4 Strategic Insights for the Roofing Industry

Staying current and competitive in any industry can be challenging. Roofing contractors provide a necessary service. They protect homeowners and increase home value at the same time. And yet, customer expectations are always shifting, and the market changes with them. 

A successful roofing business requires more than a beautiful and professional roof installation. It starts with a clear business plan and a strategic marketing outlook. Every back-end business project helps to elevate your roofing company against competitors. 

This article explores some of the most effective strategies for growing your business. We’ll look at setting solid business goals. We’ll also discuss making your business stand out and building a successful marketing campaign. 

What Is the Current State of the Roofing Industry?

The roofing industry can be a tricky playing field. Roof installations and repairs can be profitable. However, roofing companies may find it difficult to find repeat customers. Most homeowners need a new roof installed every 12-25 years. 

There are over 253,044 roofing contractors in the US. Keeping your company growing with the expanding market is crucial. Roofing companies need to find innovative ways to help their business stand out. The market is saturated, but fortunately, there are ways to bring in new customers.

Define Your Goals for Your Roofing Company

It can be easy to get lost in the day-to-day operation of running your own business. Sometimes, it can feel like you’re running in place no matter how hard you try. Setting goals and milestones can help give you a clear direction to work toward.

Without setting clear and intentional goals, it can be hard to measure progress. Tracking your success can help you course-correct when things aren’t going well. 

Defined goals can help drive business in an impactful way. Your roofing team, whether it’s just you or all your employees, can all work towards the same objective. 

When setting goals for your roofing business, you may want to consider a few specifics.

What are the Key Factors Driving the Local Roofing Industry? 

Many factors influence commerce in the roofing industry. Rapid urbanization, a booming construction industry, and advancements in roofing materials all contribute to the industry’s growth.  

Understanding what drives the industry can help you get ahead of the market. You can define your goals based on staying current and efficient in these areas. 

What are the Desired Outcomes of Your Strategic Efforts? 

Knowing what the end goal is can help you hash out the specifics of your business goals. For instance, marketing strategies help with customer acquisition. But, if you want to focus on revenue growth, you may want to improve conversion rates and increase the value of your services. 

Setting specific goals can help you figure out the steps that it will take to get there. Everything from brand awareness, referrals, activation, sales, and customer retention should be defined. This way, you know what you want and need to make it happen. 

What are the Overall Market Trends Within the Roofing Field?

Stay on top of the market trends. This can help roofing contractors be aware of the direction of the market. It can also allow them to make more accurate forecasts. Then, goals can be redirected as needed. 

Knowing what products are popular can help you stay ahead of the competition. Keep an eye on industries that influence the roofing sector, such as construction. You can set your goals to match these trends and outdo the other roofing companies in your area. 

How Can You Make Your Goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (SMART)?

SMART goals help businesses stay on top of their growth plans. Rather than setting huge goals that may take forever to achieve, SMART goals keep you on track. This system can help you define your goal and get it done.

Set a specific goal that is in tune with the current market trends. Next, ensuring that you can get it done within a specific amount of time can help improve your growth. 

Roofers should be sure that it’s an achievable goal with measurable variables. This way, they can track their progress and that they’re headed in the right direction.

How to Make Your Roofing Company Stand Out from the Competition

In some areas, there may not be a lot of competition in the market. However, most places are likely to have more than one roofing contractor. 

In the state of California, there are over 9,000 roofing companies. In Texas, there are over 6,000. That means customers may have a lot of options, and roofers may have some decent competition.

So, how do you make sure that your business stands out? Once you’ve set your goals, it’s time to start working towards them. 

When trying to differentiate, businesses build unique marketing campaigns or focus on operations. Since marketing is a whole ballpark in itself, let’s start with operations. 

There are a few ways that you can distinguish your company simply by running a great business. 

Identify Service Gaps in Your Community

Do your research on what other roofing companies are offering your community. Ask your customers and friends. If you can identify what services are needed, your business can fill that gap. Some of these areas that are being overlooked can be quite profitable. 

