Is your roofing business earning as many real, qualified leads as possible?
If not, it’s time to do something about it. In a crowded roofing industry projected to reach nearly $20 billion in value by 2021, contractors hoping to stay competitive must be able to generate leads consistently.
Many of your competitors are frustrated with stagnant websites and over-reliance on word of mouth. You, however, can fill in the gap for local homeowners and businesses who need roofing services. The keys are being found by those prospects in the right places, and having the digital marketing and business development know-how that will earn you sales.
Here, we’ll share the 5 most effective strategies to boost your lead generation process. Follow them carefully, and you’ll never wonder how to get more roofing leads again.
1. Use Smart SEO and SEM
Search engines — like Google and Bing, along with a handful of other players — are where many roofing customers start their search for a contractor. Taking advantage of this will ensure your services are found first by your best local prospects.
When exploring how to get more roofing leads online, there are two related, but slightly different search-based methods you should know about: search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM).
SEO: Attract Organic, High-Intent Web Traffic to Your Business
SEO is one of the best ways to ensure your web presence is a lead-generating asset in the long term.
Why is that? There are several reasons:
- SEO generates leads for free. Homeowners, businesses, and other prospects will find you easily without you having to spend a dime on advertising.
- Optimizing for search leads to sustainable web traffic. You’ll stand to get more and more roofing leads over time by maintaining fresh content that’s accurate, targeted, and relevant to local prospects.
- SEO gives you a great ROI in the long run. It might take some time to see an increase in leads, but once you’ve implemented SEO best practices, the leads and sales you’ll generate will far outweigh the minimal cost.
For better SEO, start with an up-to-date Google My Business (GMB) profile. According to Google, customers are 70% more likely to visit a business with a filled-out GMB profile. At a glance, your profile shows roofing customers key info about your company, including what services you offer, where you’re located, and how to get in touch.
To get started, set up your GMB profile with your business name, address, and phone number (also known as your NAP data).
You’ll also want to set up more citations, which are additional listings of your basic business information that appear across the web. Create citations in popular sites such as:
- Yelp
- Bing
- Yellowpages
- Angie’s List
- HomeAdvisor
…and wherever else others in your industry might be listed.
Generally, the more citations you have the better, as each one is a vote of confidence for your business in the search engines’ eyes. However, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Citations must have the exact same NAP data across listings to work well for your SEO. For example, if your original GMB profile lists your address with the word “Street,” other citations should not have the abbreviation “St.” Ensure your citations are accurate and match exactly for the best search ranking results.
- Wherever possible, add rich data to your citations such as project images, videos, and social media links. Enriching your citations with more business information beyond NAP data (as much as each individual online directory allows) will both please the search engines, and entice new web visitors.
- Keep your business descriptions as unique as possible, everywhere it’s listed. This avoids “duplicate content” penalties from Google, ensuring your business is featured in searches more often.
Another key to great SEO is including as many customer reviews as possible in your GMB profile. Reach out to satisfied customers and ask them to leave reviews. Respond to any new reviews you get as well.
This shows Google you’re an active, accessible local business, and your search rankings stand to benefit as a result.
SEM: Answer Searcher Questions With Attention-Getting Ads
Search engine marketing (SEM) is a little different from SEO, as it consists of using paid advertising to get new leads. It’s an effective way to target homeowners and businesses who are actively trying to find local roofing contractors online.
The most popular SEM platform is Google Ads. It lets you create the common text-based ads that appear on top or on the side of the regular search results. To get the most out of them, grab attention immediately with a descriptive headline and ad copy that explains the biggest benefits of your roofing services.
For even better results with Google Ads, use the following tips:
- Create ads around “trigger events” that heighten the need for roofing services. When a major storm approaches your city or town, have ads mentioning the impact of hail and other severe weather events on roofs. This could easily grab the attention of prospects who have been putting off roof repairs and are finally ready to act.
- Use Local Services Ads (LSAs). Regular Google Ads entail paying for each click (the PPC or pay-per-click model), but the newer Local Services Ads enable businesses to set an average weekly budget for the number of leads they want. Google now lists LSAs above PPC ads for local businesses. Use LSAs for a higher likelihood of reaching prospects who want the closest contractor and are ready to contact you right away.
If you’ve been wondering how to get more roofing leads, SEO and SEM are a big part of the answer. Be sure to leverage the power of search in bringing leads your way.
