Did you know that the roofing industry is expected to reach $19.9 billion in market value in 2021? This presents a massive opportunity for a roofing company to optimize its marketing and grow high-quality leads.
For a roofing contractor, marketing activities include anything that helps promote the services of their business to existing and potential customers.
These activities can range from email marketing to local SEO strategies, all the way to door knocking and paid ads.
Why should roofers be on top of marketing?
As the industry grows, your business needs to stay competitive and relevant to bring in more roofing leads. Developing a robust marketing plan can help accomplish just that.
Here’s Why You Need to Market Your Roofing Business
- Increase your sales
Did you know that 78% of roofing professionals believe that the growth and expansion of roofing sales will continue to increase? Your business stands to gain a lot more than exposure by creating innovative roofing marketing ideas and implementing them. The return on investment for effective roofer marketing can be significant.
- Reach more customers and grow your business
Marketing is an excellent way for business owners to build their exposure in their target market and attract more leads. More potential customers will become aware of your services, which can attract more leads into your sales funnel.
- Solidify your brand
An effective marketing strategy solidifies and strengthens your brand’s voice. Suppose you create a marketing strategy that involves elements of social proof (for example, customer testimonials and online reviews). This is how your business communicates its authenticity and trustworthiness to homeowners. With such a strong voice and brand, it’ll be hard for new and existing customers to turn away.
- Gain insight and data into your business operations and its customers
Marketing is not just a great way to build your database of customer contact information, but it can also provide valuable customer insights that help you improve business operations and customer retention strategies. For example, if your business targets homeowners, you can get data on what kind of promotions they like, their changing demands, and more!
- Become more aware of industry trends
To stay ahead of the competition, you always have to be informed of the latest industry trends. Through marketing, you can learn more about current roofing trends, what your competitors are doing, and customers’ needs. By becoming more knowledgeable about the industry, you stand a better chance of building a truly sustainable business.
Start Marketing Your Roofing Business With These Strategies
Now that you know the importance of marketing for small businesses, it’s time to implement some real strategies.
Here are the various types of marketing strategies you can use to grow your roofing business:
Online/Digital Marketing Strategies
Online marketing is one of the most essential pillars of marketing today. Growing your online presence is an excellent way to attract more customers and make your business accessible in an instant. Here are a couple of strategies to start you out:
Google ads/PPC and Google Local Service ads
Google Ads works on the pay-per-click (PPC) model. Google presents ads to customers searching for specific keywords relevant to your roofing business or to customers within the same location as your business. Ads can also be fine-tuned toward a specific demographic.
For every click your ad receives, your business pays a small fee/commission to Google.
If you have a solid search engine optimization strategy, your Google ads and PPC efforts can be that much more effective for local searches made by your ideal customer.
With Google Local Services, you can hyper-focus your ads to customers within a particular location. When a user searches for roofer contractors and happens to be in or near your geographic location, your business will pop up in the displayed results.
Pro-tip: If you get your business verified or “Google Guaranteed” with Google My Business, you can get an edge over the competition by establishing more credibility and trust from the get-go.
Facebook and Instagram ads
Facebook and Instagram are two of the most popular social media platforms used by businesses to build their brands and connect with customers. These social media platforms provide a massive opportunity for roofing contractors to use paid ad campaigns to boost awareness of their business to their desired demographic.
Both Facebook ads and Instagram ads provide opportunities to define detailed criteria to target a very specific, niche demographic. For local businesses, this can work like a charm.
Pro-tip: Your business can work with a digital marketing/advertisement agency to build and roll out paid advertising campaigns, or you can DIY. Just make sure you cater to your customers and present the best version of your business to the public.
Building a website and tracking your visitors
Building a roofing website is essential to maintaining your online presence. Homeowners want a one-stop-shop to visit to find out more about your business and the kind of services you offer.
In today’s digital landscape, a website is one of the first touchpoints a potential customer will encounter. You want your website to be an accurate reflection of your business and its quality services. Make sure your website is:
- Visually stimulating
- Reflective of your brand/voice
- Easy to navigate
- Call-to-action driven
- Informative and engaging
- Mobile-friendly
You can check out more examples of well-designed roofer websites here.
Once you’ve built a robust website, you can also track customers and gather more insights that you can then use to create an even more powerful marketing strategy. For example, information on their age, gender, and location can help you build a more accurate buyer persona and cater to your audience.
Website trackers also provide insight into which of your service pages are performing well and how long visitors stay. These are all data points that can help your business inform its next marketing campaign.
To get you started, check out this list of website visitor tracking tools.
Interactive website and texting chat options
While designing your website, creating an opportunity for user interactions should be top-of-mind.
One way you can do this is by adding interactive chat and text and automating on-site customer interactions.
Signpost offers live chat software that will keep your website visitors engaged and answer any questions they may have.
Creating this opportunity for instant customer connection can improve your business’s customer engagement and relationship management.
Landing pages
Once you’ve got your website up and running, it’s time to develop landing pages.
A landing page is a specific page on your website meant to transform potential leads into customers. Unlike other pages, landing pages are also standalone web pages specifically designed to help track inbound customers and measure the effectiveness of individual marketing campaigns.
For example, suppose your business is currently running a Facebook ad. If a user clicks on the ad to then arrive on your landing page, you can attribute that lead to Facebook.
Creating a solid landing page can help guarantee effective lead conversion, as landing pages should always have a call to action and some form of information capture.
