Marketing Your Way Around the Roofing Business in 87 Ways

By AccuLynx. 

87 new ideas to implement to breathe life into your marketing strategy.  

Why roofing contractors need marketing 

Whether you are new to business or a seasoned veteran, it is pretty clear that marketing is a key component of a roofing company’s success. You could be the best contractor with the best price, but without marketing no one will know that.  

Marketing is critical to your business because it introduces your business to the world, it connects you to customers and shows them how your services can help them. Yet, building off of your current marketing strategy or starting a new strategy can be overwhelming and it is hard to know where to go/where to start to most effectively market.  

In this guide, we’ll cover 87 roofing marketing ideas for you to pick from and choose which tactics work best for your team and goals. 

Types of roofing marketing 

When looking at the overall marketing umbrella, there are two basic types of roofing marketing strategies that your company can implement: traditional and digital marketing.  

Traditional marketing includes things like referral programs, door knocking, direct mail and other advertisements, as well as events.  

Digital marketing is as the name suggests. It’s everything digital: your website, social media, online reviews and more. 

One form of marketing is not better than the other. Rather, contractors need to take a holistic approach to their roofing marketing strategy. 

Traditional roofing marketing ideas 

Customer service as a roofing marketing technique 

When you think of the most basic marketing techniques, does customer service come to mind? If not, it should. How you treat your customers sets the stage for how your brand will be perceived and how likely customers are to recommend your services. 

Customers want to work with friendly, reliable roofing contractors. Most of us understand this, and can even list what we should be doing — promptly answering phone calls, sharing key project updates and remembering important customer details. But it’s easy for these things to fall through the cracks, especially once the busy season hits. 

So, what’s the solution? Implementing roofing software like AccuLynx can help you manage and automate some of these efforts. AccuLynx stores customer and job information in one convenient location so you’re prepared to answer any customer questions. It’s also packed with features designed to support your customer service efforts like automated customer reminders and branded digital contracts to name a few. 

Referral based roofing marketing 

Referral marketing is one of the best strategies that you can implement. It generates 3-5x higher conversion rates compared to other avenues and it requires relatively little effort on your part. Referral programs don’t need to be overly complicated or expensive. Instead, focus on targeting customers and/or vendors that align best with your market. 

Customer referral programs 

Customer referrals are the ultimate prospect. They’re familiar with your work and have spoken to someone who has actually used your services. 

If you don’t have a referral program in place, you may have received one of these unicorn leads once or twice from customers who have happened to mention you. You’ll notice that these prospects already trust your brand and are easier to sell to. Plus, they’re likely to buy more as referral customers bring you a 25% profit margin on average. 

One way to drive customer referrals is to offer an incentive. This could be something like a free gutter cleaning, $250 off their next service with you or something simple like a gift card. The value of the reward should be determined by the value of these leads. 

Once you’ve established your referral bonus, it’s time to promote your program. Aside from verbally mentioning it to customers, you can include your program in your email signature, on your website and in other roofing marketing materials. 

Tools like AccuLynx can help you start a referral program. You can use the system to send automated texts or emails at specific project milestones that prompt customers to recommend your service. 

Vendor referral programs 

Vendor referrals vary from customer referrals in the sense that the relationship is more quid-pro-quo. You’ll both be passing referrals back and forth. To create a vendor referral program, start by identifying a few potential businesses that could be a good source of leads. This can include organizations like your local chamber of commerce or insurance agency. 

After you’ve identified a list of potential partners, broach the idea of a referral program with a meeting, phone call or email. You’ll want to illustrate the benefits that each partner could receive from a program. 

For example, when contacting an insurance agency, you can mention that you’ll pass along homeowners who may be needing insurance, or are looking for a better price on their policy. In return, the insurance agency would send you referrals of customers in need of exterior repairs. 

Third-party referral sites 

If you don’t have the time to create a referral program or are intimidated by the task, you can try listing your company on referral websites. A quick Google search will turn up a number of sites related to home repairs, roofing projects, or more general queries. 

The leads coming from these sites will likely be less qualified, as they aren’t being referred from an actual person, but this is a good option for roofers who need a quick and easy roofing marketing program to implement right now. 

Measuring referral program success 

After launching your referral program, you’ll need to track its success. Business management software like AccuLynx can help you report on the success of each program. With ReportsPlus in AccuLynx, you can easily create custom reports that break down your leads and customers by lead source. 

Door knocking & word of mouth roofing marketing 

If you’ve been in the roofing industry for any amount of time, chances are that you’ve knocked on a door or two. Decrease the number of “no’s” you receive by attacking your canvassing efforts with a plan. 

Create a unique pitch 

You have just a few seconds to grab someone’s attention, so you need to make sure you stand out. When pitching yourself, start by introducing yourself, illustrating a problem, and then sharing what you can do to help them. Focus on the benefit for the homeowner whether that’s mitigating safety issues, increasing the home’s value, or just fixing some cosmetic damage. 

Bring eye-catching marketing materials 

Your initial encounter may be short, so what you leave behind matters. You want to bring pieces that show you’re professional while also illustrating your past work. Things like business cards or pamphlets are great examples of printed materials. 

Target specific homes 

Head out with a plan! Before you leave, identify who you’re targeting and why. For example, you may want to canvass homes recently impacted by a storm or older homes in a neighborhood where you’ve previously worked. 

Track everything 

When canvassing, you may knock on dozens of doors and talk to many different people. You can try to keep paper notes or remember everything in your head, but chances are high that you’ll forget at least one key detail. 

Instead, use a roofing CRM like AccuLynx to track prospects. AccuLynx even integrates with well-known canvassing apps like Angi, HailWatch, and SalesRabbit. 

We have only begun to talk about the tip of the iceberg with advertising! See all 87 tips on AccuLynx’s website. 

Learn more about AccuLynx by seeing a Demo or visit www.acculynx.com. 

Original article source: AccuLynx