As a roofing contractor you know the importance of the skills of the trade, the required licensure to operate, and of course the insurance to protect you and your team. One area that you might be less comfortable with is your roofing company’s marketing plan.
Without a clear plan to market your business and reach your target consumer you may receive some clients here and there, but no where near the numbers that you would see with a solid marketing strategy in place.
To help you build your marketing plan and understand key industry tactics, the Roofing Academy team is excited to share advice from our own Randy Brothers’ book, Start It, Build It, Grow It, with you today. Below we are sharing the foundation for how to build a marketing plan, what tactics work, and how to start market your roofing company!
Building Your Marketing Plan
Just like the business plan for your roofing company as a whole, you need to build a specific marketing plan in order to help you execute on the strategy that is best for you and your business. Below we will discuss specific tactics you can utilize while building your plan, but first let’s walk through the plan itself.
When outlining your marketing plan, you will want to start by listing the marketing channels that you are planning on using. If you are just starting out, do your research to determine where the industry usually sees success and for seasoned businesses, do a bit of data analysis to see where you normally receive the most ROI.
From there you will want to determine your marketing budget. How much of your revenue — or start-up costs if you are just getting started — can you use for your marketing plan? Don’t worry if the number isn’t quite as high as you would like. There are many less costly options that we will explore below and you can always adjust your plan as you grow.
Next you can consider the metrics that you will use to determine ROI on your efforts. Consider how you will track where your leads are coming from, analyze data, and decide whether your strategy is working.
Finally it is time to begin executing on your plan! Let’s walk through some of the marketing tactics you can deploy for your roofing business.
Marketing Tactics for Roofers
Canvassing
Canvassing is a tried and true marketing strategy in the roofing industry for a few reasons. For one thing it is completely free which makes it appealing for roofers just getting started. It costs you nothing to knock on doors in your neighborhood and if you do a quick once over of the roof before ringing the doorbell you should be able to spot which residents may be in need of your services or not.
The one thing to be wary with canvassing is that it can sometimes come off as the used car salesman pitch so it is important to carefully tailor your conversations to avoid this.
Networking
Networking is another free, but extremely effective way to get your roofing company off the ground. Consider joining local industry groups consisting of realtors, home improvement professionals, and insurers in the area.
You should also remember the network that you already have. Friends, family, and neighbors are a great resource when you are first getting started in the roofing industry. It might be uncomfortable reach out to these contacts in this way, but it can open many doors and most of these people will be more than happy to help.
Direct Mail
Direct mail is a great marketing tactic if you have a marketing budget to spend. By researching neighborhoods you are hoping to target based on income levels, home prices, home age, and other demographics you can reach your target market relatively quickly. When using direct mail be sure to invest in quality materials and use your company’s branding as you do elsewhere.
Website
In 2020 it is impossible to talk about marketing without talking about website and internet marketing. Most customers find your brand by running internet searches and coming across your website. When they reach your website you want them to be greeted with a clean, professional, easy to navigate site. They should quickly be able to find the services that you offer, a contact page, and an about page if they are looking to learn more. The longer it takes a lead to find any one of these pages, the more likely you are to lose them.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization, commonly abbreviated to SEO, is a marketing strategy that is based on the searches mentioned above. When a customer types something into a search bar such as: “Denver shingle replacement”, the search engine will then analyze the words to find a list of websites relevant to their search.
Where you rank on the search results will depend on a number of things including organic exposure of the search phrase through website content, how much traffic your website gets, and how old your website is. The algorithm is quite complex and if you are struggling with or looking to boost SEO, we recommend working with a professional.
Google AdWords
Google AdWords is paid advertising or exposure through Google. When setting up a Google AdWords campaign you can target specific, searchable keywords. When those words are searched Google will automatically position your ad on the top or side of the page. You pay per click, so every time someone clicks on your ad you will pay. When creating your campaign you will be able to set a specific budget. Once you hit that budget, your ad will no longer run for that week or month depending on your settings.
Online Reviews
Reviews and testimonials are one of the single most important tools your roofing company will depend on in your marketing strategy. Over eighty percent of consumers read online reviews before purchasing a product or choosing a service and you want as many positive reviews as possible.
After services are completed consider asking satisfied roofing clients to leave a review on Google, Yelp, or Facebook to help promote your services and share their experiences. If you are struggling with reviews consider running a contest or giveaway to help generate more.
Social Media
Social media is a major piece of all marketing strategies in 2020 and it is important that your roofing company has a strong social media presence. It costs nothing to create a business profile on most social media platforms and sharing high quality, industry relevant content on your channels will help establish you as a roofing industry thought leader.
If you are interested in learning more about the business side of the roofing industry, the Roofing Academy is the perfect resource for you. Click here to learn more about our membership options and if you are hoping to further explore this particular subject, grab your copy of Start It, Build It, Grow It today.