In a mid-sized town of 30,000 people, one of our clients at Roofing Webmasters generated 100 roofing leads in one day.
The pattern continued for several days, to the point that the roofer neted over 1 million in revenue.
At first glance, the culprit for this spike was an act of God, a brutal hail storm that damaged countless roofs.
However, upon screening each lead call, it became evident that the roofer’s online presence allowed him to capitalize on the event.
His local competitors and some rambunctious storm chasers hustled to knock on doors. However, it was too late; our client had won their business.
Nearly 70% of roofing companies say they struggle with lead generation, which demonstrates a disconnect between strategy and execution.
There’s a saying that success is the intersection of effort and opportunity, perfectly summarizing the generation of roofing leads in 2023.
As a 10+ year veteran of the digital marketing industry and the marketing consultant of thousands of roofing companies over the past decade, I will finally share everything I’ve learned about roofing lead generation.
In this guide, you will learn:
- The value of different lead types
- Proven lead generation strategies for roofers
- Common industry myths surrounding roofing leads
- Real-life anecdotes of roofers multiplying their leads
- Pitfalls of lead generation success
- My absolute “Do Nots” based on 10+ years in the industry
Roofing Webmasters CEO Nolen Walker
As CEO of Roofing Webmasters, I’ve come across thousands of roofers that have been screwed by lead sellers. The following guide will outline how to generate exclusive roofing leads without having to rely on those companies.
Roofing Lead Generation Basics
A local roofer starts their roofing business in a mid-size market of 60,000 people. They register a business, hire some employees, and rent an industrial space for their business address.
There’s just one problem: they don’t have any leads.
They decide to canvass local neighborhoods, knocking on doors and handing out flyers.
Most homeowners already have a roofing provider, and others are skeptical of this new company.
They go online to check for the company’s reviews and see that they have none and don’t have a website.
The owner is forced to contact 3rd party lead sellers to get their first customers so that they can earn some reviews.
Unfortunately, these 3rd party leads are “Shared leads” and are not converting at a high rate.
They managed to convert a few, but the customers failed to leave a review, as they assigned credit to the lead seller (their initial point of contact) rather than the roofing company.
The owner goes out of business, and his roofing career is over.
Types of Leads for Roofers
When contractors buy roofing leads, they might be buying shared leads or exclusive leads.
You should understand that there is a substantial difference in the value of each lead type.
A shared lead is not particularly valuable, while an exclusive lead holds immense value for your company.
There are also varying types of leads based on industry niche.
For example, contractors that exclusively perform commercial roofing jobs are going to seek leads in the commercial industry.
Other roofers may focus on metal roofing, storm damage roofing, and other sub-categories of the industry.
Some of the most popular lead types include:
Exclusive Roofing Leads
Exclusive leads are prospects who contact your roofing company only.
Since they are more likely to convert, they generally cost more to acquire from 3rd parties. However, a solid online presence helps roofers produce exclusive leads for free.
In addition, exclusive prospects are more likely to become regular customers after their initial service.
Finally, the exclusive model contrasts the shared model since shared leads give their contact information to multiple roofing companies in the same area.
Shared Roofing Leads
Shared leads are the most common type when buying from a 3rd party lead seller.
These leads are not particularly valuable because they are given to multiple roofing companies.
As a result, you are competing against others for the sale, which lowers the customer’s lifetime value, even if they convert.
When that customer requires additional roofing services, they are more likely to seek out the lead seller than your company.
Now, you must “win” the battle again to gain them as a repeat customer.
With that in mind, you are helping the lead seller build their brand instead of investing in your own company.
Commercial Roofing Leads
For value purposes, leads for commercial roofers are the most coveted.
For example, most businesses know that commercial roofing jobs pay the most and create the most future opportunities for more sales.
Securing exclusive commercial leads puts your company on the fast track to success in 2023.
Commercial projects are the jackpot, whether TPO roofing or modified bitumen leads.
Metal Roofing Leads
If your business specializes in metal roofing, you will target those jobs.
It can be challenging to find these customers depending on your service areas.
