Running a roofing business is hard and figuring out how to generate roofing leads can be even harder. In fact, 60% of companies say generating high-quality leads is their biggest challenge.
Your roofing company could be the best in town, but you’re probably not getting much business if you don’t know how to get roofing leads. We’ve rounded up six of the best roofing lead-generation tips to help you find more potential customers and grow your business.
1. Launch New Partnerships
Partnering with other businesses in complementary industries is a great way to generate new roofing leads. Keep an eye out for opportunities to cross-promote with businesses that serve similar customer bases but don’t compete with you directly.
By partnering with other trusted businesses, you’re exposed to a broader audience. And their customers are more likely to trust you and recommend your services to others.
HVAC Companies
Roofing and HVAC companies often have complementary services, meaning they can refer customers to each other and generate leads that way.
For instance, let’s say a customer contacts an HVAC company for a new AC unit. The HVAC company could then recommend that the customer also get their roof checked out by a professional.
Not only does this generate leads for your roofing company, but it also provides the customer with peace of mind knowing that their home is in good hands.
Real Estate Agents / Companies
Real estate agents are always looking for quality home improvement contractors that their clients can use. Moreover, partnering with real estate agents can help roofers stay updated on the latest trends in home design and construction, which will help them better serve their customers.
For example, if real estate agents start seeing an uptick in demand for homes with solar panels, then roofers can begin offering solar panel installation as part of their services. By staying ahead of the curve, roofers can position themselves as experts in the field and attract even more business.
Remodeling Contractors/Companies
Remodeling projects often involve extensive work on the exterior of a home, including the roof. So, remodelers frequently need to partner with qualified roofing contractors to get the job done right.
Many remodelers are happy to pass along leads to qualified contractors like roofers because it helps build goodwill with their own clients. Everybody wins!
Remodeling projects tend to be quite costly. Offering financing options or discounts to customers who use both remodeling and roofing services can help close more sales.
Homeowners Associations
HOAs often have strict rules about what type of work can be done on homes within their jurisdiction. So, partnering with an approved roofer can give homeowners some peace of mind knowing that they’re working with a professional who knows what they’re doing.
HOAs usually have a list of preferred vendors they recommend to homeowners when they need work done on their homes. By partnering with an HOA-approved contractor like a roofer, you can add your company to that list and receive even more exposure and business.
Some HOAs may be averse to promoting services to homeowners. However, you could possibly offer a free, one-time minor repair service to a common area to build a relationship with the HOA. Perhaps, once they’ve seen the quality of your work, they’ll be more open to partnering.
Lead Generation Software
Figuring out how to get roofing leads can be a hard puzzle to solve. But using lead generation software can help streamline your lead generation process and get more roofing leads in less time.
It can also help weed out leads that may not be ideal for your roofing business, saving you from chasing down leads that won’t benefit your business.
Lead generation software also offers several marketing tools, such as email marketing and social media integration, to help you promote your roofing business.
Angi
Angi is a lead generation software that helps businesses find new potential customers. Their software includes a search engine that allows businesses to target specific keywords and geographical areas.
Angi also offers a pay-per-click advertising service that can help businesses to increase their visibility online.
EverConnect
EverConnect is a lead generation software that helps roofing businesses connect with new customers. Their customizable platform allows you to pick the geographical region, service category, and criteria. From there, EverConnect generates leads based on your selections.
MarketSharp
Marketsharp is a lead generation software that helps home improvement businesses find new customers and grow their business. It includes a customer relationship management (CRM) system that allows businesses to track their sales and manage customer relationships.
Marketsharp also offers a marketing automation tool that can help businesses to automate their marketing tasks, such as email marketing, social media campaigns, and SEO tasks.
2. Expand Your Network
When looking for ways to increase your lead generation, expanding your professional network is a great place to start. Getting involved with industry groups and associations offers the opportunity to meet more people.
By making yourself visible and available, you’ll be more likely to get your name out there and generate more roofing leads.
Local Business Associations / Chambers of Commerce
Joining a local business organization or chamber of commerce is a great way to meet other professionals in your area and promote your business. Members typically get a listing in the organization’s directory, which can help people in your community learn about your business.
You may also have opportunities to sponsor events or advertise in the organization’s publications. And, of course, attending local events is a great way to network and build relationships with potential referral sources.
