As a roofing contractor, you serve a slightly different market than a typical contractor trying their hand at traditional construction marketing and will need to market yourself differently. If you have a niche product, say something such as steel roofing, traditional construction marketing may be part of your strategy, but it will likely not be your main focus. Successfully marketing a roofing company involves other strategies.
Choose a target market.
Do you focus on working directly with homeowners who need to replace aging roofs? Maybe you only install roofs on new homes through general contractor contacts. Do you get significant business through a network of realtors who recommend you to their clients? Determine what your target market is so you can be precise in your marketing efforts. Marketing without knowing who you trying to reach will not get you the results that you are looking for.
This is an ideal time to evaluate who you typically work with, what types of projects you want, and which jobs result in the best margins. When you perform this analysis, you may be surprised to find that more of your business comes from a customer group that you didn’t realize was such a major part of your business. Based on your findings, choose your target market and focus on advertising and networking efforts that are most likely to create a connection with them.
Go digital.
A professionally designed website is just as important for a roofing company as it is any other contractor. It is the ante in today’s digital world. Studies show that approximately 85% of consumers research products online and look to the internet for local service providers today. If you do not have a far-reaching, carefully managed online presence, you are missing out on a broad pool of potential customers.
Your digital marketing efforts should be focused on your website. This is where you really get a chance to put your best foot forward and completely manage the flow of information. Include a gallery that spotlights your best work and a blog that establishes your industry expertise. Your brand should be evident to your target market.
Other digital marketing should include social media, guest blogging on websites relevant to your industry, local pay-per-click advertising, and a Google business profile. You can also supplement your direct mail campaigns with less expensive, and often more effective, email blasts.
Build your brand.
Each of your marketing efforts and business interactions should be centered on building up your brand. Reputation for customer service and quality is more important now then ever before with online review sites and social media. How can you ensure that you are impacting your company’s reputation in a positive way?
- Fantastic customer service: Answer calls politely and return messages. If you are a small business that has calls forwarded to a cell phone, do not simply answer with a “hello.” Use your business name and be prepared to respond to the caller without sounding distracted.
- Respond quickly to complaints: Some of your best word of mouth recommendations can come from customers who initially had a problem. Keeping your cool and promptly providing resolution to issues makes for satisfied customers with a story to tell.
- Brand coordination: Your signage, website, business cards, company cars, and employee shirts should all proudly proclaim your company logo in styles and colors that are recognizably yours.
- Positive networking: Get involved in your community. Be on time for appointments. When you are seen having a positive impact and respecting the people in your local area, it is more effective marketing than many forms of ads.
Ask for feedback.
Whether you work more with homeowners, commercial clients, or other contractors, ask them for feedback on why they chose you and if they were completely satisfied with the project. You may learn some surprising things about how your company is viewed. Positive feedback gives you great elements to focus on in your marketing to others, while negative feedback helps you solve issues before they become systematic. Taking these steps to professionally market your roofing company will help you stand out from the competition and grow your business.
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