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Marketing Your Roofing Company: 6 Ideas for Roofers

Roofing company owners often ask how to market a roofing company. As marketing consultants with a decade-plus of experience in helping local service businesses and contractors, we’ve distilled the best roofing marketing strategies for long-term success. You don’t have to break the bank to boost your roofing business.

roofing contractor marketing for roofers

In this guide, we’ll explore cost-effective roofing marketing ideas to increase your visibility and generate more leads. We’ll focus on six efficient ways to maximize your time and resources in marketing your roofing contractor business and achieving a high return on your investment.

1. Claim Your Business on Google Maps

First and foremost, if you haven’t already, claiming your business on Google is a crucial step, given it’s the #1 search engine in the world. Signing up is free and enables you to provide essential information that potential customers can use to find and contact your company. 

When people search for your roofing business on Google, having an optimized Google Business listing ensures your company appears prominently. Achieving a top three, first page on Google as a roofing contractor can double or triple the number of daily leads you get, according to Hayley Mace of Roofing the Villages Florida.

To get started, make sure your Google Business listing includes:

  • Your business name
  • Phone number
  • Address
  • Website
  • A concise description
  • Relevant business category
  • Your services

roofers claim your google business profile

Once claimed, you can optimize your profile and do Local SEO to propel your business to the top of Google when customers search for roofing contractors. Our marketing team can help if you don’t know how to accomplish this.

2. Start a Referral Program

In today’s digital age, word-of-mouth advertising remains powerful. To harness its potential, create a referral program encouraging satisfied customers to spread the word about your exceptional roofing services. To make your referral program effective, follow these steps:

  • Make it easy for homeowners to understand.
  • Create a dedicated webpage on your website explaining the referral process.
  • Encourage satisfied customers to provide feedback, reviews, or testimonials.
  • Promote positive feedback in emails, social media posts, and web pages.

By offering top-quality service and showcasing positive feedback, you give customers compelling reasons to refer your roofing business when their friends or family are in need.

3. Answer Your Customers’ Questions with Content

Your website content strategy plays a pivotal role in marketing your roofing company. Relevant content your customers need to know can add hundreds or thousands more monthly visitors, according to Austin Ewing of Atlanta Commercial Roofing Contractors.

Create a blog or FAQ page that comprehensively addresses your customers’ commonly asked inquiries, leaving no stone unturned. For instance, if someone asks, “What’s the average price of a roof?” you can provide a detailed answer. Tailor your content to address questions such as:

  • Which roofing materials are best for my home?
  • Should I repair or replace my roof?
  • How can I maximize my insurance claim?

start a roofing blog with content customers ask

To determine many of their questions and capture customers’ attention, use free keyword research tools to identify phrases and keywords they might use when searching for roofing services. Useful keyword research tools include:

  • Google Keyword Planner
  • Moz’s Keyword Explorer
  • Ahrefs
  • SEMRush
  • Long Tail Pro
  • Keyword Spy
  • KWFinder

Incorporate these keywords naturally into lengthy, informative blog posts and articles. Offer valuable insights to keep your audience coming back for more roofing-related information.

Following these roofing marketing strategies can enhance your company’s visibility, reputation, and, ultimately, your success in the roofing business.

4. Organize a Monthly Email Marketing Campaign

Don’t underestimate the power of email marketing for your roofing business. Many customers and potential clients check their emails regularly and appreciate staying updated on offers, tips, and industry information. 

Email marketing provides an excellent opportunity to connect with your audience, build trust, and yield one of the highest ROIs in digital marketing due to its low cost. To start:

  • Focus on collecting email addresses from your client list.
  • Offer incentives like small discounts or free guides to encourage sign-ups.
  • Commit to sending at least one monthly email newsletter.

However, executing email blasts requires finesse. Sending generic emails to all your subscribers can be ineffective and yield a negative ROI. Instead, tailor your emails based on subscriber behavior for a personalized touch. 

This strategy consistently boosts sales for roofing companies across the U.S. The connections you forge through email marketing can help you convert leads into loyal customers, establishing your business as a trusted industry authority.

5. Direct Mail Flyers and Postcards for Seasonal and Weather-Related Promotions

Roofing businesses often experience seasonal variations in demand, and using print media, such as flyers and postcards, you can leverage and piggyback on the seasonal weather patterns in your advertisement campaigns.

For example, showcase photos of roof damage caused by hail and storms during storm season to entice homeowners to prepare for the upcoming season by hiring your roofing company.

