Why HVAC, Plumbing & Pest Control Are Winning on Social Media
Joey Pedras
Founder & Chief Strategist, TrueFuture Media
Joey Pedras is the founder of TrueFuture Media, a social media agency built for trades and service businesses in NJ, NYC, and PA. He's helped HVAC companies, plumbers, roofers, and pest control operators turn social media into a consistent source of booked jobs.
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While lifestyle brands fight for attention, boring business owners in HVAC, plumbing, and pest control are quietly building the most engaged local audiences on social media — and booking more jobs because of it.
Why Are "Boring" Businesses Winning on Social Media?
Boring businesses win on social media because they solve real, urgent problems — and urgency beats aesthetics every time. A homeowner watching their basement flood doesn't need beautiful content. They need the plumber who showed up in their feed last Tuesday explaining exactly what to do. The U.S. home services market is worth $543 billion, and the businesses inside it are sitting on the most under-monetized content advantage in digital marketing.
The marketing industry spent years telling trades businesses they don't belong on social media. That was never true — it was a self-serving belief that kept an enormous category underserved. HVAC companies, plumbers, and pest control operators don't compete with Nike for attention. They compete with each other, and most competitors are still posting stock photos or nothing at all.
That's the gap. The businesses stepping into it are building local authority that's nearly impossible to dislodge. Here's why the content practically writes itself:
- High search intent: Mobile searches for "HVAC near me" grew 120% in the last two years — social content that mirrors those questions intercepts real buyers
- Low competition: Most local competitors post nothing useful, so one consistent account owns the local feed by default
- Built-in credibility: A technician on a job site is more trustworthy than any polished lifestyle ad — no production budget required
- Algorithm alignment: Platforms reward saves and shares, and helpful how-to content earns both naturally
- Underserved niche: Generalist agencies have ignored this space for years, leaving boring business owners with almost no real competition for local social authority
TrueFuture Media | Built for Boring Businesses
We build social media strategies for the trades and service businesses most agencies ignore. No stock photos. No vanity metrics. Just content that books jobs. Local Expertise, Enterprise Capability.
What Makes HVAC Social Media Content So Shareable?
HVAC content is shareable because every homeowner has either panicked about a failing unit or knows someone who has. Short videos that explain symptoms — "Is this noise coming from your furnace normal?" — tap into a universal anxiety and position your company as the expert worth trusting before the emergency call ever happens.
Hootsuite's 2025 benchmarks confirm that utilities and construction are top performers for Instagram Reels engagement — not because HVAC is glamorous, but because the content is genuinely useful. One HVAC company, Air Titans, reports achieving 15–20% booking rates directly from Facebook Lead Ads, making paid social their core customer acquisition channel. That's not a fluke. That's what 6 months of consistent job-site content does to conversion rates.
The best-performing HVAC posts follow a simple formula: name the problem, show the proof, give the next step. See exactly how that applies platform-by-platform in our complete HVAC social media strategy guide.
| Content Type | Best Platform | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Symptom Reels ("Is this noise normal?") | Instagram, TikTok | Triggers saves and shares from anxious homeowners |
| Repair vs. Replace Cost Breakdowns | Facebook, Instagram | High save rate; attracts high-intent buyers |
| Seasonal Maintenance Tips | Facebook, Google Business | Builds recurring trust; homeowners share with neighbors |
| Before-and-After Installations | Instagram, Facebook | Pure social proof — shows the result, not the pitch |
| Technician Job Walk-Throughs | Instagram Reels, TikTok | Humanizes the crew; drives DM inquiries |
How Do Plumbing and Pest Control Crush It on Instagram?
Plumbing and pest control companies win on Instagram because their content is hyperlocal, visually dramatic, and tied directly to problems people actually have. A plumber showing a corroded water heater or a pest control tech walking through a termite inspection creates the kind of "I didn't know that" moment that social algorithms reward with reach — no ad spend required.
Pest control is especially well-positioned. It's deeply seasonal — mosquito season, termite swarms, fall rodent migration — and social media is built for seasonal, hyperlocal content. Myth-busting posts like "No, ultrasonic devices don't work" and before-and-after termite treatment videos are consistently among the most-shared content in the entire home services space. The audience is huge, the information is genuinely useful, and almost no competitor is posting it.
For plumbing, the content advantage is urgency. A clogged drain or a water heater failure isn't a "maybe later" problem — it's a call-right-now problem. Plumbers with a recognizable local social presence get the call first, before homeowners even open Google. See how the industries we serve each use this differently.
- Plumbing wins: Drain clogs, water heater failures, "DIY gone wrong" rescues, and leak detection — drives immediate calls because the problem can't wait
- Pest control wins: Seasonal calendars ("When termites swarm in NJ"), inspection walkthroughs, and myth-busting posts dominate saves and shares
- Both industries: A shaky selfie-style video from a satisfied homeowner after the job consistently outperforms any polished promotional post
What Content Formats Work Best for Boring Businesses?