2. Work to Acquire Leads from Your Roofing Manufacturer
Online marketing isn’t the only source of new roofing leads. You’ll want to tap into another great potential source: your roofing manufacturer.
The manufacturer of the products you use will most likely have a contractor locator embedded on their website. Make sure your company is listed there.
Why? Some prospects might be interested in a specific manufacturer’s products, and they’ll go directly to that manufacturer’s website. If your business happens to use those products, you can and should be found by these prospects.
Approach your manufacturer and ask if they have a contractor locator online. If they don’t, you can bring a lot of value to them by suggesting they adopt a tool like the Bullseye Locator Software.
By being listed in a Bullseye-powered locator, you can receive inquiries from leads, funneled your way directly through the manufacturer’s website. You’ll even be able to show manufacturers how much market share you’re helping them gain, just by being featured to local prospects in need of your services.
3. Build Strategic Partnerships
Businesses with partners have a solid advantage. In a study by Partnerize, 54% of companies reported that more than 20% of their revenue was attributable to partnerships.
The benefits of partnerships can especially hold true for roofing companies and contractors. By forming the right strategic alliances, your reach will extend into huge pools of leads you wouldn’t have found otherwise.
First, consider partnering with other home improvement professionals. They might include window and door installers, flooring contractors, and other professionals that provide local home improvement or restoration services.
Being connected to a range of these pros and companies can be an important source of referrals, especially when customers have multiple or ongoing needs.
Insurance agencies are also smart strategic partners for roofers. As insurers look for ways to reduce their risk and expenses, they may want to connect and promote your services — especially if your work can help reduce the complexity and costs of insurance claims.
Finally, consider joining your local contractor association. Being listed in a directory like this can help is one way that proactive leads might find you. You’ll also have an opportunity to build goodwill among your peers and, as a result, gain more visibility for your business.
4. Create a Referral Program
In seeking how to get more roofing leads, you might have thought about referrals.
That’s a great instinct, because referrals work. Up to 65% of companies with referral programs report that referrals take a shorter time to generate leads than other marketing methods.
Let both customers and other professionals know you have a referral program. This can be as simple as giving gift cards to homeowners in exchange for referring you to friends in need of roof repairs. It can also look like offering credit or other discounts to businesses who bring you local commercial leads.
The potential upside of this is huge. You’ll gain access to more leads in your local area. You’ll also forge professional partnerships that can open up large sources of new business down the line.
Lucrative contracts might also become possible, especially in the event of new construction in your area, or severe weather patterns that drive local demand for roof inspections and repairs.
A good referral program not only opens up new roofing customer opportunities today, but lays the groundwork for future name recognition and a larger slice of the local market share.
5. Advertise on Nextdoor
It makes sense to advertise your roofing company on all the platforms your leads are known to frequent. One such platform is Nextdoor.
Nextdoor is quickly becoming a force in the home improvement culture, as more and more homeowners look to the site for local contractors that can help them with important projects.
Follow these tips to get the most out of the site:
- Set up a rich business profile. Include all your company contact info, service details, and pictures of your work. Provide a visual story that expresses why roofing prospects should choose your services over others.
- Engage within the platform. Nextdoor has a social feel that allows contractors and prospects to communicate as “neighbors” with common interests. Become a valued part of the community by checking in regularly, answering roofing questions, and being helpful and positive as you communicate with people on the site.
- Promote “Local Deals.” A great way to get attention to your services is to offer a special discount. Promote one of these on Nextdoor as a “Local Deal,” and you just might have the edge over other roofers when a customer needs services right away.
How to Get More Roofing Leads: Be Found In the Right Places, Online and Offline
Just as solid decking undergirds the shingles on a well-done roof, getting more leads requires that you lay a strong foundation online.
It can be done without too much of a hassle. It’s all about being where your best leads can find you.
Online, if you employ SEO, SEM, and listings on popular websites like Nextdoor, you’ll be found by prospects who are deliberately searching for roofers. Offline, if you form strategic partnerships and create referral programs, you’ll expand your network and increase the chance more leads will hear about you. Do these things consistently, and you’ll win.
Bullseye Premium Locator Software for Roofing Manufacturers
Want even more roofing leads? Get yourself listed in your manufacturer’s contractor locator. It’s a surefire way to get more high-quality customer inquiries, especially if your manufacturer is using a premium locator software like Bullseye. Talk to your manufacturer about the benefits of Bullseye today!
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