However, if you invest in a comprehensive digital presence, you can dominate your market when it comes to acquiring metal roofing leads.
9 Proven Ways to Get The Best Roofing Leads
You can cut out the middleman by investing in lead generation strategies that produce the best roofing leads.
The companies you buy leads from utilize many of these strategies for their own brand and then sell the leads to roofers like you.
You can stop relying on these clowns with the methods below:
1) SEO for Roofers
Studies show that SEO is more effective than ever before in 2023.
Ranking on Google search results is an excellent way to generate leads for roofers.
SEO entails local, technical, and on-page optimizations, citations, link building, and content marketing.
For roofing contractors, ranking on the Local Map 3-Pack is vital to earning new customers.
For example, when users search for roofing services near me, they see local results first.
Getting in the top 3 local rankings requires optimizing your GMB listing, getting more reviews, and strengthening your NAP citations.
In addition to Map 3-Pack rankings, traditional organic results remain a valuable source of user engagement.
Appearing on the primary organic results still produces a favorable click-through rate (CTR) compared to PPC ads.
For example, the top organic results receive a 28.5% CTR compared to only 1.91% for PPC ads.
2) Facebook Ads
Roofing companies can generate leads on Facebook using Facebook Ads or Facebook Marketing.
Unfortunately, getting organic clicks is rare since Facebook’s algorithm changed back in 2018.
However, investing in a Facebook Advertising strategy can produce consistent, high-quality leads for roofing companies in 2023.
Instagram ads are part of Facebook’s Ad platform, so roofers can appear on both social media platforms when running promotions.
With billions of active users on each platform, the combined number provides a massive potential audience for your ads.
Leads Ads from Facebook are especially useful for lead generation.
When users see your ad, they have the option to submit a pre-populated form, which already contains contact information pulled from their profile.
As a result, conversion rates increase significantly. Learn more about Lead Ads below:
3) Canvassing
Canvassing for leads still works with the proper strategy.
Contractors can even find customers through community platforms like NextDoor, which often establish more immediate trust in a particular roofing company than a traditional PPC advertisement.
In addition, many companies find incorporating mobile software into their canvassing efforts helpful.
You can improve neighborhood canvassing by investing in your sales team.
It’s not enough to randomly assign jobs to individual salespeople; companies must consider strengths, weaknesses, and area expertise.
Sales pitches convert better when coming from people who have confidence in the subject.
One way to build sales confidence is assigning nearby homes to one salesperson.
Instead of traveling multiple blocks to complete their daily canvassing, salespeople can focus on a cluster of houses on one street.
This strategy is especially effective after hail storms ravage an area. Learn more about canvassing below:
4) Content Marketing
Producing high-quality content and sharing it on various platforms helps businesses get more leads.
For instance, a blog post about metal roof repair can get clicks on Google search and serve as a great shared post on Facebook.
You can even distribute excellent content to your email list as part of a more extensive promotional campaign or newsletter.
Aside from text-based content like blog posts, businesses can also produce visual content through video, images, and infographics.
Canva is an excellent resource for creating engaging infographics without needing design experience. In addition, most modern smartphones can shoot and edit high-quality videos with little expertise required.
Finding where to distribute content is vital to proper content marketing.
For example, your consumers may engage with your posts on Facebook but not necessarily on LinkedIn.
Utilizing analytics reporting on each platform helps determine which type of content is best for each forum.
5) Email Marketing
Email blasts can reach thousands of people instantly, so long as you’ve built a genuine list from prior encounters.
The stats say that email marketing returns over $40 for each dollar spent, an outstanding ROI. But, of course, your open rate will depend on the quality of your campaign.
Still, it’s shocking that more roofers don’t utilize email blasts for lead generation. While direct mail also applies to leads, emails can reach more prospects quickly.
In addition, advancements in technology have made sending high-quality emails easier.
According to research, follow-up emails can increase conversions by 74%, making them a no-brainer technique for businesses.
Learn more about adequately executing an email marketing campaign below:
6) Apps & Software
Use technology to your advantage by downloading lead generation apps and software for your business.