Lead generation services (HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack)
Listing your business on a lead generation service site is also a great way to attract more business. Lead generation services act as an alternative form of a marketing agency.
You can directly connect and follow up with interested customers through your listing on sites such as HomeAdvisor or Thumbtack. Contractors have to pay to opt for listings on these sites, but they can help bring in more quality, verified leads.
With HomeAdvisor, homeowners can find roofers based on their budget and the kind of job or service they’re looking for. If your business is listed on here, within the general vicinity of the searcher, and provides the roofing service they’re looking for, they just might end up contacting you!
Similarly, customers can filter the roofers they want based on the service they desire on Thumbtack.
To get started, list your business on Thumbtack as a “Pro” and let Thumbtack know what kind of jobs you’re open for. You’ll get matched with customers looking for the same thing you’re offering.
Review and reputation management
Online reviews can make or break a business. In fact, up to 93% of consumers claim a business’s online reviews affect their purchase decisions. Suffice to say, online reviews will directly impact customer perception, the number of new leads and sales, and general customer engagement.
Gaining more online reviews and managing them is equally important. Make sure to take every opportunity to ask for a review, and don’t forget to respond to all reviews either (especially if they’re negative).
By effectively managing your online reviews and reputation, you can build a strong brand and attract more business.
Signpost can help you get the 5-star reviews your roofing business deserves. From handling negative reviews to growing your positive ones and helping you implement a solid review strategy, we have you covered with our very own review management service.
Offline Marketing Strategies
Offline marketing strategies continue to be effective to this day and should not be neglected in your marketing strategy. Here are a few you can implement:
Billboards
Billboards are a large and visually attractive medium of marketing you can use to capture homeowners’ attention. Their size guarantees they won’t be missed, so all you have to do is create effective copy and a compelling design that catches the eye!
For example, the above roofing billboard puts a humorous twist to their punchline, sure to earn a chuckle (and even a customer) or two!
Pro-tip: Showcasing your brand personality in your ads is a great way to make your business more personable.
Vehicle/Car wraps
A vehicle/car wrap is where you put an extra layer of finish over a vehicle’s original paint. However, it’s not just any layer; it’s a rolling advertisement that markets your roofing business.
Your car wrap can be anything—from flashy, attention-grabbing colors to just a simple company logo. Car wraps can even display your business’s contact information.
Car wraps are excellent for when you cruise around the neighborhood to deliver your roofing services. Passersby will become aware of your business while you’re on the way to a job! It’s a simple yet innovative way to grow your leads.
Door knocking
This is an age-old strategy that can still be utilized today, especially if your business is situated in a smaller and tight-knit residential area. Going door-to-door, your sales reps inform homeowners of your business by giving out flyers, business cards, and scheduling inspections.
The important bit is not to seem too salesy or overly promotional. Your sales reps are there to inform and educate potential customers, not coerce or pressure them into sales on the spot.
Referral programs and builder/contractor referrals
Do you have happy customers? It’s time to use them to your advantage.
By building a customer referral program, you can spread the impact of word-of-mouth marketing and get your loyal customers to bring in more leads. In exchange for this referral, you can offer the source customer a discount, free inspection, or gift card!
The key to a successful referral system, after all, lies in the incentives.
A builder or contractor referral, on the other hand, is incredibly effective if you can partner with a non-competing contractor business. For example, your roofing business might agree to send referrals to a real estate or insurance agent and vice versa. It’s a win-win for both parties!
Trades magazine print ads
Print ads may not be as common as they used to be, but they remain an effective technique to target a local demographic.
Roofing companies may source many customers from the local neighborhood and surrounding areas. They may prefer print ads to social media ads, especially in the case of retired homeowners.
Print ads can go a long way with them. Make sure they’re visually attractive and stimulating to the eye!
Check out the templates on this site to get you started!
Business cards
Word-of-mouth marketing can go a long way if you’ve handed out business cards as a source of reference to a happy customer.
Not only are business cards a more cost-effective way of marketing, but they also add a personal touch that other forms of marketing might not necessarily provide.
Business cards are meant to be concise, so make sure you only display the most critical contact information to make your services instantly understood by a prospect.
Yard signs and on-the-job signage
While working on various jobs, you may need protective tarps or materials to preserve the roofing work being done while it’s still in progress.
This is a fantastic opportunity to market your business through on-the-job signage.
For more inspiration, check out The Catch-All’s packages.
The company offers several landscape protection kits that also act as marketing opportunities!
You can print your business’s logo on the protective nets, and at a glance, appeal to any potential customers passing by in the neighborhood who are curious about the work being done.
Automated Marketing Strategies
Automated emails
Even today, email marketing continues to be one of the most impactful ways to drive customer leads. Emails provide a direct bridge from your business to your customers.
Technology helps solidify this connection even more by providing email automation tools that can make the job easier. You no longer have to pour in hours constructing the perfect email subject line or enticing email copy.
Through a digital automation strategy, you can keep your leads close and your customers even closer.
Find a template that works for your marketing efforts and adopt new content marketing tactics to take your emails to the next level!
Marketing Your Roofing Business with Signpost
Whether you want to build a strong social media presence, grow your online reviews, or nail your email marketing—we’ve got you covered.
Start marketing your roofing business today with Signpost.
Check out our digital marketing automation and review management services, and let’s take your sales to the next level!