You don’t have to only operate within one niche. But, if your roofing company can provide roofing needs that aren’t being met, you’ll be your community’s go-to business for those things.

Tailor Products and Services to Meet Specific Needs

Once you’ve identified some niche markets, you can make sure that you can fulfill those needs. Your business can offer services, materials, and knowledge in these areas. Catering to specific needs can improve customer satisfaction and build a positive reputation. 

Offer Diverse Roofing Material Options

Every client is likely to have different wants and needs. Some may want composition shingles, some may want asphalt shingles, and some may want a metal roof. 

According to a recent study, 83% of contractors list asphalt roofing as their primary source of revenue. However, the global metal roofing market is expected to grow rapidly over the next 10 years. 

Offering multiple options and having diverse skills opens up your market. This can help bring in a wider demographic of customers. Your roofing business will be able to service more people in your community. You’ll also be able to guarantee that they’re getting exactly what they want. 

Consider Going Green

Eco-friendly is a common household term these days. Many people are choosing to live more environmentally conscious lives. There are more and more “green” products on the market. 

Your roofing business could consider offering more eco-friendly options. This fits a niche and could help you stand out against competitors. 

Metal roofing, which can last 40 years or more, is a sustainable option. Additionally, there is a lot of buzz around green roofing. These “living” roofs offer a unique and earth-conscious option for roofing. 

There are many options for green roofing, and a growing demographic is interested in it. 

Grow Your Roofing Company with Effective Marketing Strategies

Marketing is one of the most useful tools for growing your roofing business. Like any business plan, you’ll need to define your goals for marketing. 

The right campaign can target very broad or very specific goals. In doing so, you can help grow your roofing business to whatever scale you have in mind.

An effective marketing strategy will attract new customers. It makes your brand recognizable. 

About 80% of homeowners don’t have a company in mind before searching for one. With quality marketing, your business can build familiarity. This, in turn, helps breed trust. Trust in your company can help bring in conversions. 

A strong marketing plan is another tool to help you develop your business. And, just like any tool, you need to know how to use it properly. Let’s look at some of the most effective ways to market your roofing company.

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing for roofing companies is the umbrella that covers all online advertising. Since so much of modern commerce happens online, this is a really important arena. Digital marketing covers things like pay-per-click ads, Google Ads, website traffic, and SEO. 

Recent data shows that 62% of shoppers ran a search for local roofers before picking a company. That means that over half of your potential customers will be searching online before converting. 

A few crucial aspects of digital marketing to pay attention to:

Local Search

Using search engine marketing platforms, like Google Ads, you can appear in searches. This registers and verifies the location of your business. Once you’re verified, your business will be available in local roofing searches. You can pay to advertise at the top of the search page, which can help create more leads. 

Your business will appear on the local map within the boundaries of your service area. This will establish your company in any local searches for roofing within your area. 

Pay Per Click Advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising promotes ads on various platforms. The key is that business owners will only pay each time someone clicks on the ad. These ads can lead to high conversion rates and can be set to whatever budget works best for you. 

PPC ads can be text, image, video, or a combination. You just link a landing page, set your budget, and the ad will do the rest. Google Ads is one of the most popular platforms for this, but there are many options for PPC advertising. 

Content Marketing

Content marketing uses online media to stimulate engagement and interest in your brand. Roofing companies can use things like social media, blogs, or YouTube videos to gain interest and conversions. 

Content marketing uses SEO strategies to drive customers to engaging content. Roofers can create attractive before and after posts or informative how-to videos to draw in potential clients. This helps build your brand and establish familiarity with your community. 

Over 70% of small businesses have seen success with their content marketing strategies. 

Website Design 

Your website serves as your online storefront. This will be the landing page for all other advertisements. 