Rental/Landlord Associations
If you live in an area with a large rental market, consider joining a landlord association. By getting involved with landlord associations, you’ll have the chance to meet potential clients and build relationships with them.
These groups typically have members who own multiple properties, so they’re always in need of good contractors. Many landlord associations host regular meetings and events where members can socialize and exchange information.
Some even offer free or discounted advertising to members, yet another way to get your name out there. You can also volunteer for committees or tasks that will allow you to interact with potential clients regularly.
Industry-Specific Trade Shows
Attending industry trade shows, particularly those in other industries such as Remodeling, Home-Building and Real Estate, is a great way to meet potential partners and clients from all over the country. Many trade shows offer educational seminars on topics like installation techniques and industry trends, making them a great place to learn as well as network.
When you attend trade shows in person, bring plenty of business cards to exchange information with potential partners and clients. You should also take the time to talk to as many people as possible to learn about their needs and how you can help them.
KEEP READING: Attending a Virtual Roofing Trade Show
3. Grow with Digital Marketing
Digital marketing for roofing businesses offers the opportunity to reach potential customers in their moment of need on a web-connected device of their choice.
Whether through organic or paid search, social media campaigns, or content marketing, you can establish trust with current and prospective clients and convince them to choose you for all their roofing needs.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
If you utilize correctly optimized content, you can gain visibility and show up as a potential roofing business in your local market when potential customers are searching online for roofing services.
Taking control over organic ranking positions and learning how to get roofing leads should be a top priority to make sure that you stay ahead of the competition and achieve higher sales.
Keyword/Local Optimization
One of the most important aspects of ranking high on search engines is using location-specific keywords on your website. This tells Google (and other search engines) that your business is relevant to searchers in your area. For example, if you’re a roofing company in Atlanta, some keywords you might want to use on your site are “Atlanta roofer,” “roofing company in Atlanta,” and “Atlanta roofing contractor.”
Be sure to optimize your website for local search to help you rank higher in local search results, making it more likely that customers in your area will find your business when they’re searching for roofing businesses.
Include location-specific keywords on your website, and make sure your NAP (name, address, and phone number) is consistent across all your online listings. Claiming and verifying your Google My Business listing is also a great way to increase your visibility in local search results.
Organic Search Profiles
Creating profiles on popular review sites like Google My Business, Yelp, and Bing Places can help improve your organic search visibility. When customers in your area search for roofing businesses, they’re more likely to find yours.
Creating these profiles is quick and easy, and the benefits are well worth the effort. They’re essentially free advertising for your business, so it’s worth taking the time to create and keep them updated.
Once you’ve claimed your profiles, include detailed information about your business, such as services offered, pricing, business hours, contact information, and photos.
PR & Link-Building
PR and link-building are also great ways to generate more roofing leads. By getting featured on local news sites, industry-specific sites, resource lists, and other authority sites, you can build credibility and draw attention to your business.
You can start by pitching stories about your business to local news outlets and industry-specific websites. You can also build backlinks to your website by guest blogging or writing resource lists that include your website as a resource.
Reach out to partners who might be willing to feature a link to your business on their site. Many businesses are happy to do this because it’s mutually beneficial. It helps create a reference point for customers who are looking for a reputable roofing contractor in their area.
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Search Advertising
PPC search advertising is a cost-effective form of online advertising that allows you to place ads on search engine results pages (SERPs).
Other forms of advertising typically require you to pay whether anyone sees or clicks on your ad. With PPC search advertising, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
PPC search ads are much more targeted than other forms of online advertising, such as banner ads. People using a search engine are usually looking for something specific.
Paid & Organic social media
Social media marketing is a great way to connect with potential customers and increase your roofing lead generation. By using a mix of paid and organic marketing strategies, you’ll be able to reach new potential customers and grow your business quickly and effectively.
As one of the most popular social media platforms, Facebook is a great place to market your roofing business. You can create a free business page that will allow you to post updates, answer questions, and offer deals or discounts.
Paid
Paid Facebook ads are a great way to reach a wider audience with your roofing business. You can use targeting options to make sure your ads are only seen by people who live in your service area. As with NextDoor, discounts and special offers tend to perform well on Facebook.
Ads can be targeted to people who have already visited your website or previously liked your page. You could also target ads specifically to homeowners or those who have recently moved into a new home.
