Positive word-of-mouth has spread about your roofing company, and you have appointments scheduled. However,business has been sluggish recently. Perhaps this is merely a quiet period? Maybe COVID-19 has slowed customer spending?
However, the worldwide roofing sector is worth $100 billion; as such, there are undoubtedly business prospects out there. Your challenge is to tap into them with the power of marketing.
With these tenproven techniques for expanding your roofing business, you can get more quotation inquiries, calls, and customers. Find out the WORST error you can possibly make as well if you want to expand your business in 2023.
You’ve searched Google for advice on expanding your roofing company in the past, but all of the results are generic.
You’re left unsure of whether to adopt the kinds of tactics employed by other tradespeople or wait for more specialised counsel because tips that work for carpenters or builders won’t work for you.
This article will outline 10 techniques to increase leads for your roofing company, point out some errors your rivals are doing, and suggest the next steps if you’re ready to expand.
A quick note:
Roofing work carries with it a series of risks. Ensure you and your business are protected by thoroughly researching your roofers insurance options.
How Can I Grow My Roofing Business?
You need to know the kind of clientele you’re marketing to if you want your roofing business to expand.
Every contractor firm serves two different kinds of clients:
- Maximizers = seek information so they may weigh possibilities and make wise choices.
- Satisfiers seek out the greatest available value or quality in order to save time.
Satisfiers urgently want assistance.
They have bug infestations, cracked shower screens, and damaged outlets. These are the leads that Google their issue and choose the first company they come across. They don’t have time to read blogs or research the service. All they are concerned with is if the company can serve them and whether the company is within their budget.
The reverse is true with maximisers.
They won’t decide right away since they need to pause and consider their options. Before they give you their money, they need to research you, compare you to other firms, and read reviews.
Most internet instructions are meant to assist tradies in obtaining more Satisfiers. They provide suggestions to persuade people right away, but your company is different. Your consumer won’t choose you based on whim, rankings, or pricing.
Customers who need roofing work done on their homes take great satisfaction in selecting a reputable, dependable, and experienced roofer.
Let’s face it; every client has a horror tale to tell about a shady roofing business. They could have chosen a contractor without the proper insurance, damaged the property to the tune of thousands of dollars while attempting to repair the tiles, or hired a buddy of a friend who performed a subpar job.
The key idea is that your customer WILL NOT choose you until they are familiar with your company.
Because of this, applying the same lead generation and business growth techniques to a plumber, electrician, or handyman is not appropriate.
Whether your roofing business started 30 days ago or 30 years ago, the following 10 tactics can help you draw in more leads.
- Create a website for your roofing business
If you haven’t already developed a website for your roofing company, now is the time.
A huge 30% of customers won’t use a company that doesn’t have a website. Customers will expect you to have a website in 2023, even if it’s only a basic page with your contact information and a description of your services. Everything your consumers do uses the internet, from online banking to online shopping; from ordering takeout to renting movies.
Additionally, your clients are interested in researching potential home renovation companies online.
If you don’t want to, you don’t have to spend $10,000 on a flashy website. Play around with a few website builders for free to find the one that works best for you. Website builders make it simple to DIY your own site on a budget.
2) Optimize your roofing website
The next stage, if you already have a website, is to optimise it.
The word “optimise” is one that marketing salespeople frequently use. On a basic level, it involvesmaking your website simpler for users.
There are many methods to improve your website and make it simpler for visitors to use, even if it only has your contact information and a few examples of your greatest work.
Among the fundamental optimization techniques are:
- Each page should have useful material that addresses your customers’ issues. There should be a separate page for each service so users with various issues may concentrate on their problem
- Quick page loads, so users don’t have to wait for each page to load
- Easily accessible “contact” buttons allow users to quickly obtain a quotation or callback.
It takes more than just altering a few colours or correcting a few typos to give your website a facelift. A website that has been optimised will convert more visitors than one that was created in a couple of hours.
