Commercial roofing marketing on the internet is all about being where your potential clients are, and that means knowing the right places to advertise. If you’re not advertising on Facebook, Twitter, and Google, you’re missing out on up to millions of potential customers — but those aren't the only places to look.
In fact, roofing businesses enjoy a plethora of marketing opportunities out there, from email marketing to blogging and social media, and everything in between. Your marketing efforts can be as simple or complex as you want them to be — the key is to find what works for your business and stick with it.
In this article, we've prepared your very own Roofing Marketing Stack, a list of digital marketing strategy tips and tricks that you can deploy right away.
Your Roofing Marketing Stack
Roofing companies are no exception to the rule that any business can benefit from internet marketing. Roofing companies can use SEO, PPC, video marketing, and other online roofing marketing strategies to increase their visibility and reach new customers.
The internet is a unique place where there are very few barriers to entry. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection has access to almost limitless information. This means roofing companies have a chance to compete with much larger companies by using digital advertising techniques that cost less than traditional paid advertising methods like print ads or billboards.
A great way for roofing companies to get started with online marketing is by doing some trial-and-error tests on different marketing campaigns they can run without having to spend too much money in the beginning.
Once they find which platforms work best for them (be it Facebook ads or Google AdWords), they can scale up their efforts and start investing more money into those campaigns until they reach their goals.
1. Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Local SEO is all about getting your business's name out there and making sure that when people search for roofing companies in your area, you're the one that comes up. You can set up a Google My Business Profile to make sure that you have consistent information across the web, including a picture of your business, hours of operation, and other pertinent details.
The keys to an effective local roofing SEO marketing strategy include:
- Getting reviews on Google, Yelp, and other local business review sites
- Adding your business to as many relevant directories as possible (including the yellow pages)
- Making sure that your website is optimized for mobile devices
Moreover, you should make sure that you're using a strong call-to-action in your Google My Business profile. This is where people will go when they search for a roofing company in your area, and if you don't have a compelling call-to-action here, no one will be clicking through to your website.
When it comes to being found on Google, you want to make sure that your site has the right keywords so search engines can find it. Locally relevant keywords are useful because they show prospective customers that you know what they're looking for.
In addition, there's something to be said for being an active participant in your community, getting involved in roofing-related events, and participating in online forums. These activities will help you to build your reputation as a knowledgeable and trustworthy roofing expert, which will make people more likely to visit your website when they need a new roof.
2. Roofing Advertising
Advertising for roofing companies demands a marketing strategy that is tailored to the specific needs of your business. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to roofing advertising.
To reach homeowners, you'll need to develop an advertising plan that targets their pain points. This means creating ads that show how your products or services can help them solve problems they're experiencing now or in the future.
There are different kinds of advertisements you can deploy online, including:
- Online banner or Google ads
- Pay-per-click (PPC) ads
- Social media ads
- Video ads
- Remarketing ads
- Landing pages
All of these ads present unique opportunities for you to reach new customers and generate leads. But they also require different levels of effort and investment. Remember that a roofing marketing agency can help you choose the right type of advertisement for your business, and can also guide you through the process of creating an ad that converts leads into sales.
If you're selling roofing products, for example, consider sending coupons for free samples or discounts on installation when the homeowner is considering whether to buy new shingles. You can also use your paid ads to offer free estimates and advice on how often replacement is necessary.
3. Roofing Website Design
As a roofer, your website is your home base for all of your marketing material. It's where you'll post your roofing portfolio, find and share content that applies to your industry, and communicate with customers and prospects. It's also the place for you to share testimonials and case studies with potential clients.
Property owners don't just visit roofing websites when they need a new roof, but also to learn more about the industry, get advice on how to maintain their homes and find out what to look for in a roofing contractor. That’s why it's so important that your website is responsive and easy to use.
Web design should focus on:
- Making sure the website is easy to navigate
- Including a lot of high-quality content on the homepage, such as pictures and videos
- Creating a blog where you can share industry news and information about roofing trends
Update and optimize your meta descriptions, the snippets that show up in search engine results. All of your headers should be SEO-friendly, and your website should load smoothly — no long load times, no broken plugins, and certainly no dreaded 404 errors. You can use Google Analytics to monitor which parts of your website are working as expected and which aren't.