Mailed postcards and door flyers can be an economical way to spread the word about your new roofing business in local neighborhoods. This cost-effective advertising won’t strain your budget as you attract new customers.

roofing company flyer roofers use direct mail marketing

We suggest Atlanta print shop – clashgraphics.com for this type of printing and direct mail, allowing you to target specific locations or neighborhoods where you’ve recently completed projects.

6. Explore Different Marketing Channels and Platforms

Marketing channels vary in purpose, pricing, contract terms, and impact. To determine the most effective channels for your roofing marketing strategy, consider the following factors:

  • Impressions (how many people see your content)
  • Long-term and short-term Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Cost & Contract terms (one-time charge or monthly subscription)
  • Leads produced (converted sales or appointments)
  • Time required for management (business or owner involvement)
  • Effectiveness for roofers on average

Consider using the following marketing channels and service provider advertising platforms:

  • Google Ads
  • Facebook
  • Yelp
  • Angi
  • Thumbtack
  • Door knocking
  • Direct mail

online marketing advertising platforms for roofers and roofing companies

Each above advertising platform produces different results. However, they all rely on your business having an outstanding reputation. In the modern marketing era, customer reviews and public opinion on your company are critical, as online reputation and branding have become business priorities.

Each of the above platforms effectively generates new leads, but consider the factors most important to your business and allocate your marketing resources most effectively.

Final Thoughts on Roofer Marketing

Marketing your roofing business can be overwhelming due to the plethora of options and lack of certainty about what will work. The effectiveness of each strategy depends on factors such as your brand reputation, location, and experience. To make the right choices, it’s crucial to understand the ins and outs of all available marketing options to the roofing industry.

Additionally, researching your competitors’ strategies can provide valuable insights into what works in your specific market. If you need assistance optimizing your roofing company’s marketing strategy, don’t hesitate to contact us at Web Consulting & Marketing. We specialize in helping roofing businesses like yours succeed in today’s competitive landscape.

How One Website Improvement Helped This Salon Furniture Company

It is very common for entrepreneurs and businesses to obsess and focus solely on website design; however, we encourage an equal emphasis be placed on its performance and user experience. These critical factors are often overlooked, but have a significant impact on the success of a marketing campaign and subsequent earning potential.

Salon equipment supplier, Salon CA came to us for a website design, but had a usability and experience problem that needed resolving.

Culture Influences Your Customers Expectations

The fast paced lifestyle of many Americans has created a customer expectation that demands instantaneous results. Technological advances such as push-start car ignition and LTE connectivity speak to the instant gratification mindset. Modern solutions encourage and facilitate this pace, which lead to an impatient customer that expects convenience and speed. Online sales of your business will suffer if your website speed lags in the slightest bit.

In this post, we will explain the process of analyzing and implementing a solution to the website speed issue that was impeding the bottom line of Salon CA.

Identifying a Problem

salonca website screenshot

Following the launch of their newly designed site, Salon CA initiated a brand new Pay-Per-Click marketing campaign. The goal was simple – sell more of their affordably priced salon supplies and furniture. Salon CA has a large inventory of equipment, so it took a few weeks to add all of their products to the Ad network and be promoted across the Internet.

However, after 3 weeks there was a very noticeable increase in website traffic. Great news, right! Well not completely…

Every business owner understands and wants more eyeballs on their website. However, the larger goal is that these visitors turn into paying customers. And despite the spike in traffic, conversions and actual sales were only marginally better.

Analyzing this Conversion Problem

We had an idea as to the source of this problem, but needed to look under the hood to confirm our suspicion. We performed an audit of the Salon CA website traffic by studying the browsing behaviors of their website visitors.

These potential customers were being attracted and driven to the site primarily by the Google Shopping network. The Google users typed a query (example – barber chair) and were shown images of barber chairs from several different vendors. Below the barber chair product images were the price and business name. Thus, the behavior of this customer was that of someone looking for a company with the product they needed, at the right price, and with a company policy they were comfortable buying from.

The visitors that saw the factors that made them comfortable clicked the “Add to Cart” or “Buy” buttons. We saw in the analytics that website users were leaving the site or abandoning the cart before finishing their transaction.

Online Consumer Psychology

Once the website data showed that online visitors were seeing the various supplies and salon equipment, but were “leaking” out of the page before completing orders, we knew the culprit was related to one of these two reasons:

1. Price
2. User experience

Every buyer has to know the price range of a product that they are willing to pay. There are several pricing strategies that can encourage buyers to take action, but that’s not the only consideration of a buyer.