Organic
Grow your Facebook following organically by regularly sharing helpful, informative, and engaging content. This could include blog posts, photos, infographics, video tours of recent projects, etc. You can also join relevant Facebook groups and participate in discussions.
Make sure to respond quickly to any comments or questions left on your posts—this will show potential customers that you’re attentive and care about providing good customer service.
When posting organically on Facebook, be sure to use relevant hashtags and post during peak times, weekdays from 9 am-3 pm.
LinkedIn is a professional networking site that can be used to connect with potential customers and grow your business. Although LinkedIn’s paid features can be effective, organic posts are often more successful at generating leads.
Paid
LinkedIn offers several different types of advertising options that can help you reach your target audience. You can use LinkedIn ads to target people based on their job titles, company size, or even location.
For instance, you can specifically target people who work in construction, property management, real estate, and other industries likely to need roofing services at some point.
LinkedIn also offers sponsored content and InMail messaging, allowing you to contact potential customers through the platform directly.
Organic
As a business owner, you can create a free profile on LinkedIn. This allows you to share high-quality content such as blog posts, infographics, or case studies that will position you as an expert in the roofing industry.
You can also join relevant groups and participate in discussions. You should regularly participate in industry-related LinkedIn groups to build relationships with potential customers and referral partners.
Instagram is a visual platform that is perfect for showing off your work.
Paid
Instagram Ads are a great way for your roofing business to reach a visually minded audience. As with other platforms, discounts and special offers tend to perform well here. Instagram also offers sponsored posts which allow you to pay to have your content seen by a larger audience.
However, people on Instagram are typically scrolling through their feeds quickly. So, it’s important to ensure your ad copy is concise and eye-catching with beautiful, high-quality, professionally edited photos of your work.
Organic
As with most social media platforms, business owners can create a free profile on Instagram to post updates and photos. Your organic Instagram strategy should focus on building an engaged following by posting beautiful photos and videos related to your roofing business.
This could include before-and-after shots of recent projects and behind-the-scenes looks at your team in action. Use relevant hashtags so people can easily find your content.
It’s also essential to interact with other users regularly by liking and commenting on their posts. It will help you build up relationships within the Instagram community, which could eventually generate more roofing leads.
NextDoor
NextDoor is an excellent platform for connecting with people in your local community. Paid posts on NextDoor can be a great way to reach new customers, but organic posts can be just as effective.
Paid
NextDoor offers a variety of advertising options for businesses, including sponsored posts, boosted posts, and ads that allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and even behaviors.
Sponsored posts are a great way to reach a specific audience with your content. Boosted posts can help you increase the reach of your existing content. One strategy is to run ads featuring discounts or special offers like a free estimate or 10% off a new roof installation.
Organic
As a business owner, you can create a free profile on NextDoor, which will allow you to post updates, answer questions, and offer deals or discounts. You can also join relevant groups and participate in discussions.
Build trust and credibility with potential customers in your community by creating helpful and engaging content that showcases your expertise in the roofing industry. For example, you could write a blog post about common roofing myths.
4. Move from “Door-to-Door” to “Creative Canvassing”
If you’re like most roofing business owners, you’ve probably been using the same door-to-door marketing techniques for years. It’s time to move from “Door-to-Door” to “Creative Canvassing”.
Creative canvassing is an efficient method of roofing lead generation that allows you to target your efforts on homeowners who are more likely to need your services. Storm & Hail “Chasing” and Drive-By Repair Finding are two of the most effective creative canvassing techniques.
Storm & Hail “Chasing”
Storm and hail “chasing” is a method of roofing lead generation that involves tracking storms and occurrences of hail damage in your area. Tracker websites and apps can help you stay ahead of the curve with real-time alerts whenever there is a severe weather event in your area.
When a storm hits or hail falls, you’ll be able to provide estimates quickly and provide much-needed repairs. Plus, insurance companies are often willing to pay good money for storm damage repairs. So not only will you be helping homeowners, but you’ll also be making a nice profit.
Drive-By Repair Finding
Another great way to generate roofing leads is by drive-by repair finding. Drive-by repair finds involve driving through residential communities and looking for homes with obvious repair needs, such as missing shingles or damaged gutters.
Older homes are especially susceptible to damage from storms and wind, so driving by residential communities with these types of homes is a great way to drum up business.
When you find a home needing repairs, you can write a friendly letter to the homeowner letting them know that you’re available to provide repair services. You’d be surprised how many people are happy to have someone take care of those kinds of repairs for them.