4. Roofing Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing can also be very effective in helping people find information about your business online through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and other marketing channels. You can set up accounts on these sites that let customers know when new products are available or special deals are available only through social media channels rather than traditional advertising outlets such as radio commercials or newspaper ads.
It also provides an important outlet for your SEO content marketing, in that social media sites like Twitter and Facebook allow you to link your website directly to your social media accounts. This can help your SEO efforts by making it easier for people to find your content online, which in turn helps increase your rankings on search engines like Google.
Social media marketing gives roofing companies the opportunity to:
- Engage with customers and prospects in real-time
- Build trust and credibility by showing that you’re a real person who cares about the industry
- Create a community around your brand by engaging people in conversations about their needs, concerns, and interests
Your SEO strategy in your online marketing should focus on finding valuable leads, ones that will be more likely to convert into sales. Your goal is not just to get people to like your page or follow you on social media; it’s also to build an engaged audience that will interact with your content and share it with their friends.
You can do this by focusing on creating valuable content that solves problems for customers, and in turn showcasing this content on your social media channels.
5. Content Marketing
Content marketing for roofing companies should emphasize value and experience. Every customer you help has a story of their own, and you can leverage these stories to show the world what you do.
You can write blog posts about how to choose a roofing contractor, how to get a free estimate from one, and why it's important to hire someone like you. The more that people see your business as a resource instead of just another company trying to sell them something, the more likely they are to remember who you are when they need your services.
There are different kinds of content marketing, such as:
- Blogging: This is where you publish content to a blog on a regular basis. You can use this blog to promote your business, as well as provide valuable information for your target audience.
- Podcasting: You can create your own roofing podcasts that people can listen to on their commute or while they're working. This is a great way to reach your target audience in an engaging way.
- Videos: If you want to create videos on YouTube or Vimeo, this is a great way to do it. Put together the best marketing video possible and post it online where people can find it easily when searching for information on how to fix their roofs or install new ones.
- Infographics: An infographic is a visual representation of information in the form of an image or graph, such as charts or maps, used for business presentations or reports. They're usually used online as well as printed out on pieces of paper so people can read them offline as well.
- eBooks: eBooks are a great way to share information with your readers and provide them with additional value beyond your blog posts. They're also a great way to build an email list because people who opt in will receive your eBook immediately via email.
Content marketing is a powerful marketing tool, and a great way to build authority and credibility in your industry. If you're writing content that people find valuable and helpful, they'll naturally want to read more of your work and even pay you for it.
Don't forget to include backlinks in everything you put out — that provides a way for you to increase your organic search rankings. The more people like what you say and how you say it, the more likely they are to link back to your content. When people do that, it helps you rank higher in search engines and increases your chances of being found by new customers.
6. Email Marketing
There's an art to email marketing that often goes neglected. It's not just about sending out as many emails as possible and hoping for the best. You need to be strategic, thoughtful and consistent in order to have success with email marketing.
Here are some tips for getting started:
Start Building an Email List
You can't email people unless they give you their email address. So, start building an email list by asking people to sign up on your website or at events. Give them something in return for signing up, like a free eBook or white paper. Use this opportunity to get some information about these new subscribers as well.
Build Your Marketing Funnel
Once you have an email list, you can use it to create more leads through content marketing and lead nurturing campaigns. This means finding ways to engage with those subscribers so that they want to hear from you again. For example, send them useful content like:
- Blog posts or white papers that are relevant to their needs
- Sharing roofing industry trends
- Offer discounts on some of your services
You'll be surprised by how much engagement this can generate. What's more, you can use this engagement to create more leads. For example, you can ask subscribers to fill out a brief questionnaire that asks them about their roofing needs. This will give you some valuable information about your audience, which in turn helps you craft highly targeted email campaigns later on.
Maximize Your Roofing Marketing Strategy
In general, the best way to create a solid roofing marketing plan is to create a core marketing strategy first and work from there.
To do this effectively, you have to focus on key target markets and cater your content to them, be aware of what your competitors are doing, and use social media effectively by staying active and blogging regularly.
As you continue leveraging your available marketing opportunities, you'll be able to grow your business, attract new customers, and increase revenue. You can get help from a roofing marketing agency that offers marketing services such as the team at Scorpion, who can help you build a powerful, effective marketing strategy that can help your roofing service prosper.