User experience can be broken down into several bite-size pieces, some of which include a retailer’s refund policy, the prestige of owning a brand’s product, or the actual process of making the transaction.

All buyers consciously and unconsciously consider these factors when shopping and “interviewing” the retailer they will choose to satisfy their product fulfillment needs.

Synthesis of the Facts

Understanding this information, we knew that if customers were coming to the site after having a preview of price, then it was likely in line with what they were willing to pay. With that off the list as the issue, our focus went to the other conversion factor.

When evaluating the “experience” aspect of the Salon CA website, we looked to the main technical factor that affects the entire website: the hosting server. The Virtual Private Server that hosted their 3000 SKU product line of furniture and equipment was hosted on the Bluehost network.

In many situations, Bluehost is an ideal and very reliable hosting solution; however, after testing the Salon CA website environment, we learned the hosting server response and load times were less than desirable. This aspect was potentially driving customers away due to a poor shopping experience.

The Potential Conversion Solution

The Salon CA website was built on the widely popular Magento platform. This e-commerce application is a great product that is used by top brands and enterprise level companies. It is extremely robust; however, Magento is a known resource hog. Our page-load auditing was showing load times of nearly 5 seconds. In a culture where decisions are made quickly, every second counts.

The load speed problem was not due to their hardware or technical limitations; it was in lacking human capital. The Bluehost Virtual Private Server was unmanaged and had not been optimized in any way. We optimized the website, files, and database with HTTP headers, caching and other speed improvement; however, without a network administrator, their Bluehost VPS was nearly out the box without any optimization.

We communicated the issue and began looking for a managed hosting environment. After looking at the array of web hosts, we stumbled on a Magento optimized managed hosting solution named Nexcess. All technical requirements were met and reviews of other webmasters gave us the confidence to present this as the solution to the problem.

Interviewing and Engaging Nexcess

Next, we coordinated a call with the Nexcess sales team to address technical questions and concerns. The Nexcess representatives were very polite, knowledgeable, and seemingly a good fit for our needs.

We were provided the link to a Demo Magento website that was being hosted on their managed and optimized Magento hosting environment. The speed of browsing their Demo website was noticeably fast. Most importantly, the “Add to Cart” and checkout function performed exceptionally well also. We were seeing 2-3 second load times on average, and compared to the original Salon CA 5 second load time, this met our needs.

We confirmed with Salon CA that Nexcess was our choice provider and solution to their website issue. Included in the Nexcess plan was Email Hosting, Redis Cache, Free Migration, and SSL, amongst other perks. The plan totaled around $80 a month for 125 GB bandwidth, and included free backups and other security features.

Website Migration to Magento Optimized Nexcess Server

Once signed up, we provided the Nexcess development team the necessary credentials and they went to work. Their team backed up the current website, database, and all files. Once transferred to the Nexcess server, we were allowed to test the site in the new hosting environment. After 2-3 weeks of testing and SSL setup, the new Salon CA website went live.

The New Solution and Conversion Improvements

As soon as the DNS propagated and the Salon CA website loaded from the new host, we immediately saw the speed and user experience improvement. Now with less than 2 second load website load times, it was time to put the new solution to the test.

salonca website speed performance

We resumed PPC ads on the Google Shopping network, inviting traffic and customers to the new website. The moment we all waited for – was this the answer to the problem – was here.

Per the new analytics, traffic to the site was increased with our upgraded experience. The Number of Pages Per Visit increased which let us know visitors appreciated the speed improvement and were compelled to visit more pages / products. Our Quality Score also improved, which meant better Ad placement, cheaper Cost Per Acquisition, and reduced Cost Per Click (Ad Spend), resulting in greater profitability and revenue. Last but not least, conversion rate exploded 580%.

The proof was evident: faster website load speed was the solution to better conversions. Potential customers became actual customers and rewarded Salon CA for improving their user experience.

Find Salon CA on G+ or Facebook, and visit the faster and improved Salon CA website.

New Design for Atlanta Printing Company

Clash Graphics is a Graphic and Printing Company in Atlanta that serves consumers, large corporations, faith-based institutions and non-profit organizations. Over the past 5 years they have become one of the leaders in design and Atlanta flyer printing services. They print menus for restaurants, posters and flyers for concerts, and business cards for small and large companies nationwide. We were asked to optimize an existing web page so that it would convert better. Here is what we considered and did to achieve a better converting web page…

Clash Graphics Analysis

The original web page was completely filled with content but lacked visuals. When customers visited the page they were given lots of text but no clear direction or presentation of solutions and products. The benefits that Clash offered were “highest quality, fastest service, and best prices”. However, this statement was located near the bottom of the page. Since most customers were not looking to read all of the text on the page, they most likely did not scroll down and missed the main benefits Clash offered.

