Generating those elusive qualified roofing leads can often seem like a dream that may never come true. It seems to be like a constant struggle of testing different channels, approaches, what actually works, and what doesn’t.
And you may get a roofing lead here and there but nothing substantial, nothing that will help you move up in the roofing business and become a force to be reckoned with.
And truth be told, the lead generation process can be tricky for many – but only until you find that gold mine (or several of them) that will start and keep bringing you new customers and profit.
So how can you find that gold mine? Which approaches actually work? Where should you invest your time, effort, and money?
Read on to find out!
Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing
For as long as there are roofs and roofing, roofers have relied on referrals, word-of-mouth, door-knocking, and similar “traditional” lead generation methods. These methods are known as outbound and they rely on roofers reaching out to broad audiences looking for new leads, i.e. customers who need roofing services.
This outbound approach is more “old-school” and traditional, which does not necessarily mean that it doesn’t work anymore. It can also include direct mail, radio, and TV commercials, along with door-knocking.
As opposed to outbound, there are also inbound approaches. These roofing lead generation approaches are more targeted and through them, you are actually reaching out to customers that are already looking for a roofer.
Inbound marketing strategies primarily include digital marketing methods, such as paid ads (PPC) and search engine optimization of your website. Optimizing your website basically means that when a user googles “roofing company near me” or “roofer + the name of your city,” your website will come out on the very top of the Google search results.
While there are still some outbound approaches that may prove to be fruitful, inbound marketing – i.e. digital marketing – has become the golden standard.
But which digital methods have proven to be the most effective and which traditional approaches still work? That’s what we’re tackling next.
Which Traditional Approaches Still Work?
Word-of-mouth referrals – where the clients actually do the advertising for you – have long been the best traditional form of advertising.
All you have to do is provide quality services and products, a good price to quality ratio, and, of course, care about your clients and their satisfaction. Because when your clients are satisfied, they are bound to recommend your services to their friends, neighbors, family, and anyone who asks them.
Nowadays, these word-of-mouth referrals have also gone digital, so to speak, as many users and potential clients now turn to the internet for customer reviews. But the traditional way is still alive and will probably always stay that way.
Other traditional methods, such as canvassing and door-knocking, may generate some leads and results but today, they are highly unreliable and you cannot maintain or grow your business only off of them.
How to Use Digital Marketing for Lead Generation
When it comes to digital marketing, this is your gold mine for qualified roofing leads. It is through digital approaches and methods that you can create a sustainable roofing business, a business that continually grows, and has the potential to scale up significantly.
The cornerstone of all your online digital marketing methods and the beginning of any roofing lead generation process is your roofing website. It is your best resource and can become your top source of income and profit.
A website is like your online business card and it is the first thing your customers will look through when they research your business. If they like what they see, they will probably contact you, and if they don’t, they will move on to your competition. And if you don’t have a website, you are automatically excluded from consideration as there will be nothing to consider.
Therefore, if you don’t have a website, building one should be your top priority and if you have it already, you should move on to optimizing it for search engines.
Because it is only through SEO optimization that you will be able to get your web among the top search engine results pages. And why is this important? Because your customers will only click on the pages that come up at the very top of their search results.
Just think about it – when you google something, which pages do you click on? Only the first few, right? The first 2, 5, or maximum 10 results. But you will probably never go beyond that, on the second page of search results.
In addition to a great website, you will also need some paid advertising in the form of PPC ads. They have proven to be highly effective, especially when you combine several advertising platforms and have an expert that knows how to make the most of them.
Facebook ads and Google ads are some of the best platforms for PPC advertising because they allow you to target a very specific audience, thus generating highly qualified leads. They bring in very high ROI and, in combination with an optimized website, will generate you a steady and reliable flow of roofing leads in the long run.
What to Use in the End?
Finding that perfect combination of traditional and (mostly) digital lead generation channels is the key to success. If you are serious about growing your roofing business, then one marketing channel is usually not enough. A combination of those that work best for your specific circumstances is what will get you to the top in the end.
This article is presented to you by Profit Roofing Systems and if you have any question, please feel free to contact us.
Matt Jacob has been in the marketing business since 2008, working exclusively with roofers for more than 5 years now. He has come to know all the tricks of trade inside-out and he is committed to helping roofers by sharing some of the most important ones. Find out where your best opportunities lie, as well as which challenges lurk out there for roofers – all in his detailed blogs.