Your website should be clean, professional, and easy to navigate. Your website should offer engaging copy, a well-structured menu, and clear calls to action. Always make sure that your website’s mobile version is just as easy to use. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the driving force behind the success of most digital advertising strategies. SEO uses keywords and language to optimize the relevance of a company’s content and links. It can enhance visibility, drive organic traffic, and generate more leads. 

SEO helps your content come up in searches. This helps your website to rank higher due to the significance of your ads.

Email Marketing

Email marketing drives more conversion rates than any other marketing channel. This form of marketing can reach thousands of people at once. 

You can use an email campaign to promote different aspects of your business. These campaigns can include things like education, sales, products, and customer appreciation. Or, you can promote all of these at once.

To build an effective email campaign, you need an effective platform. You’ll want to choose an email service provider that offers the right design, send volume, and pricing. Then, you’ll want to build your roofing contacts list. Do this through opt-in opportunities such as subscription buttons on your website.

Finally, you’ll want to craft your email based on your goals and the services that you’re trying to drive traffic to. 

CRM and FSM software

Customer relationship management (CRM) software and field service management (FSM) software offer useful tools for business management and marketing. 

CRM not only helps with managing clients, but it also stores and tracks client data. This can help you target specific audiences for marketing campaigns. 

FSM helps track employees and projects on-site. This software can help roofing companies keep track of important data. These analytics show what services are the most needed and various customer insights. 

Both of these services can improve the function of your roofing business. They can also offer insight for developing marketing campaigns.

Leverage Customer Reviews

Customer reviews can benefit your marketing strategies in many ways. Positive reviews can be used on your website and in social media posts. 

These reviews act as digital ads. And they’re free. Almost 50% of customers trust reviews as much as they trust recommendations from friends and family.

Not only do these reviews build trust, but they also build reputation. Since 99.9% of online customers read reviews, this leads to transparency. Good reviews show that your business provides quality services. 

Of course, not all reviews will be positive. Occasionally, you may end up with a grumpy or dissatisfied customer. Responding to these comments can help show that your business cares. Always stay professional and try to offer solutions.

Traditional Marketing

Traditional marketing covers the grounds of offline marketing efforts. Many of these strategies are easy to develop and highly effective, especially for local roofing businesses. 

Traditional marketing uses tactics like networking, building partnerships, client recommendations, and local advertisements. Using word of mouth is a tried-and-true marketing practice. 

Local businesses can also help promote local businesses. And satisfied customers can spread the word about their local roofing contractor.

4 Strategies to Put into Place Right Now

Between defining business goals and building a strong marketing plan, there is a lot of ground to cover. These strategies are effective, but they take time to develop properly. 

There are a few things that you can do to help set the groundwork for these more complex strategies. 

Here are some low-cost and easy-to-manage strategies that your business can use right now. 

Network With Local Home Service Companies

Networking provides roofers with an opportunity to build business relationships. Business owners can relate to other business owners. They can help each other develop working relationships that benefit each business.

Roofers should reach out to local realtors, contractors, and insurance companies. Many of these companies may be happy to develop a referral program. In exchange, your business could offer client discounts and mutual recommendations.

Request Input from Customers

Your customers can be one of your greatest resources. You could send out an email to request input from them. You can ask for reviews on customer service. See what types of products or services are needed and any other pain points that need attention.

Client input can help you identify where you need to focus your energy and how you may be able to grow your business.

Build a Competitive Pricing Strategy

Adjusting your pricing to fit the market can be an easy step. Do your research on competitive businesses. See what local businesses charge. You can also compare what the average cost of each service is within the industry. 

This should allow you to offer fair prices. You can do this either by service or by creating a tiered pricing strategy. Whatever you choose, make sure that it benefits your business plan.

Monitor Your KPIs 

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) offer useful and quantifiable data about business performance. You can access this data through analytics software in things like CRM and FSM software. Some of this data should be available through your accounting and your website. 

KPIs can track sales, customer satisfaction, revenue growth, and employee performance. This data is a great place to start with building business goals. 

Roofing business owners can see where their company needs to improve. Then, they can start making moves in that direction.