After thinking through it all, our first priority for the revamped design was to add visual elements that represented the products and solutions Clash offered. We produced a mockup using elements from their homepage to give them an idea of the new direction. Here is the proof and direction for the new layout that was sent:

Printing Atlanta Mockup

Once we received approval we began designing custom buttons representative of each product/solution. Next we wanted to bring more attention to the benefit statement and highlight it, so it was moved above the fold. Lastly, we incorporated more keywords that were relevant to their solutions so customers could find them as they searched online. Here is the final design:

Printing Atlanta Mockup

Atlanta Physician is Revolutionizing Medicine and Leveraging the Power of the Internet to Improve Lives

A longtime client referred Dr. Dana Piccirillo to us for help with his website and to grow his Medical practice. Admittedly, his mission to introduce a revolutionary approach to health and medicine is what caught our attention.

“More Drugs is not the Answer,” was the slogan that the Doctor used to convey his overarching philosophy. He explained, “Without knowing what you’re putting in your body, I’m at a disadvantage to get you well. Thus knowing what’s in your body, and how your body will react to it is important information.”

So first he tests patients for food, medical, and environmental allergies. This was the first nugget we needed – as his patients would be looking for an allergist in Atlanta. Knowing this information gave us a solid starting point to build a strategy around.

We began researching allergy testing, but continued learning more about his unique approach. Next we discovered as a result of removing certain foods and controlling toxins entering the body, his patients would greatly limit disease and lose weight, which was the second key takeaway.

He went further and explained how new DNA and Genetics testing helped him have a complete picture of his patients makeup and medical background. From there he then knows the best treatments and solutions to prescribe to get his patients well, without relying on drugs.

There’s more, but allergy and weight loss had a large enough demand in Atlanta for us to focus here initially. So we redesigned the website, tweaked his old content, and added new optimized pages. Patients struggling with allergy and weight gain symptoms began finding Integrative Physicians of Atlanta easily. Now More patients are finding his practice, and he’s able to help more people live healthier lives.

Dr. Piccirillo’s approach to medicine is rooted in common sense and focused on living a healthier lifestyle as opposed to writing you a ton of prescriptions. This holistic approach will appeal to a large population, and fortunately Dr. Piccirillo recognized the power of the internet to deliver his compelling message “More Drugs Are Not the Answer.”

See the redesigned website below and visit Integrative Physicians of Atlanta to learn more about his revolutionary approach to medicine.

Atlanta Allergist

 
Send us a message at info@webconsultingandmarketing.com or call us at 404-926-6650 to schedule your free Marketing consultation.

Is Your Local Business Invisible Online? Discover Local Buzz! [Infographic]

More and more consumers are using the Internet to search for products and services in their area. Sadly, local businesses are struggling to keep up with the trend. They are finding it more and more difficult to stay visible to potential customers online.

On the other hand, a select few local businesses are thriving. They are dominating local listings and enticing prospects to come and visit the shop. Want to dominate your local area for your products and services, too? Discover how you can thrive locally with the help of optimized local listings, customer ratings and reviews, check-ins, and maps – otherwise known as “local buzz.”

See our Infographic:

infographics

Local Search and Why It’s Growing

Many local business owners are aware that nearly 8 in 10 consumers use the Internet to look for products and services online. Google, of course, is the leading search engine of choice. That’s why business owners spend majority of the budget on having a website and optimizing it for search results. What many owners are realizing now is that they should optimize their online presence based on location too, not just on products and services they offer. That’s what local buzz is all about.

Local search happens when prospects type in geographic keywords in their search queries (i.e. “best wedding gowns san francisco” or “website design in chicago). Some 54% of searchers include a local modifier (city, zip code) in their search nowadays.

Much of the popularity of local search can be correlated to the growth of mobile device ownership and usage. Some 74% of smartphone owners get real-time location-based information through their phone, as of February 2012, up from 55% in May 2011, comScore said.

Local Buzz Means Money for the Biz

For now, it is clear that consumers are online and they are looking for a local business with the help of the Internet. But why should you care? In essence, it’s about your bottom line, your sales. It’s about your business’ future. Local searches are not just aimed at locating a business. They are also geared to make a purchase! As mentioned above, mobile is fuelling local search. So it is no surprise that:

  • 78% of mobile phone searches resulted in a purchase
  • 77% of tablet searches resulted in a purchase
  • 73% of mobile searches trigger other additional action and conversions

Local searchers therefore aren’t just typing queries on Google using their mobile devices; they are looking to buy! Now this is what matters: is your local business “buzzing” on local listings and consumer feedback? Or is it invisible when prospects search online?