Short-form video is the highest-performing format for trades businesses in 2026. HubSpot data shows 64% of marketers call short-form video the most effective social media format overall. For HVAC, plumbing, and pest control, that means Reels filmed on a job site — no studio, no script, no production budget needed.
63% of social media users now say they prefer authentic, relatable videos over highly polished content. That's genuinely great news for a plumber filming a 30-second tip in a crawl space on their phone. The production disadvantage boring businesses thought they had turns out to be a credibility advantage — and the companies figuring that out are pulling ahead fast.
Use this format stack as your starting point. You can go deeper on Instagram specifically with the boring businesses on Instagram playbook, and grab free templates from our free resources library.
- Job-site Reels (15–30 sec): One problem, one explanation, one call-to-action — filmed on the job, zero editing required
- Before-and-after carousels: High save rate and strong Instagram reach under the current 2026 algorithm
- Seasonal tip posts: Posted 2 weeks before the demand spike — not during it — so you're visible when homeowners start thinking about the problem
- Customer video testimonials: Even a shaky selfie from a happy homeowner after the job converts better than a polished brand post
- Myth-busting posts: "The one thing most homeowners get wrong about [X]" — drives comments, saves, and shares reliably
"The HVAC company that shows up consistently on Instagram with real technician content will own their local market within 18 months. Not because they out-spent anyone — because they out-showed up."
How Do You Turn Social Media Views Into Booked Jobs?
You turn social media views into booked jobs by pairing organic content with a clear next step, then layering in paid ads once you know what's working. Organic content builds trust. Facebook Lead Ads convert that trust into calls. Contractors who combine both report a cost per lead around $36 — compared to $153 through traditional paid digital channels alone.
Facebook ads average $0.69 per click for HVAC businesses — one of the lowest cost-per-click rates in any local service category. The targeting lets you reach homeowners by ZIP code, homeowner status, age, and home improvement interest. Seasonal campaigns like a "$49 AC tune-up" ad perform especially well when they follow months of consistent organic content that's already built name recognition in the area.
Contractors who actively engage in local Facebook groups — answering real homeowner questions with zero sales pitch — report 12–15 inbound leads per month with close rates around 60%, without spending on ads at all. Get a full attribution walkthrough in our social media advertising ROI guide.
- Post 3–4 times per week on Facebook and Instagram — consistency beats production quality every time
- End every video with a direct CTA — "Call us," "DM for a free estimate," or "Link in bio to book" — no vague "follow for more"
- Join and contribute to local homeowner Facebook groups — answer real questions generously, sell nothing
- Boost your top 3 organic posts as Facebook Lead Ads targeted to homeowners in your exact service ZIP codes
- Track every link with UTM parameters — if you can't tie a booked job back to a specific post, you can't scale what works
The boring business boom isn't a trend — it's a permanent rebalancing of who social media actually works for. Trades businesses are built for it. The playbook is simple: show up consistently, answer real questions, and make the next step obvious.
Ready to find out what social media can actually generate for your business?
Get Your Free Strategy CallFrequently Asked Questions
Why do boring businesses perform well on social media?
Boring businesses like HVAC, plumbing, and pest control perform well on social media because their content is genuinely useful. Homeowners search for answers to real problems — strange noises from the furnace, a slow drain, or a pest sighting — and trades businesses that post helpful, honest content show up exactly when that trust is being built. They also face far less competition in their content space than lifestyle brands, so authenticity goes further.
What kind of social media content works best for HVAC companies?
The best social media content for HVAC companies answers real homeowner questions: what's wrong with my unit, repair vs. replace cost comparisons, seasonal maintenance tips, and before-and-after installation videos. Short Reels that show a technician explaining a problem clearly and ending with a direct call-to-action consistently generate the most leads. Authentic content outperforms polished promotional material — 63% of social media users prefer real, relatable videos over highly produced ones.
How do plumbing companies get leads from social media?
Plumbing companies generate leads through a mix of problem-solving content (drain clogs, water heater replacements, leak detection), Facebook community group participation, and targeted paid ads. Contractors who actively engage in local Facebook groups report generating 12 to 15 leads per month with close rates around 60%. Facebook Lead Ads — which let homeowners submit a form without leaving the app — work especially well for plumbing estimate requests.
Is social media worth it for pest control businesses?
Yes. Pest control is one of the strongest industries for social media content because it's deeply seasonal and hyperlocal — exactly how social algorithms surface content to nearby users. Seasonal pest calendars, inspection walkthroughs, myth-busting posts (no, ultrasonic devices don't work), and before-and-after treatment videos are consistently among the most-shared content in the home services space. The audience is massive, the problems are relatable, and the content practically creates itself.
Sources
- U.S. Home Maintenance Services Market — Research and Markets via Yahoo Finance (2026)
- HVAC Marketing Insights: A Comprehensive Guide — Contractor 2020 (2025)
- Social Media ROI Statistics Marketers Need to Know — Sprout Social (2025)
- 11 Home Services Marketing Strategies That Work — ShareWillow (2025)
Last Updated: February 19, 2026 | Last Reviewed: February 19, 2026