Today’s blog post takes a look at an area of importance for commercial roofing contractors—commercial roof lead generation. We examine the different methods of lead generation available today. The post then concludes by spelling out details of Choice Roof Contractor Group’s own roofing leads generation program.
Roofing leads are a staple of any commercial roofing business. Whether a roofing company is an established, respected enterprise or an up-and-coming roofing vendor, leads represent new opportunities to grow and scale. Their importance cannot be overstated.
Methods of Commercial Roofing Lead Generation
With the Internet and other technological innovations, there have been many new marketing methods for generating commercial roofing leads that have emerged. Here is a brief overview of the more mainstream methods used today.
- Direct mail. Despite the power of the Internet, there are some roofing marketing strategies that have not gone out of style. Direct mail campaigns continue to be a powerful method for generating commercial roofing leads. A direct mail campaign can cost thousands of dollars, but if it lands you just one lucrative commercial roofing job, the campaign can pay for itself. In this marketing strategy, thousands of mailer pieces are sent out to targeted prospects within a given area, usually building owners or key contacts within a certain radius of mileage from a central location. When they receive the direct mail pieces, it is likely that some of the targeted prospects will call up the roofing contractor who sent out the mail pieces, so they can discuss their needs or arrange for an inspection.
- Telemarketing. The telephone also continues to play a strong role in roofing industry marketing. A commercial roofing company can purchase a list of prospects, which it will use to call customer prospects and solicit its services. Or it can generate its own calling lists by using information hubs such as the Better Business Bureau or other accessible sources with listings of local businesses. While telemarketing is an established lead generation method, it typically does not perform well by itself. The reason behind why this is the case is simple. When a roofing business calls someone on the phone, generally speaking it is pitching its services to the prospect without him or her having any knowledge of what the company has to offer. Even worse, the prospect is unlikely to know the roofing company even exists until that moment. Because of the lack of consumer awareness, a roofing contractor faces an additional obstacle of lack of company brand awareness when using telephonic contact for his market outreach. Successfully gaining a business relationship over the phone may take several phone calls to the same person or call attempts to several people before a prospect is converted into just a lead. For this reason, telemarketing is time-consuming and, by itself, does not offer the best option for lead generation in terms of large amounts of time spent.
- Websites. Having a professional online presence is a powerful method for generating leads, as it can provide extensive consumer information about a roofing company’s background, expertise, and quality of products used. A website can also showcase galleries of past roofing jobs completed, which serve as visual demonstrations of a roofing company’s credibility and experience. In a way, you can think of a roofing company website as an ongoing consumer advocate for a roofing company. It does not have any hours of operation, and it is available for quick access and viewing. An effective website will leave visitors with a “call to action”, which usually consists of making a call to the roofing company for arranging a free estimate or an appointment to weigh opportunities for a business relationship. Websites are both an effective method of lead generation and closing deals.
- Social media. With the advent of the Internet, there have been advancements made in how people communicate with one another. Social media platforms offer ample opportunities to be interconnected with millions of consumers and interact with those who are likely to become paying customers. For roofing companies, social media offers a great opportunity not only to generate leads, but also build up public awareness of their brand, which in turn increases their market recognizability. By building up an online following, roofing companies can build up a steady trickle of leads which they can approach as potential customers or referrals to people who are better-suited for their services. However, like other marketing methods for lead generation, social media marketing does not perform well by itself. It has lower conversion rates, in terms of leads generated or even sales produced, than other marketing methods often produce. For this reason, social media marketing is most effective when it is paired with other marketing approaches for mixed, dynamic marketing outreach efforts.
These are just a few of the methods roofing contractors have at their disposal for commercial roofing lead generation. When used in tandem with each other or other marketing methods, they can create a powerful marketing outreach program. Leads are more likely to be attained with a comprehensive, mixed, well-timed approach.
Choice Roof Contractor Group and Lead Generation Benefit
At Choice Roof Contractor Group, we are fully committed to the success of quality-minded commercial roofing contractors. That is why we help members gain access to high-quality leads that have viability of becoming commercial roofing service buyers. Our lead generation is powered through our large online presence (our 300+ pages generate thousands of unique visitors), and many roofing contractors already have benefited from our high-quality leads.
On top of lead generation, Choice Roof Contractor Group gives commercial roofing contractors access to full-service, customized marketing support via a special partnership with Top Roof Marketing, the only nationwide marketing firm committed exclusively to the needs of commercial roofing contractors. Network members are extended a slew of other benefits as well, for their ongoing benefit and long-term business success. See all the benefits or reach out to a member here: Achieve Greater Success with a Nationwide Support Network of Commercial Roofing Professionals.
Should you be interested in learning more about becoming a member or strategic partnerships, give us a call today at 800-670-5583. We look forward to telling you more about how we are partnering with roofing contractors to help them achieve their own roofing success stories.
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