5. Improve Your Roofing Sales & Customer Experience
Streamlining your sales process and improving your customer experience are two great ways to generate more roofing leads.
Remote Access
Using a roofing software with a mobile app complement is a great way to generate leads because it allows you to provide estimates or take measurements on the fly. You’ll be able to quickly provide potential customers with the information they need without having to schedule another appointment or take time out of your day.
Not only that, but the efficiency of mobile software makes it easier to show off your professionalism and expertise in the roofing industry. You can make a great impression and seal the deal right then and there!
Need to create a professional roofing estimate?
RoofSnap can help.
Automation
Sending automatic emails to potential customers and follow-ups to existing ones can result in more roofing leads. By keeping in touch with your potential and current customers, you’re showing them that you care about their business and their experience with your company.
No one likes being hounded by a salesperson. Automated emails give the impression that you’re diligent without being pushy. You can even set up auto-responses to frequently asked questions so that you’re always providing top-notch customer service.
Reputation Management
By managing your online reputation, you’ll show potential customers that you’re responsive and attentive. Take the time to generate positive reviews by asking satisfied customers to leave their feedback online. An extensive log of positive reviews will give your team extra leverage to use during sales pitches. 93% of customers say online reviews impact their purchasing decisions.
And by responding to both good and bad reviews, you’ll show your customers that you’re listening and care about their experience.
6. Leverage Customer and Partner Referrals
Satisfied customers and partners tell their friends, family, or colleagues about your business. It’s the ultimate vote of confidence and a ringing endorsement of your services.
Referrals are the bread and butter of your roofing business. And leveraging referrals is one of the smartest marketing strategies there is. It’s not only effective, but it’s also relatively inexpensive.
Cultivating relationships with business partners as well as current and former customers can help you turn your referral process into a lead-generating machine.
How to Get Referrals
Cultivating relationships with business partners as well as current and former customers can help you turn your referral process into a lead-generating machine.
Requesting Referrals
One of the best ways to get referrals is simply to ask for them. Be sure to personalize your request for referrals. You want people to feel like part of your community, not just another source of leads.
You can create a dedicated page on your website where customers or partners can leave reviews and referrals. You can also include referral requests in your newsletters or post-service thank you/follow-up emails. For customers, referral requests that also include a discount coupon that can be shared with their network might be more enticing.
Whatever method you choose, make sure that requesting referrals is part of your regular communications. And keep it simple, don’t make it harder than it needs to be for people to refer others to you.
Incentives
Another great way to encourage customers or partners to feed you referrals is by offering incentives, like a discount on future services, a gift card, or, in the case of a partner, revenue sharing. Some businesses find that offering an incentive increases the number of quality referrals they receive.
However, others believe that offering an incentive for referrals cheapens the act of referring someone. Additionally, if not done correctly, offering incentives can actually end up costing you more money than you make in new business.
Whatever you decide, make sure the incentive is valuable enough to get people talking but not so valuable that it hurts your bottom line.
How to Manage Referrals
Once you start receiving customer or partner referrals, it’s crucial to properly manage them so that your entire network has a positive experience. Here are some tips to help you do just that:
- Have a system for tracking and following up with new leads generated from referrals.
- Be sure to reach out to potential new customers ASAP after receiving the referral. The sooner they hear from you, the better.
- Keep track of who refers to who so you can properly thank them and follow up as needed.
- When following up with new customers referred by someone else, be sure to mention the person who made the referral. This will help build rapport and trust from the start.
- Send a personal thank-you note to the customer or partner who made the referral. They’ll appreciate the gesture and be more likely to refer more customers in the future.
- Make sure your referral program is always up-to-date and relevant, so people are motivated to participate. This means regularly evaluating what’s working and what’s not and making changes as needed.
Building a Holistic Strategy
You know that roofing businesses rely heavily on lead generation. Getting those quality leads is one thing but turning them into sales is just as critical. That’s why it’s essential to have a holistic strategy in place for generating and following up on quality roofing leads.
RoofSnap roofing software helps you streamline the process, making it easy to quickly quote roofing jobs and efficiently turn those leads into sales! With RoofSnap, you’ll never miss a beat when it comes to connecting with potential customers and providing quality results.
Link Your Sales & Lead Generation Processes with On-site Estimates & Measurements
Build Better a Better Business with RoofSnap
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