Local Buzz 101: Beyond Traditional SEO

Typically, business owners hire a designer to create a website and then employ an agency to optimize that site. There is nothing wrong with this approach. In fact, these two things should be first in your priority. They ensure your business is present online. But your local business needs more than just exposure on general search results. It needs to be visible in various local listings and entice prospects to visit your shop and avail of your products and services. That’s where local buzz comes in.

Unlike typical and traditional search optimization, “local buzz” focuses on your business’s local online presence. This is done by combining traditional SEO with the optimization of genuine consumer reviews, check-ins, maps, and local listings. This also means that aside from your own web pages, search results from Google maps, Foursquare, independent reviews sites, and local listings will come up when prospects search online. Local buzz aims to make your local business visible and appealing to local searchers.

Dominate Local: Check-ins, Listings, Maps, Reviews

Various studies have shown that local listings, maps, reviews, and check-ins not only dominate local search results, they also influence a user’s purchase decision. For example, a BrightLocal study found that the effect of online reviews of consumers is also stronger this year, compared to last year.

  • 85% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses (up from 76% in 2012)
  • 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (up from 72%)
  • 73% of consumers trust a business more because of reviews (up from 58%)
  • 65% of consumers are more likely to use a business with positive reviews (up from 52%)

Aside from reviews, geo-social or check-ins websites and apps should be part of the strategy. Foursquare alone has 40 million users and has logged 3.54 billion online check-ins so far. You may use check-in promotions to entice prospects to visit your local store or shop. Rewarding them after a number of check-ins is one type of promotion.

Maps and listings also matter. For instance, 35% of mobile phone users who search for local businesses via apps use Google Maps, according to comScore. Meanwhile, 76% of searches using Internet yellow pages resulted in either a purchase or intent to purchase, says the Local Search Association.

The message these statistics bring is clear: you need to dominate local listings with location-based services to ensure prospects find you, and that they find you worth dealing with. Your local business needs local buzz.

Send us an email at info@webconsultingandmarketing.com or call us at 404-926-6650 now to schedule your free in-depth consultation with us. We can help your business dominate online locally with the power of local buzz.

[Video] Customers Are Searching for Local Businesses Online – and How Your Business Can Survive the Shift

Do you still think that a listing on the yellow pages is enough for prospects to find your local business? If so, this is a wake-up call.

The truth is this: paying customers are finding more and more ways to research products and services in their area. Widespread Internet access and mobile devices enable customers to find what they need instantly, on the go, and with high buying intent. This also comes with the high propensity to share experiences online with friends. If your business is not capitalizing on this shift, then you are losing out.
[Read more…]

Beyond Local Online Presence: How Your Local Business Can Keep the Cash Register Ringing with ‘Local Buzz’

According to statistics, an overwhelming 78% of consumers research about products and services on the Internet before buying locally. The message consumers are sending local business owners is therefore clear: be visible online or get ready to close shop.
[Read more…]

Responsive Web Design: Prevent Potential Sales Loss with a Mobile Friendly Website

Many business owners today tend to ignore the importance of having a mobile friendly or “responsive” website. Without realizing it, they may be losing prospective leads and sales because their website is not designed to load properly on mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Here’s why you should not be one of them, and how you can make your website responsive:

[Read more…]

Responsive Web Design: How Businesses Risk Losing Customers by Ignoring Google’s Recommended Mobile Friendly Configuration

Mobile Internet users are expected to outnumber desktop users by next year. It is therefore no surprise that Google is paying close attention to this development. And so should you. Because if your website is not yet “mobile responsive,” you may be turning away prospects who browse your web pages via smartphones, tablets, or laptops. And frankly, mobile users are prospects you wouldn’t want to lose.

[Read more…]

Go for Mobile Responsive Web Design [Infographic]

Getting More Leads and Sales, Not Just Fancy Cosmetic Redesign

Implementing responsive web design means opening up your online storefront to mobile visitors, effectively increasing your chances of getting more leads and sales through your site. While it may come as a mere fancy redesign to some business owners, you should realize that this change is geared toward marketing more than cosmetics. Making the decision to have a responsive site means giving your business more opportunities to grow, especially for the long haul.

[Read more…]

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