For example, software like RoofSnap can streamline sales pitches and increase conversions.
Similarly, an app like DataPins strengthens your company’s brand authority.
Consider also that storm tracking apps are known to generate leads.
Getting notifications every time a storm hits one of your service areas empowers you to deploy your canvassers and salespeople to the appropriate zones.
As a result, the conversions after storms increase dramatically.
Job scheduling apps are also helpful, and while they don’t directly generate leads, many of the software comes with additional features that help promote your business and close sales.
Review some of the best roofing apps below:
7) Review Platforms
We know that most consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, and roofers should take advantage of 3rd party review platforms to generate more leads.
Whether it’s Google Business Profile, HomeAdvisor, or Yelp, having good reviews helps get customers.
Most consumers prefer an average star rating of 4.2 to 4.5 as it suggests legitimacy instead of a perfect 5-star rating, which raises suspicions.
However, using apps like DataPins, you can expect your ratings to fall within that range if you properly request reviews.
But, of course, your rating ultimately comes down to how well you perform services.
Google Business Profile is the most important for lead generation of all the review platforms.
For example, searchers may see your Google reviews immediately after searching for your brand name.
With this in mind, if you wish to prioritize a particular platform, ensure it’s Google.
8) PPC Advertising
Google Ads, formerly AdWords, is an example of PPC for roofing companies.
PPC remains an effective lead generation strategy for business, albeit less effective than SEO.
Still, appearing on top of Google SERPs is a luxury only PPC can provide.
For those unaware, PPC requires businesses to pay each time a user clicks on their advertisement. Some users don’t know the difference since ads emulate regular organic search results.
The best part of PPC is that it works fast and can show significant results in less than a week.
Though Google Ads is the most popular PPC platform for business, other platforms like Bing Ads, for example, are also worth considering in 2023.
In addition to Bing, PPC platforms like AdRoll demonstrate value to advertisers.
Learn more about pay-per-click strategies below:
9) Internet Directories
Niche directories like HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List can help businesses generate online leads. These brands have high authority, so people trust them when searching for contractors.
Similarly, they may appear on search results for relevant queries and show the top 10 lists in a given area.
As for buying leads directly from directory platforms, most people advise against it.
Since directories primarily offer shared leads, meaning they give the same prospect’s contact information to multiple businesses, the value decreases significantly.
Therefore, as a business, you should focus on exclusive leads.
If nothing else, optimizing directory listings will guarantee uniform NAP citations across the web and benefit your search engine optimization overall.
In addition, some homeowners still consult with directory lists when choosing a service rather than traditional search results.
As a result, listing your business on every prominent directory is a good time investment.
Common Lead Generation Myths for Roofers
While the strategies above are proven to generate leads, just as many techniques do not produce results.
Because the marketing industry is morally reprehensible, they promote lead generation tactics that sound great but don’t actually work.
As a 10+ year member of the digital marketing industry, I’ve seen them all.
Below, I will list some of the most common lead generation myths to be aware of in 2023.
Free Roofing Leads
Any company or individual promoting “free roofing leads” intentionally misled contractors.
There is no such thing as free leads, and there is always an ulterior motive (and bill).
The closest legitimate thing to free roofing leads is Google Business Profile.
Claiming a Google Business Profile is free and is eligible to rank on Google Maps and the Map 3-Pack.
However, the profiles that rank within the 3-Pack for relevant keywords have invested money in SEO.
So, to be in a position to acquire leads on Google Maps, a financial investment is necessary.
Generally, always approach any mention of free leads with the highest skepticism.
PPC is The “Only Option”
Quite a few bad actors within the lead generation industry try to make roofers spend a ton of money up-front.
They tell them that PPC (Google Ads specifically) is the only way to generate roofing leads in 2023.
As someone who has dealt with the aftermath of these tactics, their lack of integrity is shameful.
They rope roofers into a black box billing agreement and constantly urge the roofer to spend more.
They blame the roofer for not generating leads with PPC and tell them that SEO does not work.
Any PPC-first agency should be met with skepticism and thoroughly vetted before moving forward.
