The busy day-to-day life of being a roofer with your own business often means important marketing efforts are pushed off until “tomorrow.” However, spending just a little time on your business’s marketing efforts can prove to be extremely beneficial and increase profits.
Digital marketing is easier, cheaper, and more successful than traditional marketing efforts. Digital ads can increase your company’s awareness by 80%, and people who see your ads twice are 70% more likely to use your services.
In this article, we’ll break down five effective ways you can increase your digital marketing footprint and gain more roofing leads.
1. Email Marketing
You may think your customer base doesn’t want to receive emails from you or might get sick of you if they do. But good news, you’d be wrong! Nearly 100% of customers check their email every day, and it’s their preferred way to interact with brands. Additionally, 73% of millennials prefer to communicate with businesses through email.
More than just reaching a lot of people directly, email marketing has one of the highest returns on investment (ROI). For every one dollar spent you can earn $36 in return. You can use it to build trust with your audience, share tips and guidance, introduce trends, and even offer discounts.
To initiate your email marketing efforts we recommend:
- Gather email addresses from your client list
- Set up something on your website that captures emails. You could offer a free guide or a small discount to incentivize people to submit their information.
- Send at least one newsletter a month to ensure you stay top of mind.
2. SEO & Content Marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of maximizing the number of visitors to your website organically by making sure it is highly ranked when potential customers enter keywords or queries into the search engine they are using.
You can increase your SEO in two key ways. The first way is to add a location page to your website. Make sure it has accurate phone numbers, addresses, and hours of operation so customers can see exactly where you are and when you’re open. Updating your Google Business Profile (GBP) is just as crucial—if not a little more—as updating your site.
The second way to optimize your site is through content marketing which includes writing educational blog posts. Most people don’t know the difference between flashing and eaves, but you do. So take the time to write a short article, start a YouTube channel, or hire a freelance writer to produce content that gives your customers the information they need. Having a content marketing strategy also helps establish you as an industry expert.
3. Manage Your Reviews to Improve Your Rating
It’s frustrating when a customer leaves a bad review about your roofing services, especially because you work hard to provide the best service you can. And since you can’t just delete bad reviews, it’s important to manage them.
Before you can even manage your reviews, however, you first have to claim your business on a review site like Yelp or Google My Business. This lets people leave and read reviews and check out your business information.
When looking for a roofing contractor, people want someone who is communicative with good customer service. You can exemplify this in your reviews by:
- Thanking someone for a positive review.
- And respond to negative reviews with a kind, thoughtful answer, and potential solution. 70% of people say they’re willing to give a business a second chance if they respond to a complaint.
4. Consider Referrals and/or Partnerships
Referrals and partnerships can establish you as a trusted contractor. People are constantly asking—both online and in-person—for help finding the best roofer in their area. To help ensure you’re mentioned, you can create a referral program that encourages customers to spread the good word.
That could look like a discount for the customer who referred you or a discount for both the referrer and the new customer who was brought to you. Building a strong network of referrals is integral to setting up a solid customer base.
Partnerships are creative marketing strategies. We recommend partnering with local businesses, realtors, and landscapers, rather than roofing material manufacturers as that can be tricky and most homeowners aren’t brand loyal when it comes to their shingles.
Create a get-and-give relationship with these businesses by displaying their marketing efforts—brochures or business cards—in your offices, and they’ll do the same. This way, if someone is working with their trusted real estate agent and sees your cards in their office, they’ll be more likely to reach out.
5. Remarket Paid Social Ads to Past Website Visitors
If your marketing budget allows, we recommend investing in paid advertising on social media. More specifically, remarketing because 97% of people who visit your site leave without booking a service. Remarketing or retargeting through Instagram or Facebook ads can draw them back.
What does that mean? After visiting your site, your potential customers will see your ads while browsing on Instagram or Facebook. This helps keep your business top of mind and provides them with a clear path back to your site when they’re ready to book a service.
Improve Your Business Processes with the HOVER App
Once you’ve built your digital marketing strategy and are collecting leads, successfully closing deals is your next step. HOVER makes that easy. With HOVER’s app, you can create takeoffs and estimates, and show off your capabilities to customers all from a few smartphone photos. Get in touch with us today to learn how our solutions can make your sales and roofing processes more efficient.
