crew would otherwise have had gaps.
Measure each campaign
Ask every caller where they heard about you and record the lead source. After each season, write down what you sent, how many booked, and what it brought in. Next year's calendar starts from those notes.
How SWITCHBOARD helps
SWITCHBOARD sends broadcast emails to the past customers you pick, turns job photos into posts for Facebook, Instagram and your Google profile, and lets maintenance plans renew and book their own visits, so the slow months fill themselves a little more each year.
Questions people ask
When should HVAC companies run tune-up promotions?
A few weeks before each season. ENERGY STAR says it's best to check cooling systems in the spring and heating systems in the fall, so promote spring checks in late winter and fall checks in late summer.
How do I get work in the slow season?
Email past customers with a specific reason to book, schedule maintenance plan visits into those weeks, and promote planned replacements and remodel work that isn't tied to the weather.
Can I text past customers about seasonal offers?
Only if they agreed in writing to receive promotional texts. Otherwise use email. Always identify your shop and honor STOP.
How should roofers market after a storm?
Be the trustworthy option: show your license and insurance, give written scopes, take a reasonable deposit instead of cash up front, and don't pressure homeowners into immediate decisions.
Should I advertise during my busiest season?
Often less. If you can't answer and book the calls you already get, more ads just send customers to competitors. Fix answering and capacity first.
Sources
- Maintenance Checklist - ENERGY STAR (checked November 10, 2026)
- Tropical Cyclone Climatology - NOAA (checked November 10, 2026)
- How To Avoid Scams After Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters - FTC Consumer Advice (checked November 10, 2026)
- CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023) (checked November 10, 2026)