- Improve your local SEO
Local clients are ideal since they are simple to reach and more likely to generate positive word-of-mouth publicity for your business.
Focus on your local SEO in 2023 if you want to see growth in your roofing company. Additionally, in order to concentrate on local SEO, you must optimise both your website and your Google My Business listing (GMB), which simply means making it easier for clients to utilise.
If you’ve ever used Google to look for a local service, like “Queensland shingle repair” or “Sydney storm damage aid,” you’ve probably seen local SEO results in the form of a map with nearby businesses listed underneath. Because they can see how far away each business is and choose the one that is nearest to them, clients are particularly fond of these local results.
If you desire local business, you must improve your GMB and website since 92% of clients will choose a company on the first page of local search results. Here are some quick strategies to improve your local SEO:
- Create location pages for your website so that Google and your clients can see the places you serve.
- Encourage your clients to submit feedback on your website and GMB.
- Update your company information so that it is factual and include your entire name, address, and phone number (NAP)
- Verify the accuracy of your company hours, especially if they have altered as a result of COVID-19.
You’ll give local customers more chances to learn about your services by making basic improvements like these.
5)Modify your sales strategy
What can you do to increase your sales the quickest?
As a roofer, you want to offer a high-quality service, but you also need to be able to persuade them to pay you. Sales sometimes have a poor image because roofers don’t like to “hard sell” their clients. Thankfully, being aggressive or demanding is not necessary for sales.
Understanding your customer’s concerns and offering them a solution are key components of roofing sales.
When giving a new roof estimate over the phone or in person, you should strive to be an advisor rather than a salesperson. Even if the response has nothing to do with your business, be honest when responding to queries from your prospect.
This fosters trust and is referred to as a “consultative sales technique.”
More sales result when relationship-building takes precedence over being aggressive. And you’ll start to change “I’m not ready yet” into “When are you available to work on my roof?” as you get more insight into your customers’ requirements, wants, and ambitions.
6) Build your online word-of-mouth
As a roofer, word-of-mouth is the lifeblood of your company.
Your clients don’t make decisions about installation, maintenance, or re-tiling on a whim. Because their roof is such a large investment, they don’t choose the first company they find on Google as they might for an emergency plumber.
People are more inclined to trust you if your reputation is good, which will lead to more quotation requests and call-outs for you. Although it’s fantastic to talk to people in person, many of the discussions that once took place in stores now take place online.
In 2023, your internet reviews will serve as your word of mouth.
People will be more inclined to trust you to install or repair a significant component of their house if you receive more favourable evaluations for your roofing company.
Asking your top clients to provide good reviews of your company on Google, Yelp, True Local, or any other online directory where your company is listed. This will help your company expand.
7) Provide value at no cost
“Provide FREE items. How would that aid in the expansion of my roofing company? ”
That’s a good question, but you’re simply providing information; not your services.
Before choosing a roofer, 47% of clients read 3 to 5 pieces of material. That might be either your service pages or blog posts. What makes people select you if your material is flimsy, lacking in substance, and little more than a glorified advertisement for your company?
Giving out free value is essential to expanding your roofing company since it fosters audience trust. If the three to five pieces of content you publish are all in-depth pieces with plenty of useful advice, your audience will begin to view you as a professional they can put their faith in.
Who do you believe will stand out to those folks when the time comes for them to select a roofer?
Who among your rivals overflows their website with promotional material that doesn’t assist visitors in finding solutions to their issues?
To observe a spike in leads, make sure your material is valuable and offered for free.
8) Use Google Ads
Any consumer who needs assistance with their roof will search Google.
They’ll seek articles, reviews, comparisons, and pretty much any other kind of information that will show them where to get the greatest prices and which roofers offer the best quality.
To ensure that your posts appear at the top of Google, you may employ SEO, although it does take time. Instead, use Google Ads to rapidly position your roofing company at the top of the Google search results. For example, you may bid on terms like “roofing repair,” “metal re-roofing,” “tile repair,” and “roof repitching” to get your advertising to appear.