Promising X Amount of Leads Per Month
Advertisements promising x amount of leads per month mislead roofers at best and lie to them at worst.
The only way an agency can promise a specific number of leads is if they are generating them themselves.
In these cases, they are shifting the impact of the leads away from your company in favor of their own brand.
While you may perform the roofing jobs, they are getting some and oftentimes most of the credit.
They are simply lying if they are promising x amount of leads based on your branded channels.
While estimating the number of leads generated monthly is okay, promising a specific amount is a red flag.
Real-Life Anecdotes of Roofers Generating Leads
At my agency, Roofing Webmasters, we’ve helped roofing companies net 1 million and even 2 million in revenue from lead generation.
You can see some of the brands we’ve worked with below
Local Roofer Benefits from Hail Damage Leads
One of our clients’s cities experienced a hail storm, resulting in 100 leads in a single day and a net of 1 million in revenue.
This client was optimized on Google, allowing him to dominate the marketplace against competitors.
New Roofing Company Dominates Map-Pack
One of our newer roofing companies utilized DataPins to rank for long-tail keywords on the Local Map 3-Pack.
They quickly accumulated 50+ reviews and began ascending for primary keyword terms.
They generated so many leads that they bought a new truck and hired more employees.
Pitfalls of Lead Generation Success
It can be exhilarating the first time a roofer experiences a considerable spike in leads.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen this translate into bad decisions that become industry pitfalls.
Below, I will share some of the most common pitfalls that occur post-lead-generation.
Blowing Revenue on Luxuries
While it’s okay to celebrate your earnings modestly, I’ve seen far too many roofers blow all of the lead generation money in a quick span.
They buy multiple F-150s and multiple boats and get an addition to the house.
That money could have been reinvested in your roofing business to ensure sustainable success.
While the lure of material things is significant, it is something every roofer should be mindful of long-term.
Relying on Hail Storms
A hail storm is an act of God that can cause roofing companies to get arrogant.
While you may experience a significant lead spike after a local hail storm, you may not get another one for five years or more.
If you get cocky about your luck, you forget to do the things required to sustain success.
To avoid this pitfall, invest your money in marketing so you. can achieve more consistency.
Absolute Do-Nots for Roofing Lead Generation
I’ve been in his industry so long that I’ve compiled some absolute do-nots regarding roofing lead generation and its aftermath.
Do Not Stop Marketing During the Offseason
The roofing market can be very seasonal and sometimes to extreme degrees in certain climates.
However, the worst thing you can possibly do is pause or stop your marketing during the offseason.
I’ve seen this happen multiple times, and the roofing company loses all their progress to competitors.
They expect to “pick up where they left off,” only to find that the efforts of their nearby competitor have ruined their peak season.
Do Not Switch Strategies/Agencies
As business owners, we tend to always look for the next big thing.
However, when it comes to generating roofing leads, this can have dire consequences.
The strategies that netted you 1 million in revenue should not be ditched just because “you’re growing.”
I’ve seen this happen only for the roofing company to lose all their money and go out of business.
While it’s challenging not to be sold by all the latest Facebook Ads and cold emails, sustained success stems from doubling down on what works.
How Much Do Roofing Leads Cost?
The cost of roofing leads can range from $20 to $300.
The low end of this spectrum requires an “act of God,” which means a severe storm like a hail storm or a hurricane in your service area.
The cheapest leads are those you generate through organic search results using a comprehensive SEO strategy.
Next Steps to Get Roofing Leads in 2023
Roofing Webmasters has encountered every type of lead generation tactic as a top-rated agency in the roofing digital marketing industry since 2013.
Based on our experience working with professional roofing contractors, we can assure you that the most affordable leads for roofers come through organic clicks.
As a roofing company professional, your goal should be to cut out the middleman and stop relying on lead generation companies to provide your customers.
Not only is this strategy expensive, but it also makes sustainable business growth impossible.
Using this guide, you can create a long-term branded lead source through digital marketing.
To get in touch with Roofing Webmasters, contact us here.