Google will display these advertisements when clients type in the terms you have bid on, allowing you to reach the kind of customer who is actively seeking assistance with their roof. This makes it slightly simpler for you to obtain a quote request or call-back.
9) Get your company active on social media
Understanding where your consumers spend their online time is essential to expanding your business.
You should think about investing in SEO to ensure that your company is on Google if your clients search for roofers there. Consider investing in social media marketing if your consumers perform some visual research on roofers on social media.
Although hardly ground-breaking, this tip is one that many roofers disregard. Australian roofers frequently claim, “I have an ad in the Yellow Pages, and it’s worked wonderfully for me.” It shows our advice is sound rather than that their marketing strategy is effective.
Customers used to use the Yellow Pages to find roofers five to ten years ago. It made sense for roofers to position themselves there since that was where consumers were spending their time.
Customers will spend more time on Google and social media in 2023; therefore, you must adjust your marketing techniques to be there when they are.
9) Instead of selling, try solving
Let’s imagine a client contacts you about roof damage caused by a storm.
What do you suppose they want from your company?
Although it is untrue, most roofers would respond, “to mend their roof.” While a client who has suffered storm damage DOES have holes in their roof and DOES want you to fix them, it is not the issue they are now experiencing.
They need assistance since the leaks in their roof are allowing water to enter, which is worrisome because they like their favourite chair, and the water is ruining it.
You must stop “selling” your services if you want to expand your company. Then begin “fixing” peoples’ roofing issues. In this case, you may provide material that describes how you can fix roofs affordably and promptly, allowing your consumers to feel assured in the knowledge that their prized items are safe.
With this strategy, your website isn’t just a giant advertisement that you hope will persuade visitors to contact you. It turns into a resource for your clients who seek you out not because you mend roofs but rather because you are aware of the significance of roof repairs.
9) Make an alluring offer
What distinguishes your roofing company from the other roofers in your neighbourhood?
It’s fine to tell your consumers how long you’ve been in the company, how many clients you’ve had, or what your beliefs are; but, you need to pinpoint the ONE thing that makes you stand out from the competition so that your customers will think of you as unique.
This is known as your unique selling proposition (USP).
You probably will provide the same services as your rivals, whether they involve re-tiling, re-pointing, or re-bedding. However, you can seek to differentiate yourself by providing value in addition to your services, such as a warranty. Remember that your guarantee should always assist in allaying your customer’s concerns.
If a customer isn’t completely pleased, as a roofer, you may offer a free yearly inspection, some sort of warranty, or a reduction off the entire payment. There is no such thing as a perfect USP, but the more distinctive and client-centred it is, the better.
If you wish to expand your roofing company, don’t make the following error
The reality of owning a roofing company requires you to become an expert in your field, but this leaves little time for you to develop the other essential skills you need to advance, including sales and marketing.
It’s difficult to develop a plan that generates more leads without any professional marketing training, and it’s much harder to put it into practice. You can pressure clean, replace, and rebed a ridge cap, but it’s been difficult to position yourself as the best fix for your customers’ roofing issues.
A false assumption that your work will speak for itself is the worst one you can make.
Because they place too much confidence in “excellent service,” roofing firms frequently fail.
It’s an uncomfortable truth, but your clients don’t view your services the same way that you do.
You can’t expect your work to speak for itself if no one can discover you.
Before they will ever pick up the phone and ask you for a quotation, your clients need to know that YOU are the expert; they need to discover you on Google through keyword-rich content, they need to spend time on a quick and mobile-friendly website, and they need to feel comfortable investing their money.
You’ll have a road map to expand your roofing business over the next 12 months and beyond with the 10 ideas we’ve provided in this article. Although it requires patience and effort, this strategy covers all the areas and will help you land future jobs.